Project Proposal Template

Project proposals are to be treated as a project with a defined deliverable or end result for the money sought. A Project Proposal should comprise a Cover Letter and a Funding Proposal. The project must show tangible results or funding may not be granted. A successful Project Proposal is one that is carefully prepared, planned, and packaged.
In short, it’s a request for funding by a Sponsor or Sponsoring Organisation. At first glance, Project proposals may only seem to bear benefits only to the organization or individual entrepreneur requesting the funds. But that’s not exactly true. POWSAF is the Organization providing the funds that should always create positive change. The Trustees will also seek to demonstrate to their Members that their funds have been allocated in compliance with their Foundations objectives. The Trustees will also seek to ensure that the Foundation is not impacted by adverse issues that concern a Sponsor’s morals, values, or culture.

How to write an effective Project Proposal:

1. Cover letter
2. Funding Proposal
   1. Executive Summary
   2. Introduce the Sponsor or Sponsoring Organization
   3. Direct Problem Statement
   4. Goals and Objectives of the Project Proposal
   5. Project Description
   6. Project Evaluation: Explain how the project meets its objectives and satisfies those criteria of the Foundation
   7. Project Budget
   8. Other funding sources (if any)

1 – Cover Letter

The cover letter is the Sponsor’s perfect opportunity to capture the POWSAF’s attention. Unlike the rest of the Funding Proposal, the Cover Letter can be less formal and address the Trustees more directly.
The key objective of the cover letter is to compel the Trustees to prioritize your proposal and therefore the letter should seek to distinguish your project proposal from the others as much as possible.
Here are some dos and don’ts when it comes to cover letters:

• Get too emotional: You shouldn’t write a heartfelt story about your mission or organization. Convey your message in a less formal manner but stay focused on your arguments.
• Mention your competition: No need to compare yourself with others. Just state your own desired outcome and try to make a good first impression without mentioning anyone else.

2 – Funding Proposal

2.1 Executive Summary

This is essentially a brief synopsis of the entire proposal. V It introduces the Sponsor, the Need for the Project, how the Project will meet the need and your funding request.

It should have sufficient detail and specifics; get to the point quickly and be pragmatic and factual.

• Address the Trustees directly: The only place to do this is the cover letter. As now that we’ve started writing a Funding Proposal, things need to get more formal.
• Give out too much: Don’t go too deep into the project description, you will have space for this later.

So, here are some questions that a good proposal writer will answer in their executive summary:

1. What is your mission and history? What do you do?
2. What is your project’s name and who is it supposed to help?
3. What problem are you solving and why should it matter?
4. What is your end goal and how will you measure whether you achieved it?
5. How much money do you need and how do you plan to finance the project going forward? Do you have other funding sources?

2.2 Sponsor [or Sponsoring Organization]

Now that you’ve set the stage for the entire proposal, you can start with the individual or business/organization sponsoring the Project. Share as much relevant information as you can about your history, mission, experience, business infrastructure etc.

Here you include a biography of key staff, your business track record (success stories), company goals, and philosophy; essentially highlight your expertise. Client recommendations, letters of thanks, feedback from customers and the general public are must-have things to include within a funding proposal.

You will need to show that the individual or organization has the capacity and the ability to meet all deliverables from both an execution perspective but also meet all legal, safety, and quality obligations. You may need to provide solvency statements to prove that you can meet your financial commitments to your staff and contractors.

• Go into too much detail: You don’t need to list all of your employees by name. Provide biographies of key staff (like the executive team) and just mention your total number of employees.
• Stray from the point: This entire section should be formulated to make the point that you’re the best individual or organization to get the funding for the Project, not anyone else. Don’t get too descriptive and forget about this fact.

2.3 Direct Problem Statement

One of the most important parts of the funding proposal structure is the problem statement. Also known as the “needs statement” or “statement of need” this is the place where you explain why your school stakeholder group has a problem and how you can provide the solution.
You may need to do extensive research on the history of the underlying problem, previous solutions that were implemented and potentially failed, and explain why your solution will make a difference. In a successful funding proposal, the problem statement will heavily rely on quantitative data and clearly display how your organization answers a need.

• Make it about you: It’s not your organization that needs the project funding, it’s the school stakeholder group.
• Use circular reasoning: Don’t formulate the problem as “The School doesn’t have a Canteen, therefore we can build a canteen”. Why does the school need a canteen in the first place? That should be the thought behind your writing process.

