Part II: Proposal Planning

The planning phase of the proposal writing process should be 70% to 75% of the overall grant development process. Spend some quality time planning your proposal, and your grant application process will be much easier, and hopefully much more successful.

Planning what your proposal will look like is a process that can start as soon as you know you need funding. Whether a Request for Proposal (RFP) or a funder has been identified or not, your project can move through most of the planning steps below to prepare for submittal. Most grant makers ask for questions that relate to the outline below.  

If your project is new or in the conceptual-stages, and you are wondering if it is viable or fundable idea, please contact Laura Lundahl, SPU Grant Writer. She can assist you in determining how to proceed with your start-up project.

Once you decide to begin planning your grant proposal, the following Seven Step planning process will guide you to smooth proposal writing.

Step 1: Internal Approval

This is the first step in the proposal planning process. The Internal Approval Form should be filled out prior to beginning any work on the process. This short, non-committal form is due to University Advancement as soon as the grant project is even being considered. UA is located in the Walls Advancement Center, Suite 304.

Why, you might ask? There are several reasons.

• There is a strong chance that someone in another academic department in the university is currently working with (or considering applying to) the foundation or contributor you have in mind. This is something you must know in order to smoothly submit a proposal that has a chance at being successful. The Institutional Approval form is the only way to eliminate the possibility of duplicate, competing, or untimely proposals being sent to the funder.
• Departmental approval: faculty must gain departmental approval before beginning to work on the proposal. This must be shown in the Institutional Approval form.
• Assuring everyone is on the same timeline: The final draft of any proposal is due to University Advancement no later than 21 calendar days prior to the deadline.
• Again, why is this needed? University Advancement must review and track the proposal, and then submits it to Finance and President Eaton for review. The three week deadline allows time for this to occur. It also assures that your team is prepared for any mishaps that often arise close to the deadline.
• Please note: This deadline applies to all proposals, whether you choose to work with Advancement in creating the proposal or not. Proposals that miss the deadline will not be approved for submittal.
  
  

Step 2: Basic Project Info

Your project will need to state:

• Goals of the project;
• Vision, Mission or Purpose Statement;
• How long the project has been in operation;
• Who are the key leaders of the project at SPU?
• Who are they key partners, and what are their roles?
• How does this project coordinate with the Seattle Pacific University Mission and the Five Signatures?

 

Step 3: Problem Statements

This section is where the need for the project is described. Before the actual need or problem that your project is addressing is described, a brief history of the project will need to be explained. This section should clearly state the causes and or implications that lead to the problem you are trying to address. Sometimes called the history of the need/problem, or the cause of the need/problem, this section speaks only about situations or events that lead up to the problem’s current state. “Over the course of the last 10 years, integration of Malaria infection-preventative measures in West Africa have not been successful. Current treatment methods are temporary and ineffective in the long term. Certain forms of the disease have become drug-resistant. ”

After the above has been stated, the actual problem in its current state is described. For example, a sentence from this part of the proposal might include, “Currently, one child under the age of five dies from Malaria every 30 seconds.”

The above two areas of a proposal (the history of the need/problem, and the need/problem) should be written with no interjection of your proposed program, or any other possible solution.

Step 4: Program Description

In this section, your proposed program is fully described. This is where the proposal actually takes place. Your project is being presented as a potential solution to the problems, described in the prior section.

Specifically describe:

1. Overall goals;
2. Specific objectives that are directly linked to the goals;
3. Methods that are used. In the example described above, one of these program methods might include formally training citizens on Malaria prevention;
4. Results expected. This will state the expected outcomes of the proposed project. The expected outcomes should link directly back to the objectives and overall goals of the program.

Step 5: Evaluation Methods

How will you measure your programs success? Here is where you take the baseline statistics for your problem, apply your program, and look for the improvement. While testimonials and qualitative data paint a picture, they often do not easily demonstrate numbers and facts. Thus, quantitative data that demonstrates specific gains is best. Methods for this might include tests, surveys, data gathering, photos, in-take and out-take surveys, and pre and post tests.

• All descriptions of evaluations should be specific. The tools you use or plan to use must be in place and ready to be attached to the proposal.
• If the proposed project is new, and there have been no evaluations, you will be creating an evaluative plan- outlining exactly what and how you will evaluate your proposed work.  
• Lastly, the evaluative section should address how any results gleaned from evaluative processes will be used.

Step 6: Budget and Budget Justification

A budget for your overall program should be updated or created. A plan for integration of the added funds into the existing budget needs to be in place as well.

 

A budget justification explains any costs fully, and uses words to break down numbers for the reader. This section might say,

 

“Travel Costs for Medical Staff, Column 3: The total program travel expenses of $7,579.76 USD include airfare for five program physicians and one assistant (six total persons) to and from The Gambia, West Africa. Each ticket has been quoted at $1,176.55 when purchased in the group-package rates. The total travel expenses also include ground transportation for six, which equals $520.45.”

 

As a reminder of what is stated on SPU’s Internal Approval form, both the budget and the budget justification (if required by the prospective funder) need to be in to the University Advancement Office three weeks (21 calendar days) from the deadline of your proposal. UA is located in the Walls Advancement Center, Suite 304.

After the final draft of your grant is received by University Advancement, it will be reviewed by the SPU Grant Writer and Executive staff.  The Finance Office is responsible for reviewing and approving all outgoing budgets on external grants.  Please contact Cherry Gilbert for budget develoment questions, COL increases, etc.

Step 7: Attachments

Different funders require various combinations of attachments. Please check with the requirements of the RFP or funder. Examples of attachments that may be required include:

• Letters of Partnership
• Lists of all key staff names and titles
• Biographical Information
• Comparative bids
• Feasibility Study
• Internal Review Board Information
• Results from past year’s evaluations

• Surveys