2020 Guide on How to Write Proposals

Contents

Overview of the Guide .................................................................................................................... 3

Principles of Writing a Proposal ...................................................................................................... 4
Important Questions to Address before Writing the Proposal ...................................................... 6
Steps in the Process of Writing a Proposal ................................................................................... 11
Structure of a Proposal ................................................................................................................. 23
How to Write the Various Sections of the Proposal ..................................................................... 30
Proposal Templates of Important Grants For 2020 ...................................................................... 40
Sample Proposal Education .......................................................................................................... 47
Sample Proposal Health ................................................................................................................ 53
Glossary of Terms used in Proposal Writing ................................................................................. 61
Overview of the Guide

Writing proposals for funding is one of the most crucial aspects of any NGO. Proposals are
important for any organization, as they decide the success or failure of an organization. No
matter how big or small your organization is you cannot get away from writing a project
proposal. As an NGO staff, you might be aware that the primary purpose of a project proposal is
to convince the donor agency to fund your project. It is thus important for you to write a
proposal that is innovative, practical, and methodological.

What is the purpose of the guide? The purpose of this guide is to help NGOs in developing
proposals to convince donors to fund their respective projects and enhance their proposal
writing capacity in 2020. This guide aims to:

• Improve the basic understanding of NGO professionals on all aspects of proposal

writing.
• Enhance the capacity of NGO professionals in writing quality proposals.
• Improve the quality of grant applications for projects around the world.

Who can use the guide? This guide can be used by:

• People interested to understand the basics of proposal writing.

• People that are new to proposal writing and do not feel confident about writing
proposals.
• NGOs that have limited capacity in writing proposals.
• Project managers and teams those are committed to raise funds.

What is the structure of the guide?

To help you ace and master the art of proposal writing, the guide has nine chapters. The various
chapters are structured as follows:

The first chapter of the guide deals with the basic principles of proposal writing, adhering to
which will help you in developing a proposal that is complete in all respects. The next chapter
provides questions that should be addressed during the process of proposal writing. Chapter 3
details out the steps involved in the process of writing a proposal. This is followed by chapters
that talk about the components of a proposal and ways to write each component of a proposal
respectively. The second last chapter presents the templates of four active grant calls for 2020
while the last two chapters are sample proposals for health and education sector.

Hope you use the guide in improving your fundraising endeavors!

Principles of Writing a Proposal

When you start writing a proposal, you need to remember the basic principle of a good
proposal. In this section of the guide we look at the basic principles of a proposal, which one
should keep in mind while writing the proposal. Adhering to the principles will not only help
you in developing a proposal that is complete in all respects but will also increase the chances
of your proposal winning a particular grant.

1. Follow the guidelines: The first step in writing a winning proposal is to read the
instructions given by the donor and then following all the instructions, while preparing
your response. This means you will have to follow the guidelines and complete
everything that has been asked in the application form. Be sure that you understand all
of the requirements included in the application/guidelines/solicitation. Once you have
gone through the instructions, go through it again and mark key information, so that
you do not forget important things while developing the proposal and completing the
application process. You can also make small notes/hints in the margins to help you
while drafting the proposal. You must keep a note of the following aspects while you
prepare your proposal:
• Page Limit
• Font size
• Font type
• Margin space
• Line space
• Process of submitting the proposal
• Completing the application in all respects.
• Deadline
2. Start Early: It is important for you to start early and timely submit the proposal. If you
want your proposal to win you a grant, you must keep sufficient time to craft the
proposal and also complete the necessary formalities (Online registration, submission of
documents etc.) required in the application process. Hastily written proposals create a
negative impression of your organization and you are viewed as someone who is not a
serious contender of the grant.
3. Clear your doubts by asking questions: The process of writing and submitting the
proposal can be confusing and you may need support from the donor agency. If you face
any doubt or query during the application process, feel free to contact the point of
contact in the donor agency. Approaching the support office at the right time will help
you in completing your proposal most appropriately and correctly. Just remember to
 contact only those persons who have been mentioned in the solicitation and not anyone
else.
4. Write a clear and convincing proposal: You might have the most innovative idea for
solving a social problem, but unless it is presented, it will be of no use. When writing a
proposal, always write clearly and persuasively. Write only what is important and
mention the facts that strengthen your case. Write the proposal to convey necessary
information to the reader, so that he can clearly understand your project proposal.
Avoid writing stories and irrelevant things in the proposal. Reviewers have to go through
several proposals, so your objective should be to make your case clear in a few pages
and not bore/overburden them with unnecessary details.
5. Bring in innovative ideas and elements in the project: Most donors support
organizations that can innovate and come up with innovative ideas in their project
proposal. Try to incorporate some creativity in any one of the project elements be it
service delivery, communication channels, or adoption of technology.
6. Use data and facts to support your case: While writing the project rationale quote facts
and figures as evidence to your problem. These facts can be from data that your
organization has collected or can be from research articles, government reports, news
articles etc. Make sure that the data you quote is up to date and is from a credible
source. Avoid using data if it is outdated and you are not sure of the source.
7. Avoid using jargons and technical language: Use simple, easy to understand language
throughout the proposal. The reader/reviewer of the proposal may not necessarily be
an expert in the particular field and may not be aware of technical words, so use simple
words to explain your problem and solution.
8. Get the proposal reviewed by your colleagues and revise it: It is always a good idea to
get the proposal reviewed by your colleagues/board members etc. Many organizations
also get their proposals reviewed by a cold reader (a person who was not involved in the
project writing). Go through the comments given by the reviewers and accommodate
their suggestions, criticisms and correct errors and omissions suggested by them. The
review helps in improving the quality of the proposal. Go through the proposal again
and again to remove unnecessary details, grammatical and factual errors. While revising
the proposal make sure that your proposal is as per the guidelines, clearly links the
objectives and activities and is error free.
9. Avoid Plagiarism: Be sure that the proposal is edited properly and has been checked for
plagiarism. In case you have used a paragraph, data, facts or other information from any
article be sure to give credit to all your sources. You can paraphrase, cite, quote or
include a reference page at the end of the proposal to avoid plagiarism. Many agencies
(Specially the research oriented) use anti-plagiarism software and the moment your
proposal shows signs of plagiarism the proposal can be disqualified.
Important Questions to Address before Writing the Proposal

In this section we will primarily look at the What, Why, When, Who, How and all the possible
questions you should address before you start writing the proposal.

Before you begin the task of writing the proposal, make sure you have answered the following
questions. These questions will not only help you in planning better but also in developing a
winning proposal.

A. Questions to be answered when assessing the opportunity

• Do you have enough time for preparing and submitting the proposal? This is an
important question to be answered and in case the answer is in negative, you better
look at another opportunity. Proposal writing needs time and if there is a grant
opportunity, that you just came across and you don’t have enough time to prepare
the proposal, it is best not to spend your efforts in preparing the proposal. Always
keep enough time to prepare, revise and submit the proposal, much ahead of the
actual deadline.
• Does your organization have the required strength to prepare a quality proposal?
Many organizations jump into writing a proposal, without actually assessing if they
have the required manpower to write a quality proposal. If all your project staff is
engaged in managing a field project and you do not have a dedicated person to
devote all his/her time in writing the proposal, then you should either hire a
consultant or an expert to draft your proposal. Writing a quality proposal requires
you to think research and then develop the proposal, this can be done only when
you have a dedicated team to complete all the sections of a proposal.
• Are the donors willing to support your cause? You have identified the problem and
are dedicated to put all your efforts towards the cause, but have you made sure that
there are donors to support the cause. This is where your donor database will come
handy. Before you start on with the proposal, you need to identify the donors who
will be interested to support your organization. Make a list of all the donors that are
active in your region and who have supported similar projects in the past. This way
you will be sure that your efforts will not go wasted and there will surely be people
who would be keen to support your project.
• Does your organization qualify the eligibility criteria? All the solicitations published
by donor agencies have clearly defined eligibility criteria, which state the
organizations that may or may not apply under the particular solicitation. Before you
start preparing the response against the solicitation, it is advisable that you go
 through the eligibility criteria and work on the proposal, only when your
organization is eligible for applying.
• Does this opportunity align with your Mission? Your organization must be having a
mission and all your activities should be aligned to achieve the organization’s
mission. When applying for any solicitation always make sure that the opportunity is
aligned with your organizations mission. Applying to random opportunities not only
drains the efforts of your team but also dilutes the organization mission.
• How will winning the grant help your organization? When planning a proposal,
always think of the larger picture and see how will wining a particular grant help
your organization in accomplishing the goal/mission? Answering this question during
the planning stage helps you assess if all your efforts are going in the right direction
and if applying to a particular opportunity will positively help your organization.
Many organizations just submit a proposal without even realizing the real worth of it
and even if they win the grant they are unable to make the best use of it.
• Does your organization have the Human and Capital Resources to successfully
execute the project? When planning a project, try to assess your organizations
existing resources and ability to manage and implement the project. If you are a
small or a new organization, then do not run for large projects. Donor agencies
review every submission very carefully so if your current team does not have the
required expertise or experience in managing million dollar projects, then it is
advisable for you to apply for smaller projects. It is always better to pass on an
opportunity than to execute it poorly.
B. Questions to be answered when ready to prepare the proposal

Now that you are sure that you should apply for a particular opportunity, the following set
of questions should be addressed.

