5 Tips to Writing a Good Proposal
1. Read the Mission and Guidelines carefully. Make sure your program fits. There are wonderful, important projects that that are not a match for us. Pay attention to the “Restrictions” as well.
2. Follow the Directions. Read them carefully. Answer all the questions in order. Clip, don’t staple pages. Single sided only. Send TWO complete proposals. If you send Supplemental Materials, we only need 1 copy of those. Check – Is the application complete?
3. Make sure your application is readable. Bear in mind, the Panel members may be reading up to 50 proposals. Make it easy for them to know what you are doing. Use 12 or 14 point type and wide margins.
4. More is Not Better – Write concisely about your program and plans. A proposal is not a dissertation. We appreciate a good diagnosis of the problem, but we fund the prescriptive actions to address that problem.
5. Do your Fundraising. The best proposals demonstrate a commitment to fundraising – now and for the future. We will not make grants if we are the only source of support. Nor can we be sustaining funders, so it’s important to plan ahead to ensure your project’s future.
PDF of this document
2. Follow the Directions. Read them carefully. Answer all the questions in order. Clip, don’t staple pages. Single sided only. Send TWO complete proposals. If you send Supplemental Materials, we only need 1 copy of those. Check – Is the application complete?
3. Make sure your application is readable. Bear in mind, the Panel members may be reading up to 50 proposals. Make it easy for them to know what you are doing. Use 12 or 14 point type and wide margins.
4. More is Not Better – Write concisely about your program and plans. A proposal is not a dissertation. We appreciate a good diagnosis of the problem, but we fund the prescriptive actions to address that problem.
5. Do your Fundraising. The best proposals demonstrate a commitment to fundraising – now and for the future. We will not make grants if we are the only source of support. Nor can we be sustaining funders, so it’s important to plan ahead to ensure your project’s future.
PDF of this document