How to Write a Good Project Proposal for Donor Funding

by David Ingram, Demand Media Google
Asking colleagues to review grant proposals before sending can reveal areas of needed improvement.


Jupiterimages/Goodshoot/Getty Images

Grant proposals are documents used to secure grant funds from institutional or private donors. Writing grant proposals requires specialized skills and experience that allow you to stand out from the wide range of other projects competing for limited grant funds. Small business and nonprofits can hire professional grant proposal writers to increase their chances of winning funding, or company leaders can tackle the process themselves. Knowing how to write a good project proposal for donor funding can give you the edge you need to secure funding for your project.

Step 1

Speak with potential donors before beginning your proposal to determine donors' specific giving preferences. Custom-tailor each funding proposal to a specific donor, rather than sending out the same document to multiple sources to increase the attractiveness of your proposals. Each potential donor has a preference for specific areas of need, different types of organizations and different types of projects. Find out what kind of projects each donor has funded before, donors' preferred proposal formats and the areas of need that potential organizational donors address with their own services.

Step 2

Begin your proposal with a comprehensive needs analysis to set the stage for the project you propose. Your description of your project will have more impact if proposal readers fully understand the “why” behind what you propose to do. Dig up solid statistics in your proposal to support your claims. A project proposal focused on community education, for example, could share statistics on adult illiteracy and high-school dropout rates in the surrounding communities. Discuss the root causes of the needs in your analysis, as well, to show that you fully understand the problems.

Step 3

Thoroughly describe the way your project will function, focusing on the impacts it will have in the area of need identified above, to give donors a more complete understanding of your project. Pair a detailed narrative of how your project will work with pictures, graphs, floor plans and any other documentation that will allow donors to visualize the completed project. Be prepared to answer any questions about this section of the proposal with confidence, to show that you know exactly how to put donor funds to the best use.

Step 4

Lay out a financial plan showing exactly how you intend to use the money you raise. Even if donors are convinced that your project can effectively serve a need that resonates with them, they will still want assurance that you are going to use the money in the most efficient manner, maximizing the impact of their donations. Draw up a budget for spending the money, including allowances for unforeseen expenses.

Step 5

Include brief professional biographies of yourself and other top leaders in your organization, focusing on your experience implementing projects similar to the one you are proposing. Use this section to prove that you and the leaders of your proposed project possess the knowledge, experience and contacts to plan and execute a project successfully.

About the Author


Photo Credits

  • Jupiterimages/Goodshoot/Getty Images
Suggest an Article Correction

Have Feedback?
