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MAPs Grant Professionals

Grant Budget Development

9/25/2012

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by Marti Hess

Have you ever asked for what you thought you wanted but then when you got it you found out it wasn’t what you needed after all?  How can that be avoided when developing the budget in grant proposals?  It’s all about being realistic, detailed and forward thinking.  None of us has a crystal ball, so of course we cannot know exactly what will be necessary to make a program run successfully.  We can, however, take the time to develop a budget that is sound and reasonable so that when a funder looks at it, it makes sense.

What do we mean by making sense?  Here are some important ways to make your budget work in your proposal:

1.       Tie costs to activities—when you are planning the program activities that support your goals and objectives, attach costs to each activity.  For example, you might need to print flyers to market a community event.  Estimate how many you will print and research the cost per page at your local printer.  This will give you a realistic figure to tie to that activity and use in your budget.

2.       Estimate the personnel time—how many hours per week with each staff member spend on the program you are proposing?  Will the funder support these personnel costs?  If so, estimate what percentage of a staff member’s salary can be supported by the grant funding, if any. 

3.       Include Fringe, benefits, taxes—don’t forget that these are part of the cost of doing business and having employees.  Employers have to pay taxes, and what is sometimes referred to as ‘fringe’ or ‘benefits.’ 

4.       Consultants or Contractors—if you will be using an expert to provide a portion of your programming, this cost is included in the operational expenses section of the budget, not in personnel costs.  A contractor is responsible to pay his/her own taxes and is not considered an employee of your agency.

5.       Indirect or Administrative costs—if the funder will pay for indirect or administrative costs, by all means include it.   This is usually an amount  between 5% and 15% of the total funding amount.  It gives your agency a portion of the grant funds to use for items such as payroll fees, insurance costs, and administrative support. 

6.       Use the funder’s budget template—the funder usually includes a template to use in the proposal—don’t change it.  It may be much less detailed than what you have already developed.  But if you have taken the time to create a realistic and detailed budget for the program you designed, you can combine the figures so that they fit into the funder’s format. 

Good budget development takes time.  Don’t rush to get it done at the last minute or you may forget to include an essential line item.   Develop the budget as you are planning your program and you’ll find that you’ll be able to fill in the budget template in your grant application with confidence and ease.


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New Learning Opportunity

9/18/2012

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The MAPs Grant Development Team is offering Professional Learning Groups (PLGs) as a follow up to our Beginning Grant Development workshops and classes.  A PLG offers small group learning where the collective wisdom of the group is available to each participant using cooperative relationships as a way to increase personal capacity and creativity improving professional practice.  

Four PLG Sessions are planned: Thursdays, October 19, 26, November 1 and 8, 2012.  Sessions from 5:30 to 7:30 pm each week. Click here for a full description. 
 
THE PLG will offer opportunity for discussion and creative analysis of grant/program development that will build on what was covered in the grant development workshops.  If you are alumni of a MAPs Grant Development Workshop, complete the application to participate in the PLG.  Submit your completed application (link to application) to Aly Evans at alykevans@yahoo.com by October 5, 2012.  A MAPs Team representative will notify you with next steps.  


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How Big is Your Circle?           

9/13/2012

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Written by Aly Evans


Humans are social creatures and, for the most part, do well in situations where we work with others.  While it is acceptable for serendipitous connections and collaborations between organizations to develop, you will be more successful if you are strategic about with whom you partner.  Deliberate and thoughtful expansion of your spheres of influence can enable you to expand outcomes of your work. 


Your sphere of influence begins with the individuals with whom you already have a connection.  This can include family and friends and does not have to be focused on those who work in the same field as you.  Listing these contacts may help you visualize who you know and may point out gaps where your strategic action would be beneficial.

Also consider the secondary connections you have, such as friends of friends, when listing those in your sphere of influence.  Getting a positive referral from another professional can you’re your organization win grants or other support and you can maximize this by deliberately reaching out to others. 

Include in your thinking the organizations or individuals that you do not currently have contacts with but would like to work with in the future. Listing these organizations or names, when evaluated with your complete sphere of influence list may highlight strategic connections.

Action:

1. Attend networking events or events with the purpose of meeting other professionals.  Look strategically at the new connections and see if they are beneficial additions to your sphere.  People who do similar work, are connected to a different type of funder, or who ‘think like you’ could be beneficial to connect with after the networking event. 

2. Touch-base with the individuals you meet to discuss potential collaborations or areas where your organizational missions overlap.   It is often through these follow-up conversations where collaborations are developed and where referrals made.

3. Update your sphere of influence list regularly and plan for expanding it often.  As you get to know more and more people, the word of your good work will reach more people. The more people you know, the more opportunity you will have for resource development.


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What is a Logic Model?

9/5/2012

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Government funders and some foundations may request a logic model as the evaluation component cornerstone of your grant application.  The logic model is designed to show a logical or linear path to success for your program or grant proposal. 

The logic model is a tool used to demonstrate how and why your program will work.  It illustrates what will be accomplished and how your grant proposal will reach the goals and objectives designed in your program.  The logic model must communicate specific resources, measurable action oriented outcomes with a realistic timeline.

Logic models may be created in several ways. A template can be downloaded and used as a guide to create the logic model for the evaluation section ofyour proposal.    A Google search of Logic Model Templates provides several models to review.  Beautiful charts of all shapes and forms give a full picture of the wide range of options to design the logic model itself.

Several sites also include detailed guidelines for development of the logic model. Samples are provided in chart form.  If the grant development team includes a professional evaluator or university research staff as part of the evaluation team they will develop the logic model and incorporate all of the elements to show success. The evaluator may take the lead in writing the evaluation/logic model section of the grant.



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    Author

    Marti Hess
    Aly Evans
    Pat Fitzmorris
    The MAPs Team is a group of professionals who have years of grant development experience.

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