• What do you want to do through the project proposal? Answering this question will
help you justify the reason for applying for a particular opportunity. You may have
multiple reasons for applying for a grant and noting the reasons will help you in ensuring
that you are applying to the correct donor agency. While answering the question you
may also like to consider answering the following questions:
o What will you achieve through the project?
o What do you expect to happen by the end?
o What difference will it make?
o What are the various activities that will be undertaken under the project?
• Who will be writing the proposal? You might already be aware that writing the proposal
is not a one-man show and requires team effort. Before you start writing the proposal
 you should have a clear idea of who will be leading the proposal writing team and who
all will be writing the various sections of the proposal.
• How is your proposal unique/different? Donor agencies look for uniqueness and
innovation in projects. Make sure your project stands out from others and it is unique,
innovative and worthy of getting the grant. Towards making your project unique, you
may learn from the examples of other NGOs. Take time to see what other NGOs have
done, and using the information try to make your proposal unique and innovative.
• Who are the project beneficiaries? When applying for a particular opportunity you
should have in mind a certain set of people who will benefit from the project. You
should be clear about the following aspects about the beneficiary right from the
planning stage:
o What is their socio-economic background?
o Why have you selected them?
o What makes them vulnerable?
o Is there anything else that is important about them—disabilities, gender, and
religion etc?
• How well do you know the donor? Knowing the donors requirements is of utmost
importance, no matter how much hard work you put in preparing the proposal, if it is
not as per the donor requirement, it is of no use. Organizations should conduct proper
research to understand what the donor is looking for before applying. Thematic area,
geographic range, typical grant size, type of support, etc. are all important factors to
consider when determining prioritizing which donors to approach. Do not waste time
sending out mass proposals.
• Who are your competitors? Getting information about your competitors is important as
it helps you to understand who the people are applying for the same grant and that
ways you are better prepared to offer a unique proposition to the donors.
• Who are you writing the proposal for? There are different kinds of donor agencies and
each of them has a different process of grant making. Before you start writing the
proposal, you need to know what kind of funding agency you will be applying to. When
you know about the audience of your proposal you are in a better position to match
your project idea with the interests of the donor agency. It is necessary for you to
understand the types of donors and the types of funding opportunities, before you start
fundraising. Most donors can be classified in to the following categories:
o Foundations: Foundations are non-governmental entities that are established to
provide grants to smaller organization, research institutions and NGOs. Most
NGOs rely heavily on foundations mainly because they provide grants for a long
duration.
 o Corporations: Corporations are business houses and private firms that provide
funding to NGOs. Corporate Social responsibility has opened up new gateways
for NGOs in developing solutions to various societal issues.
o Individuals: Individuals tends to support NGOs by giving donations or
volunteering. Individual donors believe in your organization and your mission
and therefore support the organization.
o International donors: These include bilateral and multilateral donor agencies
which majorly fund large international organizations.

The table below shows the different types of donors and their advantages and disadvantages
(Source: Writing a Funding Proposal Civicus)
Summary of important questions to be addressed while developing the proposals

•Why do you want to apply?

•Why is this grant important?
Why? •Why are you approaching this particular donor?
•Why is it important to solve the problem?
•Why will the donor fund your project?

•What is the overall purpose of the project?

• What makes the project unique?
•What makes you different from your competitors?
What? • What difference will the project make?
•What is the estimated budget?
•What are the risks and assumptions?

•Who are the donors that can fund your project?

•Who will manage the project?
•Who will write the proposal?
Who? •Who will be the target beneficiaries?
•Who will be your project partners?
•Who are the competitors?

Where? •Where will the project be implemented?

& •When will the proposal drafting start?
•When is the sudmission deadline?
When?
•How will you implement the project?
•How will the management structure look like?
•How does it help in achieving the mission of your
organization?
How? •How will you know your project met its goals?
•How will you evaluate the project?
•How many people will benefit from your project?
•How is your proposal unique/different?

•Does your organization have the Human and Capital

Resources to successfully execute the project?
•How will winning the grant help your organization?
Misc. •Does this opportunity align with your Mission?
•Does your organization qualify the eligibility criteria?
•Are the donors willing to support your cause?
•Do you have enough time for preparing and
submitting the proposal?
Steps in the Process of Writing a Proposal

This section of the guide will help you understand the entire process involved in developing a
proposal. To ease out the entire process we have divided the entire process into three phases
viz. Preparatory, Proposal writing and Post writing. Each phase further has several steps that
are to be completed in order to write a successful proposal.

• Know your donor

Preparatory phase • Know your organization
• Project Planning

• Develop a proposal calendar

Proposal Writing
• Identify partners
• Keep all documents available
• Read the solicitation very carefully
• Outline the solicitation
• Review the Evaluation Criteria
• Ask Questions
• Have a Proposal Kick-off Meeting
• Proposal Drafting
• Budget

• Review the draft

• Check the Solicitation Requirements
Post Writing • Submission of Appendices
• Respect the Deadline

Steps of writing a proposal

Phase 1. Preparatory Stage

You cannot develop a proposal, if you haven’t planned well for it. Very often NGOs just jump
into writing a proposal the moment they see a Call for Proposal or a Solicitation, such haste just
leads to a failed attempt and a lost opportunity. Whenever you plan to write a proposal, always
plan for it and complete the following steps of the preparatory stage.

•Form a donor research Know your

team
•Develop a list of current
opportunities
•Assess the list
•Understand the Donor
•Create a donor datasheet
organization
•Create an organization
factsheet/profile
•Conduct Need Assessment
•Conduct SWOT analysis
•Identify the problem
•Organize a good working
team
•Read winning proposals

Know the Project

Donor Planning

Three Steps of the preparatory stage

1. Know the donor

Very often this stage is overlooked by organizations, ultimately leading to a failed attempt. One
has to understand that donor agencies receive thousands of letters of support from NGOs and
to be successful, you need to invest time and be patient. Researching the prospect is essential
so that you can align your organization to their vision and mission and can make a strong case
of support. This stage is time-consuming and requires support from team members and board
members at different stages; you can follow the following steps while undertaking research.
A. Form a donor research team: You may already be having a fundraising team that
addresses issues pertaining to fundraising i.e. soliciting funds, writing proposals,
organizing events and communicating with donors, etc., in which case you just have to
identify 2-3 team members from this team to especially focus on conducting in-depth
research of donors. As the initial process of research and reaching out to donors will
take time, it is always a good practice to have a small team that focuses only on
conducting donor research.
B. Develop a list of current opportunities: The starting point should be to create a list of
the current grant opportunities. Along with listing the existing opportunities, you should
also explore organizations that fund projects in your area. You can also take the help of
our donor database to identify a suitable donor/opportunity for your organization.
C. Assess the list for potential donors: Share the database that you have just created with
your team and board members to assess and prioritize the donors. This process will help
you in short listing the donors that are most likely to support your organization. During
this step simply gather information about the donor, its history, background, future
plans, and social commitment. The likelihood of your proposal getting funds largely
depends on whether you submit the proposal to the right donors. You need to identify
donors whose priorities and funding criteria suits your organization.
D. Understand the potential Donor: At this stage you will have only a few donors that are
most likely to support your cause. You will have to focus all your attention to now
understand these shortlisted donors. Understanding the donors is important for you to
develop a well-reasoned proposition, which has higher chances of getting the required
support from the donor. Go through the information about the donor by visiting their
website, brochures, news articles etc. Read the Funding Announcement Guidelines very
carefully and understand what the donor is looking for. Many organizations skip this
important step and look at it only while submitting the proposal. The guidelines specify
the eligibility criteria, format requirements, deadline, budgetary information, page limit,
documents to be submitted etc. Once you are through with the background research
you can start working on your proposal.
E. Create a donor datasheet: All the research about the donor should be properly placed
in a datasheet, so that you can access it whenever you need it. We are suggesting a
simple format to help you in creating a data sheet with necessary details about the
potential donors. You can use your creativity to develop the data sheet the way you
want, just make sure that the data sheet should capture all the necessary information of
the potential donor so that you don't have to visit their website time and again.
Sample donor sheet to be prepared

•Name, address, telephone and fax numbers, e-mail

General Information address.
•Name and title of the contact person.

•The goals, mission and concern of the donor.

Mission
• Core values of the donor agency.

•Social commitment , i.e. which are the projects that

Social Commitment are supported by the corporation. Example-
Environment Protection, Education, Health, Sanitation

•Proposal format you should use.

•Guidelines you should follow.
Process of Funding
•Some donors may want a short preliminary proposal
before asking you to complete a full proposal.

•The dates when proposals are considered and the

Deadline dates/deadlines for submission of proposals for
consideration.

•Details of the various projects that donor is

Donation History supporting. If available mention about what kind of
support was provided. Example:Volunteer, Pro-bono,
In-kind support, Financial support

Geographical Area of Work •Areas where the corporation has supported projects.

•Preferred ways of reaching out to the donor.

Ways to reach out •Online forms, letter of requests.
•Concept notes.
 2. Know your organization

Knowing yourself is as important as knowing the prospect. Along with researching the
prospects, you should also conduct in-depth research about your organization. Knowing
yourself helps you to better understand about your strengths, weaknesses and needs. Self
analysis is important before you sit down to write the proposal; some of the key questions that
you should ask yourself at this stage are given below:

• Who you are, what your identity is?

• What are your strengths and weaknesses?
• Your track record?
• What is your overall mission and goal for the organization?
• What does your Logo mean?
• Who are in your board and what is their achievement in their respective fields?
• Who are key project staff and what are their qualifications?
• What is the impact your organization has created over the years?

A. Create an organization factsheet/profile: An organization profile is a professional

summary of your organization. It is very similar to an individual’s Curriculum Vitae. Just
like a Curriculum Vita gives a brief account of a person’s qualification, skills and past
work experience, an organization profile provides the reader with adequate information
(history, mission/vision, projects, work experience etc.) about your organization. Just
like you created a donor datasheet, you should also create an organization factsheet
stating all the necessary information about the organization. You can take the help from
the project team and senior staff members in developing the organization profile. The
profile should have all the necessary details about the organization, but do not overload
it. This factsheet will help you when you prepare for the meeting with the donor. A
simple profile may look like something like this.
 Sample organization factsheet

Organization Details

• Organization Name
• Established date
• Registration details
• Contact Details

Organization Basics

• Aim and Objectives

• History
• Track record of experience
• Organization Structure

Highlights

• Awards
• Certifications
• Special programs and projects
• Testimonials
• News or media recognition

Optional

• Membership Infomation
• Financials
• Procedures and Policies

B. Conduct Need Assessment: Have a meeting with the project team and senior
management to understand the needs of the organization. Discuss in detail what is
required by the organization both in the short and long term. A good way to go about is
to have a brainstorming session with your colleagues and noting down the various
things that come out during the course of the discussion. Then discuss with your senior
management and categorize the needs into long term, short-term and immediate. You
can also categorize these needs into financial, in-kind, pro-bono, volunteer support, etc.
 A simple need assessment table can help you to understand the organization’s needs in
a better way and accordingly develop your case of support.

