How Do I Write One?

The act of proposal writing can be a time-consuming, frustrating and difficult proposition that leaves many questions for new faculty. What is a good component of any proposal? Is there such a thing? Should I tailor my proposal to the sponsors I solicit and, if so, how do I accomplish that? What's the general structure of a good proposal? Those questions are answered below.

(Note: The Office of Research and Grants Administration has enlisted the help of experienced PIs to act as mentors to aid you in this process. It is best to read through our "how to" guide prior to asking for a mentor, as you will be a more informed mentee.)

Different Teams, Same Game

The first and foremost consideration when writing a proposal is that yes, different sponsors have different requirements. From basic geographic restrictions to limitations of what can go into a proposal to controls on page margins and typefaces, you must always be aware of your target audience and their requests. Including extra or unnecessary information, ignoring rules of submission, due dates or other leaving out key items a particular sponsor requires are easy ways to weaken your proposal.

However, while sponsors may have these particular needs they mostly all abide by the same general requirements, and proposals to all will include the same general information and flow. Some of these requirements are implied; for example, budgets should always have a written justification for each category. Ultimately, though, while you are writing to a specific sponsor and matching their requests you should (unless told to leave it out) have the following five parts in your proposal:

Part 1: Tell a Story, Fill a Need

All proposals start with an idea, and not all ideas are to produce new intellectual property or test a scientific theory. Many faculty in liberal arts environments ask how to make a sponsor understand the value of their idea without such a concrete 'product'. The answer? Address a need and make this clear to the sponsor. In fact, an entire grant application can be considered a process of identifying a need, outlining the steps (programmatic and budgetary) required to address it and naming the benefits. Even in scientific applications, are faculty not filling a need or void in their field of interest by contributing their knowledge and effort? Be it community outreach, academic research or student enrichment your proposed program is enhancing a non or under-represented portion of your target population. Community outreach programs, for example, can address needs created by insufficient municipal or educational funding. Research, of course, addresses incomplete knowledge in a subject area. Student enrichment and academic betterment provides a greater experience to students, and one they would not have without your proposed program. Note: Avoid considering the problem as the mere lack of your proposed solution. As you'll see in the following two sections, your entire proposal is best served by a thoughtful consideration of the problem you're addressing.

The Opening Summary

Once you have a firm grasp of the problem you're going to be summarizing it in the most important part of your proposal: The opening section commonly referred to as the executive summary or abstract. Consider the summary a pitch to the sponsor, a means to grab their attention and a guideline for how you will lay out your document. You should include a brief summary of the problem you've identified, how you will address it, what the benefits will be, how you will operate the program, for how long and involving how many resources. You should also briefly mention your funding requirements and your or your group's capacity to manage the proposed program. The sponsor will typically limit this section to a few pages; make sure you make each word count!

The Statement of Need

After your summary is completed, it is generally good to explain the need you will address in greater detail. Give a factual and realistic explanation of the problem. Briefly explain that it can be fixed and how. If applicable, identify if the problem is greater in our community than elsewhere and why. Consequently and if applicable, explain that you or your group can address the problem greater than others or former attempts. Do so by demonstrating your community involvement, collaboration and the complementary nature of your work, not by specifically identifying flaws in other programs or presenting your proposal as a duplication of work previously done. Finally, keep this section short and to-the-point. From this point, interested sponsors will prefer to read the details of your solution as opposed to an elaboration of the problem.

Part 2: Describe Your Program

Your program description is a component not to be taken lightly. This is where the 'meat' of your proposal falls into place with clear and precise descriptions of your objectives (or specific and challenging goals). For example, identify how many people you will benefit through your program and in what timeframe. If you're conducting research, identify the processes by which the research will be documented. Propose methods or approaches to meet those objectives (meaning how, when, where and why you're taking a particular approach). Support your stated need with statistical data and any field work done prior to the award. Identify the manpower required for your approach and the amount of time and effort they will need to work on the program. For example, are you taking a current College employee and dedicating a day a week to this project? That means 20% of their time will be utilized. Will staff be hired from outside the College? This is information the sponsor (and the College) will want to know. Most importantly, how are responsibilities broken down?

Just as you are evaluating your programmatic needs right now, consider that a good evaluation plan for the duration of the program signals good management skills to the sponsor. Explain your evaluation plan and how performance will be calculated. Sometimes this is simple; in the realm of outreach we can measure performance by the number of people we serve versus our proposed numbers.

Finally, plan ahead. Let the sponsor know that their money is going to a financially sustainable program. Whether you are proposing an exact start and end date or not, special consideration is usually given to programs that demonstrate forward-thinking and a willingness to support their own work, despite future funding sources or availability.

Part 3: The Budget

Another key area of your proposal is your budget. As the typical budget can become somewhat complex and there are many terms to learn, we have prepared a budget primer to show common elements and introduce those terms to you located separately on the next page.

Part 4: Organizational Information

A small section that is not always used, an organizational information component to your proposal gives you an opportunity to discuss any relevant organizational makeup or history that helps to describe your group better. Include any volunteer activities or heirarchical structure you think may explain how your program description will work within the bounds of your organization. This section may also include resumes or CVs of your key personnel.

Part 5: Conclusion

Finally, a very short summary of your points is often a good way to end your proposal.

A Grant Budget Primer