proposal writing 101

Proposal Writing 101

Tools for Project Design

Getting Started

“Proposal Writing 101: Tools for Project Design” is built for first‐time grant applicants looking to secure

small grant funding. In this workbook, you will find explanations and examples of simple tools used to

collect information and plan out project activities. Use these tools to build a well‐rounded project for

your next small grant proposal!

Make sure to read through all funding guidelines and application instructions for the grant competition

in which you are interested before you begin your proposal.

Overview of Workbook

1. Identify the Cause: What problem will you address?

2. Research the Cause: What information exists about the problem? What more do you need to know?

3. Identify Allies: Who else cares about the cause and can support your project?

4. Set Project Goals and Objectives: What specifically will you accomplish?

5. Organize Your Timeline: When will your project activities take place?

6. Organize Your Team: Who will be responsible for each activity and task?

7. Establish Monitoring and Evaluation: How will you know if your project is successful?

8. Develop a Budget: What costs are associated with your project activities? How will they be covered?

9. Promote Your Project: How will you raise awareness of your project?

10. Plan for Sustainability: How will you continue your project once the grant period ends?

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1. Identify the Cause

Tool: Problem Tree

To identify your cause, you can start by making a sort of mental map known as a problem tree. This tool

will help you identify the main problem you want to address, the causes, and the effects of the problem.

Start by identifying the main problem you would like to address. List this as your focal problem at the

center of your tree. A project should have a specific problem that it seeks to overcome. A vague or

broad problem will have too many causes for an effective and meaningful project to be developed.

Then consider what causes contribute to the focal problem and what the effects of the problem are.

The causes leading to the focal problem are the roots of the tree, the focal problem is the trunk, and the

effects are the branches and leaves. The focal problem can be redefined as the causes and effects are

identified, as listing these out will likely lead to reevaluation of how to define the main problem.

Successful Communication: A Toolkit for Researchers and Civil Society Organisations. Overseas Development Institute. RAPID: Research and

Policy in Development. ODI Toolkits. Ingie Hovland. 2005. Pages 12 – 13. https://www.odi.org/sites/odi.org.uk/files/odi‐assets/publications‐

opinion‐files/192.pdf

Problem Tree

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THE CORE PROBLEM:

EFFECT #1: EFFECT #2: EFFECT #3:

IMMEDIATE EFFECTS

CAUSE #1: CAUSE #2: CAUSE #3:

SECONDARY

CAUSE #1:

SECONDARY

CAUSE #2:

SECONDARY

CAUSE #1:

SECONDARY

CAUSE #1:

SECONDARY

CAUSE #2:

SECONDARY

CAUSE #2:

IMMEDIATE CAUSES

SECONDARY CAUSES

THE

PROBLEM

TREE

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2. Research the Cause

Tool: Literature Review

To create an informed project, conduct a thorough literature review. A literature review provides

context about the cause, including the history of the cause, previous and current efforts to address the

cause, and existing entities with interest in the cause. The literature review will inform what approach

your project may take and help you understand where your project fits into the larger conversations.

Resources to analyze in your literature review include scholarly articles, books, and publications by

institutions/organizations.

Tool: Community Needs Assessment

A literature review builds an understanding of the cause, whereas a community needs assessment helps

you develop an understanding of the target community to create a relevant project. The assessment

examines the state of a community and imagines how to improve the current situation to address

needs.

Through the assessment, you will identify the community’s needs and resources by collecting

information about the target population. These can be identified through a variety of methods,

including:

Census data

Focus groups

Key informant interviews

Community meetings

Surveys

It is recommended to start with secondary resources, such as websites or conversations with

professionals that offer specialized knowledge of the target population. Secondary resources can also

provide connections to strong primary resources, such as individuals or groups in the target population.

Write a Literature Review. UC Santa Cruz, University Library. https://guides.library.ucsc.edu/write‐a‐literature‐review Conducting a Community Assessment. Strengthening Nonprofits: A Capacity Builder's Resources Library. Compassion Capital Fund National

Resource Center, operated by Dare Mighty Things, Inc.

http://strengtheningnonprofits.org/resources/guidebooks/Community_Assessment.pdf

Conducting a Needs Assessment. University of Minnesota. https://cyfar.org/ilm_1_9

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3. Identify Allies

Tool: Stakeholder Analysis

The research you conduct on your cause is also a starting point for identifying potential supporters and

allies, or stakeholders. These are the individuals and organizations that can identify with your cause,

provide knowledge and skills, back your work, and contribute to your project.