Need Immediate (Within 1- 6 Short term (1 - 2 years) Long term (2 or

months) more years)

New furniture for In-Kind Support

Office
Financial Support
Computers for In-Kind (Old computer)
Program team
Financial support
Website update and Pro- bono support
social media
promotion Volunteer for
developing blogs etc.
New project for Financial support
developing school (Grant)
infrastructure
Summer camp for Financial support
underprivileged In-Kind Support (Books
children for children)
Volunteers ( Subject
Experts)

Support for Volunteers for Financial support to

sustaining the improving project sustain the project.
ongoing project outreach. (Grant)

Pro-bono support Volunteer support

to market products
developed during
the project cycle.
 C. Conduct SWOT analysis: Conducting a SWOT analysis is a very effective tool to asses,
analyze the current health of your organization and manage the organization
successfully. SWOT stands for Strengths, Weaknesses, Opportunities, and Threats.
SWOT helps an organization to analyze both internal (strengths and weaknesses) as well
as external factors (opportunities and threats) which are likely to impact the working of
the organization. By conducting a SWOT you can manage the projects as well the
organization in a much better way. Through the SWOT you will be able to conduct a self-
analysis of the processes, policies and governance structure of the organization,
operations, and project issues. Many organizations conduct such analysis only during a
crisis, however, carrying it out on a regular basis (annually) can help the organization in
better managing their internal systems and externalities. During the SWOT the following
are analyzed:
• Strengths: Characteristics that give you an advantage over others.
• Weaknesses: Characteristics that place you at a disadvantage relative to others.
• Opportunities: External elements that the project be an advantage to expand
your work.
• Threats: External elements in the environment that could act as a risk for you.

3. Proposal Planning

Now that you are well aware of the needs of the donor and also the needs of your organization,
you can start the proposal planning. Project development is the key ingredient that will largely
define the success of an NGO. The projects should be developed considering both the
organizations’ vision and the needs of the community. Developing a project for a social problem
requires a lot of research and planning. There may be several problems in the community that
your organization plans to work for, however, it would not be possible to address all the issues
at once. While planning for the most suitable project you can use the following steps.

A. Identify the problem: While writing the proposal it is important for you to identify a
problem that you will address. There may be several problems that exist in your locality
but you cannot tackle all these problems at once and therefore you need to identify a
particular problem for a proposal. Identify the most pressing issue prevalent in your
project site and accordingly finalize the strategy you would adopt to solve the issue.
There is a large number of tools that are participatory in nature and can be used during
the project planning are:
• Stakeholder analysis: Stakeholder analysis is an important tool to understand the
perspectives of the problem through diverse groups.
 • Problem tree: Problem Trees are an effective tool to analyze the current
problem, the causes of the problem and the immediate effect of these problems.
Several NGOs use this tool to develop project proposals to address the problem.
• Seasonal calendars: This is another important participatory tool to understand
how the community performs its functions during various seasons. This exercise
helps in understanding the periods of scarcity, illness, water stress, etc.
• Focus group: Focus group discussions form an integral part of qualitative
research in which a group of people is asked about their perceptions, opinions,
beliefs, and attitudes towards a product, service, concept, etc.
• Questionnaire: A questionnaire is a research tool containing a series of questions
on a particular issue or problem.

During the preparation phase, make sure that you identify a single problem that your project
would solve. Many times organizations get over-enthusiastic when writing a proposal and tend
to include multiple problems in their project proposal. To avoid confusion and wastage of time
it is important for you to select just one major problem that your project would resolve.
Selecting just one major problem for the proposal helps you to focus clearly only on a single
solution thereby saving time.

B. Organize a good working team: Do not overburden yourself with the entire process of
proposal writing; instead, allocate different sections to your team as per their expertise.
Depending on the size of your NGO, organize a team with clearly defined duties,
responsibilities, and timeline. The team members should possess good writing skills
along with sound technical knowledge of the related subject. At this point remember
not to have too many people in the drafting team, as coordination between the team
members will only lead to delays and wastage of time. Depending on the complexity of
the proposal and your organization capacity you can have up to 3-5 people in the
proposal drafting team. You can assign the following tasks to the proposal drafting
team:
• Proposal Drafting Lead- This person is responsible for working on the main
aspects of the proposal i.e. the project description.
• Proposal Drafting Support- This person is responsible for collecting the relevant
documents and completing the background information (Organization details,
Problem Statement, Annexure, etc.)
• Finance/Budget Prepare- This person is responsible for creating the budget.
C. Read winning proposals: Before you start drafting the project proposal make sure that
you read a few winning proposals (these are usually available online). This will help you
in structuring your proposal and will give you insight into the terminology, format, and
language that is preferred by donors.
Phase 2. Proposal Writing

Once you are through the planning phase, the next phase of proposal drafting will start.
Keeping everything ready before drafting the proposal, will reduce last-minute rush and you
will be able to respond to the solicitation effectively.

A. Develop a proposal calendar: Most RFPs issued by donor agencies, give the
organizations a period of 30-45 days to prepare their application and submit it. Make a
calendar for your proposal development team, starting from the day the solicitation is
released. Establish clear and practical deadlines for the team, so that the proposal can
be drafted, edited and submitted timely. The calendar should have all the necessary
details that are required for submission.

Activity Time line Responsibility

1. Read the solicitation Day of release (DAY 1) Proposal development

lead

2. 1st draft of proposal DAY 12th Proposal Development

Lead

3. Budget complete Day 12th Budget preparer

4. Proposal submission At least 2 days before the Proposal Manager

deadline

B. Identify partners: If you plan to submit a joint proposal with multiple partners, it is
advisable that you speak to your partners about their roles/expectations in advance.
While identifying partners focus on organizations that have a good track record and can
demonstrate their past performance.
C. Keep all documents available: During the application process, you may be required to
submit several documents as part of your application. Make a folder containing scanned
and attested copies of necessary documents (Registration certificate, tax exemption
certificates, audited reports, FCRA, Bank details, past performance record, etc.)
D. Read the solicitation very carefully: The solicitation provides important information
such as the scope of work, evaluation criteria, eligibility information, and activities that
 the Donor will fund. Be sure that you understand all of the requirements included in the
solicitation. Once you have gone through the solicitation, go through it again and mark
key information, so that you do not forget important things while developing the
proposal and completing the application process.
E. Outline the solicitation: Review the section that tells you how to prepare and organize
the various sections in your proposal. This section can be called ‘Technical Proposal
Guidelines/application format’. The technical section of the application will have several
sub-sections which need to be completed by you.
F. Review the Evaluation Criteria: The solicitation clearly describes the evaluation criteria
for assessing your response. Study the order of importance and point scale given to each
criterion and develop your response to suit the criteria. Typical evaluation criteria
include Technical Expertise, Staffing, Experience and Capabilities, and Past Performance.
Some other factors that can be considered while evaluation of proposals include:
• Innovation & Impact
• Cost-effectiveness
• Evidence & Evaluation
• Implementation
• Sustainability and Pathway to Scale
• Project Team
G. Ask Questions: If you face any doubt or query during the application process, feel free
to contact the point of contact. Be sure to contact only those persons who have been
mentioned in the solicitation and not anyone else. Also, keep in mind that the questions
should be submitted in written.
H. Have a Proposal Kick-off Meeting: Once you have gone through the above-mentioned
sections of the solicitation, organize a proposal kick-off meeting. This meeting will be
attended by your proposal development team, decision-makers, and senior team
members to finalize the project theme, roles, and deadlines.
I. Proposal Drafting: While drafting the technical proposal to follow the format that has
been requested in the solicitation and write the details for each section as has been
asked. Try to get used to the terminology used in the solicitation and use it while
drafting the proposal; this will make your solicitation response stronger.
J. Budget: Strictly follow the template for cost proposal including budget narrative. The
cost application budget is generally presented in three basic ways:
• Summary Budget
• Detailed Budget
• Budget Narrative
Make a rough budget that you may feel will be required to carry out the required
activities. For making the rough budget you may use your organizations’ standard
 budget format. This rough budget can then be translated to the template required in
the solicitation.

Phase 3. Post Writing Stage

A. Review the draft: Have a senior person review the draft response. The role of the
reviewer will be to make sure that all sections of the solicitation response have been
completed and fit together. The reviewer will also ensure that basic grammatical,
technical and budgetary errors are removed from your response.
B. Check the Solicitation Requirements: Once you have completed the solicitation
response, go through the solicitation requirements once again to ensure that all sections
and requirements have been completed by you. See for information related to the
following:
• Page Numbers
• Font size and font
• Completion of all sections and sub sections
• Budget
• Make sure that you have followed the solicitation instructions properly.
C. Submission of Appendices: If you wish to submit additional reference material/
documents to support your response, you can submit the same in the form of
Appendices. Even though appendices are not part of your main response, make sure
that you are consistent, accurate and professional when submitting appendices.
Examples of documents that can be included in the appendices are:
• CV of program team members
• Letters of Support
• Organizational chart
Remember not to provide unnecessary information to the reviewed, share information
that is required to support your response or have been asked in the solicitation.
D. Respect the Deadline: Make certain that your solicitation response is prepared timely
and is submitted within the deadline. Consider the international time or differences in
time zone when looking at the date and time.
Structure of a Proposal

For a proposal to be successful it needs to have certain sections that are complete in all
respects. In this section, we will understand the most important components of a proposal.
There may be different requirements of a donor and proposals may differ greatly in terms of
what a donor requires. Most donor agencies will provide you with a general format or outline
of the various project components.

Here we are looking at the most important components of a proposal that you should have in
your proposal.

