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We receive numerous requests for information on how to obtain federal funds. The following information
should help you determine which type of assistance may be most applicable to your needs.
Formula Grants: Allocations of money to states or their subdivisions for activities of a continuing nature
not confined to a specific project.
Project Grants: Funding for fixed or known periods of specific projects, or the delivery of specific services or
products, including fellowships, scholarships, research grants, training grants, traineeships, experimental and
demonstration grants, evaluation grants, planning grants, technical assistance grants, survey grants, construction
grants, and unsolicited contractual agreements.
Direct Payment for Specified Use: Federal financial assistance provided directly to individuals, private firms, and
other private institutions to encourage or subsidize a particular activity.
Direct Payments with Unrestricted Use: Federal financial assistance provided directly to beneficiaries who
satisfy federal eligibility requirements with no restriction as to how the money is spent.
Before you determine whether the best funding source is a federal program, a small private fund concerned primarily with
local projects, organization providing grants in a particular subject area, or a national foundation, you should prepare an
analysis of the contemplated project. Any request for funding will require a clear, brief, and specific presentation to
the us in writing which describes:
existing problems to be addressed by the project
anticipate immediate and long-term results
a description of proposed implementation , organization, staffing, budget, and evaluation of the project
If you wish to research your own grant information, the best single resource for leads on federal funding programs is
published by the federal government and is called the Catalog of Federal Domestic Assistance. The Internet address is:
http://www.gsa.gov/fdac/default.htm
Counseling on Proposal Writing
the Foundation Center offers a mini "Proposal Writing Course"on its Web site http://www.fdncenter.org; and computer
software templates are commercially available and can be identified by searching the Internet under terms such as "grant
proposal" AND template. While we do not actually write proposals, we would like to offer these suggestions on what makes
a good proposal.
Allow sufficient time to prepare a thoroughly documented proposal, well before the application deadline. If possible,
have someone outside the organization critique the proposal prior to submission.
Follow the instructions given in the application form or in other material provided by the agency or foundation. Answer
questions as asked.
Be sure that the proposal is clear and brief. Avoid jargon. Take pains to make the proposal interesting. Reviewing
panels have limited time to devote to any single proposal. Whenever possible, fit the style of the proposal to the style of
the agency or foundation being approached.
When no form or instructions for submitting grant proposals are provided, the proposal should include:
A cover letter on the applicant's letterhead giving a brief description of the purpose and amount of the grant
proposal, conveying the applicant's willingness to discuss the proposal in further detail.
A half-page summary that includes identification of the applicant, the reasons for the request, proposed objectives
and means to accomplish them, along with the total cost of the project, an indication of funds already obtained, and the
amount being requested for this grant.
An introduction, in which the history, credentials, and accomplishments of the applicant are presented briefly (supporting
documents can be included in an appendix).
A description of current conditions demonstrating the need for the proposed project.
A statement of the project's objectives in specific, measurable terms.
A description of the methods to be used to accomplish these objectives.
A description of the means by which the project will be monitored and evaluated.
A discussion of plans for continuing the project beyond the period covered by the grant.
A detailed budget
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