The Cover Page contains information typically used by funders for data-entry and grant tracking purposes. The cover page often includes the following information:

• • Name or number of the funding announcement to which you are responding.

• • Applicant organization name and address.

• • Name of the Principal Investigator or primary contact.

• • Funding amount.

• • The signature of the applicant organization’s executive director or other authorizing official, such as the chair of your board of directors or highest ranking staff person.

The Cover Letter captures critical information about the applicant institution, the reason for the funding request and contains the signatures required to make the proposal a formal, certified document. Typically, a cover letter is no more than one or two pages and includes the following information:

• • A brief overview of your organization and its purpose.
• • The reason for the funding request and a very brief summary of your proposed project or program.
• • The amount requested (if required by funder).
• • The name and phone number and email address of your primary organizational contact.
• • The signature of the person who can speak with authority on behalf of the organization.

The Project Abstract, sometimes referred to as the Executive Summary, is generally a one-page description of the major objectives and purpose of the proposed project. It is used for a variety of purposes. Funders often use the abstract to assign the proposal to the appropriate review panel. Reviewers use it to gain an initial perspective of the key concepts of the proposal. The abstract should succinctly answer the following questions:

• • What are you going to do?

• • Who are you seeking to serve?

• • Where are they?

• • Why is it important?

• • How much will it cost?

Even within review panels, most reviewers see only the summary, not the entire proposal. This is a crucial section of our proposals.

Example: Applicant Organization is requesting $100,000 in project support to provide and evaluate asthma education and prevention activities in six Denver elementary schools. Respiratory diseases and illnesses such as asthma can greatly impair a child’s ability to function and are an important cause of missed school days and limitations of activities, as well as a large cost burden to families and society. Children in Denver County visit emergency rooms for asthma- related treatment more often than their counterparts in the metro-area as a whole. This proposal will reach approximately 1500 students in Denver County. Funding will support the cost of training school nurses, staff time, outreach activities to reach parents, and take-home asthma tool kits.

The Narrative is the core of the application. The Proposal Narrative contains a detailed program description, including an explanation of the objectives, a description of the target population (if any) and the activities or services that will be performed by the applicant. The Proposal Narrative can be divided into specific sections which may include some or all of the following:

• • Needs Statement

• • Goals and Objectives (or Specific Aims for federal applications

• • Significance

• • Project Plan / Statement of Work

• • Applicant and Community Support

• • Personnel

• • Evaluation Plan

• • Sustainability Plan

The Proposal Narrative is the section of the application which the review panel will read and consider in deciding the proposals merit and whether or not to fund the project. Proposals are generally ranked on a point system which will vary from funder to funder. Some programs assign specific point values to specific sections of the Proposal Narrative, i.e. Statement of Need (25 points), Objective (10 points), etc. It is generally good practice to place more weight (i.e. more text and content) on those sections of the Proposal Narrative which have a higher point value.

The Needs Statement identifies the problem to be addressed by the grant if funded. The needs statement should include data and scientific evidence to support the need for your proposed project.

Objectives are measurable outcomes anticipated as a result of the project’s activities. Objectives may be linked to over-arching project goals.

For example, the projects goal may be to increase the number of asthmatic students who have asthma action plans in the schools served by the project. Therefore, a measurable objective might read: 

“80% of students with asthma in the target schools will have an asthma action plan by the end of the first year of the project.”

The Significance of the project describes the intended impact the project will have. It is directly related to the problems identified and described in the Needs Statement.

The Project Plan, also called a Statement of Work, describes the specific activities which will take place to address the needs identified. This section provides details of the specific services and activities which will take place. Sponsors may require applicants to provide a timeline or work plan outlining when each activity will occur and who will be responsible for carrying out those activities.

The Personnel section identifies key faculty, staff, and administrators who will engage in the project. Personnel may include existing employees who will contribute time and effort to the project or describe new positions which will be added as a result of the award. In either case, this section should provide details about the qualifications and experience of key personnel.

The Evaluation Plan describes the processes and methods the applicant will employ to measure the effectiveness of the project in achieving the objectives identified in the proposal. Results from the Evaluation Plan are often submitted to the sponsoring agency as part of the annual reporting requirements.

Each proposal must include a detailed Budget which identifies all proposed costs required to carry out the activities and services described in the Proposal Narrative. Budgets must comply with the funder’s guidelines and your organization’s business and accounting policies. Budget line items must be detailed and explicit.

The Budget Justification is a narrative description of the need for each specific cost and how those costs were estimated. For example, the need for a specific activity, like employee travel, may be implied in the Proposal Narrative, but the implications may not be apparent to the review panelists. The need must be made explicit and fully justified in the Budget Justification.

This information is covered in depth in the Grant Budgeting module.

Some funders will require applicants to provide detailed information about the key personnel, including the Project Director, along with the proposal. Federal agencies like the National Science Foundation and National Institutes of Health require detailed information in a specific format for the Biographical Sketches. Other sponsors may require a shorter resume-style versus longer, more detailed curriculum vitae.

The Appendices are used to include additional documents which support the objectives of the project. For example, they may include letters of commitment from the institution or partners, brochures, examples of exhibits, performances, etc. Some sponsors and programs disallow appendices and will disqualify proposals which include them, so read the application guidelines very carefully if you intend to include additional documentation.