eCivis shares 10 winning tactics for writing grants

With the majority of funding to counties from the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act coming in the form of grants, now more than ever it is important for county officials to know and understand what makes for a successful grant application.

eCivis (www.ecivis.com), an NCACC endorsed services provider, is the leading online provider of federal, state and foundation grant information and grants management tools for government entities. The following grant writing tips are used with permission from the eCivis Grants Network KnowledgeBase.

Visit www.ncacc.org/stimulus.html for detailed county-specific updates on the ARRA, and see our Twitter site (twitter.com/ncacc) for the latest news.

Work collaboratively, not alone

Use the resources and knowledge of the people around you rather than wasting time trying to gather all the information on your own. Instead of spending an hour researching whether your organization has a DUNS number, it may take a co-worker only five or 10 minutes to point you in the right direction. Assess the strengths and skills of the people around you and put their expertise to work. In addition to other staff members, involve stakeholders in the responsibility rather than depending on them only for letters of support.

Read the grant agency's guidelines carefully

If grant agencies were not serious about rules and guidelines, they would not devote so much of the program announcement to outlining them. Double- and triple-check your work to ensure that what you produce matches up exactly to what is required. Never assume that no one will notice if you use 11.5-point font when 12-point font is specified, or that the review panel won't really care if you place your page numbers on the bottom middle of the page if they have asked you to put them on the bottom right. No detail is trivial, and little mistakes could cost you your chance at funding. If any instructions are unclear, never hesitate to contact the program officer for clarification.

Establish a true need and align it to the grant agency's priorities

Document the public need with relevant quantitative and qualitative documentation, such as demographics, test results and surveys. National research can also be useful, but aim to be as specific as possible to your proposed project and the people it will serve. Use the narrative section to prove that your project matches the established priorities.

Maximize the narrative section

The narrative section should outline the project's goals and objectives in a clear and concise manner and describe the measurable results of your proposed project. Even though this information may seem cut and dry, make every effort you can to engage the reader and present the information in an interesting way. Using the terminology and jargon used in the funding announcement whenever possible or appropriate will also help the reader to know exactly what you are referring to in response to the program announcement. For example, you should not call analyzing results "evaluation" if the funding announcement refers to analyzing results as "dissemination."

Evaluate, and evaluate again

Make certain that your proposal aligns with the funding agency's goals and that the proposed project can produce measurable results. Be specific about what will be achieved through your project. Demonstrating your ability to disseminate information will help prove to a results-driven review committee that funding your project is worthwhile. One research tool that provides agency and program-specific funding goals and desired results is ExpectMore.gov.

Pay attention to the budget section

Request enough money to accomplish your project while being reasonable, realistic and as accurate as possible. Research the costs to ensure that your budget reflects fair market values, and be sure to check for consistency between the project narrative and budget line items. Consult award lists to gain an idea of the amounts similar projects have received and check the funding announcement for award ranges. Your request should align with the funding goals of the agency. If you request more than the maximum award amount listed in the funding announcement, many agencies will not even look at your proposal.

Be reasonable in your proposal

Like your budget section, the proposal should also be rooted in reality. Only propose projects that your organization has the capacity to implement, and create goals and objectives that are reasonable and not overly idealistic. For example, if you are proposing a program to increase reading achievement, you cannot reasonably propose that 100 percent of students will read at or above their grade level at the end of the project period.

Write for the reviewer

With the high volume of applications received, reviewers will only have a limited amount of time to review your proposal. Providing a well-organized application will maximize the amount of information that a reviewer will be able to glean while working under such time constraints. Providing purposeful bulleted lists and subheadings will make information accessible. Remember that not everyone reading your application will be an expert in the field: use layman's terms when possible; avoid acronyms that might be unfamiliar; and be cautious when it comes to assuming people know or understand certain information.

Pay attention to timelines

Make an effort to understand the timetables with which the funding agency works and align your project's timelines accordingly. Be as specific as possible in your proposal, identifying activities in terms such as "Phase 1" or "month 3." This will help your reader understand the big picture of your project and will better communicate its trajectory.

Be accountable

Once you receive an award, the real work begins. Funding agencies expect you to live up to your proposal. Make every effort to accomplish the goals and objectives you outlined and make sure that the money entrusted to you is spent properly. Maintaining regular communication with the funding agency will also help you stay on track and be accountable.

Keep in mind that great ideas alone do not receive funding; but great ideas coupled with a well-written proposal create a strong likelihood for success. Adopt these tactics to your own grant-writing skills, and your hard work and commitment will be even more likely to pay off.