Hsm 270 - Steps to Writing a Grant Proposal

HSM/270

Steps to writing a grant proposal

Grants are monies / financial assistance which are not loans, and do not need to be paid back. Grant proposals typically have a deadline for applying. A Grant Proposal is a document written to apply for any grant program. Many federal and state grant programs as well as foundations have specific guidelines that must be followed in order to receive the grant. Grant request are sometimes denied the first time they are submitted. Fortunately, there are certain steps that can be followed to make the process a little bit smoother. In order to start writing a grant proposal, it is essential for an agency or organization to have all its information and research organized. After that an agency or organization has to be located that has funding available and that is searching to support a program such as the one the grant proposal is written for. I will be using the scenario three which is The PEACE Domestic Violence Agency (PEACE) to summarize a grant proposal’s writing steps, outline the process, and create a needs and problem statement.

The first part of the grant proposal That PEACE Domestic Violence Agency needs to develop is the table of contents, which will also be the last. The table of contents is basically a guide to what is in the proposal and where to find it so that the information can be easily located. It is one of the main things to be developed because it serves as a checklist during the actual writing process. Therefore it is also the last to be finished due to the fact that the pages where each section can be found will not be known until the grant proposal is finished.

The next part in writing a grant proposal is specific aims which is a section that can be referred to as or includes as subsections the needs and problem statement, the background and significance, or the literature review. Specific aims outline development of the key steps to fulfill the objective and address the critical need; it includes the background and significance. In this particular section it is essential for PEACE Agency to express that they recognize what they are doing and the reason why they are doing it. The agency would need to state the “who” which is their target population or group first. Then the “how” the city of Portland is experiencing increasing reports of domestic and youth violence as well as spousal and child abuse, assault, and incidents of road rage and the effects it is having on those individuals and others around them. Then they would have to summarize how the direct services and education will help the targeted area, population or group. A needs/problem statement should briefly state the present need, “why” it is occurring, and “what” is presently being done to address it. A literature review is data filled and rational; it tells the history and the current views of the problem or