Start by identifying stakeholders and their needs through a brainstorming session with your team. It is

especially important to think through what you might need for your project activities and who might be

able to provide necessary services and/or materials. This will result in a general list which you can

organize into a table, such as the example shown below. Once you’ve completed the brainstorming,

conduct further research to fill any gaps in knowledge of the individuals and organizations that may

have a stake in your project.

Once you have a complete list of stakeholders, conduct a full stakeholder analysis by considering the

levels of interest and influence of each. Place each stakeholder on a stakeholder analysis grid, seen

below, to know how to engage each individual and organization you identify.




Stakeholder Table

Stakeholder Analysis Grid

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Stakeholder Analysis Grid Template

High power, highly interested people (Manage Closely): you must fully engage these people,

and make the greatest efforts to satisfy them.

High power, less interested people (Keep Satisfied): put enough work in with these people to

keep them satisfied, but not so much that they become bored with your message.

Low power, highly interested people (Keep Informed): adequately inform these people, and

talk to them to ensure that no major issues are arising. People in this category can often be very

helpful with the detail of your project.

Low power, less interested people (Monitor): again, monitor these people, but don’t bore them

with excessive communication.

© Copyright Mind Tools Ltd, 2006‐2018. https://www.mindtools.com/pages/article/newPPM_07.htm

Graph adapted from Mendelow, A.L. (1981) ‘Environmental Scanning ‐ The Impact of the Stakeholder Concept,’ ICIS 1981 Proceedings,

Paper 20. 7

4. Set Project Goals and Objectives

Tool: Solution Tree

Use the problem tree to create a solution tree. Write the inverse of the focal problem to identify the

overall goal of the project. Do the same with the causes and effects of the tree. The causes of the focal

problem become the means for accomplishing the project goal, and the effects become the desired

outcomes. Use the solution tree as a starting point for identifying your goals, objectives, outcomes, and

desired impact.

The goals of a project are characterized as broad and hard to measure. The goals communicate the

general intentions of the project. In contrast, objectives are narrow in scope, precise, tangible,

concrete, and measurable.

Tool: SMART Objectives

Identifying and writing strong objectives is made simple by following the SMART objectives method.

Objectives should be:

Specific Answer the ‘W’ questions (who, what, why, when, where)

Measurable Give metrics

Attainable Are ambitious but not out of reach

Relevant Make sense with the project’s goals and matter to the target population

Time‐bound Set within a specific timeframe with a clear deadline

Objectives can be made SMARTER by adding Evaluate and Revise, which are steps taken once the

project is in the implementation phase. Evaluate your progress towards reaching proposed objectives

throughout the project implementation and revise your objectives as you adapt to the challenges and

successes you experience.

Example goal: Decrease the degree of malnutrition among young children in the southwest region of

Baltimore.

Example objective: By the end of year one, provide 125 mothers in the southwest area of Baltimore

with a 2‐hour training program that will provide health and nutrition information.




How to Write Goals and SMART Objectives for your Grant Proposal. The Balance Small Business. https://www.thebalancesmb.com/writing‐

goals‐for‐grant‐proposal‐2501951

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GOAL:

EFFECT #1:

EFFECT #2:

EFFECT #3:

IMMEDIATE EFFECTS

SOLUTION #1:

SOLUTION #2:

SOLUTION #3:

SECONDARY

SOLUTION #1:

SECONDARY

SOLUTION #2:

SECONDARY

SOLUTION #1:

SECONDARY

SOLUTION #1:

SECONDARY

SOLUTION #2:

SECONDARY

SOLUTION #2:

SOLUTIONS

SECONDARY SOLUTIONS

THE

SOLUTION

TREE

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5. Organize Your Timeline

Tool: Gantt Chart

A Gantt chart is a timeline shown in a horizontal bar chart that helps project teams track their progress.

The chart shows when a task is scheduled to start, the duration of the task, and when the task is

expected to be completed.

Gantt chart templates are available online for Excel and through various software options.

Sample Gantt Chart

How to Create a Gantt Chart in Excel. Smartsheet. https://www.smartsheet.com/blog/gantt‐chart‐excel

Three Simple Gantt Chart Examples. Bernie Roseke. Project Engineer. https://www.projectengineer.net/3‐simple‐gantt‐chart‐examples/

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6. Organize Your Team

Tool: RACI Matrix

The RACI matrix enables project leaders to delegate work so

that each team member knows what their level of

engagement is across all tasks to minimize confusion and

maximize productivity.

A team member who is responsible for a task actually carries

out the work necessary for completing the task. Team

members marked as accountable are tasked with ensuring

the work is done appropriately. Those who are consulted are

not directly involved with the work, but provide input. Any

informed team members are simply kept in the loop.

