Gr an t Writing Federal Non-Construction Proposal Elements

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1 Gr an t Writing Federal Non-Construction Proposal Elements

2 Carol Oliva Development Officer National Indian Justice Center Western Tribal Technical Assistance Program

3 Workshop Objectives Learn some basic methods for developing key elements of a federal non-construction grant proposal. Agenda (1:30 3:10 p.m.) Best Practices Needs Statement / Community Characteristics Goals & Objectives Project Approach Work Plan & Budget Linked to Project Approach

4 Best Practices

5 Best Practices Stay aware of trends in funding and legislation. Document project planning. Develop a grants calendar for forecasting purposes. Think out of the box! Grants ideally are part of an overall funding strategy for a project. Don t chase the carrot without a plan.

6 Best Practices Match project/program goals to funder goals. Leverage previous projects and their successes/results and/or leverage research and evidence. Target grants carefully; focus on prospects where there is 50% or more possibility of you being funded.

7 Best Practices Emphasis on partners, data, performance; have resources available to substantiate need, augment expertise, support your approach and demonstrate results. Become knowledgeable about grant administrative and evaluation requirements ahead of time.

8 Best Practices Become familiar with grant e- submission systems and their requirements and quirks well in advance of submitting a proposal. Write to meet specific criteria set forth by the funder. Become familiar with the criteria before you start writing. Use it as your grant outline unless instructed by the funder to do otherwise.

9 Needs Statement Compelling Community Need or Problem

10 Needs Statement Describes community characteristics. Who - The beneficiaries -- who are they and how will they benefit What - The nature of the problem (provide as much hard evidence as possible). The social and/or economic benefits to be affected. Where The area(s) where the project will be implemented. Why - The purpose for developing the proposal. How you came to realize the problem exists, and what is currently being done about the problem.

11 Needs Statement Substantiates need. Clearly establishes a baseline for the project from which to forecast changes in conditions. Uses comparative data.

12 Needs Statement Quantitative data from local data or trend analyses (i.e. what happened in the past may happen in the future), state data and national data; Qualitative or anecdotal data when numbers are lacking.

13 Needs Statement Document reliability (i.e. consistency; can someone replicate the results using the same approach) and validity of the data (whether it accurately describes the real world). Example: the opinions of 5 youth are used to establish the opinions of all youth in the community. The questions used to obtain opinions from the youth were phrased in a way that made them uncomfortable and didn t yield their true feeling on the matter.

14 Needs Statement Data Sources: Community records and surveys Tribal departments/agencies County departments/agencies State departments/agencies Federal agencies/projects University Research Centers U.S. Census Bureau of Indian Affairs Indian Health Service

Needs Statement Data Source Examples: Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, WISQARS Bureau of Indian Affairs, American Indian Population and Labor

15 Needs Statement Data Source Examples: Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, WISQARS Bureau of Indian Affairs, American Indian Population and Labor Force Reports National Highway and Traffic Safety Administration, Fatality Analysis and Reporting System County Health Dashboard Projects State Labor Departments

Over 50% of tribal youth ages 15 to 24 have sustained a motor vehicle crash

16 Needs Statement Describe the problem in one sentence. Describe the problem in greater detail. Examples? Over 50% of tribal youth ages 15 to 24 have sustained a motor vehicle crash (MVC) related injury in the past 5 years and there have been 4 MVC fatalities among this age group in the same time period.

17 Goals and Objectives Broad Aims Achieved from SMART Solutions

18 Goals and Objectives Goals vs. Objectives A goal broadly describes what you hope to accomplish. It states the final project impact in general terms and the long-term outcome or change in baseline conditions that will be achieved.

19 Goals and Objectives The goal of the Youth Traffic Safety Project is to reduce unintentional injuries and fatalities from motor vehicle crashes (MVCs) among tribal youth ages 15 to 24.

20 Goals and Objectives Goals vs. Objectives Objectives are the tangible and quantifiable steps you will take to accomplish your goals.

21 Goals and Objectives Goals vs. Objectives Quantifiable objectives tell the funder what will happen during the project/program, what short-term outcomes can be expected and how you will demonstrate those outcomes.

