Applying for Funding:

What you Need to Succeed

Mario R. Gravelle

Learning & Innovation Analyst

Applying for Funding:What you Need to Succeed

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Identifying a need: Can you show that a problem exists andprove that a new intervention is needed?

How can you ensure that your intervention will be effective and

what makes your intervention efficient?

How can you show that your grant tracking and reporting initiatives

will support a learning culture and promote your organization’s sustainability?

What are proposal deal-breakers and deal-makers?

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Identifying a Need

Two steps that show your intervention is required…

Step one: Using the right approach to demonstrate that a problem needs to be addressed.

“Acts of violence in high schools affect student learnings outcomes in two ways: First, systemic violence in high schools is very disruptive to the student body. Second, disciplinary measures force the perpetrators to miss important classroom time. Violent incidences also impacts staff career outcomes as it leads to poor workplace conditions. It is important to note that violence in high schools has an impact outside of the school setting as expenses incurred to prevent/come to terms with violent incidences (policing; disciplining offenders; and HR costs) are shouldered by the taxpayer. The funds to pay for these unnecessary expenditures could certainly be used in other places.”

“Verbal and physical violence in high schools is an ever increasing problem. According to the provincial government, each high school experiences at least three acts of violence (student on student and/or student on staff) per day. This number has doubled in the past ten years. (Provincial Government, Report on High School Violence. 2011)”

Step two: Proving that a service gap exists.

Effectiveness

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Using a Theory of Change to test/prove that your intervention will work.

A Theory of Change expresses the underlying theories/beliefs that guide a service delivery strategy and are assumed to be critical for producing positive change.

A Theory of Change can be captured in a series of IF-THEN statements: If something is done with or for project participants, then something should change.

Case Study: Improving student learning and staff career outcomes by decreasing violence in high schools.

Problem identified: Violence (verbal and physical) in high schools (student/student and student/staff) affects student learning outcomes (good grades, graduation rates, and participation in post-secondary education) and staffing conditions (sick days, burnout and turnover).

Solution: Design an intervention for students, staff, and caregivers to change behaviours that will reduce violence in high schools.

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Theory of Change:Improving Learning and Career Outcomes

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IF resources are available, THEN a program can provide a certain set of activities or services to participants.

IF participants take part in activities or receive services, THEN they will

experience specific changes in their knowledge, attitudes or skills.

IF a target group’s support network takes part in activities or receive services, THEN the target

group is more likely to experience specific changes in their knowledge, attitudes or skills.

IF individuals change their knowledge, attitudes or skills, THEN they will

change their behavior and usual practice.

In this case, IF we have the right resources, THEN we can provide

activities to limit violence which is a factor that influences learning and

career outcomes.

In this case, IF facilitators provide nonviolent conflict management strategy training to students, THEN these students

will develop nonviolent conflict management skills.

In this case, IF facilitators provide conflict intervention strategy training to caregivers and

staff, THEN students will be supported in choosing to resolve conflicts peacefully.

In this case, IF students/caregivers staff gain knowledge about how to avoidand/or defuse violent confrontations, THEN fewer incidences of violence

will occur in these schools.

Effectiveness

A Logic Model Diagram illustrates the connection between the theories that underscore your initiative and what you intend to provide that will lead to the outcomes you want to occur.

Terminology:

-Inputs/Resources (financial, human, knowledge and infrastructure)

-Outputs (activities and services)

-Outcomes/Impacts (changes in knowledge, attitudes or skills leading to changes in behavior and usual practice)

A Logic Model Diagram acts as a drawing that shows how one component of an initiative leads to the next.

Case Study: Improving student learning and staff career outcomes by decreasing violence in high schools.

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INPUTS OUTPUTS OUTCOMES

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Logic Model:Improving Learning and Career Outcomes in High Schools

Situation:

Verbal and physical violence in high schools affects student learning and staff career outcomes.

Inputs Outputs Outcomes Short-Term Long-Term

Financial Resources: (From grantmakers, government, and/or grantee in-kind contributions)

$81,000 Grant from The Counselling Foundation of Canada

$48,000 Grant from ACME Inc.

  Human Resources: (Grantee staff, consultants and/or trained facilitators)

Program Manager Program Assistant Staff members from the high

school

Knowledge Resources: (Theories and/or concepts)

Nonviolent Conflict Management and Conflict Intervention strategies

Infrastructure Resources: (Physical space, tools and/or materials)

Meeting space at the high school Technology at the high school

(overhead projectors and screens) Nonviolent Conflict Management

and Conflict Intervention strategy materials

Nonviolent Conflict Management Sessions offered to high school students.

 

Conflict Intervention Sessions offered to caregivers and staff members from the high school.

  

  

 

 

Better student learning outcomes (higher graduation rates and access to post-secondary education)

Improved staff career outcomes (decrease in staff burnout and turnover)

 

 

 

Students use nonviolent conflict management techniques instead ofviolence = Decrease in student punishment; increase in student academic performance; and better working conditions for school staff.

Caregivers and staff use conflict intervention techniques to prevent and break up violent incidences = Decrease in student punishment; increase in student academic performance; and better working conditions for school staff.

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Efficiency

Are your proposed activities required and realizable?

Are your timelines realistic?

Is your budget reasonable?

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Supporting a learning culture andpromoting your organizational sustainability.

PROJECT A

PROJECT B

PROJECT C

Grant Application

Grant Tracking

Grant Reporting

Grant Application

Grant Tracking

Grant Reporting

Grant Application

Grant Tracking

Grant Reporting

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Deal-breakers and deal-makers

How do you intend to stay in business?

Spreading the wealth through replication

The added value of ensuring a project’s intellectual legacy

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Resources

Theory of Change and Logic Model

Andrea Anderson, The Community Builder’s Approach to Theory of Change:A practical guide to theory and development.

Julia Coffman, Learning From Logic Models: An Exampleof a Family/School Partnership Program.

University of Wisconsin, Enhancing Program Performance with Logic Models.

W.K. Kellogg Foundation, Logic Model Development Guide.

Professional Development and Other Links

American Evaluation Association

Canadian Evaluation Society

Innovation Network

The Community Tool Box