The matrix, formatted similarly to a Gantt chart, is seen in the

example below.

Sample RACI Matrix

How the RACI Model Helps Get Things Done. Tanzen. https://www.tanzenconsulting.com/blog/2017/6/1/how‐the‐raci‐model‐helps‐get‐

things‐done

A Comprehensive Project Management Guide for Everything RACI. Smartsheet. https://www.smartsheet.com/comprehensive‐project‐

management‐guide‐everything‐raci 11

7. Establish Monitoring and Evaluation

Tool: M&E Plan Template

Use the goals and objectives you identify to determine the desired inputs, activities, outputs, outcomes,

and impacts of your project. This information is crucial to your monitoring and evaluation (M&E) plan,

which is the plan used to track the progress your team makes towards accomplishing the project’s

objectives and overall goals.

Your M&E plan should clearly indicate the tools you will use, information you will gather, date the

information will be gathered by, and the person responsible for implementing the plan. M&E should be

conducted throughout the life of the project, as it allows project leaders to detect any early signs of

challenges and communicate clearly with funders about the overall health of the project.

Monitoring and Evaluation Frameworks (Part 3). UN Women. http://www.endvawnow.org/en/articles/335‐monitoring‐and‐evaluation‐

frameworks‐3‐parts.html

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Goal #1:

Objectives Indicators (Output/Outcomes)

Source/Tools Target Goal (How much? How many?)

Goal #2:


Source

Target Goal (How much? How many?)

Goal #3:


Source

Target Goal (How much? How many?)

Monitoring and Evaluation Plan Template

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8. Develop a Budget

Tool: Budget Template

A project proposal is incomplete without a well‐thought‐out budget. When creating your budget,

consider all the resources and materials you may need for the activities you want to carry out. Clearly

indicate the sources of funding for each anticipated expense and make sure that each expense is

justified in the budget narrative. The budget narrative describes the purpose for each budget item and

how it was calculated.

Your financial contribution to the project, demonstrated through evidence of cost share or contributions

from other sources beyond the grant, is critical information to include in the budget. Cost share shows

that your project is valued by stakeholders and/or the community.

When preparing your budget, ask yourself:

Is the budget feasible?

Are the costs

reasonable?

Are all proposed expenses

relevant and justified?

Is cost share included?

Are all the costs clearly explained in the budget narrative?

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Description of Expenses Value Quantity Requested Funds Cost Share

Personnel

Sub‐total Personnel

Program Costs

Sub‐total Program Costs

Other

Sub‐total Other Costs

Additional Resources/Support (from outside sources)

Sub‐total Additional Resources

Indirect Costs

Total All Costs

Total Combined (Grant + Cost‐Share)

Budget Template

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9. Promote Your Project

Tool: Media Plan

A media plan details the resources and approach you will take to promote your project. The result of

implementing your media plan should be a shareable product that shows what you and your team

achieve through your project. A strong media plan will help your raise awareness for your cause, spread

the word about your successes, and could lead to additional buy‐in from stakeholders.

Between print and digital media, there are plenty of creative ways to raise the visibility of your work.

When creating a your plan, consider what the best forms of media are for reaching your target audience

and what forms of media best compliment your project. You may chose to incorporate various forms of

media.

Consider the following media options when building your communication plan:

Print Media

Newspapers

Magazines

Journals

Newsletters

Broadcast Media

Radio

Television

Digital Media

Social media

Blogs

Websites

Videos

Photography

Online news publications

Email marketing

The Media: Summary. SparkNotes. https://www.sparknotes.com/us‐government‐and‐politics/american‐government/the‐media/section1/

9 Types of Digital Marketing (and How to Use Them!). Spark Logix Studios. https://www.sparklogix.com/9‐types‐of‐digital‐marketing‐and‐

how‐to‐use‐them/. 16

10. Plan for Sustainability

Tool: Brain‐jogging Questions

When developing your project, consider the following questions to determine whether your proposed

project can be sustained, and what you might do to make the project sustainable. Expressing your

intentions and plans for continuing the project beyond the life of the grant can make your proposal

more appealing to potential funders.

When and where can you do your project again?

What lessons did you learn in the first run of the project?

How can other

communities get involved?

How can you get more

stakeholders involved?

Can you create and reach even more project

goals?

Youth Serve America: Your Service Project Toolkit.

http://cdn.worldslargestlesson.globalgoals.org/2016/06/YouthChangingtheWorldToolkit2.pdf

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