Complete Hand Out Packet

Welcome to Grant-a-lot!
Where all proposals live happily ever after!
Your Fairy Godmother has heard your pleas and has agreed to confer your
fondest wish. You can create a world in which all of your grant writing needs are
met. Just so she gets it right, your Fairy Godmother wants you to write down
all of the people in your kingdom you need to participate in the grant writing
process and in what capacity.

Grant Planning Committee

What does the Committee do? How often does it meet?

Who is on your team?
Department Role Who?
Senior Review and approve proposals, budgets,
Management and attachments

Administration Help obtain MOUs and letters of
support; collect attachments; secure
internal and external signatures; and assist
with coordination, formatting, copying,
and/or submittal of application
Program Provide all program information, including
description of activities, outputs,
outcomes, and evaluation methods

Finance Prepare and complete budget forms and
budget narratives or confirm that existing
budgets are current

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Loretta Holland, CFRE www.prospectconsulting.net
DLHolland@austin.rr.com http://meankitty.wordpress.com

List two obstacles you might encounter:

1.

2.

List two people who will champion your cause and help you get your wish!

1.

2.

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El Buen Samaritano
Homeland Security Work Plan

DUE April 30, 11pm EST! MUST Use Grants.gov
(Goal to submit on April 28)

Task Person(s) Responsible Due Date
Complete Face Page SF‐424 (online form) LH 4/12
Complete Budget Summary Form‐424A SF (online SF 4/26
form)
Complete Budget Narrative/Justification (Excel File) SF with MI 4/19
Complete Certifications/Assurances (online form) LH 4/26
SF‐424B‐Assurances Non‐Construction Programs
Certification Regarding Lobbying
Certification Regarding Debarment, Suspension,
and other Responsibility Matters
Certification Regarding Drug‐Free Workplace
Complete Program Abstract/Summary LH 4/27
Complete Project Narrative
Program Design and Outcomes LH with MI First Draft to EBS 4/15
Draft back to LH 4/20
Second Draft to EBS 4/23
Final draft finished 4/27
Organizational Capacity and Project Management LH with MR First Draft to EBS 4/12
Demonstrated Experience and Past Performance LH with MI First Draft to EBS 4/14
Project Plan and Budget LH with MI and SF First Draft to EBS 4/14
ATTACHMENTS NEEDED
USCUS conformation of receipt f mandatory LOI MR 4/27
501c3 Letter MR 4/27
Declaration of Funding Intent LH 4/27
Negotiated Fringe Benefit Agreement (if SF 4/27
applicable)
Indirect Cost Agreement (if applicable) SF 4/27
Resumes of key personnel (one page each) MR 4/23
Job description of vacant key positions (one page MR 4/23
each)
MOU with partnering organizations MR 4/23
Project plan phases graphic representation LH 4/23
Lost of other federal grant programs from which MR 4/23
EBS receives funding or has applied for funds
Annual operating budget MR 4/23

El Buen Samaritano: HS Plan Page 1/1

Prioritize Your Grant Opportunities!

A little work up front can increase your chances of securing a grant.
By knowing what makes a good match, you can pursue great
opportunities, further explore potentially good prospects and
confidently pass on funders that are not right for your organization. A
two‐tiered approach helps you quickly determine what goes forward
and what does not.

Your Five‐Point Check List for New Opportunities (Tier One)
When you find a potential grant opportunity, read the guidelines and determine the following:

• Areas of interest – Does the funder support the types of services you offer?
• Geographic limitation – Are you located in the area where the funder provides grants?
• “Unsolicited” proposals – Does the funder only support pre‐selected organizations?
• Range of grants made – Does the funder make grants big enough to be meaningful to your project?
Does the funder make grants that are too big for your project?
• Who they funded before and how much – Check the funder’s website or Form 990
(www.guidestar.com) to see if they fund what you do and at what level.

