Learnovation®, LLC is focused on projects that make a difference. In order to make a difference, you need to be able to measure and give evidence of the impact of the program. We concentrate on measuring these critical components of any project, program or grant idea:
- Human Behavior- skills, abilities, knowledge, use of technology and tools
- Program Outcomes- completion,and impact to standards of performance, such as those of an accrediting or research body of knowledge
- Policy- how do your demographics change or measure up against policy requirements, based on the program in place
Creating Successful Grants
Successful grants require:
- Clear programming that meets the objective(s) of the grant
- Clear research and grant data within your organization to support the worth of your grant award
- Well designed outcomes assessment measurements that are integrated into the programming from the beginning of deployment
- Measures by demographics
- Measures by quarter and annual report
- Measures by policy and grouping of objectives
- Budgets designed with sound architecture and ratios by project budget categories
Clean writing and organized strategies are appreciated the most by those awarding grants.
Good Grants Require Planning
Planning for how you will collect and track project data is essential. Planning for the use of technology and data demographic collection is very important.
Successful grant-writing involves solid advance planning and preparation. It takes time to:
- coordinate your planning and research
- organize, write and package your proposal
- submit your proposal to the funder
- follow-up.
Organize your proposal, pay attention to detail and specifications, use concise, persuasive writing, and request reasonable funding. Clearly understand the grantmaker's guidelines before you write your proposal. Make sure the grantmaker's goals and objectives match your grantseeking purposes.
Basic Grant Writing Steps
Preparation is vital to the grant-writing process. Solid planning and research will simplify the writing stage. A well-written proposal follows the basic steps outlined below:
- Prove that you have a significant need or problem in your proposal.
- Deliver an answer to the need, or solution to the problem, based on experience, ability, logic, and imagination throughout your proposal. Make sure your proposal describes a program/project for change.
- Reflect planning, research and vision throughout your proposal.
- Research and target grantmakers, including funding purposes and priorities, and applicant eligibility.
- Target your proposal to grantmakers appropriate to your field and project, but do not limit your funding request to one source.
- Contact the grantmaker, before you write your proposal, to be sure you clearly understand the grantmaker's guidelines.
- Present your proposal in the appropriate and complete format, and include all required attachments.
- State your organization's needs and objectives clearly and concisely. Write well. Do not waste words. Use active rather than passive verbs. Use proper grammar and correct spelling. Be clear, factual, supportable, and professional. A well-written proposal is a key factor in the grantmaker's decision-making process.
- Be clear about why you are seeking a grant, what you plan to do with the money, and why you are a good fit with the grantmaker's priorities. Prepare an interesting, persuasive and unique proposal.
- Always cover the following important criteria: project purpose, feasibility, community need, funds needed, applicant accountability and competence. (outcomes assessment measures)
- Answer these questions: Who are you? How do you qualify? What do you want? What problem will you address and how? Who will benefit and how? What specific objectives will you accomplish and how? How will you measure your results? How does your funding request comply with the grantmaker's purpose, goals and objectives?
- Demonstrate project logic and outcome, impact of funds, and community support.(support at large). Be specific about broad goals, measurable objectives, and quantified outcomes.
- Always follow the exact specifications of the grantmakers in their applications, Requests for Proposals (RFPs) and guidelines.
- Follow-up with the grantmaker about the status, evaluation, and outcome of your proposal, after it is submitted. Request feedback about your proposal's strengths and weaknesses.
Preparing for a Grant Interview
Some granters require an interview to award the funds. Sample questions:
- How much of your operation will this grant take up?
- What are the skill sets of your current staff for delivering this grant?
- How will you track unplanned accomplishments and measure them?
- What is your fall back plan if your outcomes are not on track by your quarterly reports?
- How will you do PR on your project and at what points?
Grant Writing Services
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Consulting/ grant writing
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Grant research
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Outcome/program measures
