Invest in Neighborhoods Inc. Invest in Neighborhoods Inc. The crux of any grant application is the narrative. This is where all the vital information regarding the proposed project is located. The RFP or the grant announcement will clearly define the form that the narrative must follow. Do not deviate from this form in any way. If the RFP says that the introduction must be no longer than two pages, a 2-1/2 page introduction will not be acceptable.
Writing the narrative is not an exercise in creative writing. If the proposed project is sound and well-developed, it is not necessary to camouflage the information in jargon and prose. Grant writing is a task of presenting ideas in the format that the RFP requires.
Because most reviewers appreciate an application on which the information is not hidden, follow the narrative outline. Preface each section with a statement of what the RFP requested. For example, when describing the target population, preface the paragraph in bold letters with Target Population. This device will assist the reviewers in ascertaining the completeness of the application and will ensure that the grant writer will not omit required information.
The narrative will have a limit to the number of text pages for each section. Do not be afraid to use timelines or relevant graphs to conceptualize your project. These graphic aids can clarify the goals and objectives and support the thrust of the proposal.
If graphs or charts are used to supplement the text, be sure that they are clearly reproduced and easily understood. A rambling flow chart will both confuse the reader and detract from the quality and impression of the proposal.
On the other hand, a professionally developed graphic will enhance the proposal and clarify relationships or project goals. The graphic demonstrates the agencies involved in a community partnership grant funded by the Office of Substance Abuse. The agencies and their relationship to the grantee are clearly depicted.
The use of timelines can illustrate the anticipated activities and accomplishment of goals over the period of the grant. A timeline should include all the activities designated in the proposal as means for accomplishing the goals, with the beginning and completion times clearly marked. The timeline provides a concise schedule for the designated program activities.
Normally, a grant proposal for government funding will follow a specified flow. The introduction generally includes the aims or goals of the proposed project. These objectives must fall into one of the categories of program goals listed in the RFP. Goals are usually statements of broad aims of the project, such as: "Participants' grades will be improved."
From the goals, the specific objectives are developed. In developing objectives, it is necessary to not only be specific but to state them in measurable terms. Use of a program model (US Department of Health and Human Services, 1987) will force a logical flow, from objectives through activities to evaluation. Evaluation is a major component in grant writing, and this model will promote the evaluation concepts by setting objectives that are matched to specific activities.
As the objectives are developed, they must be measured in the evaluation plan. Too often, grants are not funded because the objectives are not measurable. The objectives should clearly state exactly what will be accomplished, when it will be accomplished, and how it will be measured.
The background and significance section allows applicants to demonstrate their knowledge of the problem. Here is where an applicant establishes credibility and describes the agency's experience with the targeted problem. The applicant must show an awareness of other successful and unsuccessful programs in the field or problem area, advocating the proposed project as one that is likely to be successful in solving the problem or helping the target population even though others may have failed. Much of the justification for the approach to the problem may be derived from research on prior program efforts in the field.
The background and significance section also allows the applicant to explain how society or the field will benefit from the knowledge obtained from the proposed project. The proposal should describe how the project will enhance, rather than duplicate, the knowledge base of the community.
A sample project time line. ______________________________________________________________________________________ Tutoring Program Time Line Activity Oct Nov Dec Jan Feb Mar Apr May June July Aug Sept Hire tutors ______________________________________________________________________________________ Train tutors ______________________________________________________________________________________ Meet with schools ______________________________________________________________________________________ Identify students ______________________________________________________________________________________ Conduct tutoring ______________________________________________________________________________________ Implement summer program ______________________________________________________________________________________ Review tests ______________________________________________________________________________________ Review report cards ______________________________________________________________________________________ ______________________________________________________________________________________ A sample exhibit program model. ______________________________________________________________________________________ Resources Program of Services Immediate Results Outcomes 3 Trainers Tutoring sessions offered Students will: The dropout 10 Tutors weeknights in 4 area Learn study skills rate will locations Improve reading ability be reduced Curriculum Learn to budget time for package Summer tutoring offered homework P.S. teacher 3 times/week in 4 locations Grow in self-esteem assistance Bonding with school system 4 classrooms Incentives given for Learn health leisure activities Vouchers for summer tutoring Report card grades will improve activities Scores on standardized tests will School improve Supplies
The target population section will describe the community to be served by the project. Information about the population, location, demographic and socioeconomic characteristics, and ethnic minority composition will be included. There must be assurance that the target population is reasonably accessible and that the project can be easily implemented in the proposed target population.
In the approach or methods section, the applicant describes the actual proposed activities that will accomplish the objectives. Referring back to the program model, the explicit planned sequence of events is defined. The methods section, therefore, becomes the heart of the narrative. From a reviewer's perspective, it is important that a clear connection between the objective and the activities be defined. For this reason, some grant announcements will suggest that the program objective should be restated in this section, along with the subsequent activities planned to achieve it. For example, activities for the first objective stated earlier ("60 percent will improve at least one letter grade, . . .") might be:
The method section must be specifically related to the goals and objectives that were originally established. This section will provide information about exactly what will be done with the project and how the desired results will be obtained. The activities described here should be realistic and achievable by the staff in the designated amount of time. Ambiguity in this section will typically leave the reviewers unsure of what the proposed project is trying to accomplish.
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