Grant Proposal Checklist
- Cover letter. This must not exceed one page. Keep it succinct. Address the letter to a specific person, not to an unnamed foundation secretary.
- Title Page. The title page should contain the following information: the title of the proposal; your name and title; and the date.
- Confidentiality Information. A statement used on the title page when patentable information is contained in the proposal.
- Table of Contents. A list of the proposal's major sections and corresponding page numbers.
- Abstract. A non-technical synopsis of the project plan.
- Objectives. State you objectives in measurable terms, with a definite time-line that shows the changes in the project period.
- Methodology. Explain what you will do in order to accomplish each objective.
- Literature Review or Related Studies. A list of publications or previous research on which the proposal builds.
- Personnel. The personnel page should contain a list of individuals working on the project and their roles. Be able to provide a current resume of the proposed Project Director and other staff members or consultants you propose to include in the budget.
- Research Plan/Project Description. A detailed technical description of the project.
- Methodology and Timing. Summarize in a clear format what will happen by what time period, from the start of funding, to when you project the activities to end.
- Budget. List all costs in an easy-to-read format.
- Budget Justification. A written explanation for why each budget itme is necessary.
- Program Income. Funds genereated by the sponsored activity.
- Other Support. Any financial support (current or pending) an individual is receiving for other projects.
- Evaluation. How will you measure the effectiveness of the project? How will you track the objectives? Be able to describe how the project will be continued after grant funds cease.
- Bibliography. A list of all references cited in the proposal.
- Appendices (if allowed). Could include CV's, proposed surveys, small business plan, or other materials.
Other advice for an outline or a proposal:
Be specific; avoid generalizations and unmeasurable claims. Avoid use of 'boilerplate' material left over from prior proposal efforts, especially if the proposal wasn't funded. Avoid the passive voice--make sure each sentence has a subject and you will be clear who is going to do what, to whom. Responsibility for the pre-award process lies with the Principal Investigator (PI) regardless of the delegation of tasks. And, write the budget carefully!
Sources of information for this document:
- "The College of St. Catherine Grant Proposal Outline" by Linnea Sodergran.
- "Important Elements of a Grant Proposal" Electronic Learning Special Edition," Feb. 1993.
- "Sponsored Projects Administration Pre-Award," adapted from Managing Sponsored Projects at the University of Minnesota, Dec. 1996.
Notes on Evaluation Design
To make a convincing case for any reforms brought about by your project, you will need to collect some type of baseline data for pre-and post-comparisons. You will also need to consider:
- Limiting yourself to a few clear and specific objectives that have measurable qualitities.
- Selecting measures that specify who, when, and how the data will be collected, analyzed, and reported.
- Building evaluation measures into the routines of program procedures, rather than appending them later.
- Using multiple measures, rather than a single measure, when possible. (Similar results from "triangulation" of data establish credibility).
- Orienting evaluation measures primarily toward behavior, especially student (or object) performance.
- Using project documents and records for on-going process evaluation.
- Consulting with evaluation experts at your institution early in the design of the project's evaluation.
- Engaging an independent evaluator who does not stand to gain personally or professionally from the results of the evaluation.
- Designing an evaluation that takes into account the project's eventual dissemination audiences and potential adapters and their data needs.
- Collecting information on the projects' cost-effectiveness.
- Providing evidence of the wider impact of your project: how transportable is the model and how likely is institutionalization?
By: Dora Marcus, FIPSE (Funding for the Improvement of Post-Secondary Education, U.S. Dept. of Education)
Last Modified: 2012-04-19 at 11:22:15 -- this is in International Standard Date and Time Notation