Planning Your Proposal

Before you can write a strong proposal, you need to have a strong project plan.  You should think about things such as: What needs or problems (in my environment, in my field, in my school) does this project address?  What activities or program will I develop to meet these needs?  What resources will I require (staffing, equipment, time, materials) to carry out those activities? What do I expect the outcome of my program to be? How will I measure the success of my activities?  What is my overall goal? What change do I hope to make--amongst my clients, in terms of knowledge available or in response to community needs--as a result of my project?

The grid below will help you to think about each of these project components.  Funders like proposals where each of these elements-- the needs or problems to be addressed; the activities or methodology; the resources required; and the outcomes to be achieved-- all connect logically together.

The overall goal of this project is to: __________________________________________________________________________________________

__________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

Through what methods: ____________________________________________________________________________________________________

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Last Modified: January 6, 2009