Presented by:
Rebecca Priest
Senior Director of Emerging Technologies
& Strategic Grant Development
Stark State College
The State of Collaboration . . .
1. It’s a smart thing to do
2. It’s welcomed by many funding sources
3. It’s sometimes required by funding sources
Why is collaboration smart?
 It can strengthen your proposal/project
 It can make your funding source think they are
getting a bigger bang for their buck
 It can broaden the scope of your project
 It can make your project have greater impact
 It can lead to relationship growth with partner
organizations
Example of my last point:
Stark State College’s partnership with
Rolls-Royce Fuel Cell Systems (US),
Inc. (RRFCS)
 It started in 2002 with the following organizations
talking with each other: SOFCo-EFS, Stark
Development Board, Stark State College and Case
Western Reserve University
 Together we sought and received $3.35M of Ohio
Third Frontier funds to build a Fuel Cell Prototyping
Center on Stark State’s campus
 Since 2002, that $3.35M has grown to $21M+ in fuel
cell-related projects on our campus
The result? Stark State . . .
 Developed a fuel cell option in MET
 Coordinates the 5-state Great Lakes Fuel Cell
Education Partnership funded by National Science
Foundation
 Leases FCPC to RRFCS-US, now the company’s
global headquarters
Fuel Cell Prototyping Center
 Expanded FCPC to enable RRFCS to expand its
R&D capacity
 Renovated our Advanced Technology Center to
enable Contained Energy, Inc. and Lockheed Martin
to conduct fuel cell research on campus
 Received grant support from Ohio’s Third Frontier
Program, State Legislature; OBR; NSF; and U.S.
Departments of Education, Energy, Defense and
SBA
It’s amazing what can happen when a few
organizations start talking . . . and decide
to collaborate.
Other grant partnerships
we’ve been part of…
Great Lakes Fuel Cell Education Partnership
 Penn State University
 Lansing Community College (MI)
 Kettering University (MI)
 Rennselear University (NY)
 Vincennes University (IN)
 Business partners in multiple states
Expanding Capacity in Healthcare
Occupations (DOL CBJTG)
Partnership includes:
 Holmes, Medina, Stark, Summit, Tuscarawas and
Wayne County WIAs
 Stark Development Board
 5 area hospitals
 Tech Prep Consortium
 2 Adult Career & Technical Education providers
 2 university partners
DOL “Green Jobs” Collaborative
Proposal encompassed 16-county NE Ohio region
 United Labor Agency (Cleveland)
 Great Lakes Wind Network
 Cuyahoga Community College
 Eastern Gateway Community College
 Lakeland Community College
 Lorain County Community College
 United Auto Workers, Region 2B
 ODOD, OBR
Other organizations we’ve collaborated
with . . .
 WIA/WIB
 Stark Co. Education Service Center
 Stark Education Partnership
 UA, KSU, Toledo, OSU
 First Energy
 NOCHE, MAGNET
 Defense Metals Technology Center (SSC)
An early partnership with Diebold, Inc.
Some new partnerships under
development
 The Timken Co., Canton
bearings for wind turbines
 Kohler Coating, Canton
corrugating packaging processes
 Will-Burt Co., Orrville
portable telescoping mast for military apps
Characteristics of a successful grant
seeker:
 Salesmanship
 Communication skills
 Ingenuity & flexibility
 Research skills
 Administrative skills (well organized)
 Human relations skills
 Good follow-through
 Perseverance & dedication
 Persistent
Stark State’s grant system
 Mission of Strategic Grant Development Office is to
link institutional needs with available resources
 The primary responsibility for development of a
proposal lies within the administrative structure of the
division in which the project takes place.
 The responsibility of the Strategic Grant Development
Office is to assist faculty and staff in translating the
idea into a plan….assist with the development of a
proposal….assist with budget construction….
