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With all of the above complete, the proposal is almost done. However, it is still very important to review and format the proposal before sending it out. Run a spell check and read for grammar errors Some donors are very particular about grammar and spelling and think small mistakes may … [Read more...] about Your Proposal in Your Hands: Giving a Final Touch before submitting to Donors

Innovation is a buzzword throughout development circles, from large institutional grant making organizations to grassroots NGOs. In its simplest term, innovation is using new or novel ideas and approaches to solve existing problems. Many donors ask about innovation in the application because … [Read more...] about How to bring about Innovation in the Project You are Proposing

Projects take time to implement. Even a short workshop takes a lot of planning before the event and follow-up after the event. A workplan or project timeline should describe the order and length of time in which each activity will take place. This includes each step involved in implementing the … [Read more...] about Preparing Your WorkPlan: A Gantt Chart that needs to be Presented

Sustainability Plan What is the sustainability plan for the project? How is the project sustainable? How will the project results be sustained after the grant is gone? These questions may be worded differently, but they have the same basic meaning and are commonly asked by donors to organizations … [Read more...] about The Sustainability Plan and Other Cross-Cutting Themes in Your Grant Proposal

Step 1: Determine what exactly needs monitoring and evaluating Step 1 of creating an M&E plan involves understanding what parts of the project needs to be monitored and evaluated. Typically, the activities are monitored to evaluate and prove that the objectives were met and results achieved. … [Read more...] about How to develop a Monitoring and Evaluation Plan and Present it in Your Grant Proposal

While the project activities are the actions that need funding, the reason donors are interested in funding proposals is really for the results. Donors are looking for value for money, so it is important to highlight the many results a project can achieve during its lifetime and after. Project … [Read more...] about Your Project Results is about the Impact: How to Write them in Your Grant Proposal?

The project rationale should lay the ground work of what the problem is and why it is important to solve. In the next section, the proposal should explain the overall goal and objectives, showing how the project intends to approach the problem. While often used interchangeably, there is a … [Read more...] about How to Frame Your SMART Project Goals and Objectives in a Grant Proposal

The above example not only points to the underlying problem of high child mortality, but also points to the solution, which is the second part of the project rationale. Once the NGO proves to the donor that the problem is real and important, the NGO also has to prove that the solution is with the … [Read more...] about Proving the Solution: How to Convince the Donor for Funding Your Project

The project rationale, also called the ‘project justification,’ ‘problem statement,’ or ‘project background’ is an argument in favor of implementing the proposed project. It gives a detailed explanation of why the project is required. In other words, it describes the issues and problems the … [Read more...] about Painting the Problem: How to Write the Project Rationale that can create an Impact

Proposal writing is not a one-man show; while one individual may bear the responsibility of overseeing the proposal from start to finish, many other people need to be involved in the process. It is an inclusive process. More ideas are brought to light when all those involved in the project have some … [Read more...] about Basic Questions about Proposal Writing: Who should be involved in the planning and writing of a proposal?

What is a proposal? Proposal literally means “an act of putting forward or stating something for consideration.” This relates to business proposals, marriage proposals, legal proposals, as well as proposals for funding. For NGOs, a proposal is a document which is used to request funding to … [Read more...] about Let us Start answering Basic Questions about Proposal Writing

Yes! This is in fact the first step to undertake when starting to write the proposal. There are over 250,000 donor agencies in the world and most of them have very specific criteria for what types of organizations they fund. If a proposal on land rights in Nepal is sent to a donor who only funds … [Read more...] about Basic Questions about Proposal Writing: Is it important to know and understand the donor before writing a proposal?

This varies drastically depending on the prior experience of the organization and the type of proposal. As explained above, the proposal is one of the last steps in the project planning stage. If an organization already has all the background information prepared, taking that information and turning … [Read more...] about Basic Questions about Proposal Writing: How much time does it take to write a proposal?

What is a budget? A budget simply put, refers to a document which specifies how money will be allocated to implement the activities described in the proposal. Think of the budget as the proposal narrative explained in numbers. The budget gives a clear picture of all expenditures involved in … [Read more...] about Developing the Budget in Your Proposal

Some donors request what is typically known as a logframe, short for Logical Framework. Logframes also go by many other names, including: Logical Framework Analysis, LFA, Logical Framework Matrix or even Project Framework. Whatever it is called, this framework is a summary of the project in table … [Read more...] about Basic Questions about Proposal Writing: What is a Logical Framework Analysis?

A concept note is perhaps the shortest expression of a project idea given on paper to a donor. A concept note is generally used in the first instance when proposing a project to a donor. A concept note can be identical to a letter of inquiry. However, the letter formatting is not required in a … [Read more...] about Basic Questions about Proposal Writing: What is a Concept Note?

There are proposal writers who write proposals on commission. However for most NGOs, hiring consultants to write proposals does not amount to good use of resources. For one, it will not guarantee funding and consultants typically have a fee which they charge regardless of the success or failure of … [Read more...] about Basic Questions about Proposal Writing: Can we hire a consultant to write proposals for us?

In an open call for proposals where a donor invites applications from many NGOs, it may be difficult to seek inputs. Since such calls are competitive, the donor often does not want to favor any single NGO by providing feedback on the proposal. In these cases, the best strategy is to carefully review … [Read more...] about Basic Questions about Proposal Writing: How can I get inputs for my proposal from a donor?

A proposal must be written according to the format and guidelines provided by the donor or funding agency. For most institutional donors, this information is accessible on their website, call for applications notice or available upon request. Before applying, carefully review the criteria and … [Read more...] about How to Write Proposals according to donor/funding agency’s guidelines