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| This may not be as simple as it sounds. At first, you may think that your need is to provide technology to students and teachers for a mathematics course and professional development for teachers about integrating that technology. That need is too small to win funding from a major foundation or government agency. Most granting organizations look for a comprehensive program that has strategic impact and sustainability beyond the granting period.
If you have a small need, you should look to frame it as part of a larger need with a vision and outcomes beyond technology purchase and integration. An example of such a project would be to revamp 7th and 8th grade mathematics curriculum to increase the percentage of students who successfully pass algebra 1. As part of that project, you will integrate graphing technology into the instruction, provide extensive professional development to the mathematics teachers, develop an after-school tutoring program in conjunction with the Boys & Girls Club, and evaluate the program at various points during the year.
The first step in creating a comprehensive project plan and proposal is defining your need, or what you want to accomplish. This is the most important step in developing a proposal, and it will take the most time and effort. As you define your need, you should start by asking some key questions:
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| • | Why are you requesting funds? (This will become your need statement.) |
| • | How will this funding improve the school and community? (This will become your mission/goal.) |
| • | What will it take to reach this goal? (This will drive the budget and the partners you look to bring on board.) |
| • | What will your community look like when this need is addressed? (This will become your vision.) |
| • | Who else in the community supports addressing this need? (These people and organizations will become your partners.) |
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| You will quickly realize that you need a variety of community stakeholders to answer these questions and gather information to communicate your need. Stakeholders may include representatives from some of the following groups:
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| • | School and district administration |
| • | Teachers |
| • | Students |
| • | Parents |
| • | School board |
| • | After-school programs |
| • | Local education groups |
| • | Local business groups (e.g. chamber of commerce, Rotary Club, business roundtable) |
| • | Museums and other cultural organizations |
| • | City and county agencies |
| • | Mayors or county executives |
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| Once you have these stakeholders around the table helping to define the need, garner their support for the project and proposal. Granting organizations will want to see your stakeholders support your proposal in these ways:
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| • | Donating matching funds |
| • | Supplying volunteers & expertise |
| • | Supplying materials or space for project activities |
| • | Incorporating portions of your project into theirs |
| • | Writing letters of support for the project |
| • | Promising support beyond the grant period |
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Granting organizations want to see collaboration among groups and pooling of resources to support program goals. They want to see their grant being used as part of a larger effort for school and community improvement.
Proposals from stand-alone agencies with no partners, and proposals without a viable plan for sustainability beyond the grant period are rarely funded.
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