Our internal process
 Develop idea
 Gain support for your project idea from people who
“count”
 Submit Application to Develop Project with Grant
Support to Strategic Grants Office signed by dean of
area where project is being initiated
 Receive approval of Executive Council before
proceeding
How ideas evolve
Grant proposals generally get developed by 1 of 2 ways:
 To resolve a problem or because someone has an idea
for doing something different or better
OR
 Because funding is available and an organization
decides to develop a project that addresses the goals of
that funding opportunity
Grant seeking is 6-step process
 Identifying or recognizing a problem
 Generating an idea to solve the problem (the solution)
 Determining if the idea furthers the mission and goals of
your organization
 Researching potential sponsors to find a match between
your idea and the sponsor’s priorities
 Designing, writing and submitting a proposal that follows
the sponsor’s guidelines
 Implementing your solution to the problem
Questions to answer in clarifying
needs/ideas:
 What is its significance and scope?
 What are others doing to solve the need?
 What aspects of the problem can we realistically
attempt to solve in the short and long term?
 What is the target population?
 Can the benefits to the target population be
measured?
 Is solving the need a priority within our organization --
our community?
Transforming ideas into a proposal
 It’s never too early to start!
 Get organized
 Form a proposal design team
 Develop a schedule
 Get started!
Definition of “proposal”
A proposal is a persuasive document that defines a
problem or need, proposes solutions to that problem
and requests funding or other resources to implement
the solution.
Types of individuals to recruit for
proposal design team
 Task Master
 Organizer
 Risk Taker
 Nurturer
 Facilitator
 Humorist
 Stakeholder
 Recorder
 Devil’s Advocate
 Information Nut
Essential design team members
 Supervising administrator
 Project developer/manager
 Resource development officer
 Collaborating departments/agencies
 Budget specialist
Why use proposal design team?
 To create a project that will be successfully
implemented
 To increase quality of proposal
 To create ownership in project
 To encourage participation
 To encourage teaming and consensus building
What is an RFP?
The most common announcement of the availability of grant
funds is called a Request for Proposal (RFP)
Other terms used for the same thing include:
 Guidelines
 SGA (DOL)
How To Interpret an RFP
 After you have identified a promising sponsor, you
need to review its goals, priorities and RFP to
determine if it is a close enough match to take the time
and effort to prepare and submit a proposal
 Being selective in which ones you pursue will most
likely give you a higher funding ratio of successfully
funded projects to proposals submitted
 Don’t spend all of your time responding to all RFPs
that remotely resemble what you want to do. They
should closely relate to your project idea.
Developing the proposal:
what really counts
 The proposal
 The Concept or Idea
 Connection to and with the Grant Maker
Typical proposal sequence
 Cover letter
 Methodology
 Title Page
 Key Personnel
 Abstract
 Evaluation
 Introduction
 Dissemination
 Problem/Need
 Future of Project
 Goals/Objectives
 Budget
 Appendices
Typical sequence of development of
proposal
 Problem/Need
 Future of Project
 Goals/Objectives
 Introduction
 Methodology
 Title Page
 Key Personnel
 Summary/Abstract
 Evaluation
 Appendix
 Budget
 Cover Letter
Need statement
 You must articulate the problem in a need statement
that makes the problem and solution clear to internal
and external audiences.
 The statement should be a succinct, yet persuasive,
description of the problem, what you propose to do to
solve the problem and a statement of what you want
the sponsor (funding organization) to do after reading
your proposal.
Key Point To Remember…
When drafting your need statement, remember that
proposals are written and projects are developed to
help people.
3 elements to need statement
1. Description of the problem
2. What you and your organization plan to do to solve
the problem
3. Statement of your “instrumental purpose,” i.e., what
you want the sponsor to do after reading your
proposal
Description of problem - 3 parts
 Context of the problem
 Justification for why the problem is important to solve
and explains its scope
 Aspect of the problem you want to solve
Context of Problem
 Define or describe the problem so that other people
can understand it, identify with it and recognize its
importance
 If appropriate, describe what larger societal problem or
organizational problem your proposed project
contributes to solving
Justification
 Convince the readers that addressing this problem is
timely, compelling and urgent.
 Demonstrate why it is important to solve this problem
now and justify spending time, money and energy on
it.
 Tell the readers how large the problem is, how wide-
ranging it is and how many people are affected by it
(locally and nationally).
Aspect of problem you want to solve
 If you are choosing a large societal problem to work
on, be realistic about selecting part of the problem to
solve rather than the entire thing which you are most
likely not prepared to do
2nd element of need statement
What you and your organization plan to do to solve the
problem – who, what, when, where, why (the “so what”
is provided through the entire need statement)
While this section is brief in the need statement, it
provides the basis for your project methodology that
appears later on in the proposal
3rd element of need statement
Statement of your instrumental purpose – what you
want the sponsor to do after reading the proposal
What is it you want the sponsor to do after reading your
proposal? Don’t forget to ask!
