Full project proposal
Now that you have written a concept note and a
funder has signified interest in providing support,
the next you will hear is “send us a full proposal for
further consideration”. This is potentially a good
news but the start of another process. At this stage
the concept note now needs to be developed into a
full proposal.
Most funding organisations have a template or guideline for writing and submitting proposals. It is important that you follow their guide or template if one is
provided. Note also activities that the funder can and
cannot fund.
A full proposal or grant proposal follows a fairly standard format that includes a cover letter, a summary of
your project, and the amount of money you’ll need
from the funder. Proposals can range in length from
5-25 pages. While there a no single model or structure for a funding proposal there are components
that we think should not be ignored:
Background
- Introduction to the issue and situation of the
target community or group
- Cause of this situation and its effect on the
community or group
- A national analysis of the issue
- History and profile of the organisation
around that issue.
Outcomes of the needs assessment will be very helpful in developing a good background to the issue and
excerpts from your strategic plan.
Statement of the problem
- What is the condition of the community or
group of people affected by the issue?
- What facts and figures do you have to
buttress your point?
- Are there human angle stories limited to
the target group that can be used as realistic
examples of the problem?
Justification
- What is the need for the project?
- Why should the funder support this?
- Why should the problem be addressed?
- What results are expected at the end of the
project?
- What evidence do you have for local
participation and support?
Goals and objectives
The goals of the project are the results you hope see
at the end of the project. The goals tell the funding
agency the improvements you are hoping to achieve
among the community or target group. Goals show
what the impact will be over a long term period.
Objectives are much narrower than goals and are
smart, measurable, attainable, realistic and time
bound. Objectives should be framed along the following lines:
- What changes the programme will bring
about
- Target audience
- The direction of change (increase/improve,
decrease/reduce, enhance)
- Degree of change to be achieved
- Time frame for reaching the desired degree
of change
For example:
- 15% increase in the number of women
accessing family planning services in xyz state
by the end of 2023.
- There will be 30% reduction in the incidence
of unwanted pregnancies in the xyz
community by the end of the project.
Activities
Activities that will achieve the goals and objectives
need to be identified and clearly articulated in the
proposal. At this stage of the proposal, the activities must be related to the problem and objectives.
Explanation should be given for each activity with
timeframe for each activity. Each activity must lead to
the other.
Roles and responsibilities
If partners or multiple organisations are involved in
the delivery of the activities, it is necessary to identify
the role of each partner or organisation to prevent
disputes.
Sustainability
Most funders are interested in knowing how you will
sustain the project when funding has ended. Your
proposal should include information on how this will
be achieved. List out the organisations/partners or
beneficiaries and the role they will play in taking over
the project and their responsibilities once the project
funding come to an end.
Implementation plan
This section of the proposal details how the activities
will be implemented, time frame, activity, who will be
responsible and expected outputs. Your work plan
should be included here in form of a table.
See sample of a project work plan here
https://bit.ly/37KFoUJ
Monitoring and Evaluation
A description of how the project will be monitored
and evaluated (M and E) should be included in the
proposal to identify gaps and implementation challenges for quick retooling, learning and impact measurement. How the results of the M&E will be shared
also needs to be included.
Budget
The best way to submit your budget is to put in a
spreadsheet and should include the description of
the items needed, unit cost, quantity and total cost.
The budget must not be inflated and must include all
costs you want the funder to cover. See
https://bit.ly/31ENRHh for a sample project budget.