by Cindy T. Rizzo
Director of Grant Making Programs
The Arcus Foundation

1. Program Planning-Good Proposals: programs and organizations designed with clear goals and measurable objectives, timelines, budgets and work plans easily translate to good proposals.

2. Make Sure You Can Accomplish What You Propose: don’t chase funds that are not compatible with your mission and strategic direction; make sure you are not promising something you cannot deliver or in a timeframe that is impossible; don’t ask for an amount that is unreasonably high for that specific funder, but don’t lowball your cost estimates either.

3. Guidelines, Guidelines, Guidelines: a foundation’s guidelines should act as your road map to proposal preparation, guiding both your proposal’s content and its format. Remember: if you’ve seen one foundation, you’ve seen one foundation!

4. The Four C’s – Clear, Concise, Connected, Creative:
a. make sure the proposal is clearly written and not full of the “jargon” of your field; define your terms;
b. be concise and try not to repeat the same thing over and over; you can include longer pieces of information (e.g., detailed descriptions of other programs in your organization that are not the subject of the proposal) as attachments to the proposal rather than as part of the main narrative;
c. connect with your audience (i.e., the funder); use language that will appeal to that specific funder (e.g., you might talk about “investment in the community” to a corporate or business funder and you might talk about “empowering marginalized communities” with a social change funder);
d. be creative: tell a story and let your writing flow; get inspired by the visionaries in your organization; remember, this is NOT government grantwriting.

5. Use Statistics and Hyperbole When Appropriate, but Don’t Overdo Them: data and statistics, whether about your organization or the population/ community you serve, can be helpful in setting forth your statement of need; hyperbole—stating that your organization is the “biggest” the “first” the “most accomplished”—has its place as well. Use both strategically, but don’t overwhelm the funder with either.

6. Anything That Raises A Flag Should Be Explained: if your organization is having problems, if something unexpected has occurred (e.g., your executive director is resigning), be proactive about telling the funder outright. This way, you are in control of communicating the information and stating how your organization will be responding. Don’t let a funder find something out from the community, another funder or, especially, from the daily newspaper.

7. The Organization Description Section Should Convey a Sense of Stability (or Innovation!), Leadership, Expertise and Excitement: explain why your organization is well positioned to take on the work for which you are seeking funding; explain why you are the best organization to do this work; explain where you fit with respect to other organizations in your field; let the funder know with whom you collaborate and that you work and play well with others.

8. The Statement of Need Should Be An Opportunity to Educate the Funder: place your work within a context; focus on the specific geographic need that you will be addressing (e.g., for a teen suicide prevention program in your city, provide information and data about teen suicide rates in your area as opposed to the national rates); explain the extent to which more funding can help you meet increasing demand.

9. The Program Description Should Flow from the Statement of Need: make sure that the program you are proposing connects back to the need you have defined; include measurable (i.e., quantifiable) objectives.

10. Know the Difference Between Outputs and Outcomes: organizing three educational workshops serving 90 people is not an outcome of your project, it is an output; the outcome is increased skill and knowledge.

11. In the Evaluation Section, You Are Stating How You Will Know if the Project is Successful: don’t be afraid of evaluation; it doesn’t require a PhD. Just tell the funder what you will be measuring and how you will be measuring it. Remember, process evaluation measures how well you carried out your work plan (“we held 3 workshops that served 90 people”) while outcome evaluation measures whether your activity made a difference (“90 percent of our participants were still practicing safer sex after six months”).

12. Don’t Forget to Connect Your Request with the Funder’s Priorities: you can do this in an introductory or concluding section or in the cover letter.

13. Include Both Revenue and Expense Items in Your Budgets and Financial Reports

14. A Budget Reflects A Plan for Future Revenues and Expenses; A Financial Report Reflects Actual Revenues Received and Expenses Incurred: a budget narrative is an excellent way to explain the details of your budget (E.g., The line item for staff at $100,000 reflects two full-time positions and benefits at $60,000 and $40,000).

15. A Funding Plan Explains How You Will Be Raising the Remainder of Funds Needed: show each anticipated source category (e.g., individuals, special events, grants) and detail where proposals have been or will be submitted.

16. Put Your Attachments In A Logical Order or In the Order Specified in the Funder’s Guidelines

17. Use Simple Stapling or Binding Clips Instead of Expensive Packaging

18. Re-Read the Funder’s Guidelines to Make Sure You Have Included Everything and Have Complied with Production Requirements: including the number of copies required.

19. Remember…Someone Has to Read This: make sure the document has readable font sizes, decent margins, numbered pages, no misspellings, and the name of the Foundation to which you are applying (NOT the name of the Foundation you sent something off to last week!).

20. Have Someone Outside Your Field Read Your Proposal: give it to your best friend, your sister or significant other. See if they understand it, if it is free of typos and jargon. Remember the funder may not be immersed in your area of work and may be learning about your field for the first time.  

Cindy T. Rizzo
Director of Grant Making Programs
The Arcus Foundation