How to be compelling
Rhetoric is the art of persuasion. Determine the most
effective rhetorical strategies to incorporate in your
proposal to persuade sponsors to award you a grant.
There are 3 types:
 Rational appeal
 Emotional appeal
 Appeal to character and credibility of organization
Rational appeal
 It cites facts, figures and statistics to build your case
 It uses deductive reasoning and inductive examples to
support claims you make
 Uses causal logic
 Most often used in proposals to federal agencies
Emotional appeal
 Provides readers with information that enables them
to empathize or sympathize with the target audience
for the proposal
 Often are presented as case studies or individual
profiles which arouse the readers’ emotions and
stimulate their desire to help
 Often used in combination with rational and
credibility appeals when approaching small and midsized foundations
Character/Credibility Appeal
 This appeal demonstrates the credibility and character
of your organization and its ability to provide quality
project leadership based on previous successful
experiences
 Is absolutely necessary in proposals to federal agencies
and other large organizations, but also needs to be
incorporated into proposals to small and mid-sized
foundations
Problem statement/need
 Use specific examples/statistics
 “Sell” your program, not the organization
 Discuss the benefits to be realized from your project in
human terms
 Relate project to what the funding agency needs to
fulfill its mission
 Give funding agency a reason to select your project
over another one
More on problem statement
 Make sure it is reasonable in dimension
 Don’t make unsupported assumptions
 Support it with research (give sources)
 Describe a national need then make it local – or vice
versa
 Needs should relate to goals of your organization
Sample of why you need to verify what
your problem really is
Sometimes the surface problem is only a symptom of a
more fundamental problem
Difference between project goals and
objectives
Goal: the result or achievement toward which effort
is directed
Example: To increase the college-going rate of adults in
Stark County
Objective: Something that one’s actions are
intended to attain or accomplish
Example: To increase the retention of minority students
by 10%/year over three years as a result of the Minority
Action Project
Project objectives should be . . .
 Specific – concrete and discrete activities or actions
 Measurable – something you can quantify
 Agreed upon by your project team and organization
 Realistic – something your organization could actually
accomplish
 Timebound – something that can be done in a specified
time period, usually within a year
 “Evaluable” – a word made up meaning something
capable of being evaluated
Process objective vs measurable
objective
An objective is a statement of the desired outcome.
 Example of process objective: To buy a mobile x-ray
unit.
 Example of measurable objective: To decrease by 20%
the incidence of respiratory disease within Stark
County by the end of 2011.
Other examples of measurable objectives:
 By offering peer tutoring, increase by at least 25%
the number of underprepared freshmen who
receive a passing grade for the first semester, as
compared to the number of underprepared
freshmen who received a passing grade for the first
semester of the previous year.
 By the end of each year of the grant period, to
decrease by 20%, from previous years’ levels, the
attrition of freshmen students, as a result of poor
academic performance.
Project methodology
 Describe in detail how the project will be conducted --
who, what, when, where and why
 Include how participants will be selected and
qualifications sought
 Format in step-by-step time line
More on methodology
 Demonstrate that you know what others in your field
are doing, what methods work and which ones don’t
work.
 Many believe this is the most important section of
proposal; it can separate the “men from the boys” (the
amateurs from the professionals).
Mapping out a solution
 It allows you and a team of others to highlight the logic
behind your ideas
 Use it as a method to construct the steps in a plan
 Place your most promising solution in the center of a
piece of paper, circle it, then write the 2-5 major steps
needed to make this solution a reality, circle them and
connect them to the solution, keep going outward as
ideas flow
 When begin identifying steps you won’t want to
mention in the proposal, is time to stop
Key personnel
 Select the right person to coordinate project
 Hire consultants when necessary
 Include resumes
 Include position descriptions if don’t have key
personnel identified
Evaluation
 Determines whether or not project’s objectives have
been met and to what degree
 Includes baseline data used as indicators of progress or
success
 Two major types: summative, formative
 Can be done internally or externally
Summative evaluation
 Most common
 Directed toward those interested in results
 Conducted at conclusion of project
 Measures outcomes of project
 Tells funding source whether or not project has been
successful
Formative evaluation
 Not directed simply toward measuring results
 Is an information instrument used to indicate
necessity for adjustments in project as it progresses
 Particularly helpful to project staff
Budget
 Be realistic
 Be as detailed as possible
 Make sure budget reflects narrative
 Justify higher costs
 Give sufficient information so reader knows costs are
necessary and reasonable
 Check and double-check your figures!
