Comprehensive Grant Writing and Evaluation Services for Nonprofits and Agencies
At Grant Writing Café by Gary Bess Associates, we specialize in making your mission possible through comprehensive grant writing services tailored for public and private agencies, including for-profits. We perform needs assessments, program evaluations, and strategic planning to ensure your organization achieves its goals. Our expertise extends to nonprofit management, compliance, and special writing projects. With a proven track record assisting various clients like health clinics, universities, and community services, we focus on enhancing your project’s impact through expertly crafted proposals.
Comprehensive Grant Writing and Evaluation Services for Nonprofits and Agencies
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Presentation Transcript
Grant Writing Café CSUC Office of Research and Sponsored Programs Gary Bess Associates
Grant Writing – public and private agencies, including for-profits Needs Assessments – service area & target population descriptions; primary & secondary data analysis Program Evaluation – quantitative & qualitative assessments Strategic Planning – facilitated planning retreats & plan development Nonprofit Management – governance, financial management & grants compliance Special Writing Projects – reports, studies, & document editing Services
Clients • Community Clinics and Health Centers • QueensCare Family Clinics, Los Angeles • The Children's Clinic, Long Beach • Homeless Services Providers • Weingart Center Association, Skid Row • Shepherd’s Gate, Livermore • Domestic Violence/Substance Abuse • Women’s and Children's Crisis Center, Whittier • PROTOTYPES, Culver City • The Villa, Santa Ana
Clients • Universities • Menlo College, Atherton • CSULA, Los Angeles • Evaluations • Tides Center, San Francisco • JWCH Institute, Los Angeles • Sonoma State University, Rohnert Park • Mendocino County Department of Health and Human Services, Ukiah
Overview • Review key elements of a proposal -- do's and don'ts • Suggest strategic considerations in shaping your proposal. • Provide examples of language that pertaining to proposal sections • Respond to your questions
. . . Noun an act of putting forward or stating something for consideration; something proposed; a plan presented for acceptance Proposal
A Proposal. . . • is a positive statement, using positive language • is not a proposal against anything • involves two parties – one party attempting to convince the other (exchange relationship)
Challenge in Proposal Writing Conceptualization
Functions of a Proposal • To present a program plan • To make a request • To make a promise • To persuade the reviewing party
Program Plan • Describe the specific program or project you intend to implement • Reflect a process of planning, design, cost calculations, resource alignment, and assessment/evaluation • Clearly indicate: • major activities to be carried out and • applicant's ability to organize and implement
Request • Request for specific resources, mostly monetary, but could include other things • Indicate the exact amount requested with specific line item expenditures, and a justification for the need of each major item • Clearly ties to program plan
Promise • Commits to funder that certain activities will occur during a specific time period at a specified cost • Represents an exchange between parties – each receives something in return • Recognition, research data, new models of practice, fulfillment of funder’s mission • Represents a binding agreement Be careful not to promise what you can't deliver!
Persuasion • Persuades funder to honor your request from among other worthy projects, and to partnerwith you • Shows a mastery of your knowledge of the problem and population you intended to serve, and your competency in planning and implementing the proposal plan
The Written Proposal • Be specific – what’s needed, planned & requested • Avoid weak terms (e.g. many, some, few) • Minimize local or professional jargon • Be positive (do not beg) • You are an applicant, not a supplicant!
The Written Proposal • Document with quotations, statistics, and other credible sources • Include agency studies & observations • Don't mention what you will do if you don't get funding • Create impression of success! • Respond to substantive specifications concerning format and content of RFP
The Written Proposal • Write in one voice • Avoid unsupported assumptions • Maintain focus on benefits to the target population, and not the organization or staff • Solutions flow from our understanding of the problem
A proposal is a step - by - step logical argument
Proposal Example Watts Healthcare Corporation Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA) CSAT Minority AIDS initiative Project Narrative
Step-By-Step Logical Argument • Organization History and Capabilities • Mission • History • Services • Target population • Cultural competence • Accolades and recognitions
Step-By-Step Logical Argument • Statement of Need (description of the problem, service area, target population, prevalence) • Social Indicators (census, reports, surveys, GIS maps) • Rate under treatment (agency data; practice management systems) • Field study and expert opinion
Social Conditions and Social Problems • A social condition is an objective statement • A social problem is a subjective statement • Poverty-level income is an objective fact (30% of families of 4 have incomes < $21,800/year) – this is a social condition • It is a social problem when it is judged as negative, harmful, dangerous or unacceptable • The social problem is our interpretation of the condition – and this is what we propose to address
Conceptualize Your Target Population Service Area Population Problem
Step-By-Step Logical Argument • Program Proposal (describes what you plan to do, how you plan to do it, and who will be doing it) • Venue – location, spatial arrangement, access, equipment • Staffing – qualifications, structure, training, FTEs • Intervention Model – evidence-based, practice-based, innovative, pilot, client-proposed
Step-By-Step Logical Argument • Goals and Objectives • Goals are qualitative statements • To increase access to behavioral health services for low-income and linguistically isolated Latino immigrant patients with chronic diseases. • To ensure that every child entering kindergarten is ready to learn.
Step-By-Step Logical Argument • Goals and Objectives continued • Objectives are quantitative statements • 3 types of objectives • Process objectives • Acquisitions • Developmental • Output objectives • Outcome objectives
The Logic Model Your Planned Work Your Intended Results Resources/ Inputs Activities / Process Outputs Short-term Outcomes Long-term Outcomes • Group meetings • Public events • Promotion of testing • Testing & counseling • Social marketing • 2,500 residents reached • 1,200 residents tested • Knowledge of test results • Assessment of lifestyles • Healthy lifestyle • HIV/AIDS free • Regular testing • Access to public housing sites • Outreach staff • HIV Rapid Testing services
Step-By-Step Logical Argument • Evaluation • Aligned with objectives • Describes the process and resources for assessing each objective • Measurement tools (e.g., Beck Depression Index, PHQ-9) • Customized assessments (e.g., client satisfaction, self-reports on behavior) • Product completion (e.g., report or plan development, policy change)
Step-By-Step Logical Argument • Evaluation continued • Describe . . . • Frequency of data collection • Choice of instruments or reliance of data • Use of incentives to ensure client compliance • Staff training in data collection • Confidentiality • Documentation and Storage
Proposal Description • Sustainability • Plans for continued funding beyond the grant period • Complementary, supplemental, or replacement funding sources • Agency's historical ability to absorb new programs • New anticipated funding streams – e.g., PPP increase; MHSA • Patient fees offsetting portion of expenses
Financial Information • Program Budget • Restate proposal in financial terms • Be specific, don't round off numbers; show calculations • Be realistic: don’t over- or under-budget • Avoid miscellaneous funds • Show agency's contribution: actual cash and “in- kind,” including volunteers • Basic categories should include personnel, direct expenses, equipment, other expenses, & indirect (10%)
Financial Information • Personnel • FTE – percent of time on project • Personnel benefits – taxes and insurance as percentage of personnel • Direct expenses • Relate directly to proposed program/project • Equipment • Telephone, computers, etc. • Other expenses • Voice-mail/Fax, postage, media, etc.
THANK YOU!!! • Questions • Comments • Ideas