|
Resources
Click Here
Make a Tax Deductible Contribution Today!
| |
Tips for Developing Successful
Grant Applications
The tips provided here are helpful hints for organizations
that submit applications for environmental education grants awarded by EPA. They
will guide you in developing your application and help you avoid common errors
that can cause your application to be disqualified from consideration for
funding. This guidance supplements, but doesn't replace, the instructions in the
solicitation notice which
contains current requirements.
Goals
Environmental education projects must be based on sound science and must enhance
critical-thinking, problem-solving, and decision-making skills of the target
audience. EPA will not fund projects that advocate a particular viewpoint or
course of action about environmental issues, or projects that simply disseminate
information.
Administrative
- Meet the deadline for submitting
your application--EPA will not consider proposals postmarked after the
deadline
- Make sure your organization is
eligible to apply for grant funds:
- A college or university; a local
or tribal government education agency; a state education or environmental
agency; a 501(c)(3) not-for-profit organization; or a noncommercial
educational broadcasting entity is eligible
- A teacher's school district, an
educator's not-for-profit organization, or a faculty member's college or
university may apply, but an individual teacher is not eligible
- The primary applicant must be
based in the U.S.; partner organizations and project activities may be
located in Canada or Mexico
- Submit all application materials
required for a proposal in the following order:
- Two Federal Forms: Application (SF
424) and Budget (SF 424-A)
- Work Plan (up to 7 pages):
- Project Summary (one page)
- Full Project Description
- Project Evaluation Plan
- Detailed Budget Showing Match
(not included in the page limit)
- Appendices (not included in the
page limit)
- Time Line
- Logic model Showing Outputs
and Outcomes
- Qualifications of Personnel
and Programmatic Capabilities
- Letters Stating
Responsibilities of Partners, if applicable
- For grant requests of up to $50,000,
submit your application to your EPA regional office
- For grant requests over $50,000,
submit your application to EPA Headquarters in Washington, DC
Content of Proposal
- Describe how the project will meet
at least one of EPA's environmental education priorities, such as teacher
training, which are identified annually in the solicitation notice
- Stay focused - don't try to address
through one project every EPA priority listed in the solicitation notice.
Avoid simply restating the goals and priorities listed in the solicitation
notice. Evaluation panels often select projects with a clearly defined purpose
which can be accomplished, rather than projects that attempt to address
multiple priorities
- Avoid proposing ineligible projects,
such as technical training of environmental management professionals; research
and development not of an educational nature; or environmental “information”
projects that have no educational component
- Describe the project accurately and
precisely:
- Research the project and describe
exactly why there is a need for the project in your community or in the
field of environmental education
- Identify existing efforts related
to the project - use the information to support the project or to justify a
different approach
- Define the specific goals and
objectives of the project
- Describe exactly what you are
going to do and how you are going to do it
- Identify the products that you
will use or produce and how you will distribute them (EPA prefers not to
fund new curriculum because there are many excellent existing materials)
- Specify the methodology you will
use to implement the project and explain how it teaches critical-thinking,
problem-solving or decision-making skills
- Target your audience carefully:
- Describe clearly the individuals
or groups that make up your audience; for example, 30 high school teachers
or 60 middle school students
- Explain why your audience needs
the project
- Explain how you will recruit your
audience
- Explain how the project will promote
environmental stewardship
- Explain the project's potential for
wide application or how it could serve as a model for other communities or
organizations
- Build strong partnerships and
alliances with community organizations and environmental and industry groups:
- Enlist the support of other groups
that have similar goals
- Secure a commitment of services or
dollars
- Identify how partners will
collaborate and describe specific responsibilities of each partner
- Submit letters of commitment or
memoranda of understanding from partners which state the dollars or services
committed
- Develop a realistic time line:
- Demonstrate that you can complete
the project within the funding period (one year for small grants or up to
two years for grants over $10,000)
- List the sequence and time frames
of all tasks you will undertake to meet the goals of the project (on a
schedule that covers the entire grant period)
- Describe how the project will be
sustained after the federal funding period ends
- Develop a methodology for evaluating
the project:
- Use the
performance
measures (logic model) template to explain how the funded activities
will result in positive outcomes
- Describe how you will know when
the goals and objectives have been met (for example, performance measures)
- Identify the strategies,
milestones, and tools that you will use to monitor the project
- Describe how monitoring will be
used to strengthen the project
Budget/Funding
- Set a realistic limit on the amount
of EPA funds you request:
- EPA must limit the size of the
grants to ensure nationwide coverage with available funding
- The likelihood that EPA will award
funds for your project increases significantly if you request $10,000 or
less from an EPA regional office or $85,000 or less from EPA Headquarters
- Develop a realistic budget:
- Make the budget clear and concise;
provide detail on the basis of costs for items, such as cost per hour,
number of hours, and total cost
- Present the budget in such a
manner that someone unfamiliar with your organization will understand it
- Identify the personnel, materials,
and other resources you will need to implement the project:
- Identify those that you and your
partners already have and those for which you need funding
- Clarify which costs will be
charged to matching funds, in-kind matches, EPA funds, or other funding
sources
- Clearly identify matching funds:
- Show that your organization has
obtained the required level of nonfederal matching funds, that is, at least
25 percent of the total cost of the project (divide the amount of EPA funds
you have requested by 3 to determine your minimum matching funds)
- Carefully document those matching
funds that are provided in cash and those represented by in-kind
contributions and other nonmonetary support
- Be cautious about including what
might appear to be excessive personnel or travel costs and high overhead
expenses
- Check the budget forms for
mathematical errors
- Make certain you don't include
unallowed items, such as construction costs
Format
- Meet the format requirements
specified in the solicitation notice because copies will be made by EPA:
- Pages must be letter-size - 8 ˝ x
11 inches
- Use a standard type size - 11 or
12 point font (no fine print)
- Number every page
- Provide one original signed copy
and additional copies as specified in the solicitation notice
- Do not exceed the page limits
specified
- Do not send extra material, such
as videotapes, newspaper articles, etc.
- Spell out each acronym at first use
- Perform an internal or external
review of the application, or both:
- If possible, ask someone who has
experience in writing grant proposals to review the application
- Perform an editorial review for
clarity and conciseness
- Check the proposal for
typographical, grammatical, and mathematical errors
- Perform a final quality control
check to ensure that application materials are complete and signed and that
the copies are legible
The Bottom Line
- Follow instructions and format
- Write clearly and concisely
- Price the project competitively
- Identify measurable results
|