Here’s how a brief Problem Statement could look:

A 2017 report from [institution] showed that the School has the highest [problem stat] per capita. Another study by [institution] confirmed these findings in 2020, highlighting the importance of [potential solution] in dealing with these issues. There is therefore a need for education and professional services in [fields and industries] backed by expertise and a strong infrastructure.

To meet this need, [Sponsoring Organization] proposes a [Project] that would address the [problem].

2.4 Goals and Objectives

Another important part of the funding proposal process is clearly stating your goals and objectives. It is likely that your proposal will not be successful if you do not articulate your goal and objectives. Write details about the desired outcome and how success will be measured. This section is key to providing information on the benefits that POWSAF, the school, community, government, or client will see for their investment.

And, although they sound similar, Goals and Objectives should be separated. Think of Goals as broad statements that you will aim for in the long term and Objectives as more specific statements of intention with measurable outcomes with a specified time frame.

• Be too ambitious: Make sure your goals are attainable and don’t get too ahead of yourself.
• Mistake goals for processes: Goals are always stated as results and measurable outcomes with a deadline, not as processes.

Here is an example of well-formulated goals and objectives.

Goal: Improve the literacy and overall ability of expression of children from Prince of Wales School.

Objective: By the end of the 2023 school year, improve the results of BECCE by at least 20% compared to current results (55/100, on average).

Notice how the goal is more optimistic and abstract while the objective is more measurable and to the point.

2.5 Project Description

Now that POWSAF knows your goals, it’s time to tell them how you plan on achieving them. Provide a detailed description of all component parts of the Project. List the new hires and skills, additional facilities, transport, and support services you need to deliver the project and achieve the defined measures for success.

Good project management discipline and methodologies with detailed requirements specified and individual tasks articulated (project schedule) will keep a good focus on tasks, deliverables and results.

• Assume things: Don’t approach the topics like the reader is well-versed in the field. Be specific and introduce your methodologies as though you’re talking to someone who knows nothing about your organization or propositions.
• Forget about your audience: You need to demonstrate that the particular strategies you chose make sense for the Stakeholder Group.

2.6 Project Evaluation

This section covers process evaluation — how will you track your program’s progress? It also includes the timeframe needed for evaluation and who will do the evaluation including the specific skills or products needed and the cost of the evaluation phase of the project.

This is one of the most important steps to writing this funding proposal, as POWSAF will look for evaluations as they will need to know if the project they invested in made a difference. Once again, solid project management discipline and methodologies will keep a good focus on evaluation tasks and results.

• Be vague: You need to clearly outline the measurement methods that will tell both you and your funders how the program is doing. No room for vagueness here.
• Neglect time frames: It’s not just about measuring success; it’s about measuring success across time. So, make sure your evaluation strategies are periodic.

2.7 Project Budget

One of the most important funding proposal topics is budgeting. This is the moment when you go into detail about exactly how you’ll be using the resources from an operational standpoint.

Provide full justification for all expenses including a table of services and/or product which can be used to clearly and accurately specify the nature and costs of the services and/or products.

Remember that the project budget section is the true meat of your funding proposal. Overcharging or having a high quote can lose you the funding and even be seen as profiteering. Underquoting might win you the funding but you may not be able to deliver on your proposal which could adversely impact your standing with POWSAF. Many Sponsors underquote in the hope of “hooking” in POWSAF and then looking for additional funding at a later stage. This is a dangerous game to play and could affect your individual or company’s reputation and ability to re-approach POWSAF.

• Do it alone: Especially if you’re not that good with numbers, don’t hesitate to include other people and assemble a team to tackle this task together.
• Forget about indirect costs: A lot of grant writers will leave out indirect costs like insurance, utilities, etc. These can stack up, so be careful not to forget them!

2.8 Other Funding Sources

POWSAF won’t like the idea of investing in a short-term project that has no perspective. They’ll be much more willing to recognize a long-term winner and reward a promising project that can run on a larger scale. That’s why you need to show how you can make this happen.

This section of your grant proposal is for funding requirements that go beyond the project, total cost of ownership including ongoing maintenance, daily business, and operational support. This may require you to articulate the projected ongoing costs (if any) for at least 5 years. An accurate cost model needs to include all factors including inflation, specialist skills, ongoing training, potential future growth, and decommissioning expenses when the project or the product reaches the end of its life cycle.

• Leave anything out: Don’t leave space for speculation or filling in the blanks. Everything needs to be outlined and you need to show — without a doubt — that your program can run even after the initial resources are gone.