Write a Proposal for Funding
Edited by Thor, Zack, Eng
Hello and welcome to VisiHow. In this video, I'm going to show you how to write a proposal to apply for funding. Writing a proposal to apply for funding is very different than writing a proposal for a dissertation or an essay. This, we have covered in another video which you can find in the section below if you'd like to have a look at that. Now, the reason writing a proposal for funding is different than an essay is that you are in many ways trying to smooth talk somebody. You're trying to impress them, asking them for help; whereas in an essay, you are defending or arguing for a position, so you can be a lot more aggressive, dominant, sure and individualistic in your approach to the concepts. When you're applying for funding, you understand that the organizations have something you want and you are trying to get something from them.
Steps
- 1Contents will help present your proposal in a professional way and will also make it easy for the reader to access information.So the first thing we're going to do, depending on the size of your proposal, is add the contents.
- 2The most important thing, or one of the most important things to consider, is who is going to read it and who it is aimed at. You need to research extensively the organizations that you're going to apply to or the individuals, in order to clearly understand who it is you're dealing with and also in order to tailor your proposal exactly to the needs and style that works best for this individual or organization. So, if the organization has a religious background, you might want to tailor your proposal in a certain way to appeal to them. Also, you need to find out exactly what the organizations are offering in terms of funding, so that you do not make a mistake and so that it appears that you have done your research. If there are errors, then it looks like you haven't fully understood what's happening or what's been offered. And if you cannot comprehend this, it does not bode well for the future. So we're going to move down from contents. This is the first thing you're going to think about. And after that, you're going to be talking about points to consider. So points to consider are, as we just talked about: who is your audience, who are you applying to. From there, research is key. Research and understand what is being offered.Next, we're going to think more about how you're going to write this proposal.
- 3If these organizations are receiving a lot of proposals, then their time is short and in high demand. We don't need to bore them or confuse them with too much rhetoric or waffle, or even vast information. You need to get your key points across effectively, and you need to know exactly what you want. Don't be vague, don't waffle. You need to be concise and informative throughout the entire proposal. You don't want to waste their time and to waste your opportunity.The next point to consider is be concise and informative.
- 4Presentation is a vital factor because it is the way you'll be perceived by the reader. A smart, formal presentation gives the impression that you are also smart and formal. If there are errors, lazy editing or poor research, you are immediately crippled by this. Any sloppiness or mistakes immediately gives the impression that you cannot complete tasks correctly. This is your first interaction with the organization you wish to procure your funding from, and it becomes essential to present yourself at a very high level in order to be chosen amongst such a vast amount of proposals. So have a great presentation, stylish, concise, well-organized, good points, fonts, interesting text — not to go overboard or become too cluttered and extravagent, but to be very smart and very well-presented will be one of the primary reasons your proposal will be accepted.Next, presentation.
- 5As we have already explored, we have some contents at the beginning, followed by a presentation of your self or your organization. This is your opportunity to explain who you are. This is your introduction phase. This is you introducing yourself to the reader.Next, we're going to look at the actual structure of your proposal.
- 6So before we gave a presentation saying this is who I am; and next, is what I've done. So if you're applying for something, you can give examples that are related to the project, and some history to show that you're experienced as well.Next, we're going to give examples of your relevant history.
- 7The reasons for doing this are to create a relationship with this organization, and to show common goals and ideas. It's more likely an organization will select you for funding if it feels that you are promoting its own agenda, or working towards similar objectives. And it's unlikely that an organization will finance you if you have contradictory objectives to theirs. Connecting yourself to the ethos and goals of the organization you're applying to will allow them to channel their own spirit through you in many ways, and allow you to position yourself in the same ideological environment as them.Finally in this first section, we're going to try and connect yourself to the ethos or goals of the organization you are applying to.
- 8Here, we're going to present the project. Be specific, give detailed information. Don't be vague, give hard facts, and present the project and put it into a social context as well. So this is explaining your project and connecting it to a wider social environment. Nothing exists totally on its own; everything is interconnected and interwoven. This idea to present your project and the social context can help you position your project and give an idea of the lasting impact it will have, and also the ripples and reverberations it will have on the wider world. And also here, when we present the project, we're informing the reader of the situation. And this may be a situation that they have no knowledge of. This may be an example of Albanian refugees, or a specific illness in a Sub-Saharan region, and these people have no knowledge the particular situation. This is your opportunity to inform them of the situation, and to explain to them exactly what you are going to be doing within that situation. And also to demonstrate that your project is vital and worthwhile.So, moving on now to the actual project itself, this is the next phase of the structure of your proposal.
- 9When you're giving specific objectives, such as: we want to do this, on this day, at this time, with this many resources, to have this conclusion. We can also connect this with more general objectives. And this again is an example of displaying the repercussions and reverberations of your actions. Not only will it have this specific impact, but it will have a general impact on the social environment surrounding it. So for example, your objective may be to help one particular village or group of people, but the general objective would be to improve the self-confidence or self-esteem of the country as whole, to have economic benefits, to inspire, to offer something greater that has more long-lasting and more general results.So when presenting the project, be specific with your objectives.
- 10This is where you can give detailed examples and detailed plans of how you're going to do this, because it's very good to have good intentions but organizations like to be shown exactly how their money will be spent. As kind as they are to be giving funding, they'll always want to know where it's going. They don't want to see it wasted. There's always a limit to how much can be given, and they need to be sure that the money they give will be spent on worthwhile and very important life-changing projects. So be clear on how you're going to spend their money.Next, we're going to talk about how are you going to achieve your objectives.
- 11You can actually give monetary examples of how you're going to achieve your objectives, and it's very important in any proposal.Next, include the budget.
- 12This is your final plea, and summary of the importance of the project and why it's important to you and the positive outcome it can have.Next, we're going to include a conclusion, which will be a final summary of your project.
- 13After the conclusion, you can include an appendices, which will include information such as data, records, statistics, documents, and anything that you need to include in order to give some more information that will be relevant to the reader.
- 14Next, we're going to think more about points to consider, and we've talked about them: who's your audience, who are you applying to, do your research, understand what is being offered, be concise and informative, and presentation. So be well aware of who you are applying to and tailor your proposal to them. So if you apply to ten different organizations, tailor your proposal to each of them so that they feel like they're being talked to directly. Research, research, research as much as possible so you know everything. You reference some things that you've discovered while researching their organization. Other people don't because they haven't researched as much as you have. That will be very impressive to the reader, and help you develop some relationship with them. The presentation must be a professional piece of work so that it impresses the reader, presenting you as an intelligent and able person. We looked at the structure of your proposal: a presentation of yourself or your organization, give examples of your history, and connect yourself to the ethos or goals of the organization you're applying to. These things present you, your experience, the relationship you have with the organization and the goals that you might share. Present the project, put it into a social context, be specific with your objectives but also connect this with more general objectives, and explain how you are going to achieve your objectives. Next is budget, and afterwards is the conclusion and then the appendices.So, to summarize what we've discussed, the first page is content.
- 15If you have any questions or comments, then please leave them in the section below. You've been watching VisiHow. Goodbye!So, you've been watching a video on how to write a proposal to apply for funding.
Video: Write a Proposal for Funding
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