Components of a Proposal
1. Project Title
2. Cover Page
3. Table of Content
4. List of Abbreviations
5. Executive Summary
6. Problem Statement
7. Project Description
7.1. Goal
7.2. Objectives
7.3. Project Strategy
7.3.1. Key Approaches
7.3.2. Activities
7.4. Project Results
7.4.1. Outputs
7.4.2. Outcomes
7.4.3. Impact
7.5. Project Management
7.6. Timeline
7.7. Monitoring and Evaluation
7.8. Risk and Assumptions
7.9. Sustainability
7.10. Communication
8. Budget
9. Organization Profile
10. Log frame
11. Annexure
1. Project Title: A title is the name of your proposal and when written appropriately
stands out and draws the attention to your proposal. The project title should be able
to reflect the focus of your proposal by just having a look at it, which simply means it
should be clear and explicit. Many agencies just write “Proposal on health
submitted to XYZ agency”, which is a very wrong practice as this title lacks creativity
and fails to create an impression or reflect what the proposal is about.
2. Cover Page: A cover page is sometimes also referred to as the title page and as the
name indicates, it is the first page that introduces the document to the reader. The
title page provides the reader with the basic information regarding the content of
the document (in this case the proposal). The cover page should capture the essence
of the project proposal and should immediately catch the attention of the reader.
There are many templates available on Microsoft Word and other applications that
can be used for designing the proposal cover pages. You can also design your cover
page as per your requirements.
3. Table of Content: The table of content goes after the cover page and provides the
reader with an organized list of the various sections and subsections of the proposal.
The reader gets a clear idea of the way you have organized the proposal and they
can move to the sections that are most relevant to them. You can write a table of
contents manually on your computer or use a word processing tool.
4. List of abbreviations: This is a list of all the abbreviations that you have used in your
proposal. The main purpose of this list is to help the reader in understanding the
abbreviation as per the context of your proposal.
5. Executive Summary: An Executive summary is considered to be the most valuable
and important part of the proposal. The primary purpose of the executive summary
is to create interest about your proposal and help in convincing the donor that your
proposal needs funds. In simple terms, it helps you sell your project. The summary of
your project should include the major details of your report. Experts suggest that it
is important to write the executive summary because it is often the only portion of
the proposal that is read. Questions that the Executive Summary should address:
▪ Why is the project important?
▪ What is the problem that you are addressing?
▪ How do you intend to resolve the problem?
▪ What is the total budget and duration of the proposed project?
▪ What is your expertise?
▪ What is the grant amount being requested?
6. Problem Statement: This is an important section of the proposal as it presents the
argument of why your project needs funding. It describes the issues and problems
that a particular community faces and how your organization would address the
 given problem. The primary purpose of this section of the proposal is to convince the
donor that your project is important and the problem that you intend to solve is
real. At the same time, it should also make the donor hopeful, that his support can
help in addressing the problem and practical solutions exist to reduce the issue. The
problem statement should answer the 5 Ws (Who, What, Where, When and Why):
▪ What is the problem that you intend to solve? What is the impact that it s
creating? What will happen if the problem remains unsolved?
▪ Who are the people/communities that the problem affects?
▪ When did the problem/issue become so critical?
▪ Where is the issue occurring?
▪ Why is it important that we fix the problem?
7. Project Description: This is the main narrative of your project and provides the
reader with all the necessary information of the project. This section of the proposal
will have important elements of the proposal and will describe the project goal,
objectives, methodology, impacts, etc. to the reader. We will be describing the
various components of the project description below:
7.1. Goal: Goal is a broad statement that defines what you plan to do in a
project. The goal basically defines the purpose of the proposal by giving an
idea to the reader of what problem your organization intends to address. As
the goal of the proposal shows the reader your intention towards solving a
particular problem it should be linked with the problem statement. Always
remember that the goal cannot be achieved during the course of the project,
its primary purpose is to provide direction to the project team.
7.2. Objective: Once you have a logical and well-reasoned goal, you have to
frame three/four objectives that would help you in achieving the particular
goal. Objectives are detailed statements describing the ways through which
you intend to achieve the goal. While designing the objectives always be
very specific, this will help you in writing the indicators and activities.

Goals Objectives

• Broad statements • Detailed statements

• Abstract • Specific and concrete
• Intangible • Tangible
• Difficult to measure • Measurable
• Usually one for a proposal • 3-4 objectives to achieve a
 • Accomplished through 3-4 certain goal
objectives • Accomplished through a
series of activities planned
for each objective

7.3. Project Strategy: Any project uses a combination of project methods and
activities to attain the project goal and objectives.
7.3.1. Project Approach: An approach and methodology for
project management refer to the way in which the
management of a project will be carried out. It is important
for the project design team to have a proper set of
approaches to carry out the project in an efficient and
effective manner. Examples of the project
approach/methodology are: Capacity-building/awareness
raising, Organizational development, Research and
development, Advocacy.
7.3.2. Activities: These refer to the smallest identifiable and
measurable pieces of work planned for the successful
completion of the project. Defining the activities help the
project staff to understand what actions to do and at what
time. Every activity is associated with a definite interim goal
or objective.
7.4. Staffing and Administration: This section talks about project management
aspects. Here, you mention the implementation staff, the implementation
schedule, and other related stuff.
7.5. Project Results: Project proposals should explain the expected results that
will be achieved by the project. Project results can be divided into three
types:
o Outputs: These are immediate results obtained after
implementing an activity. E.g. No. of hand pumps installed.
o Outcomes: Outcomes are the mid-term results which are not
observed immediately but are felt after some time. E.g.
Improvement in water availability.
o Impact: Impact is usually a long-term result and is usually not
achieved during the life cycle of the project. E.g. Reduced
Water Stress in villages.
7.6. Project Timeline: The project timeline indicates when the various activities
and processes will be carried out during the course of the project duration.
The primary purpose of the timeline is to help the project staff to carry out
the various activities in a timely and smooth manner. A detailed work plan/
timeline indicates that the organization has planned the project in a realistic
and practical manner. Most often the organizations use a Gannet Chart to
summarize the project timeline.
7.7. Monitoring and Evaluation: This section discusses about the proposed
mechanisms and procedures for monitoring the project activities so that one
can ensure that all activities occur as planned. You should have a well-
defined plan to monitor your project activities and also to evaluate the
success of the project. Monitoring allows the project team to keep a check
on the progress, while evaluation helps the team to appraise data and
improve project implementation in the future. Monitoring and evaluation
refer to two different processes that are closely tied together and therefore
used in the same sentence most of the time. However, it is important to
make a distinction between the two in order to clearly understand the
terms.
Monitoring Evaluation
• Monitoring refers to the • Evaluation is the second
measuring and documenting step in the approach, where
of progress, achievements the data collected during
and results throughout the the monitoring process is
project. analyzed and evaluated in
• It is an ongoing process order to determine if a
throughout the project project s goal or aim was
duration. achieved or not.
• Used for monitoring the • It is carried out at the end
progress of a project. of the project.
• Used to assess if the project
has successfully achieved
the project objectives or
not.
 7.8. Risk and Assumption: This section of the proposal describes the external
factors that may impact the success of the project. Identifying the risks and
assumptions will help you not only in developing a stronger proposal but will
also show the donor that you have a good understanding of external and
internal factors. Also by thoroughly analyzing these, you will be in a better
position to mitigate the risks and reduce the chances of project failure.
Along with describing the risks and assumptions, it is important for you to
describe the mitigation strategies to deal with the external factors.
7.9. Sustainability: To sustain the impacts of any community-based project it is
essential that suitable linkages are developed with the local community,
government department and all relevant stakeholders. You should clearly
spell out the sustainability measures in your project so that the donor is
convinced that the project will sustain itself even after the funding ends.
7.10. Communication: An important aspect of the project is the communication
plan that will be used to disseminate the project results and key project
learning. Your project proposal should mention how you would ensure that
the project results are shared with relevant stakeholders and target groups.
Here you should mention about the various communication products that
will be produced during the course of the project.
8. Budget: A budget is a financial plan for a defined period, often one year. It may also
include planned sales volumes and revenues, resource quantities, costs and
expenses, assets, liabilities and cash flows. Your budget should be divided into
categories such as salaries, fringe benefits, travel, supplies, and equipment. A budget
is a tool that is used to plan and control financial resources in a justified manner. A
budget presents the organization’s objectives and the strategy that the management
intends to attain those objectives. In a project proposal, the budget basically gives a
clear picture of all the expenses that will be incurred during the course of the
project.
9. Organization Profile: NGO profile is an important document that tells about the
NGO, where it has come from, and where it is heading to, who all are guiding it and
who all are impacted by its action.
10. Logical Framework Matrix: Logical Framework Matrix is the output that is generated
as a result of following the LFA process. LFM is a 4x4 matrix that structures the main
elements of a project in a logical and sequential way. There are different variations
of the LFM but the most common LFM comprises 16 cells in a 4 column by 4 row
matrix. The logical framework matrix represents the existing relation between
different elements of a project both vertically and horizontally.
11. Annexure: Annexure is the additional information that you wish to submit to the
donor. All additional documents and reports should be submitted as an appendix
and should not be part of the main body of the proposal.
How to Write the Various Sections of the Proposal

1. Project Title: Having a well written and creative title can really help you in creating a
positive impression among the donor. Some of the points that can help you write a
good proposal title are as follows:
• Choose a title that is clear and explicit
• Use words that are able to reflect the purpose of your proposal
• Don’t make the title too long; use words that are necessary to explain the
purpose of your proposal.
• Use a single sentence for your title.
2. Cover Page: When drafting the proposal, enough attention should be given to
prepare the cover page, as it is the first thing that the donor will see and a nicely
prepared cover page may help in creating interest. The cover page should:
• Be attractive
• Be professional and formal
• Provide information about the proposal
• Not be over cluttered
• Use official fonts and color scheme
• Use an image that is synchronized with your project and organization
The information you want to include in the cover page depends on several factors
such as organization design template, donor requirements, purpose of the proposal
etc. Most experts suggest including the following information in the cover page:
• Title of the Project
• Organization Name and Logo
• Name of the donor
• Complete contact details of the organization (Address, Website, Email)
• Submission date
• Relevant Image (Optional)
3. Table of Content: To write a Table of Contents using Microsoft Word the following
steps can be used:
• Use the Headings options found on the Home menu for the titles of headings
and subheadings.
• Once those are included, move the cursor to where the table should be
located and go to References → Table of Contents.
• Choose the style of Table of Contents you wish to insert.
 A table should automatically appear in the document with the selected headings and
corresponding page numbers. Things to consider while you make the table of
content are:
• Use a simple format
• Lists all the sections
• Page numbers are correct
• The title and headings match in the text
4. Table of abbreviations: Use a simple table showing the full form of all the
abbreviations that you have used in the body of the proposal.
5. Executive Summary: Things to consider while writing the executive summary:
• We should analyze important points relating to the problem, the solution,
the uniqueness of the proposal and the reason your organization is suitable
to carry out such a project.
• It addresses the Why, How, and What of the proposal.
• Restrict the length to one page which is approximately 300-500 words.
• Captures the attention of the donor and excites them to read the entire
proposal.
Important parts of the executive summary:
• Opener/Problem (1-2 paragraphs): Focus on the issue, challenge and need.
Include some research to demonstrate that you understand the problem.
• Solution (1-2 paragraphs): State the solution that you propose to solve the
problem. Mention about the strategy, the possible impact, how many
people will benefit from the program, how/where it will operate, etc.
• Funding Requirement (1 paragraph): Explanation of the estimated amount
required for the project.
• Organization and Expertise (1 paragraph): Talk about your organization and
strengths. Emphasize how your organization is the best to implement the
project successfully.
• Tips for writing an excellent executive summary are as follows:
o Be concise and clear
o Don’t use jargons and overly technical language
o Focus on the benefits of the project
o Use the right tone
o Do not include too much data
o Make it exciting
o Don’t make it too long
6. Problem Statement: While writing this section of the proposal it is critical that you
quote facts and figures as evidence to your problem. These facts can be from data
 that your organization has collected or can be from research articles or government
reports. Along with stating data to justify the project, you should also mention about
why your organization is suitable to carry out the project (mention about similar
projects that you have implemented).
7. Project Description
• Project Goal: Consider the following tips that will help you write a good goal.
o Do not write a vague goal: Even though the Goal is a broad
statement, it does not mean that the project goal should be
vague. Your goal should be clearly written so that the reader
understands your purpose of proposing a project.
o Goal should be in line with the problem statement: The goal
of the proposal shows the reader your intention towards
solving a particular problem and therefore the goal should
be in line with the problem statement. For instance, if your
problem statement relates to aspects of poverty and issues
related to poor and marginalized families in a particular
region then your goal should state that you seek to alleviate
poverty in the area through the proposed project.
o Goal should be consistent with your organizations’ mission
and vision statement: As your organization addresses
certain social and developmental issues, keep these in mind
while you draft proposals and write goals. For example, if
your organization works for street children then the goal of
the proposal should be relevant to your primary
stakeholders.
o Use simple language to write a goal: Avoid the use of jargon
and technical words to write a goal. Use language that is
easy to understand by people, not something for which
people have to use a dictionary.
o Keep only one goal for a proposal: Try to keep one goal for
the proposal as having multiple goals in a particular project
only creates confusion. As the goal is a broad statement it
will surely encompass multiple things that would be
addressed through the various objectives.
• Objective: Consider the following while framing the objective of your
proposal:
o Objectives should address the 5 Ws: While framing the
objectives ensure that they provide answers to the 5Ws:
 • Why: are you proposing a particular thing?
• What: approach will you adopt to reach the desired goal?
• When: will you conduct the particular project?
• Where: will you implement the project?
• Who: will be the primary stakeholders/beneficiaries or
who will be doing a particular thing in a project?