Criteria for Your Grants Team to Consider (Tier Two)
Grant opportunities should be vetted by your Grants Team for issues related to organizational direction,
finances, and logistics, such as:

• Project’s relevance to mission – Does the opportunity directly address your mission? Are you
turning yourself into a pretzel to make it work?
• Submission addresses a gap in existing services/funding – Grant writing efforts should focus first on
meeting the financial goals/obligations for existing, budgeted expenses. Will this grant help the
organization meet its budget?
• Provides an opportunity for new, needed programs – Are there services that you wish you could
offer to augment or enhance existing programs? Are you willing to adjust your budget to pursue
these funds?
• Intensity of financial and programmatic reporting – How rigorous are the reporting requirements
and when are they due (monthly, quarterly)? Are the requirements proportionate to the amount of
funding you would receive?
• Flexibility in how grant may be spent (how restricted) – Will you be struggling to spend the money?
Can you capture administrative/indirect costs?
• Size and duration of grant – Is the award large enough to be meaningful and worth the time put
into administering the grant? Is there an opportunity for a multi‐year grant or continued funding?
• Timing of deadlines – Does the deadline fall during times of high activity? Are there other grant
submission or reporting deadlines? Is your big event that week? Will key staff be on vacation?

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Types of Writing: Finding Your Focus
Knowing about the different types of writing and choosing the correct mode keeps you focused on
your writing goal and aware of the tone you should take. This will help you think about your
audience, make word choices, decide what information to include (and not include), and know
whether the voice you use is formal or casual.

When the and the purpose (writing you are engaging in which has which you can see in
primary focus is goal) is to
on
The writer Express yourself and communicate Creative writing A personal feel, personal Diaries, autobiographies,
your thoughts, feelings, and thoughts and opinions and memoirs, and fiction
opinions relates personal experiences
The reader Persuade or convince the reader Persuasive writing A stance, opinion or Debates, newspaper
of something, to change or lead position and may include editorials, sermons,
the reader’s opinion, elicit an attempt to elicit an advertising or marketing
emotion from the reader emotional response materials, direct mail
solicitation letters
Answering a Explain how something works, Expository writing Logical supporting facts, Grant proposals,
question (real or relay information, provide a details, explanations, directions, how-to
implied) direct answer to a specific examples, strong manuals, textbooks,
question, educate someone on organization, and logical newsletters
an issue order
The message itself Create a text that can be Descriptive writing An element of writing for the Movies, jokes, songs
appreciated in its own right sake of writing, the feel of
being entertained
Adapted from A Rhetoric for Writing Teachers, Third Edition, Erika Lindeman

The writing goal of a grant proposal is to GET THE MONEY! Which of these strategies can help you do this?

1. Make your reviewers feel sorry for kids by telling a really sad story about one of them.
2. Answer all the questions in the RFP thoroughly so that you receive a high score from your reviewers.
3. Include a lot of personal opinions about your services and try to persuade your reviewers to agree.
4. Present a logical explanation of your services, including a detailed description of how you deliver services, who receives
them, and what your objectives are.

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BEWARE! Three Common Writing Traps
Avoiding these common writing traps can produce easy to understand narrative that
requires less effort from your reader. Clean narrative keeps readers engaged and helps
them quickly find the information they need to score your proposal. Removing these
writing traps from your narrative can be a space (and life!) saver when you are facing page,
word, or character limits. In avoiding writing traps, a thesaurus can be a writer’s best friend.

Active v. passive voice
“Active voice” is when the subject is doing the action described by the verb. In “passive voice,” the subject is
having something done to it. Passive voice can sound vague, buries the subject, and softens the action.
Active voice has a snappier, more forward sound. The word “by” and the presence of “be” verbs (is,
Space
Saver!
are, being, was, will be) often signal passive voice.

