Dashing off a grant proposal to meet a deadline is sometimes unavoidable, but it’s not enough to just ‘get it done’ and ‘get it in.’ Planning ahead and taking the time to craft a polished proposal is a must for winning grants.
Inconsistencies in a grant proposal flag a faulty planning process, rushed writing, or carelessness. They can cause the reviewer to wonder if you know what you’re doing.
Pay particular attention to the following elements. They’re where problems are most likely to occur.
When the new Uniform Guidance on grant administration is implemented as an interim final rule in late December 2014, the procurement rules governing purchases made with grant funds will change somewhat. Procedures must become more structured, and purchases above $3,000 will have to be accompanied by varying levels of documentation as the dollar value of purchases rises.
Understanding and implementing the new guidance on short notice will be difficult for many nonprofits. That’s why The Grantsmanship Center (the Center) has asked Henry Flood, our Senior Advisor for Grant Administration, to address procurement issues that are raising concern in the nonprofit community.
The latest webcast, convened on October 2, 2014 by the Office of Management and Budget (OMB) and the Council on Financial Assistance Reform (COFAR), indicates that the Uniform Guidance (popularly known as the Super Circular) is rapidly reaching its December 26, 2014 arrival date.
While developing a proposal for a planning grant is much the same as developing a request for a program grant, there are a few important differences. This 2-part series looks at the most critical sections of a grant proposal in terms of these differences.
Part 1 covers the Problem, Outcomes and Methods sections of a proposal; part 2 covers the Evaluation and Budget sections. This series is an excerpt from the addendum of Grantsmanship: Program Planning & Proposal Writing, available October 2014. Enjoy!