This is an easy way to frame objectives that provide detailed strategy for
accomplishing the desired impact.

o Objectives should support the goal: It is very important that

each of your objectives contributes and supports achieving
the goal. For instance, if the goal of the project, is to improve
maternal health in XYZ area, then each of the objectives
should contribute and suggest measures for improving
maternal health.
o Objectives should follow a logical order: While framing the
objectives, one should always remember that objectives
should be logically placed, which simply means that while
implementing a project a step by step procedure should be
in place. This will also help you in planning all the activities
accordingly.
o Frame SMART objectives: Most of the program mangers
might have heard about this acronym for framing quality
objectives. SMART mean objectives that are:
• Specific: This means that the objectives should be clear
and unambiguous, giving details of how and what you
intend to achieve.
• Measurable: This means that the objectives should be
quantifiable so that one can see if they are being
achieved or not. This can be done by assigning a numeric
value to your objective by answering questions like: How
many? How much? By when?
• Achievable: This means that the objective should be
feasible, viable and within the control/capacity of the
organization. While drafting the objective, the
organization should keep in mind its own capacity,
constraints and abilities to achieve the objective.
 • Realistic: When you draft the objective to ensure that
they are realistic and can be attained within the available
resources and time frame.
• Time–bound: It is important to give a time-frame for
completing a particular objective. This helps in the timely
delivery of the outputs and outcomes without
unnecessary delays.
o Use action verbs while drafting objectives: Whenever you
frame objectives use active verbs like create, identify,
promote, enhance, increase, and develop etc. These verbs
help in describing the course of action and give clarity to
your object.
o Keep 3-4 objectives: Most experts recommend keeping
three to four objectives in a proposal. Each objective will
further have several activities and tasks to be undertaken
and therefore having many objectives will just complicate
project implementation.
• Project Approach: Choose the approach by considering the various aspects
of the project. Your choice of the methodology will depend on the following:
o Goal of the project
o Key Objectives
o Existing resources
o Location of the project
o Collaboration between various agencies
o Existing education level of the beneficiaries
o Your organization’s mission and culture
• Activities: The project activities will describe how each of your objectives
will be achieved Key questions that this section should answer:
o What are the specific tasks?
o Who is responsible for each task?
o What resources are needed?
o When will these activities occur and over what time period?
o Are there other organizations in your community serving a
similar audience?
Important steps to consider while designing the activities for your proposal:
o Select only those activities that are required to achieve the
objective
o Review past proposals
 o Research best practices and activities that can be adopted
o Discuss with project experts, community members to find
out what will work.

Given below is an example of project approach and activities.

S.No Approach Activity

1. Awareness Generation 1. Development of

communication material

2. Organizing Awareness Rallies

3. Conducting street plays and

Shows

2. Capacity Building 1. Conducting counseling sessions

2.Conducting Motivational
sessions

3. Training and Demonstration

4. Exposure Visit

• Staffing and Administration: You can describe the people who will be hired
as part of the project along with their respective roles. Some of the points
that can be considered while writing this section:
• Mention about the number of people to be hired for the
project
• Mention about each role
• Describe qualifications for each role
S.No Designation Role

1 Project Director (1) Responsible for the overall administration

and management of the project. He/she will
develop proposals for future funding and
manage the other staff.

2 Social Worker (1) Responsible for mobilization and conducting

initial level village meetings and orientation
sessions.

• Project Results: Project proposals should explain the expected results that
will be achieved by the project. Donors are most important to find out how
their support will help in resolving a particular problem and the results that
it will yield. While writing this section consider the following:
• Always use positive statements to describe the result
• Divide the results into three types viz. output, outcome,
impact
• Write clear, meaningful and measurable results
• Project Timeline: Some ways to write the timeline are:
• Use a simple format (Table, Gant Chart)
• Set realistic deadlines
• Allow some buffer time
• Monitoring and Evaluation: While working on the monitoring & evaluation
plan the following questions should be addressed:
• How will success be measured?
• What do you consider success to be?
• How will the result be measured?
• What methods will be used to assess results?
• Who will conduct the evaluation and when?
 While the specifics of a monitoring and evaluation plan differ from program to
program, the basic set-up and operation is the same.

• Determine what exactly needs monitoring and evaluating.

• Define and agree on the performance indicators which will
be used.
• Continue monitoring through the project regularly.
• Use the collected information to make decisions and lastly,
perform an evaluation.
• Risk and Assumption: While assessing the risks and assumptions you should
look at :
• Political Willingness
• Resource Availability
• Climatic Conditions
• Accessibility
• Support of government
• Internal organization issues (Experts, trainers and staff)
• Sustainability: While describing the sustainability section you should
mention about the following:
• Participation: Describe how the project ensures ownership
and participation throughout the planning, implementation
and monitoring and evaluation phases of the project.
• Support from authorities: Explain about linkages that will be
developed with local authorities, government departments
that will help in long term sustenance of the project.
• Sustainability of the project: Describe the measures that will
be taken to help ensure that the project activities will
continue or that the project will have a lasting impact after
the funding ends.
• Communication: Here you can mention about the following:
• Use of Social Media
• Type of reports that will be published
• Field manuals and training booklets
• Workshops for sharing project results
• Best practices
• Case studies
8. Budget: Often, the most difficult part of a proposal is budgeting. While developing
the budget involves one of your finance team members and project team members
 to sit together and work on a tentative budget. Give this team a brief overview of
what all you want to do in the project so that they have an idea to work out the
costs. Your budget should be divided into categories such as salaries, fringe benefits,
travel, supplies, and equipment.
Key points to consider while developing the budget:
• The budget should be presented in the format given by the donor.
• All the activities should be budgeted in the budget.
• The budget should be in line with the project activities.
• The budget should be as per the timeframe.
• Allocate some fund for contingencies.
• Include a proper overhead budget.
• The budget should be reflected in the currency of the donor.
• Include exchange rate when using local currency.
• All your calculations should be correct.
• Use excel for the calculations.
9. Organization Profile: The following steps can be used when developing the
organization profile.
• Go through your website and annual reports.
• Collect information related to your past awards, certifications and
achievements.
• Mention about the impact your organization has created.
• Just state facts about your organization.
• Do not boast.
10. Logical Framework Matrix: LFM should ideally be the first step when you are
planning the project. Many people write the proposal first and then develop the LFM
which completely defeats the purpose of the LFA. Developing LFMs takes time, so do
not wait for the last minute. Start collecting necessary information and keep enough
time for conducting different analytical processes.
• The entire process should be inclusive and participatory. Take inputs from
your field staff, project partners and other stakeholders.
• Start the exercise by analyzing the problems, stakeholders and the existing
situation.
• Check for both vertical and horizontal logic between the different cells of the
matrix.
• The log frame should be concise, structured and easy to understand.
• Provide suitable indicators and MoVs at various levels.
11. Annexure: Points to consider when preparing the annexure are as follows:
• All documents should be properly numbered
• Only the most relevant documents should be submitted
• The following documents can be annexed:
o CV of project team
o Evidence of nonprofit status of your organization
o Research reports/data to support your problem statement
o Relevant experience of the NGO
Proposal Templates of Important Grants for 2020

1. RFP Template for OPTions Initiative Request for Proposals Options for Pregnancy
Termination Innovation Initiative, Round 2

For more details visit: https://optionsinitiative.org/wp-content/uploads/2019/11/OPTR2-RFP-

