Mock Grant Writing

1. Describe more fully the project for which you are applying. Describe the issue(s) your organization addresses through this project, and what specific actions you are taking to address the issues. Outline the project’s goals, activities and timelines.

Aging Latinos in Action - ALA

CCCIL is committed to developing the staff and community leadership necessary to ensure that our local aging Latino population can lead the most independent and healthy lives possible. CCCIL’s ALA initiative rests on the premise that a community rooted in a culture of independent living and health requires outreach, education, engagement, action and reflection.

ALA directly addresses CCCIL’s priority areas including 1) Developing an engaged constituency of community leaders with disabilities to act on local issues that will build and maintain a healthy, vibrant and independent community; and 2) Addressing the needs of the rapidly increasing aging population as it naturally increases in needs for disability services These two priorities are intimately interwoven as the cultural needs of specific populations including Latinos and aging adults pose unique opportunities and challenges as our nation re-invents how we look at access to care and health. Further, as disabilities are a natural part of the aging process, CCCIL is uniquely qualified to develop leadership in this area.

With investment from the UU Fund for a Just Society, CCCIL will have the opportunity to focus on the outreach, education and action that will both serve and organize a larger constituency of Monterey County’s aging Latino adults.

With the UU investment, the ALA initiative will continue its 8 month pilot project into a second year and focus on:

Outreach July - December

Working with our community partners (including Area Agencies on Aging, service providers & churches) to invite aging Latinos to participate in ALA Health Academies

Education September - March

· How community members have made a difference in local health care policy decisions.

· On the core skills of community organizing including house meetings, power analysis, research actions, action and reflection with the support of our local IAF affiliate organization COPA – Communities Organized for Relational Public Action

· On the services provided by CCCIL – each participant will be given the information necessary to schedule an appointment with a CCCIL Advocate to develop an Independent Living plan to help them access benefits.

· In addition to the education pieces in the Health Care Academies, CCCIL may organize 1-2 workshops on specific topics identified as needs by the community that could include accessing home health care.

Engagement January - June

· Each Healthcare Academy will have an opportunity for small group meetings where participants will be asked a question such as What has been your experience accessing health care? Each group will report out to the larger group and potential areas for action will be identified. Participants will then be asked who might be interested in a follow up meeting to have more conversation and education on this issue.

· Participants who have expressed interest during the Health Care Academy will be invited to join the ALA Leadership Team. The ALA Leadership Team will receive additional training with staff and CCCIL partners including COPA, Communities Organized for Relational Power in Action.

Opportunities for Action January - June

While the Health Care Academies will continue during year 2 of ALA, the second year of the initiative will focus on the development of the ALA Leadership Team to develop the leadership skills through researching local issues and taking on local action to ensure that a culture of independent living and health is a vibrant part of our community.

Detailed Program

Description & Proposed Activities

· Maximum 500 words

Explain the proposed program's activities, scope of work, schedule of programs and why you think the program will be effective.

· R

· Program Description = Scope of Work

· What is to be done?

· What are the deliverables?

· Who is going to do it?

· When is it going to be done?

· How will it be done?

· How will you know when project has been successful?

· How much will it cost?

· Taken from Rutgers University Office of Research and Sponsored

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· Activities/Methods (1)

· The Methods or Activities Section tells what you will do in order to achieve the objectives you have defined.

· These are the activities that will produce change in the population to be served.

· These are associated with costs that you are asking the funder to pay for (and which will be detailed in your budget).

Activities/Methods

· Describe activities that will occur within the grant period only: Jan. 1, 2017 – November 30, 2017 (whether one-year or multi-year).

· Describe in some detail how the project will unfold (Who?/What?/When?/Where?/Why?/How?)

· Direct your narrative to a reader who is intelligent, but not familiar with your program or issue. Avoid jargon, but don’t oversimplify.

· Make sure activities align with stated results.

· Anticipate & Answer Funders’ Questions, such as:

· How will participants be recruited? By whom? From where? What eligibility requirements apply?

· Who will teach workshops? How many are expected to attend? What will be covered?

· How often will support groups meet? Where? For how long? Will there be childcare on site?

· Is an ongoing commitment required, or is it a drop-in program? Can clients attend > once?

· Is there a cost to the client? How much?

· Timeline

· Make sure your timeline is clear, & corresponds both to your objectives & to your activities narrative.

· Some new activities require substantial start-up lead time. When this is the case, you can sometimes request a planning or start-up grant (i.e., activities funded are not just about implementing the project) so that expectations are realistic.

Sample Project Timeline Activity	Timeframe
Hire Staff	Month 1
Develop Curriculum	Months 1-2
Train Staff	Month 2
Recruit Students	Months 3 – 5
Implement Program	Months 6 – 12
Program Evaluation	Month 8 (benchmark) & Month 12 (final) Staffing Plan · Be sure to describe: · Level of effort required (# of FTEs, or # of paid & unpaid staff members) · Training and/or qualifications required to accomplish the project · Whether tasks will be filled by new or existing personnel · How volunteers will be recruited, trained and supervised Paper description

Explain the proposed program’s activities, scope of work, schedule of programs, and why you think the program will be effective. 500 word Maximum

For this assignment you are to write a narrative in which you state the intended results of the project for which you are requesting funds, describe the activities and methods you will use to achieve those results, show how and when they will be carried out.  There is also a mention how you will evaluate your project's success. (There will not be a full evaluation plan here, as the evaluation plan is provided in the Expected Program Outcomes, Expected Measurable Results and Data Collection Methodology).

This section of your grant proposal should lay the groundwork for your budget request, by providing information about the staffing, materials, equipment, facilities and contractual services (if any) that will be necessary to carry out the project.  Good Project Descriptions include between one and four broad goals, and between one and four measurable outcomes for each goal.  They are clear and thorough, but concise, and should leave the reader with few if any questions about how the project will be implemented, and by whom.  

Pay attention to the structure and organization of your narrative, and make sure to proofread to correct misspellings or grammatical errors. Generally speaking, short paragraphs that are focused around a strong topic sentence are most effective in proposal writing.

The following table outlines the areas in which your project description will be assessed, and the relative point values for each.

NARRATIVE ON INTENDED RESULTS, ACTIVITIES & METHODS: Depth & Clarity of Project Description Implementation activities, timeline, staffing plan and evaluation plan are described in sufficient detail to provide a clear picture of how the project will take place.  The reader is left with few questions about the project's methodology and timeline.	50
Quality of Writing Narrative is well organized, clear, free of grammatical/mechanical errors, and thorough but concise.	50