22 Goals and Objectives During the first 6 months of the program, Youth Traffic Safety will engage 10 or more tribal youth ages 15 to 24 in weekly afterschool classes on driver, pedestrian and bicycle safety using an evidence-based curriculum. 18 classes will be conducted. (Activity or Output) Impact 80% of the class participants will increase their awareness and knowledge of safe driver, pedestrian and bicyclist practices as demonstrated by preand post-test surveys. (Outcome Indicator)

Goals and Objectives Criteria The applicant will be scored on how well the goals address the problem identified in the needs statement and whether or not the objectives are SMART.

23 Goals and Objectives Criteria The applicant will be scored on how well the goals address the problem identified in the needs statement and whether or not the objectives are SMART. How would you rate them? Over 50% of tribal youth ages 15 to 24 have sustained a motor vehicle crash (MVC) related injury in the past 5 years and there have been 4 MVC fatalities among this age group in the same time period.

24 Project Approach Logical Strategy and Activities to Obtain Outcomes

25 Project Approach Project approach is a narrative description of the methods, practices, strategies and activities that will be employed to implement the project. Supplemented with more detailed information, often provided in appendices, that breaks the project into discrete components and allows for the identification of deliverables and development of a viable project budget: Logical Model Work Plan

26 Project Approach Logical Model: a general framework for describing how a project, program or organization works; helps us plan and design a program or project with the results in mind; shows the relationship between project/program investment and results; and, usually describes project/program impacts using short-term, medium-term and longterm measures on different levels of stakeholders.

27 Project Approach

28 Project Approach

29 Intergrating Proposal Elements Work Plan and Budget Linked to Project Approach

30 Integrating E lements Work Plan Breaks down project activities into fundable tasks and deliverables on a monthly or quarterly basis by objective and designates responsibilities for tasks. Used to identify all allowable project costs and matching resources. Contains project administrative tasks.

31 Integrating E lements Work Plan and Budget Linkage If it s in your work plan it should be in your budget and vice versa.

32 Integrating E lements During the first 6 months of the project Youth Traffic Safety will engage 10 or more tribal youth ages 15 to 24 in afterschool classes on driver, pedestrian and bicycle safety using an evidence-based curriculum. 18 classes will be conducted. Task Person(s) Q1 Q2 Q3 Q4 Administrative Evaluation Curriculum Development Community Outreach Deliverables: Q1 Q2

33 Integrating E lements Budget Practices Before developing the project budget know the Uniform Administrative Requirements for Grants and Agreements and federal cost principles. Know the difference between allowable and unallowable costs. OMB Super Circular

34 Integrating E lements Cost Principles Allowable Allocable Allowed under federal rules and in conformance with regulations and grant terms and conditions. Is incurred solely in order to advance work under the grant; and is deemed assignable, at least in part, to the grant. Reasonable Consistent Nature of the goods or services acquired reflect the action that a prudent person would have taken under the circumstances prevailing at the time the decision to incur the cost was made. Costs are treated consistently regardless of their nature and source to avoid duplication.

35 Integrating E lements Project Budget Reflects grant and matching costs, if applicable. Structure to follow the object class categories in Section B-Budget Categories of the SF 424A unless otherwise requested. Account for matching funds in a separate budget column. Includes mandatory requirements (e.g. travel to required meetings). Contains Indirect Costs if applicable.

36 Integrating E lements Project Budget Indirect Costs Costs that are not directly associated with a single project/program, activity, event, or other cost object. Such costs are frequently aggregated into an overhead cost pool and allocated to various activities, based on an allocation method that has a perceived or actual linkage between the indirect cost and the activity.

37 Integrating E lements Direct Costs vs. Indirect Costs Julie serves as full-time coordinator of the Youth Traffic Safety Project. She earns $45,000 per year. Her total salary is charged to the grant as a direct cost because she only works on the project and her salary is directly traceable to it through payroll records. Dave is the grants compliance officer. He works with Julie to develop and submit project progress reports to the funder. He provides similar services to all of the tribe s grant funded projects. His $55,000 salary is an indirect cost, a portion of which is funded through the grant indirect funding.