EN.pdf

1. Project Title (Please create a clear and concise project title. Note that there is a 100
character limit for the title.)
• Amount Requested (up to $250,000 CAD)
• Anticipated Start Date
• Enter the duration of your project in months (18 or 24)
2. Project Scope:
A. Please select the category to which you are applying. Please note that you are limited to
selecting one (1) category.
• New approaches to increasing early access to existing abortion products and
services
• Next generation methods of pregnancy termination
B. Project Tagging: Select up to 5 keywords that describe your innovation. These keywords
will only be used to match your proposal with appropriate reviewers, so please only
select those that directly align with your proposal.
C. Implementation Country/Countries: Indicate the country/countries where you will be
implementing your project.
D. Health Platforms: This category describes the approach you are taking to address the
health priorities you are focusing on (e.g., Service Delivery).
3. Project Summary
A. Provide a summary of your innovation by responding to the four questions below:
Please note that only the Project Summary (the four questions below) will be reviewed
for the first stage of the evaluation process (the Innovation Screen).
• What is the problem addressed by your innovation? Provide details on the
specific context you are proposing to work in.
• What is your proposed innovation?
• What are the current approaches to the problem and how will your innovation
address it more effectively?
• How is your innovation relevant to vulnerable and marginalized women and girls
in low- or middle-income countries (LMICs)?
B. Boldness, Creativity and Integrated Innovation® Is the proposed idea innovative, bold
and different than current approaches? Does the proposed idea integrate
scientific/technological, social and business innovation?
• Describe and quantify the safe abortion problem you will address and provide
information that outlines the supply and/or demand gap(s) that you intend to
address, particularly in the context in which you plan to implement.
• Explain your innovation and how it has the potential to fundamentally transform
how the safe abortion problem is managed.
• How is your innovation different from other approaches to the same problem
including previously funded Grand Challenges Canada projects?
• Describe how your idea applies Integrated Innovation: the integration of
scientific/technological, social and business innovation.
C. Project Execution Plan and Technical Merit
• What is the proof of concept you are trying to establish within the timeframe of
the grant, and how will you demonstrate that proof of concept has been
achieved at the end of the grant period (i.e. what specific results will determine
if the innovation has been successful)?
• Describe your project execution plan to demonstrate proof of concept within the
18 or 24 month grant period, including proposed project activities,
implementation strategy, methodology and timelines. Learning and refinement
is part of the innovation process. Please include how you intend to adapt your
approach within the scope of the seed grant based on lessons learned.
D. Expected Health Results
• Please indicate your expected results (i) over the timeline of your grant and (ii)
over 3-5 years. Include a description of the indicators you will use to measure
results (i.e. the health and developmental impact of your innovation), and
quantify the expected impact on the target population.
E. Scale and Sustainability: Does the proposed idea have a path to and potential for
impact at scale?
• Describe how you would scale up your innovation and the strategic partners
(private sector, government, regulators, etc.) that could help to support and fund
the scale-up plan.
• Describe the degree to which your innovation could be replicated in other
regions for scale-up and which additional regions or countries you would target
for scaling-up.
• Describe any challenges that you foresee in transitioning your innovation from
proof- of-concept towards scale up.
 • Describe how your innovation will become sustainable – i.e. what is the long-
term market or public health channel for your innovation?
• Briefly discuss how the current political, social, and economic context affects the
problem your project will address, include relevant laws and regulations related
to your innovation.
• Identify any risks of implementing your innovation based on specific social,
political, and cultural contexts, and describe how you will manage and mitigate
these risks to ensure no negative consequences are encountered by the
beneficiaries.
F. The Project Lead and Team: The Project Lead and team should possess the relevant
experience, leadership and commitment in developing, implementing and scaling
solutions in the technical area proposed.
• Describe yourself and your team. How are you best positioned to carry out the
proposed activities, including bringing the innovation to scale? If you have
additional project collaborators, explain their role(s) in the project execution.
• Describe any relevant experience (including entrepreneurship/business training
and public engagement) that your team possesses.
• Describe the sector that your institution falls into, how it adds value and brings
new perspectives to the safe abortion space, and how it is positioned to
introduce novel ways of solving the problem that your innovation is addressing.
G. Budget
• For the key activities listed in B. 2. (Project Execution Plan and Technical Merit),
provide a breakdown of how the funds will be spent.
• Please use the fields below to enter your budget. Total Budget should not exceed
$250,000 CAD.
H. Environmental Sustainability, Gender Equality, and Human Rights and Inclusion
• Environmental Sustainability: Does your innovation contribute positively to
environmental sustainability? Is there a plan to limit adverse environmental
effects of the innovation?
• Gender Equality: Briefly describe the gender equality considerations this project
takes into account, including how the project moves forward the above
objectives.
• Human Rights and Inclusion: Briefly describe the human rights and inclusion
considerations this project takes into account, including how the project moves
forward the above objectives.
2. Template for Application for the First UNESCO-UNEVOC Global OER Grant Programme

For further details visit: https://unevoc.unesco.org/go.php?q=First+UNESCO-

UNEVOC+Global+OER+Grant+Programme

A. Description of the initiative and its output

• Please describe your planned initiative in roughly 300 to 1000 words (minimum
of 2,000 characters) and make sure to cover these questions:
o What need does it address?
o In which area of TVET?
o Who's the target group, who will use the resource?
o How will it be implemented
o Who will be involved in the activity?
• Please tell us what the shareable output will be.
o What will be your tangible output (what type of OER or other shareable
output)?
o What sustainable impact do you envisage?
B. Project timeline
• Inform us about the planned project timeline.
C. Funding
• What amount do you apply for, and how do you intend to use the money
• What is your in-kind contribution?
3. Template for Commonwealth Foundation

For more information visit: https://commonwealthfoundation.com/grants/

Section A - Applicant organization details

Section B - Organizational Structure

Section C - Partner information

Section D - Project information

Section E - Project description

E.1 Summary description of the project

E2. Project implementation location

E.3 Project target group(s)

E.4 Project final beneficiaries

E.5 Commonwealth Foundation's outcome area

• Which outcome area does your project address?

• Stronger civic voices engaging in policy processes to hold government to
account
• Public discourse more reflective of less heard voices
• How does your project address the selected outcome area?

E.6 Description of the problem

• What is the problem or need the project is designed to address?

• How does the problem specifically affect women and girls within the project
beneficiary groups the project is intending to impact?
• How have you identified this problem?
• Which groups did you consult with to identify the problem?
• What methods did you use to consult with the different stakeholder groups? If
you used any specific consultation tool, please indicate which.
• What research or other resource materials are there that support your
identification of the problem?
 • Were the project beneficiaries involved in the project design? If yes, how was
this achieved?
• How will you incorporate gender mainstreaming into your project?
• Why do you think the time is right for this project to be implemented?
• What are the main challenges envisaged in implementing the project and how
will they be addressed?

E.8 Project Outcomes

• What changes will take place as a result of your project?

• How will these changes specifically impact women and girls that are part of the
project's final beneficiaries?
• Describe what you will do to ensure outcomes from your project are sustained
beyond the Commonwealth Foundation funding
• Why is your organization (and where relevant your partner(s)), best placed to
undertake this project?
• How does this project differ from any current and previous work you have
undertaken or are undertaking?
• How will this project complement any existing projects that you are
implementing and the work of other organizations?
• Please give a short description of the implementation arrangements and
responsibilities of the applicant and each partner organization(s) in delivering the
project.

E.9 Why is your organization (and where relevant your partner(s)), best placed to
undertake this project?

E.10 How does this project differ from any current and previous work you have
undertaken or are undertaking?

E.11 How will this project complement any existing projects that you are
implementing and the work of other organizations?

E.12 Please give a short description of the implementation arrangements and

responsibilities of the applicant and each partner organization(s) in delivering the
project.
4. Template for The Common Fund for Commodities 16 th open Call for proposals

For more details visit: http://www.common-fund.org/call-for-proposals/

Project Title:

1. Project operations
• Operational Model
o Current operational model
o Intended operational model
o Operational plan
• Operational capacity
• Market system impact/innovation
• Competitive challenges
• SWOT analysis
2. Project development impact
• Expected impact and related SDGs
• Net economic impact
• Sustainability of the project model
• Poverty profile of the end beneficiary
• Environmental impact
• Monitoring and evaluation arrangements
3. Financial viability of the project
• Summary financing structure and additionality of CFC financing
• Past financial track record
• Financial projections
• Exit strategy and sustainability after completion
• Risk mitigation facilities
Sample Proposal Education

Project Title: Mobile School; an initiative to improve education in slums of Delhi

1. Problem Statement

“Education is the most powerful weapon which you can use to change the world”, Nelson
Mandela. No words can better explain the importance of education in today’s world. Education
is a fundamental human right and is vital for both personal and societal growth. Education plays
a pivotal role in laying down a strong foundation for both personal and socio-economic
development of the nation.

Over the years, several efforts have been made to increase primary and secondary education
and enhancing the literacy rate. Significant changes have been observed across education
parameters. As per the Annual Status of Education Report (ASER) 2012, 96.5% of all rural
children between the ages of 6-14 were enrolled in school. Another report in 2013 stated that
there were 229 million students enrolled in different accredited urban and rural schools of
India, from Class I to XII, representing an increase of 2.3 million students over 2002 total
enrolment.

Our government has invested heavily for education reach to the poorest of poor, and in this
regard, The Right of Children to Free and Compulsory Education Act or Right to Education Act
(RTE), was enacted on 4 August 2009. Several schemes are also being implemented to increase
the literacy rates throughout the country. Despite several programmes and social schemes, the
problem of lack of education is persistent amongst the marginalised communities. Various
surveys reveal that only half of the children living in slums are registered in school. Also the
school dropout ratio is significantly higher in slum areas. Studies conducted in slums of various
cities point towards some common factors that hinder the ability of children in slums to attend
schools. Some of these factors are:

• Large family size

• Poor parental education background
• Unstable occupation of parents
• Migration
• Language problems
• Low family incomes
• Harassment in schools by peers

Also as most of the slums have poor living conditions and are unhealthy, children are
susceptible to various diseases like malaria, jaundice, dysentery, tuberculosis, asthma,
respiratory infection which further affects their studies. There is therefore a need to invest
towards improving access of these children to quality education.

2. Concept of School on Wheels

The proposed project is XYZs initiative to provide quality education to children living in slums of
Delhi through a mobile school. Realising that many families living in the slums are migrants, and
therefore cannot register children in formal school, we propose to start a school on wheels.
We aim to deliver holistic education to the children who have never been to school and also to
school drop outs.

The school will have basic amenities required for conducting classes; this includes table, chair,
black board, books, and other stationery. The mobile school will help in developing necessary
social, cognitive and academic skills in the children. Along with the academic curriculum, we
also plan to have arts, crafts, dance, drama, games and other co-curricular activities in the bus,
to help in the overall development of the children.

The main reason for starting a mobile school is to enable us to reach areas where there are no
schools in the vicinity, and to reach children who live close to construction sites. With a mobile
school we will be catering to the needs of three slums by scheduling classes in morning,
afternoon and evening to suit the children, this will not be possible if we start a stationary
centre. As our main purpose is to mainstream children to formal schools, we shall move to
another locality, once the children are enrolled in schools. This mobility is achieved through a
mobile school. With a mobile centre we shall raise awareness in the community at large,
without having to spend any funds on awareness generation.

