PROJECT PROPOSAL

MAKING
Tips and Funding
Options
Empowered communities taking responsibility to improve their quality of life and managing their resources and capacities
 The Project Proposal
Is a professional document directed towards a
potential sponsor that outlines the following:
 Specific objective of project;
 Technical approach to be used in solving the
problem or developing the product; and
 Anticipated results

Empowered communities taking responsibility to improve their quality of life and managing their resources and capacities
 The Project Proposal
Should answer the following questions:
 Is the problem sufficiently important to
justify money, company time and effort

 Is the project well defined and realistic

 Have outlined a sound approach, including

the proponent’s ability to perform the tasks
Empowered communities taking responsibility to improve their quality of life and managing their resources and capacities
 The Project Proposal
 Estimated length of a proposal is 10
pages
- Body should contain the main
message

- Appendices should contain supporting

information
Empowered communities taking responsibility to improve their quality of life and managing their resources and capacities
 The Project Proposal

Written to make an offer or convince

someone to accept it (in exchange of
something)

Empowered communities taking responsibility to improve their quality of life and managing their resources and capacities
 Rememb
er!

 80% of the proposal

process is planning

 only 20% is writing

Empowered communities taking responsibility to improve their quality of life and managing their resources and capacities
 Basic Principles
1. Your proposal should be:
 neat
 clean
 easy to read
 in a regular format
 free of typographical errors
 free of extravagant packaging

Empowered communities taking responsibility to improve their quality of life and managing their resources and capacities
 2. Write in plain English
 do not use jargon
 do not use bureaucratize
 define your terms
 have family and friends read the
proposal
3. Make it brief
 follow all guidelines
 make it long enough, but not too
long
Empowered communities taking responsibility to improve their quality of life and managing their resources and capacities
 4. Be positive
 Don’t beg, you are offering the funder an
opportunity to be part of an important, useful
activity
5.Avoid
don’t unsupported
call attention to your mistakessuch as:
assumptions
 funding source knowing about applicant
 scope of problem described, without proper
docu- mentation of its existence in your
community
 causal relationships between events without
evidence presented
Empowered communities taking responsibility to improve their quality of life and managing their resources and capacities
 6. Include a cover letter, if appropriate
signed by the chairperson of the board of
directors or individual in high authority
briefly describe the content of the proposal
(do not use in place of a summary)
may be used to suggest follow up on the
proposal

Empowered communities taking responsibility to improve their quality of life and managing their resources and capacities
 Parts of a Proposal
 No two proposals are going to be the
same

 Generally, a difference between

proposals for private funders and
proposals for Government agencies

 A proposal outline is dependent on the

Empowered communities taking responsibility to improve their quality of life and managing their resources and capacities
 Sample Outline
 Executive Summary
 Context (Introduction)
 Problem Statement
 Project Justification/Situational Analysis
(Cost – Benefit/Technical – Economic
Justification)
 Risks
Empowered communities taking responsibility to improve their quality of life and managing their resources and capacities
  Project Description
- Objectives: 1 or 2 sentences, no more
- Methods (Proposed Implementation Plan)
- Management (Staffing and Budget)
- Project Scope, Components, Activities and
Outputs
 Monitoring and Evaluation Plan or Project
Reviews and Reporting
 Annexes
Empowered communities taking responsibility to improve their quality of life and managing their resources and capacities
 Title Page
 Should appear not longer than 4 pages

 Should have project title, name of lead

organization and potential partners, if any;
place and date of project preparation and
name of donor agency

 Title should be short and concise

Empowered communities taking responsibility to improve their quality of life and managing their resources and capacities
 Effective/Ineffective Title
EFECTIVE PROJECT TITLE INEFFECTIVE PROJECT TITLES

Raising Environmental Environmental Education

Awareness in the Newly
Independent States
Citizens Protect Lake Protection of the Watershed
Debar of Lake Dojran from the
Wastewater Flowing
Through the River Dragomir
Originating from the Local
Households

Empowered communities taking responsibility to improve their quality of life and managing their resources and capacities
 Summary
may be all that is read
 be at the beginning (but written last)
 be brief, clear, concise, and interesting
 identify the applicant and the applicant’s
credibility
 outline the reason for the grant request
 state the objectives
 describe activities to accomplish objectives
Empowered communities taking responsibility to improve their quality of life and managing their resources and capacities
Introduction or Organizational Information
when, how, and why organization was
started (state purpose, goals,
philosophy)
significant events in your history
prior and current activities,
accomplishments and impacts
size and characteristics of your clientele
assistance asked of you by other
organizations
Empowered communities taking responsibility to improve their quality of life and managing their resources and capacities
 Rationale (Problem)
 The most critical part of your plan
 The reason behind the proposal
 Generally, should focus on the conditions
you wish to change
 Should contain the Problem Statement
(Existing Situation – WaSH
Situationer)
 Priority Needs (What will be
Empowered communities taking responsibility to improve their quality of life and managing their resources and capacities
 Rationale (Problem)
Intervention (How will this improve
the situation)

Implementing Organization
(Beneficiaries and management
organization for sustainability)

