Grant

Writing a grant proposal (for cash) for Corporate Sector

Vikas Goswami, VP-CSR,

Indus Towers Limited

WHAT CORPORATE FUNDERS LOOK FOR……..

A good fit with their funding priorities

A clear sense of the applicant’s mission and role

Reasonable institutional capacity

Strategic programs/interventions

Sound project management strategies

Value for money

Flexibility

Innovation

Presentation by Vikas Goswami, VP-CSR, Indus

Towers Limited

WHAT FUNDING INSTITUTIONS LOOK FOR….

Good track record/reputation

Evidence of good financial management

Minimised risks

Investments in credible leadership

Reliable allies they can trust


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SIX STEPS TO SUCCESSFUL FUNDRAISING FROM INSTITUTIONS

Step 1: Putting your house in order:

Institutional Assessment

Step 2: Researching prospects

Step 3: Making the approach

Step 4: Developing a proposal

Step 5: Managing the assessment

process

Step 6: Managing the funding

relationship


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PREPARING FOR FUNDRAISING:INSTITUTIONAL ASSESSMENT

Vision, Mission, Values

Strategic thinking and planning

Strategic positioning

Governance and management

Skilled and committed staff

Operational systems and structures

Financial management

Commendable track record

Investments in marketing and public relations

Friend-raising and nurturing contacts


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Most funding requests are rejected because

Strategic misalignment

they do not fall under a grant-making agency’s stated area of interest

they compete for a limited pool of resources, the rest already having

been allocated to long-term commitments

Poor Programmatic approach

they are inadequately prepared / MIS lacking

No clear outcomes or deliverables

No financial clarity or justification

No flexibility

Badly written / presented / articulated

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Researching Prospects


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Area of interest – Eg. the environment

Geographical area of interest – Eg. North India

Type of funding provided – Eg. Some will not fund capital items; others will not fund core costs.

Types of programmes supported in the past

Average grant size and maximum and minimum funding

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Find out…


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Find out….. Duration of average grant

Deadline for applications

Procedure – Eg. A letter of enquiry, a concept note or a full proposal? Look out for specific forms you may have to complete.

The right contact person?


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Annual reports of other organisations similar to yours

Network

The Internet

RESEARCH BEFORE APPROACH

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Where can you find this information?


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MAKING AN APPROACH

Board contacts

Broad contacts

Letter of Inquiry

Arranging a meeting

Seeking an introduction

Inviting program staff to events

Nurturing contacts


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Information for proposal STEP 1 : Problem Analysis

Problem Statement

Proposed Intervention

Justification of Proposed intervention and how it helps address problem statement

Why you are the best organization to do this

STEP 2 : Program Implementation

Define

Program Area

Program structure

Program Management Structure


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STEP 3 : M&E

Base Line

Monitoring and Evaluation Indicators and process

How will you measure outcome and Justification

How will you collect data and report the same

STEP 4 : Budget

Your contribution

MS request

Budget Tables and

Budget Summary


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DEVELOPING THE PROPOSAL: SUGGESTED STEPS

Cover letter

Contents page

Executive summary

Brief context

Clear, concise description of your organisation’s objectives

Identification of problem

PAGE NUMBERS : A MUST

KISS : Keep it short and simple


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DEVELOPING THE PROPOSAL: APPENDICES

Appendices /annexe should be numbered and kept to a minimum, and can include the following:

Names of Board Members and qualifications

Names of key project staff and qualifications

Any relevant feasibility studies/reports

Literature on your organisation and signed financial

statements/audited accounts.


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MANAGING THE PROPOSAL ASSESSMENT PROCESS

You might get a Proposal Clarification Letter – respond as comprehensively as you can

Prepare for a site visit if it is part of the process – make a

good impression!

Respond to all enquiries yourself – even if you are working with a team

Send any relevant documents you didn’t send the first time if it will help your assessment. Check with the officer first before you do so.


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Managing the Relationship Make sure you know who your contact person will be, and

let them know who is responsible at your end Send your reports on time. If there will be a delay let them

know when to expect it. Take the time to write clear, credible reports Be prepared to host a site visit – involve your team. Send updates to the donor such as newsletters or annual

reports Leverage additional support from the donor such as

technical assistance, introductions to other funders, endorsement of campaigns, etc

Make sure that your relationships are institutionalized rather than personalized.


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Writing a proposal Come up with a grant-winning idea – scaling up is most

attractive for corporate

Donors like people who think creatively about how to address problems. Business match : But typically this will not be part of the proposal.

Give Flow Diagrams, organograms, Gantt charts, Return on Investment, sustainability plans.

Cost sharing with local government, other agencies


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Facts, facts and more facts

Don’t speak in generalities. Provide facts.

Don’t overload the donor with too much information. Provide a few key facts, rather than a mass of figures. Facts that support the case you are trying to make. Else annexurize it

Most fundraisers think about the WHAT rather than the WHY. They tell the donor what the problem is, what they want to do about it, what they need.

Also address what the problem is ? Impact direct and indirect

WHAT you want to do? WHY this is the best approach WHAT you need, but also WHY they should give it to you. What is your USP


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Tell stories It is the impact on lives which is important, and

which will bring your proposal to life. Stories can talk about: The problems The solutions The impact on the life of people / livelihoods etc What will happen if nothing is done Writing case studies Illustrating these with photographs Using videos Telling stories in your annual report and on your

website


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Input, output, outcome and impact

Maximum impact with minimum input. Efficiency and cost-effectiveness.

Quality versus quantity. Setting out the special issues and needs of your client group.

Log frames

Evaluation

Why you want to do you an evaluation

How extensive, and at what cost

Who will do it (you or an independent evaluator)


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Sustainability Sustainability of the solution; sustainability of your

intervention (the service you are providing or the project you are running).

Future maintenance and running costs, and how these will be provided for.

What will happen when your grant runs out?

Use of volunteers

Community resource mobilisation


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A suggested structure for your fundraising proposal

Project title. A catchy title helps.

Proposal summary. Underneath the title write a short explanation of the project in no more than two sentences.

Introduction. Say who you are, what you do, and why you are really a great organisation.

State the problem. Give the facts. You can put more detailed information or a case study in an attachment.

Say what you will do about the problem. Describe your project and its main objectives.

Say how you will do it. Set out your plans for how you will set about implementing your project.

Describe how you will know if you are successful.


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Set out the actual expenditure

Plan a reserve for hidden expenditure

Include cost of staff time needed to implement programme or

activity

Include allowance for cost of running your organisation

Allow for inflation

Give % age of total as well

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Budgeting


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Funds requested

S. No

Description Unit Per Unit cost

Duration No, of units

Total IN $ % age of Tol

1 Tables Tables 100 One time

500 (500*100) =500000

49

2 Teachers Teachers

1200/mth

36 mths 20 (1200*20*36)=86400

23

3 Picnic Child 1000

200/chd

2/yr 1000 1000*200*2 =400000

28

Total 1764000

Identify problem in the table


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A compelling cover page Highlight anything that’s innovative about your

proposal

Blurbs/ pull-outs

Human interest stories

Slogans

Interesting headlines and sub-headings

One or two photographs, with captions

News / media coverage if any

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Make it interesting


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Lets play a game Divide into two groups

Quacks and Moos

Presentation

From Quacks

From Moos


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Exercise

Suggest a program intervention for Indus Towers : Environment and Energy focus.

Suggest a Catchy Title

Suggest a program intervention

Who can be funders

Who can be co-funders

What is the USP


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Thank You and Questions

Vikas Goswami, VP-CSR,

Indus Towers Limited

Grant

Documents

Transcript of Grant