Writing Successful Grants KnowledgeBase

This KnowledgeBase archive includes content and external links that were accurate and relevant as of September 30, 2019.

The Writing Successful Grants KnowledgeBase is an online resource aiding education professionals in their pursuit of public and private grants to support local programs. Its five elements contain information and resources that assist the grant seeker with developing their project, writing the grant proposal and managing the grant upon its award.

Task 1: Review Proposal Requirements and Elements

Guideline: Prior to writing the grant proposal, the grant seeker must know and understand the funding source's requirements including the proposal format (number of pages, font type & size, margins, etc.) and expected information elements. A proposal meeting those requirements at least warrants the funder's consideration. Failing to follow the submission requirements can cause an outright rejection.

Resources

Checklists

Proposal Format Checklist

This document contains a list of elements and format common in grant proposals.

Practical Tips

Grant Writing Tips

This document offers practical tips addressing the grant seeking process, from before the proposal has been written through after it has been submitted.

Seeking Grants

This document offers practical tips to keep in mind when developing grant proposals.

Tips for Proposal Writing

This document offers ten tips for successful proposal writing. The list is worth reviewing prior to committing the proposal to paper.

References

Glossary of Philanthropy-Related Terms

This link to the Foundation Center website provides a glossary of philanthropy-related terminology.

Grantmaking at ED

This booklet provides a non-technical summary of the U.S. Department of Education's discretionary grants process and the laws and regulations that govern it.

Plain Language

This link to the Plain Language.gov website provides information and resources related to the federal government's to improve communication with the public. Grant seekers submitting federal grant proposals may find its content useful. Other grant seekers may find its content useful when submitting proposal to other grant funders.

Tools

Federal Grant Application and Other Forms

This U.S. Department of Education website contains links to the forms commonly required when applying for Federal grants. Each form appears in several formats including PDF and Microsoft Word.

Sample Replicability, Dissemination, and Sustainability Statement

It is common for grant funders to require statements of the project's replicability and sustainability, and the dissemination of the grant's outcomes as part of the grant proposal. This document contains a generic statement covering these elements.

Legal

Assuring Meaningful Access

Assuring meaningful access for national-origin language-minority parents and ELL students was the crux of the compliance agreement between the Tucson Unified School District (TUSD) and the U.S. Department of Education's Office for Civil Rights (OCR). Though the agreement is specific to the TUSD, it illustrates OCR's areas of concern related to meaningful access. This document offers resources to assist school districts understand the federal requirements and tools to assess their efforts. A copy of the Tucson agreement letter is provided.

Equal Educational Opportunity to LEP Students OCR Pamphlet