Future of Project
 Start thinking about it in proposal planning stage
 Ties in with budget and institutional (organizational)
commitment
 Assure funding agency that project won’t disintegrate
as soon as grant ends and that you won’t be needing
their support again when funding ends.
Introduction
 May need to include background on your organization
 Set the stage for remainder of proposal
 Put yourself in outsider’s shoes
Remaining elements of proposal
 Title Page
 Abstract
 Appendix
 Cover Letter
Title page
 May be provided by funding agency
 If not, create cover providing essential information
Abstract
 Makes first impression on reader
 Catch the reader’s interest
 Summarize the project in a way that hasn’t been done
within proposal
 Be succinct, but complete
Appendix
 Check with funding source to confirm if Appendix is
allowed
 Include only essential information not able to fit in
proposal
 Include Appendix items very sparingly
Cover letter
 Not always necessary or advisable
 If included, talk about project in a way not done
anywhere else in proposal
 Have signed by CEO of organization
Different types of sponsors
 Government
 Independent Foundations
 Operating Foundations
 Community Foundations
 Corporate Foundations
 Corporations
 Civic Organizations
Grant writing tips
FOLLOW
THE
GUIDELINES!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Design your proposal
 Break up copy with graphics
 type face changes
 charts, tables
 graphs
 illustrations
 bullets
 color
More tips
Demonstrate organizational commitment to project
even if not requested
 cash
 personnel time
 services
 equipment
 facilities
 overhead
Still more tips
 Write to your audience (no jargon)
 Write clearly
 No errors in English usage!
 Define acronyms, use as few as possible
 Avoid redundancy and irrelevant material
 Appearance and readability important
One more tip
 Write to grant readers’ evaluation forms as well as to
guidelines
 Obtain copy of evaluation forms, if available
 Develop proposal to guidelines; review it to evaluation
forms
Key criteria to be used in determining
grant recipients
 Qualifications of organization and key staff
 Compatibility of project with funding source’s goals
 Quality of project itself
 Budget
Afterwards: If it’s a “yes”
 Celebrate!!!!
 Send a thank-you letter
 Notify everyone who participated in proposal
development
 Promote project internally/externally
 Keep funder updated on project developments
Afterwards: If it’s a “no”
 Notify everyone who participated in proposal
development - thank them again for their assistance
 Request readers’ comments or verbal feedback from
funding agency personnel
 Don’t give up! Re-work proposal and submit again
What to do when funded
 Spend money only after have received agency’s approval in
writing
 Know when program and financial reports are due
 Clarify procedures for making programmatic and budget
changes with funding agency personnel
Ten most common reasons
grants are declined
(per Ohio Grants Guide)
 “The organization does not meet our priorities”
(research before applying)
 “The organization is not located in our geographic area
of funding.” (get guidelines before applying)
 “The proposal does not follow our prescribed format.”
(follow the guide-lines exactly)
More common reasons
 “The proposal is poorly written and difficult to
understand.” (have friends and experienced people critique
the grant)
 “The proposed budget and grant request is not within our
funding range.” (research the average size of grants of the
funder.)
More reasons
 “We don’t know these people – are they credible? (set up
an interview before submitting the proposal to let them get
to know you)
 “The proposal doesn’t seem urgent – and I’m not sure it will
have an impact.” (study their priorities; have a skilled writer
do this section to make it “grab” the funder)
More common reasons
 “The objectives and plan of action greatly exceed the
budget and timelines.” (only promise what you can
realistically deliver for the amount requested)
 “We’ve allocated all the money for this grant cycle.” (don’t
take personally; this is a fact of life…try again)
And last but not least…
 “There is insufficient evidence that the program will
become self-sufficient and sustain itself after the grant
is completed.” (make sure you address this issue
whether the guidelines request it or not)