Empowered communities taking responsibility to improve their quality of life and managing their resources and capacities
 Project Design
(Solution)
 Scope of Work
 Engineering
 Capacity Developed
 Governance/Organizational/Sustainability
Mechanisms
 Accountability Mechanisms for
Implementation and Sustainability
Empowered communities taking responsibility to improve their quality of life and managing their resources and capacities
 Target Group
 Beneficiaries/ROI (refers to measurable
KRAs)

 Describe the direct and indirect target

beneficiary and how it will benefit from
the project
 Who, How many, Specific Group (IPs, IDPs,
women…)
Empowered communities taking responsibility to improve their quality of life and managing their resources and capacities
 Target Group
 What will be the improvement in quality
of life, change in behavior or
governance (Direct or indirect)

 Government involvement and its level

 Advocacy messages and audiences

Empowered communities taking responsibility to improve their quality of life and managing their resources and capacities
 SCHEDULE
 Or Activity Plan (based on Scope of Work)

 Considering the
 Construction
 Capacity Development Needed

 Maybe in table or Gantt Chart or PERT CPM

Empowered communities taking responsibility to improve their quality of life and managing their resources and capacities
  Identify Project Activities
 Clarify sequence and
dependence
 Draw up timeline
 Summarize schedule
 Use milestones
 Define expertise
 Tasking
Empowered communities taking responsibility to improve their quality of life and managing their resources and capacities
 Budget: explains the amount
requested
 Or Resources Needed/Required

 Material Cost including Freight Cost

 Training Cost

 Indirect Cost (operation & supervision)

Empowered communities taking responsibility to improve their quality of life and managing their resources and capacities
  Counterpart and other Local
Resources

 Contingencies

 Best if based on timelines

Empowered communities taking responsibility to improve their quality of life and managing their resources and capacities
 RISK FACTORS
 Identify Risks (natural or man made: e.g.
elections, conflict, weather)
 Highlight implementation
strategy/strategies to deal with identified
controllable risks
 Contingency planning for non
controllable risks
Empowered communities taking responsibility to improve their quality of life and managing their resources and capacities
 Project Management: Who & Expertise
Project Management
Structure
Management and Personnel
Accountability
Responsibility
Transparency
Sustainability
Empowered communities taking responsibility to improve their quality of life and managing their resources and capacities
 Sustainability
 Future or Other Necessary Funding
 Few granting sources want to adopt you for all time
 Where will you find funding to continue the program?

 Ways to fund your program after the grant

 organization assumes responsibility
 fee-for-service
 third-party subsidization
 non-grant fund-raising (endowment)
 new or expanded fund-raising efforts
 Another organization assumes part of financial obligation
Empowered communities taking responsibility to improve their quality of life and managing their resources and capacities
 Monitoring &
Evaluation
KEY to Project Management:

 Identify measurable KRAs or Indicators

 Scope of work marks progress of
implementation
 Budget: monitor based on expected and
actual spending
 Schedule is used to manage resources, etc.
Empowered communities taking responsibility to improve their quality of life and managing their resources and capacities
 Monitoring &
Evaluation
 Reporting Methodology

 Monitoring vs day to day (duration of

project)

 Evaluation based on Objectives/goals

(after project: usually depends on
when the impact should be visible)
Empowered communities taking responsibility to improve their quality of life and managing their resources and capacities
 Appendices
 Letters of support and commitment
 Assurances of cooperation and partnerships or
inter agency support
 Resumes of key project personnel
 Related Project Report

Empowered communities taking responsibility to improve their quality of life and managing their resources and capacities
 Another Sample
 Title Page
 Table of Contents
 Executive Summary
 Introduction
 Project Goals and Objectives
 Team Organizational Structure
 Solution Procedure
 Expected Deliverables
 Summary and Closing
Empowered communities taking responsibility to improve their quality of life and managing their resources and capacities
 Another Sample
 Project Title
 Goals and Objectives of the Project
 Description of Project Activities
 Description of Expected Project Results
 Project Implementation Plan
 Beginning of Operations
 Resource Allocation
 Project Personnel
 Detailed Project Budget (Fixed Cost, equipments)
 Other Technical Means (vehicles)
 Division of Financial Sources (request, counterpart)
Empowered communities taking responsibility to improve their quality of life and managing their resources and capacities
 Packaging
 Technical Presentation
 Visual Presentation
 Font: easy to read, avoid less than
12pt
 Use BOLD to emphasize points
 Avoid too many type faces and font
style
Empowered communities taking responsibility to improve their quality of life and managing their resources and capacities
 Packaging
 Paging
 Use number list for items in sequence
 Use bullet list for items of equal
importance
 Use neutral tone of paper
 Use low bond weight (20lbs)
 Place proposal and other docs in a folder
or binder
Empowered communities taking responsibility to improve their quality of life and managing their resources and capacities
 No, no’s in Proposal
Making
 Not following instructions/directions
 Unfocused or Untargeted Proposal
 Recycled, “Generic”, Proposal
 Poor Planning and Lack of Detail
 Unclear or Overly Complex Proposal
 Unsupported Claims
 Poor Writing and Organization
Empowered communities taking responsibility to improve their quality of life and managing their resources and capacities
 Thank
Thankyou!
you!
Empowered communities taking responsibility to improve their quality of life and managing their resources and capacities