3. Proposed Project
3.1. Project Goal: The project aims to ensure quality education to the deprived urban
children in Delhi through a participatory and responsive community action.
3.2. Project Objectives:
• To enhance awareness of parents in target locations on importance of education.
• To develop Child friendly education system and motivate 100 children (6-14 yrs)
towards formal education system.
• To provide mentoring support to 50 children registered in schools, so as to improve
their academic performance.
3.3. Project beneficiaries: The project will directly benefit 150 children of which 100 will be
enrolled in the mobile school and 50 will be provided mentoring support to help them
in school studies. The entire group of children belong to marginalised families living in
the slums.
3.4. Project Location: The project will be implemented in three slums of Delhi. With 1.8
million people living in the slums Delhi has the second largest slum Population in India.
Most slum dwellers are either unemployed or daily wage workers who cannot afford
basic necessities of life and therefore most children do not attend formal schools.
The three slums identified for the project implementation are:
• Madanpur Khadar: Located about a kilometre away from the Sarita Vihar Metro
Station, is a resettlement colony on the outskirts of Delhi.
• Sangam Vihar: Sangam Vihar is a slum colony, is one of the biggest slums in
India. The area has no water supply and also lacks basic infrastructure.
• Seemapuri Slums: Seemapuri has a large area covered with garbage dump,
having open drains and sewage Nallahs (canals). The residents here are mostly
labour class.
3.5. Proposed Activities:
1. Situation Analysis: To understand the existing issues in the area, a situation
analysis will be carried out. This will be a combination of data collection from
primary and secondary sources, interviews, questionnaire survey and then analysis
of the data. This exercise will help us in identifying both the challenges and the
resources necessary for coping with the problems. Following activities will be
undertaken to gather information:
• Focus Group Discussions
• Questionnaire Survey
• Household Survey
• Structured Interviews
To fill in data gaps, secondary data collection will be done to gather information
from various government departments, policy documents, data, gazetteers and
reports. The data collected through the community needs assessment and the
secondary sources will be analyzed to enhance the understanding of the problems,
gaps and constraints, existing in the project site.
2. Awareness Generation: To achieve success in the project, it is necessary to make
the community members aware about the importance of education and the
project. Awareness generation will be carried out through the following:
• Distribution of Pamphlets
• Street Play
• Movie screening
Once the community members our aware, they will be motivated to send their
children to schools.
3. Identification of 100 children from three slums: 100 children will be identified in
three localities to be registered in our mobile school. Preference will be given to
 children who have never been to school and school drop outs. A weekly schedule
will be planned with the help of the identified children and parents. The mobile
school will visit each area at a pre-decided time and therefore, it is necessary to
have an arrangement that it suitable for children and their parents.
4. Activities in Bus: The mobile school will have various activities to help in the all
round development of the children.
• Basic Literacy Classes: Main purpose of these classes will be to impart the 3
Rs (reading, writing and arithmetic) skills to the children. Children friendly
curriculum will be developed so as to ensure that children remain
motivated and interested to attend the classes. As the project aims to link
children to formal schools, course material will be in line with the
government guidelines and the course curricula of neighbouring schools.
• Mentoring Classes: Many students need extra support in their studies, and
as their parents cannot afford tuitions, we will be providing them with
supplementary classes. To support children who are registered with school,
special tutoring classes will be held in the evening. These classes will be for
duration of two hours, where doubts and queries will be resolved by our
expert teachers.
• Computer Classes: In today’s world technological knowledge is a must, and
most formal schools have a computer lab. To provide computer knowledge
to these kids, our mobile school will have a computer, where children basic
computer skills.
• Arts and Recreational activities: Along with basic education, arts and craft
classes will also be held on a weekly basis. This will ensure children’s
interest in the school and will also learn new skills.
• Library: To inculcate reading and writing skills, we will also have a library in
the bus with a collection of books and toys. Every Saturday, the class will be
converted to a library where children can read and also play with toys.
• Movies: Documentary and children movies will be screened once a month
in the bus.
• Educational Visits: A bi- annual trip will be organised for the students to zoo
and a museum. This will not only serve as a recreational trip but will also
help them to gain knowledge about animals and our history.
3.6. Expected Outcomes
• Increased awareness among the community on importance of education and
government schemes on education.
• Enhanced learning of the 100 children enrolled in the school on wheels.
 • Linkages developed with nearby schools and parents are motivated to send
children to formal schools.
• 25 children are mainstreamed in formal schools.
• Supplementary support provided to 50 children to help them excel in school.
3.7. Project Staff
• Project Manager: One Project manager will be hired who will be responsible for
managing the project. He/ She will be responsible for developing linkages with
schools, Organising Awareness Campaigns and administration of mobile school.
• Community Mobiliser: A community mobiliser will be hired who shall be
responsible for conducting the survey and mobilising the community to attend the
awareness camps etc.
• Teachers: Three teachers for teaching English, Science and Mathematics will be
hired.
• Driver and helper: One driver and helper will also be hired.
3.8. Risk Management: The following factors may affect the project implementation:
• Parents may be reluctant to send their children to the mobile school.
• Schools in the nearby areas may not be willing to accept children from the slums.
• Traffic may hinder movement of the bus and thus impact the timing of the school.

To ensure that the above mentioned above factors do not have any adverse impact on
the project progress, we have developed suitable strategies to tackle these.
To ensure participation and support from parents, the initial community assessment
will help. Based on the information so collected, we will plan the street plays, to
influence the people and motivate them to send children to school.
To gather support from nearby schools, we shall invite the teachers from the schools to
interact with the children. This will help them understand that the children living in
slums are as efficient and intelligent as their peers in schools.
To reduce traffic hindrance, we will plan the school hours, when there is minimum
traffic on roads. Also, alternate routes with less traffic with less traffic will be explored.
3.9. Monitoring and Evaluation
Monitoring and Evaluation are an important activity of any project to achieve success.
Our project team will provide regular feedback in form of monthly reports. Also the
monthly tests of the children will indicate how well they are learning. Documentation
of activities and results will be done throughout the duration of the project. Also a
parents meeting will be held every six months to ensure that parents keep sending
their children to the school. Evaluation will be conducted at the end of the project
duration by external evaluators.
 3.10. Sustainability
As the project helps to raise awareness on importance of education and also
motivates children to send their children to schools, the project will yield long lasting
impacts. Once the children learn the basics, they would like to learn more and would
be motivated to attend a formal school. Even though we will be working with 150
children, improvement in their literacy rates will also encourage other children to
attend school.
4. Organisation Details

XYZ is works towards serving the society and uplifting the deprived sections. XYZ is a non
government organization, registered under societies Act 21, 1860, in the year 2000. For the last
15 years, we are working for the betterment of living standards of the marginalised sections
with special attention towards all round development of women and children. We have helped
individuals and communities through skill development. We have conducted several programs
related to education, health care, computer education, skill development etc.

In the past we have received funding from UNDP, WORLD BANK, JBIC & UNICEF.

Vision

Our vision is to mainstreaming marginalised people towards development and progress through
skill development and empowerment.

Objectives

• To create self reliant communities

• Slum development
• Widow resettlement
• Women empowerment
• Education

Contact Details

XYZ

Sarita Vihar

Delhi

Phone: 000-1111111

Email: xyz@xyz.org
Sample Proposal Health

Proposal on Improving Adolescent Sexual and Reproductive Health in Kwale District

1. Project snapshot

Project title Improving Adolescent Sexual and Reproductive Health in

Kwale District
Target Area Kwale District
Target group 500 Adolescent boys and girls
Project duration 2 years
Total budget USD 15000
Implementing organization ABC Society
Correspondence address ABC Society
Kwale District
Kenya
Legal status of implementing NGO
agency
Contact Person Director, ABC

2. Background

Psychological, physical and emotional changes associated with adolescence period are often
accompanied with stress and confusion. While coping with the changes that occur physically
and emotionally, adolescents frequently isolate themselves and face problems in adjusting with
parents, teachers and social norms. Adolescents face several problems as they move into
adulthood mainly because of social/cultural taboos that restrict open discussion between
children and parents, which leads to inadequate knowledge about sexual and reproductive
health. Many adolescents also suffer from depression, anxiety, eating disorders, conduct
disorder, mood fluctuations and dizziness.

As this period is the transition from childhood to adulthood, it is necessary that adequate
counseling sessions and health services are provided to adolescents, so that they grow into
responsible and healthy adults. It is therefore essential to develop programs that enhance
awareness of adolescents and also provides proper services for Contraception, HIV testing,
prevention of Sexually Transmitted Diseases and AIDs etc.

Studies conducted by international agencies across the world, reveal that educative programs
related to Sexual and Reproductive Health (SRH) are very effective in improving the overall
health of youth. To assure that adolescents develop the right attitude it is essential that they
are nurtured in an environment where they learn not only about their health but also about
human rights and life skills. Research provides evidence that effective SRH programs help in:

• Enhancing accurate knowledge thereby reducing misinformation

• Strengthening positive attitude
• Improving academic performance
• Increasing interaction and communication with parents
• Improving perception about peer pressure and social norms
• Improving overall health of adolescents

2.1. Need of SRH in Kenya

Society would face severe consequences on the social, economic, and cultural front, in the
absence of provisions for the health and educational needs of the youth. A countries prosperity
and progress primarily depends on the wellbeing of youth, and therefore it is essential to invest
in providing adequate education and health services to them.

According to the census of 2009, Kenya has a rapidly growing population with an annual growth
rate of 3% per annum. The census also indicates that 63% of the population is below 25 years of
age which means that Kenya has a Pyramid shaped population structure. Both the rapid
population growth and the large proportion of young people, requires immediate attention to
the growing demand of health, education and employment.

Research studies reveal that youth in Kenya, does not get adequate information and access to
services related to SRH issues. Due to inaccessibility of services and lack of awareness, youth in
Kenya face numerous social, economic and health problems. Kenya National Bureau of
Statistics (2009), and the National Population Census (2009), suggest that in the absence of
adequate opportunity to acquire life skills, young people often get involved in risky behaviors
such as substance abuse, school dropout, crime, social unrest, unemployment, unintended
pregnancy and life threatening sexually transmitted diseases and infections. The current
situation in Kenya requires enhancing accessibility of SRH services to young people. Even
though there are government led interventions for improving the SRH services, there is an
urgent need to strengthen and catalyze these initiatives.
 3. Project Location

Kwale District is one of the seven districts in Coast Province, and has an
area of 8,322km2 of which 62km2 are under water. The district is divided into 5 divisions
namely; Kinango, Kubo, Matuga, Msamweni and Samburu. Matuga and Msamweni divisions
occupy the Coastal plains and foot plateau. The district currently faces severe problems
associated with HIV and reproductive problems. The census reveals that around 50-60% beds in
the hospital beds in the district are occupied by AIDs patients. The cultural beliefs and poverty
in the community are some of the major reason for the rise in HIV and other STD cases. The
district has 3 hospitals, 5 health centers, 37 dispensaries (GOK), and 3 private dispensaries, but
despite these health services, the accessibility of health services is very low.

