The Concept Paper
The Concept Paper is a brief summary of your idea that the institutional advancement office will use
in helping you craft a grant application and find funding for your project. It can also be used to send
to prospective funding sources, particularly foundations, by giving the agency staff something to look
at while you discuss your ideas for possible funding (given enough lead time before a deadline).
The Concept Paper is the first step in the grant development process at the college. Your completed
paper is “a sketch” of your concept that help you and the IA office develop the second required step,
the Grant Summary Form, which is routed to Executive Council to determine whether the college will
pursue the grant project. Once approval is obtained, the third step is the full proposal development
with the IA office. The final step is an internal review and approval/signature process coordinated by
the IA office. This occurs prior to submitting the proposal to the funding source.
As that process unfolds, there will most likely be changes along the way in what you have
conceptualized and what makes its way into your final proposal. This is a normal part of the
development process, and all parties reviewing the drafts are prepared for that…so use your Concept
Paper to define your project under your “ideal” circumstances. The IA office will keep all affected
parties informed of major changes throughout the process. This helps build consensus and support
for your work and minimizes the element of “surprise” for the college administration when the final
version, different from your initial concept, is being reviewed for sign-off.
Use the guidance listed below when filling out the form. Additional grantwriting resources are available
online at the IA office website: http://mwcc.edu/advancement/. You can also get a copy of our Grant
Development Guide there, a brief handbook describing MWCC’s grant development process and offering
grant writing pointers, or by calling extension 113.
Call extension 113 if you have questions or need help with the form. Thank you.
INSTRUCTIONS FOR COMPLETING THE CONCEPT PAPER FORM
•
Title of Project. Give your project a brief descriptive title.
•
Submitted by. List your name and names of other persons/agencies that you are considering
to be project collaborators.
•
General Area. List the general area in which the project falls, for example, faculty
development, science education, nursing education, etc.
•
Date. The date the Concept Paper is written.
1)
General Purpose Statement. What is the purpose of this project? What is your overall goal?
Think about your project idea in these terms: What is going to change as a result of my
project’s implementation, and how are we going to measure it? (Show your ideas for
measurement under # 6, “Evaluation Strategy.”)
2)
Needs Statement. Why does this project need to be done? What are problems this project
is attempting to solve? What evidence do you have to support your view? Do you have
statistical data? Committee findings and reports? Literature trends? Describe briefly.
3)
Objectives of the Project. What specifically will you do in this project in order to meet your
overall goal? Are your objectives specific and measurable? Will you be able to evaluate your
objectives when the project is completed?
4)
Methods for Accomplishing Objectives. How will you accomplish your objectives? What
resources will you use?
5)
Target Group Who Will Be Served. Who will be served by this project? Who will be involved?
6)
Evaluation Strategy. How will you evaluate whether or not the project accomplished what you
set out to accomplish?
7)
Results/Benefits Expected from Project. What results or benefits do you expect from
conducting this project? How will the college or organization benefit? How will various
individuals benefit? How will the community benefit?
8)
Estimated Costs, if Known. How much do you expect this project to cost? Where will most of
the cost be incurred? Personnel? Travel? Instructional Materials? Equipment?
Other Important Considerations
Prospective funders will want to know how the project relates to the mission of the college, as well as any
collaborative efforts. Please consider the following questions as they relate to your idea.
9)
Relationship to Goals of MWCC’s Strategic Plan or Departmental Priorities. How does this
project meet an institutional need? Is it related to a goal in the Strategic Plan? Does it
relate to the priorities of your department?
10) Personal Scholarly Pursuit. Does the project relate to your particular plan for professional
development as a scholar or teacher? Explain briefly.
11) Support Required from College Ancillary Services. Will the proposed idea require significant or
unusual support from any ancillary services of the college? For example, technology support,
use of laboratory space or special facilities, marketing department support, office space,
etc. Explain briefly.
12) Other Departmental or Outside Collaboration. Will the proposed idea involve more than one
division or department within the college? Any organizations or agencies outside of the
college? List those expected to cooperate.
Answer these questions to the best of your ability and forward your completed form (via email) to
k_payne@mwcc.mass.edu. We will contact you to schedule a meeting to determine your project’s viability
and talk about funding options.
Concept Paper Form
Title:
Submitted by:
General Area:
Date:
1.
General Purpose Statement:
2.
Needs Statement:
3.
Objectives of the Project:
4.
Methods for Accomplishing Objectives:
5.
Target Group Who Will Be Served:
6.
Evaluation Strategy:
7.
Results/Benefits Expected from Project:
8.
Estimated Costs, if Known:
9.
Relationship to Goals of MWCC’s Strategic Plan or Departmental Priorities:
10.
Personal Scholarly Pursuit:
11.
Support Required from College Ancillary Services:
12.
Other Departmental or Outside Collaboration:
Use additional pages as needed.