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To
write a successful grant application for FREE MONEY it should be well
planned. You should be
familiar with exactly how a particular agency prefers to have their
grant proposals completed. If
you have no prior experience in writing grant proposals, this is another
area where your state's
grants
information contact can help.
Once
you decide which government agency you want FREE MONEY from, contact
them and ask for a grant application kit.
Get to know some of the grantor agency personnel.
Experts love to talk about their programs, so ask for advice,
suggestions, and criticisms about your proposed project.
In
most cases, the more an agency knows about your grant proposal, the
better your chances will be of getting support from the personnel who
ultimately approve your FREE MONEY request.
Often
it is a grantor's advantage to send their grant proposal summary to an
agency official they have developed a contact relationship with, and ask
them to review and return it to you with their comments. Be certain this approach is acceptable with your agency
contact. You wouldn't want
a first draft mistakenly processed before it was finished.
Making
a personal visit to the agency's office in your area is also important.
Face to face contact will help you understand eligibility
requirements, deadlines, maximum FREE MONEY amounts you can apply for,
and other details you want to know about.
You can also utilize an agency's library and determine through
books, brochures, and conversation if there are other agencies you could
apply to for FREE MONEY. There
is nothing that says you can't apply for two, three, or more FREE MONEY
grants at one time!
Do
some networking and maintain continuous contact with people who can
gather information for you about FREE MONEY GRANTS.
Nothing can be substituted for personal contact with the decision
makers who are in charge of grant programs.
Learn to use your personal influence (and theirs) to achieve your
goals.
Applying for government grants: step
by step guidelines
1. Browse the
sources presented in this Ebook to locate grant programs which are
suitable to your needs as an applicant.
2.
Determine a means of approach for making an application by
considering:
-
Program Objectives and Uses
-
Type of Assistance Needed
-
Eligibility Requirements
-
Application Procedure Required
3.
Check for an application deadline.
4. Refer to
the Information Contacts section located within each
program description for addresses and telephone numbers to obtain
further information from the funding agency.
5. Contact the
agency to determine:
-
Applicability of your proposal or project.
-
Availability of funds or assistance.
-
Answers to any questions you may have.
6.
Apply to the funding agency for assistance. See below for help
regarding writing grant proposals.
Tips for Applying for Federal Grants
- Continuously seek grant opportunities.
- Keep ongoing contact with organizations that award grants.
- Decide who will receive information on grants, who will write the
proposals and who will manage the grants.
- Plan how the grant will be integrated into your overall plans.
- Read carefully and follow the application directions.
- Be specific and concise with information in the grant application.
- Grant applications must be easy to read.
- Each section of the application should relate to the others to
create a fluid document.
- Write short paragraphs.
- Provide headings for different sections.
- Grant must be properly and professionally written.
- Include a cover letter.
- Provide an introduction with a summary of the proposal.
- Provide a table of contents if the grant is lengthy or broken
into sections.
- Give reason for the need of the grant. Identify the problem to
be addressed then narrow the focus to the precise use of the grant.
- Provide long and short term objectives.
- Present the standards for the program. What is the target for
success and how will it be measured
- Give a future for the program once the grant is complete.
- Include a budget; specify administrative and program costs.
- Be complete; try to allow time for review.
- Providing a high quality document, addressing all key elements
will increase success.
- Check if grant needs to be reviewed locally under Executive
Order 12372.
- Get support from elected officials, business leaders and community
leaders.
- Follow all grant proposal submittal requirements. These can vary
for each grant.
- Do not miss deadlines.
Government Grant Application
Forms
You need to read the requirements for
the program(s) you are interested in. While some programs have
their own specific application forms, many use the Standard
Form 424, Application for Federal Assistance (http://www.cfda.gov/public/sf424.pdf),
for applications.
Note: This file needs the
Adobe Acrobat Reader in order to display. You probably need to
download this plugin or update the version you have on your
system. It is available at www.adobe.com.
Visit the OMB
Grants Management Page for a wide selection of forms related
to grants.
Developing And Writing Grant
Proposal
Here are several resources to help
you write grant proposals:
Government guidelines
Developing
and Writing Grant Proposals
A Proposal Writing Short Course
Published by The Foundation
Center, this site offers excellent tips and strategies for
grantwriting. Visit the site at:
http://fdncenter.org/learn/shortcourse/prop1.html
Proposal Writing Tips
Written by the University of Wisconsin, Oshkosh, Office of
Grants, this document offers useful information in getting started
and developing the proposal concept. Visit the site at
http://www.uwosh.edu/departments/grants/tips.html.
Polaris
Grants Central
This site provides, among other information pertaining
to grants, proposal writing guidance. Visit the site at http://www.polarisgrantscentral.net/tips.html.
Assistance
in Developing Proposals
This site covers strategies in the proposal-writing
process. It is an excellent how-to guide that defines proposal
structure. Visit the site at http://www.montclair.edu/pages/ORSP/strategy.htm.
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