4. Project Description

Through the proposed project, we will provide a platform to facilitate SRH services amongst the
vulnerable adolescents of Kwale district. The project aims to improve adolescent health of 500
adolescents through awareness generation and enhancing accessibility to quality SRH services.

Objective 1. To create awareness among 500 adolescents aged 12 to 19 years and their parents
on aspects of reproductive and sexual health.

Objective 2. To mobilize and enhance knowledge of adolescent girls and boys SRH issues,
through the formation of youth groups and establishment of a youth friendly club.

Objective 3. To build capacities of teachers and parents as counselors to facilitate better

communication with children related to adolescent health.

4.1. Project Implementation Strategy

• Baseline generation: Data on current level of sexual and reproductive health will be
collected in the Kwale District. Data will be collected through a set of PRA tools viz.
Interview, Structured Interview, Focus Group Discussions, Questionnaire survey etc.
Through the surveys and the FGDs we will gather both quantitative and qualitative data
on adolescent health. This will help in finding out the extent to which the community is
aware about the current government schemes and also the willingness of the people to
contribute in the project. This data will be analyzed using statistical techniques so as to
provide the project staff with adequate information on the needs of the people. The
combined information will help the project team in designing the future course of
action, the ICT material and training material for future purpose.
• Development of ICT material and toolkits: Comprehensive SRH material will be
developed in form of training tool kits, leaflets, audio-video material and comic books.
The training material will be used for distribution in schools and amongst parents.
 Culture plays a very essential role in shaping the way people perceive about sexual
education and therefore the educative material will be developed considering the
culture and local traditions. This way local support can be gathered to disseminate and
adopt relevant SRH practices. Another important aspect of effective SRH material is its
integration with life skills and other social issues, so as to groom the adolescents for a
successful future. The World Health Organization has also recommended the SRH
education should be provided within the context of school programs and activities that
promote health. The material will be made in vernacular language which is easy to
understand so as to engage the local populace.
• Awareness Generation: A mass awareness drive will be carried out in the villages to
sensitize the youth. The ICT material will be distributed in the villages. Also street plays
focusing on HIV/AIDS, Early marriage and pregnancy, STDs, sexual abuse etc. will be
organized. Some myths and stories about adolescents will also be shared and discussed
with the people. Comic books will also be distributed amongst school children, so as to
engage them in the program. The comic book will have short stories on various aspects
of SRH and life skills, which would enhance the children’s awareness level on SRH issues.
• Mobilizing youth through formation of youth groups: Separate groups of adolescent
girls and boys will be formed in the identified villages to discuss with them the SRH
issues in detail. Also within each group, two sub groups will be formed one comprising
of children of the age 12-15 years and the other comprising of children of the age 16-19
years; this will help in discussing issues which are more important for each group.
Along with the discussions on SRH issues, the project team will also provide special
lectures on life skills and gender equality principles.
• Establishment of Youth Club: A youth club will be established in a location that is
midway to the identified villages. This club will not only work as centre where
adolescents can avail health services but will also work as a centre to enhance life skills
of the youth. The centre will have youth friendly environment, which would facilitate
healthy discussions between the youth and they can clear their doubts. The youth club
will have a library, a gym and a play area. The main purpose of this club will be to initiate
a healthy dialogue between the adolescents that visit it. Unlike a regular health clinic,
young people can come and visit the club without any hesitation. A doctor will be
available to discuss all health issues and also necessary medication, sanitary napkins,
condoms etc. will be provided.
• Capacity building of schools and parents: A very essential component of the project is
the engagement of schools in advocating the project. Our project team will meet with
the school administration so as to discuss our project in detail. The ICT material will be
shared with them and we will carry a session on SRH in the schools. Also we will seek
teachers support to work as counselors and communicate with children about the
 problems they face. Some teachers will also be trained to conduct SRH sessions in the
school on a timely manner. The training sessions will be carried out by Health experts
and our project team through distribution of training tool kits.
Parents play a very important role in the upbringing of children; we will conduct a
parent’s awareness session in the villages. This will help in engaging the parents in a
healthy discussion and letting them know about ways to counsel the children. The
orientation will help in improving healthy communication between adolescents and
their parents.
• Engaging local actors and integrating with Government efforts: Government is already
investing in health facilities and promoting SRH services for youth through primary
health clinics. To ensure better accessibility of the services being offered by these health
centered we will integrate our project activities in the centers as well.

Process Flow of the Project

Baseline Development of Awareness

generation ICT material Generation

Capacity building
Seting up of
of teachers and Mobilising Youth
youth Club
parents

Enagaging local
actors
 4.2. Project Output
• Baseline report on sexual and reproductive health compiled for Kwale District.
• 500 adolescents made aware about SRH issues through awareness sessions.
• Adolescents mobilised into youth groups.
• 1 youth club established for the all round development of the youth.
• 10 Schools and parents engaged in promoting SRH issues in the area.
• ICT material developed for distribution during awareness sessions.
• Integration of project activities with primary health clinic to facilitate quality health
services.

5. Risk Assessment

Risk Likelihood Impact Mitigating Measures

Lack of qualified Low Low We will see to it that an attractive salary is paid to
staff in key positions attract and retain staff and that staff are trained in
the necessary areas to ensure they are fit for the
job. In addition, we will partner with other
organizations who can supply the trained staff
required for this project e.g. nurses and doctors
etc.
Unable to find a Low High We will work with technical consultant to engage
suitable partner to a partner organization and develop a
deliver outreach Memorandum of Understanding. There are
services several potential partners available, grantee which
will help in establishing outreach.
Misappropriation of Low Low Strict reporting and accountability measures will
funds be put in place and maintained. Periodic audits
will be completed to ensure no money is
misappropriated.
 Failure to reach High Medium Ensure flexible timetable formulation to allow for
targeted places due time adjustment and ensure the work plan
to unavoidable accommodates the season when bad weather is
natural causes expected.
Strong resistance High High We will ensure sensitization of these leaders about
from political the importance of safe abortion so they take
leaders, opinion ownership of the issues and support project work.
leaders and We will share and disseminate information to all
religious leaders religious and cultural leaders and will engage them
in community dialogues.

6. Sustainability

The project will strengthen the inter-linkages between the local actors, school teachers and
parents thereby improving the present and future health aspects of adolescents in the area.

The toolkits and awareness generation material will help in making the community more aware
about the importance of SRH issues, these people will then act as the driving force to carry
forward to the masses and the peers. As the entire process has been made participatory the
skills and knowledge gained by the present group of people, will be transferable and also
replicable.

The involvement of local agencies and primary health workers will also ensure improvement
and access to the government initiatives in this direction, as these agencies are permanent;
they will help in sustaining the project activities beyond the project duration.

S. No. Activities Q Q Q Q Q Q Q Q

1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8

1 Baseline
generation
2 Development of
ICT material and
 toolkits
3 Awareness
Generation
4 Mobilizing youth
through formation
of youth groups
5 Establishment of
Youth Club
6 Capacity building
of schools and
parents
7 Engaging local
actors and
integrating with
Government
efforts
8 Monitoring and
Evaluation
Glossary of Terms used in Proposal Writing

Terms in Proposal Writing NOTE all these definitions are specific to NGOs in writing proposals.
Many of:

Activity: an action undertaken by the project or the organization to achieve the set objectives;
also referred to as input.

Assumption: a predicted external factor, of which failure to occur may negatively impact the
project.

Beneficiary: the direct participants or recipients of funding or program support; a group or

individual directly impacted and benefited by the project.

Budget: a document which specifies how money will be allocated to implement the activities
described in the proposal; a description of the project in numbers.

Case study: a personal story which analyses a problem faced by an individual or a group of
persons.

Concept note: the shortest expression of a project idea given on paper to a donor; document
generally used in the first instance when proposing a project to a donor.

Cross-cutting theme: a related issue or theme that is integrated into the project goals and
objectives.

Donor: an individual or organization that provides funding. In this guide, the term donor refers
to institutional donor agencies which review grant proposals.

Gantt chart: chart that summarizes the schedule or timeline of project activities proposed.
Similar to a work plan, timetable or schedule.

Impact: long-term result of project activities. Long-lasting effect of the activities undertaken by
the project.

Indicator: measure of the result; the measures which will prove the success of the project.

INGO: International NGO.

Logical framework: AKA log frame; a management tool for effective planning and
implementation of developmental projects; framework with clear, concise and systematic
information about a project.
Monitoring and evaluation (M&E): an approach developed to measure and assesses the
success and performance of projects, programs or entire organizations.

NGO: abbreviation for non-governmental organization; a not-for-profit organization that is

independent of states and international governmental organizations and works for the benefit
of society. May also be called non-profit, non-profit organization (NPO), civil society, or charity.

Objective: specific target the project works to achieve within the stipulated time.

Outcome: medium-term result of project activities; result achieved after a period of time, but
not immediately, after the completion of a project.

Output: short-term result of project activities; immediate result achieved at the completion of
the project or project activity.

Program: portfolio comprised of multiple projects that are managed and coordinated as one
unit with the objective of achieving (often intangible) outcomes and benefits for the
organization.

Project goal: very general, high-level and long-term vision for the project.

Project: temporary entity established to deliver specific (often tangible) outputs in line with
predefined time, cost and quality constraints.

Project rationale: an argument in favor of implementing the proposed project; a detailed

explanation of why the project is required.

Proposal: a document which is used to request funding to implement a project.

Risk: an unplanned external factor which may occur and could negatively impact the project

Strategy: the broad concept under which activities are placed.

Sustainability: the ability of an NGO to continue a mission or a program indefinitely.

Community sustainability: how the community will continue to carry out the project activities
when there is no grant available.

Financial sustainability: how the financial support required for the project or the organization
will continue after a grant has ended.

Organizational sustainability: how the organization will continue to be sustained in the

absence of donor support.
SWOT: Strengths and Weaknesses, Opportunities and Threats; tool used for discussing the pros
and cons of the organization that could impact the project.

Theory of Change: a methodology that defines long-term goals and then maps backward to
identify necessary preconditions.

All Right Reserved © fundsforNGOs LLC

No part of this publication may be reproduced or transmitted in any form by any means,
electronic, mechanical, photocopying or otherwise, without the prior written permission of
fundsforNGOs LLC.

December 30, 2019