Grant Proposal
FOUNDATION GRANT PROPOSAL – BASIC
OUTLINE
HMSV B402 – Nonprofit Management and Fundraising
Najmah Thomas, Ph.D.
Proposal narrative
(continued)
Target population:
Faces, facts, & figures
Project timeline
Date, activity, output
Staff qualifications
Bio-sketch, expertise,
attach resumes
Foundation Grant Writing – Basic
Proposal Outline
Use funder’s outline
or this template for
proposal narrative:
Introduction
Background
Needs assessment
Program description
Goals & Objectives
Budget narrative should:
Link numbers to the
project design
Provide detailed
justification for each line
item
Offer clear description
of the numbers
Foundation Grant Writing – Basic
Proposal Outline
Proposal narrative
(continued)
Project outcomes
Project budget &
narrative
Sustainability plan
Organization budgets should:
Be board-approved
Present historical data
Be appropriate and realistic
Offer budget-vs-actuals for current period
Red flags:
Lack of information
Lack of board approval
Large unknowns
“plugging”
Foundation Grant Writing - Budgets
Project budgets should:
Be aligned with proposal narrative
Adequately cover costs
Include evaluation if appropriate
Show portion requested from all funding sources
Red flags:
Inconsistent with narrative
Large unknown / uncommitted
Lack of funding diversity
“padding”