GRANT WRITING, FUNDRAISING ISSUES, MISC.
Grant Writing Checklist

At our January Putnam Breakfast Meeting, this handy checklist was distributed to attendees. We hope you find it useful, too. 

• Did you read the grant guidelines thoroughly and really understand what they are looking to fund?
• Does your proposal exactly follow the format, using the funder’s headings?
• Does the narrative “echo” the funder’s guidelines and match their goals?
• Is your narrative clear and concise?
• Is your proposal grammatically correct, free from typos, acronyms and slang?
• Is the proposal dynamic?  Does it have passion?
• Does your narrative stress  the “uniqueness” of the program?
• Are all your pages and materials labeled at the top?
• Have you enhanced the quality of your grant package through communications materials (e.g., photos,
• brochures, newsletter, annual report, letters of support, quotes)?
• Are you ahead of the deadline?
• Did someone else edit and proofread the proposal?
• Have you included all required  support materials (e.g., 501 C 3, 990, audit, board list)?

NEEDS STATEMENT

• Does your need statement concisely and clearly give the reader a good sense of the problem and why it needs to be addressed?
• Does it reflect your agency’s passion for wanting to address the problem (or accept the opportunity)?
• Did you include good, up-to-date statistics? Do the stats really relate to the problem/opportunity at hand ?
• Do you close with a statement on how YOUR program will meet the need?

ORGANIZATIONAL DESCRIPTION

• Does your description concisely and clearly give the reader a good sense of who your are?
• Does it mention your nonprofit status, year founded, mission, and include a summary of services you provide?
• Does it give the reader a good sense of your agency’s unique niche and qualifications to run the program?
• Does it mention past accomplishments (e.g., awards, recent large grant)?
• Does it mention your collaborators?

PROJECT OBJECTIVES

• Have you limited the number of objectives to five or less?
• Do they relate to the problem?
• Do they generally include numbers and a date to be achieved by?
• Are they real, tangible? Achieveable?
• Are they measurable?

PROJECT OUTCOMES

• Have you limited the number of outcomes to five or less?
• Does each outcome representative a serious change or real client benefit?
• Can the outcome really happen if you do the objectives?
• Are they real, tangible? Achieveable?
• Can the outcome be meaured via a standard evaluation tool (e.g., survey, observation, interview)?

PROJECT DESCRIPTION

• Does the description cleary and concisely describe the program?
• Does it mention your target population, what you will do, how many times, where it will take place, timeframe, staffing and partners? (who, what, when, where, how)
• Does the project sound “sexy”?
• Can the first paragraph stand alone and tell the pertinent info?
• Does it sound like it can be replicated by another agency?

EVALUATION

• Does the description include a description of standard data collection tools such as survey, questionaire, personal interview, quantitative tracking (counts), focus group, observation, secondary research (e.g. police or health stats)?
• Do you mention who will handle data collection, analysis and reporting?

BUDGET

• Is your budget based on fiscal reality?
• Does your budget appear reasonable in relation to your general operating budget?
• Have you asked the fiscal manager to review the numbers?

For a copy of sample objectives and sample outcomes that were also distributed, contact Lydia Howie at Howie@GrantMarketingSolutions.com.