Improving Your Odds at Getting Funded
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Transcript of Improving Your Odds at Getting Funded
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Improving Your Odds at Getting FundedDeveloping a Proposal Building Team
Presenters: Deborah Minor-Harvey & James Pfluecke, IRN Technical Assistance Providers
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Step 1: Where Do I Begin?
Research Federal Funding Sources
• Illinois ResourceNet (www.illinoisresource.net)
• Catalogue of Federal Domestic Assistance (CFDA)
• Grants.gov
• Federal Register/NOFA (Notice of Fund Availability)
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Step 2: Answer Key Questions
• Does your organization have clearly defined mission, goals and purpose statements?
• Is your mission and strategic plan aligned with the problem to be addressed in the RFP (Request for Proposal)?
• Who is driving the grant-seeking process?
• Who will manage the proposal development process?
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Step 3: Assess Your Organization’s Capacity• Board Governance
• Strategic Planning
• Management Systems
• Financial Management Systems
• Fund Development Plan
• Human Resources (Leadership, Management & Program & Administrative Staff
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Step 4: Make Necessary Adjustments
If Necessary Take A Pass Until Adjustments Are Made….
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Step 5: Study (really study) the RFP
• Funding Opportunity Description
• Eligible Applicants
• Objectives
• Evaluation Measures
• Key Questions to Be Answered & Assigned Points
• Grant Amount & Duration
• Target Group To Be Served
• Cost Sharing or Matching
• Application & Submission
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Step 6: Assemble Your Proposal Development Team (Heavy Lifters)• Proposal Development Manager• Program Staff• Community Partners/Collaborators• Grant Writer
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Step 7: Identify Proposal Development Supporters
• Funding Agency
• Professional Organizations Related to RFP Objectives
• Educational Institutions
• Board Members
• Clients
• Local Agencies
• Community Organizations
• Technical Assistance Providers
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Step 8: Develop Project Time Line
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Step 9: Develop Proposal Development Work Plan
• Assign Action Steps to Team Members According to Skill Set & Time Availability
• Have Proposal Development Manager Facilitate Work Plan Implementation
• Adjust Plan As Needed
• Maintain Clear Lines of Communication
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Step 10: Assess Community Needs
• Reports from Program Staff
• Intake Forms
• Surveys of Target Population
• Community-Based Focus Groups
• Statistical Data (area organizations, educational institutions, local government agencies, planning departments)
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• Take inventory of existing programs & services provided for the target population
• Identify service gaps
• Document research results
Step 10 continued:
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Step 11: Conduct Strategy Development Sessions
• Brainstorm strategies that address the problem
• List all possibilities
• Identify opportunities for collaboration
• Reach consensus on strategy
• Develop program logic model
• Create draft budget
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Step 12: Gather or Create “Off the Shelf” Documents• Two-page synopsis
describing vision & mission
• Problem assessment supporting data
• Goals, objectives & strategies
• Evaluation approaches & results
• Budget templates
• Board information
• Relevant forms
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Step 13: Assemble Proposal Documents
• Empirical Data
• Program Logic Model
• Strategy Work Plan
• Budget
• Appendices
• Support Letters (if applicable)
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Follow Instructions Follow InstructionsFollow InstructionsFollow InstructionsFollow InstructionsFollow Instructions
Step 14:
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Step 15: Develop Proposal Submittal Checklist
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Step 16: Submit Proposal
Do Not Wait Until the Last Minute
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Step 17: Proposal is Submitted
Celebration Time!