Passive: Testing is provided by qualified, licensed staff. (7 words, 49 characters)
Active: Qualified, licensed staff provide testing. (5 words, 42 characters)

Passive: Two hundred clients were recruited by agency outreach staff in 2009. (11 words, 68 characters)
Active: Agency outreach staff recruited 200 clients in 2009. (8 words, 52 characters)

Fluffy phrases
Writing formally simply means communicating in a professional manner with someone we don’t know
well personally. Writers often fall into the trap of using extra words and stuffy writing to sound formal Space
and smart. Fluffy phrases add unnecessary bulk to your writing—without adding enhanced meaning. Saver!
Winnowing this excess can make narrative nimbler and ultimately more interesting. Look for “be”
verbs; words like “of,” “with,” and “who;” and words ending in “-ing” or “-ed.”

Fluffy Phrase A Better Choice
have a tendency to tend to
is indicative of shows, illustrates
are in need of need
make contact with contact
gives rise to results in (can often be cut altogether)
has the effect of making, gives rise to makes, causes, renders
in order to to
the patients who are located in patients in
additionally, also, in addition to, currently (can often be cut altogether)
There are some patients who are Some patients
In regards to, concerning, with respect to about, on, for (can often be cut altogether)
the recruiting of clients client recruitment

Hyperbole and overstatement
Zeal for our work can propel us to make broad overstatements. Hyperbole is a sure sign that you have left the world of
expository writing, have ventured into marketing language, and wish to elicit an emotional response. The claim is
something you cannot prove to be true or would be hard-pressed to prove if asked for supporting data.

Danger words!
Only Unique Sole
Always Completely unique In the entire service area
Never Most Any adjective ending in “est”

Statement Problem
Without the help of the AIDS Foundation of Webb County, none of This is rather presumptive and not able to be
these individuals will have the medical are they need. proved.
The Brazos County Health Center helps the poorest, sickest people in Can only be true if everyone in the County has
the County. a medical exam and is screened for income.

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You’re the Editor!
The narrative below needs your help! Read each sentence and circle the words that
indicate the writer has fallen into a trap. Rewrite each sentence so that it is active,
clear, and reasonable.

Example #1: Clients who are in need of services are provided
with these services by a multidisciplinary team.

Correction: Clients receive services from a multidisciplinary team.
Correction: A multidisciplinary protection team provides services to clients.

Example #2: The clients who are located in the rural counties frequently have a tendency to have issues
in regards to transportation.

Correction: Clients in rural counties often have transportation issues.

It’s Your Turn!
1. In order to medical meet the needs of clients who are residing in rural areas, which gives rise to
transportation problems, case managers make contact with the local CARTS program.

________________________________________________________________________________________

________________________________________________________________________________________

________________________________________________________________________________________

2. Testing for HIV/STDs is offered by medical staff at no cost to clients who are the poorest people
in the county and would never know their status without this service.

________________________________________________________________________________________

________________________________________________________________________________________

________________________________________________________________________________________

3. The Tarrant County Health Center provides a service that is completely unique in the county,
with no other resource for free, rapid HIV testing in the entire service area.

________________________________________________________________________________________

________________________________________________________________________________________

________________________________________________________________________________________

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Writing SMART:
Creating Objectives That Tell Your Story
A SMART objective can be an output or an outcome and can be used
to evaluate process or performance. Writing SMART requires that
your program and its staff commit to tracking, evaluating, and
achieving results—which may mean that you have to change the way
you collect information or store data. Conversely, writing SMART will
always let you know if your program is effective and meeting the
needs of your clients—and will make you very competitive for funding!

