You do not have to be an accountant to prepare a budget for your grant proposal. The budget is a simple estimated financial plan that may be presented as a table or text (or both). The budget should include both current and anticipated costs as well as all revenue sources. Clarity is essential – make sure your numbers match back to your proposal narrative and implementation methods.

Some grant makers refer to the budget first during their review of proposals. They consider it the best…

The Statement of Need (a.k.a. Needs Statement, Purpose Statement, Problem Statement, Case Statement, Case for Support, etc.) is a critical element of your grant proposal. Think of this section as a “teaching tool” for the grant reviewers:  you must provide sufficient evidence (i.e. statistics, demographics, community descriptions, anecdotes, etc.) to support your proposed solution (i.e. the program or project for which you request funding). For instance, if you are writing a proposal to…

The program plan and design account for one of the most highly scored sections of the proposal. Grant reviewers will read carefully to see if the program plan and design are:

1. Feasible
2. Logical
3. Cost effective

They will also need to be assured the applicant has the capacity to implement the program successfully and that the program has the potential to make a significant impact toward addressing societal…