38 Integrating E lements Category Cost Per Unit XYZ Grant NFS Total A. Personnel B. Fringe C. Travel Budget Outline D. Equipment E. Supplies F. Contractual G. Construction H. Other I. Total Direct Costs J. Indirect Costs K. Total Project Costs

39 Integrating E lements Project Budget Each line item will be explained and justified in the budget narrative. Explained = how does it related to the project design and work plan Justified = why is it cost effective; how was it derived.

40 Integrating E lements Budgeting Objectives Ensure all costs are covered Avoid duplication of costs Audit Ready Ensure budget items cannot be questioned

41 Integrating E lements

42 Integrating E lements During the first 6 months of the program, Youth Traffic Safety will engage 10 or more tribal youth ages 15 to 24 in weekly afterschool classes on driver, pedestrian and bicycle safety using an evidence-based curriculum. 18 classes will be conducted. We need a full-time staff person to coordinate the project. We re budgeting $50,000 for the annual salary in the first year. Allowable? YES Allocable? Maybe: justification Other Considerations?

43 Integrating E lements During the first 6 months of the program, Youth Traffic Safety will engage 10 or more tribal youth ages 15 to 24 in weekly afterschool classes on driver, pedestrian and bicycle safety using an evidence-based curriculum. 18 classes will be conducted. Having food available always draws people to events. We re budgeting to provide breakfast, lunch and a snack at each of the 18 classes. Allowable? Maybe Allocable? Maybe: justification Other Considerations?

44 Integrating E lements During the first 6 months of the program, Youth Traffic Safety will engage 10 or more tribal youth ages 15 to 24 in weekly afterschool classes on driver, pedestrian and bicycle safety using an evidence-based curriculum. 18 classes will be conducted. We need supplies to operate the program. We are budgeting $50 per week per youth for this purpose. Allowable? Yes Allocable? Maybe: justification Other Considerations?

45 Integrating E lements During the first 6 months of the program, Youth Traffic Safety will engage 10 or more tribal youth ages 15 to 24 in weekly afterschool classes on driver, pedestrian and bicycle safety using an evidence-based curriculum. 18 classes will be conducted. We re budgeting for a Traffic Safety Expert who is going to provide 30 days of consulting time to the project at a cost of $1,000 per day. Allowable? Yes Allocable? Yes Other Considerations?

46 Integrating E lements During the first 6 months of the program, Youth Traffic Safety will engage 10 or more tribal youth ages 15 to 24 in weekly afterschool classes on driver, pedestrian and bicycle safety using an evidence-based curriculum. 18 classes will be conducted. We need a van to transport youth to the classes from different parts of the community. We re including the cost of the vehicle in the budget. Allowable? Yes Allocable? Maybe: justification Other Considerations?

47 Integrating E lements During the first 6 months of the program, Youth Traffic Safety will engage 10 or more tribal youth ages 15 to 24 in weekly afterschool classes on driver, pedestrian and bicycle safety using an evidence-based curriculum. 18 classes will be conducted. It s our policy to compensate community members who work on projects. We re including honoraria for them in the budget. Allowable? Yes Allocable? Maybe: justification Other Considerations?

48 Integrating E lements During the first 6 months of the program, Youth Traffic Safety will engage 10 or more tribal youth ages 15 to 24 in weekly afterschool classes on driver, pedestrian and bicycle safety using an evidence-based curriculum. 18 classes will be conducted. We re going to meet the project s 10% matching funds requirement by conducting a graduation ceremony for the youth who complete the program and inviting the whole community to attend. Allowable? Maybe Allocable? Maybe: justification Other Considerations?

49 thanks! Any questions? You can find me at

Allocating Direct and Indirect Costs for Nonprofits

Allocating Direct and Indirect Costs for Nonprofits Carol Barnard April 18, 2018 Agenda Allocating Indirect Cost Why allocating costs is important to nonprofits Identifying indirect costs Different methods