Specific Measurable Achievable Realistic Timely

Don’t dance around Your objective should Objectives should Is the objective Change takes time.
your objective. Being show a positive client- always represent a realistic and are you You have to give
vague doesn’t help centered change of challenge to be met by really in control of the yourself a reasonable
anyone, and in fact some type (outcome) your staff and your result? Part of being amount of time to
could leave you with or indicate a quantity clients. Remember realistic is defining achieve your results.
nothing to measure of some type (output) that you are trying to your reach. Deciding Usually, this is
or—worse yet—poor and must be able to be make a change for the to “increase the measured in 12-month
results for clients. A measured. This means better—or you number of HIV+ people increments unless
vague objective could you need a benchmark wouldn’t be in adhering to a otherwise specified by
also be misinterpreted or a starting place business! If making treatment plan” in the funder or defined
by the funder, who from which to begin this change was easy, your county is a pretty by the structure of the
could hold you to a measuring. You can’t your clients could tall order. Even if program.
much stricter determine that the probably achieve it on that happens, chances
standard! number of children their own. are, you are not the Being clear about how
reunited with their only one taking credit long it will reasonably
Being specific means families has increased Conversely, you don’t for this change! take for this change to
stating your intention if you don’t know want to set yourself up occur or for you to
clearly. Deciding to many you had to begin to fall short. When serve a certain number
In fact, there is no
“increase the number with. proposing objectives, of clients gives your
reason you can make
of clients who have the funder assumes staff something toward
this claim. Even if you
better health You have to be able to that you know what is which they can work.
were the only HIV
outcomes” seems like track data to measure possible and what is You can know when
provider in your entire
a good idea, but there success. If you decide not. The key is to you are on target and
service area, there are
is no rate, number, that more clients will challenge, but not when you might need
too many other factors
percentage, or level of be in medical care and panic, your staff. to step up your
at play.
frequency linked to it. they will achieve outreach efforts. You
better health, you If you decide to also remove unrealistic
Ask yourself: have to have prior increase the number What you can expectations for
proof (track) of how of clients in care, reasonably claim is immediate change.
Who or what is going many were in care to what is reasonable to that you are affecting
to change or benefit? begin with and the expect? If you do this outcome for the
current state of their nothing different with individuals you see,
How many will health. If you are not your program, why and probably only if
experience benefit or the entity that tracks would this condition other conditions are
change? this data, and thus do improve? What is the met. Someone who is
not have immediate reason you think you in case management
How much change is and legal access to it, can expect and attain and whose life is
expected? you’d better get this change? stable is more likely to
permission and adhere to a treatment
In what geographic cooperation to access plan than someone
area? it. who is not and has
unmet basic needs.
Over what period of
time?

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Kinds of Objectives:
Outputs and Outcomes,
An objective is a rather generic term for a kind of result.
Funders expect you to evaluate not just how much you did, but
what happened to your clients.

Outputs: An output is something that can be counted, like the
number of clients you serve, the number of classes you hold, or the number of people you
have enrolled in a program. Outputs are expressed as a total number of people or events and
are measured by attendance, enrollment, or occurrence.

The primary question that is asked is: How many or how often?

Outcomes: An outcome is something that happened to your client as a result of receiving
services, attending the classes, or being enrolled in the program. Outcomes are expressed as
a change in a client’s condition, behavior, knowledge, attitude, or beliefs. Outcomes are
measured by pre- and post-tests, assessments, client self-report, and attainment of client
goals.

The primary question that is asked is: What has changed for the client?

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A Look at SMART Objectives:
Writing Exercise
As a group, read and correct (or approve) the following sample
SMART objectives. Identify whether each is an outcome, output,
process measure, or performance measure.

Examples:
1. The Johnson County Health Center will increase the total number of clients served.

By the end of the first 12-month grant period, the Johnson County Health Center will increase the
total number of clients served annually by 30 percent, from 300 to 390.

2. During the 12-month grant period, clients enrolled in the Mpowerment Program will engage in
safer sex practices.

During the 12-month grant period, 80% of clients completing the intervention will increase the
score on their post-test evaluation by 20%.

Your Turn!

1. The Williamson County Health Center will increase the number of people in the county
accessing HIV/STD testing services.

2. During the 12-month grant period, the Valley Clinic will decrease the number of people
sharing needles in Webb County by 20%.

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3. During the 12-month grant period, the agency’s Know Your Status Testing Project will
ensure that people in the identified high-risk zip code of 90210 will be tested for HIV and
STDs.

BONUS EXERCISE!

Write a SMART objective specific to your program:

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