THE WRITING PART OF GRANT WRITING YES IT

THE WRITING PART OF GRANT WRITING YES, IT MATTERS

GRANTS • …are not lottery tickets. • An application will NEVER tell you everything • Aims • Easy to read • Easy to follow • Easy to find information • Writing is ALL you have • You can’t see faces • You can’t answer questions • You get one read

FORMATTING • …matters! • Follow what they tell you, even if it makes ZERO sense • Respond to everything! • If you can’t, at least acknowledge it! • Paperclips or staples? • Title matters!

WRITING • Correctness and style • How do you write a paragraph? • Clarity allows: • Reader to focus on content • More space • Let’s you be understood • RULE 1: OUTLINE AND MAP • If you know point values, let them guide you • Subhead hierarchy—Organize material • RULE 2: WRITE AS YOU SPEAK

WRITING • • • RULE 3: THINK ABOUT WORD CHOICE RULE 4: NEVER EXAGGERATE RULE 5: BUY A GRAMMAR BOOK RULE 6: AND A DICTIONARY AND THESAURUS RULE 7: ACTIVE VOICE AND FUTURE TENSE RULE 8: NO VALUES, CONTROVERSY, POLITICS, OR HUMOR • RULE 9: LIMIT ADJECTIVES AND ADVERBSS • RULE 10: NO I, WE, OR OUR

WRITING • RULE 11: NO ABBREVIATIONS OR ACRONYMS • RULE 12: NO COMMON KNOWLEDGE • Exceptions? • Assume nothing • Have someone with no knowledge read it • Editing is the key. First draft should be quick • Writing to INFORM and PERSUADE • Logos, Ethos, Pathos • Browning Book Discussion

LETTER OF INQUIRY • Abbreviated—not shallow • Make every word count • Opening paragraph, need (1 -2), Project activity (3 -5), outcomes (1 -2), credentials (1 -2), budget (1 -2), closing • Tricks if you go long: • • Font size, margins, white space, colon after header ONLY IF ALLOWED! Who signs it? Who do you address it too?

BLANK PAGE BLUES • Short, crisp sentences • Exercise on p. 127 -130 (Karsh and Fox) • Simple description of organization • Address, facility, demographics of target, community stats and demos, staff, board, history, number served, partners, finances, programs, awards

THE PROBLEM • Needs you identify need to be important to funder • Must prove compelling problem • What data could let you do this? ? (p. 143 Karsh and Fox) • May not every say need in application…but its there • Problem-solving approach • Express it in needs of people

GOALS/OBJECTIVES • This is where the action is • Goal: Broad, long-term intention • Outcome: What’s expected from project (MUST BE MEASURABLE) • Objective: Action that will happen to achieve goal (answers the how question) • Activities: Specifics • SMART (specific, measurable, attainable, realistic, and time bound) • Again, know the funder!

THE ACTUAL PROGRAM • • • Program Description must match funder priorities Must address your problem Must be consistent Must show program fits your organization Tie-in to objectives and outcomes (Koch 180 -181) Program plan • Time line (K 178)/staff responsibilities • Job description • • • Staff recruitment plan Advisory board recruitment Government agency recruitment and hiring Participant recruitment Marketing plan

COLLABORATION • Right people with right attitudes and knowledge at the table • Collaboration is key • Why so difficult? ? • Can’t be only about $$$ • You may have to prove it • Need to clearly show role of each partner (Koch 176)

EVALUATION • Have to measure impact/success • Why? • Best time to do this is early on • Why does federal government want complicated evaluation plans? • How do you decide if you need an external evaluator? • Internal v. external • Process v. outcome evaluation

EVALUATION • Linkage between activities and outcomes must be clear on evaluation • Dosage can influence outcomes • Negative findings can be important! • Qualitative v. quantitative data • Logic model • Resources/inputs, activities, outputs, outcomes, impact (Koch 197)

BUDGET • Transparent, clear, detailed, concise, complete, reasonable, realistic, documentable • Visual as well as numerical (Koch 213) • Should put itself together • Needs to be appropriate • Is the amount I’m asking for sufficient for objectives? • Is it reasonable or outlandish—or somewhere in the middle? • Application will likely tell you what you can/can’t use money for

BUDGET • Need to show each budget line will relate to program implementation • Sections • • Personnel Fringe Other than Personnel Indirect • Be brutally honest!

SUSTAINABILITY • Show that other grant makers may be interested • Explain if long-term government support may be available • Show underlying support from larger program • Demonstrate fundraising • Consider asking participants to help • And partners • Find things that have life beyond grant period • Use a coalition

DISSEMINATION • Education • Replication • Win-win • How so?

WHAT IF YOU GET STUCK? • • • Disorderly conduct Mind-mapping Walk N Talk Shadowing Cocktail Party Cut n Paste Stuck on You So What? Backward from the Ideal Write On