Organizational History & Capacity

Share a brief summary of your organization. Include when it was founded, what it does, who it serves, and how your team is prepared to run the proposed program. What's your strength? Why should the funder choose this organization as opposed to someone else? What's "stand out" about you?

Community Engagement

How have you engaged your community in the past, and how will you engage them in this project? Who will be involved and what roles will they play? Who is your target audience, and why are they important?

Mapping a Particular Program for Grant Funding

You can read more about this in The Queen of Grants: From Teacher to Grant Writer to CEO

Need → Goal → Objective → Activities → Evaluation → Budget

When seeking funding, every element included should directly relate to one specific program. This ensures clarity, cohesion, and alignment throughout the proposal.

Needs Statement

Start by explaining the problem this program addresses. Use data, research, or experience to show why it’s real and why it matters.

Project Goal

Each need must be connected to a goal. Goals are broad, overarching statements that define what the program aims to achieve in response to the need.

Objectives

Every goal must be broken down into one or more objectives. Objectives should be SMART:

• Specific
• Measurable
• Achievable
• Relevant
• Time-bound

These describe the expected, measurable results of the program.

Activities

Each objective requires a set of activities — specific actions that will be implemented to achieve the objective. These should be detailed, realistic, and logically sequenced.

Evaluation Plan

Every objective must be paired with an evaluation method. This outlines how success will be measured, including data sources, tools, and processes used to assess progress and outcomes.

Budget Planning

Finally, all personnel, equipment, materials, and other costs necessary to carry out the activities must be included in the budget. This ensures that all components of the program are funded and that the budget aligns with the program’s structure.

Let's lock in your budget narrative so it's ready to sit alongside your Excel budget. For each suggested item, mark it as:

• N/A if it doesn't apply
• In-kind and tell us where it's coming from (donated space, volunteer hours, borrowed equipment, etc.)
• To be purchased if you'll need to buy it

Then, pack in the details — how many units, cost per unit, how long you'll need it, and anything else that paints the full picture. The richer your details, the stronger your proposal looks to funders. If you’re stuck, the AI can throw out ideas to get you rolling.

In-Kind Contributions

List non-cash support you will contribute or receive.

Sustainability Plan

Explain how your program will continue after funding ends. Include plans for diversified funding, partnerships, professional development, cost-saving measures, and sustainability practices.

Dissemination Plan

Describe how you will publicize your program and share your findings. Include social media, newsletters, press releases, partnerships, and methods to attract donors and volunteers.

Program Replicability

Explain if and how your program can be replicated. Include key components, scaling strategies, feedback loops, partnerships, and replication toolkits.