Building your Case: How to Design Compelling Grant Projects

1. Building your Case: How to Design Compelling Grant Projects • Presented by Angela Richardson, • Trainer at The Grantsmanship Center • angelad.richardson@gmail.com

2. What will we cover? • What makes a project compelling for the OGP grant program? Which Project should I chose? • What are the guidelines really asking me? How do I know? • Program budgets vs Organizational budget? • Goal: For participants to leave with a OGP narrative skeleton

3. Approaching the Guidelines • How can this grant award be used to leverage your organization? the program? • Choose the category that best fits • Look at the criteria

4. Approaching the Guidelines Goal: To get maximum amount of points per section!

5. OGP Narrative • Understand the question and Answer all the questions with appropriate information • 9. Organizational Information • 10. Project Information • 11. Project Budget

6. Question 9:ORGANIZATIONAL (not Project!) INFORMATION • This section is where you Introduce your organization and describe organizational readiness/capacity/excellence and establish credibility • What is your mission? • Briefly describe RELEVANT history and overview of core program & services. Note significant changes

7. ORGANIZATIONAL (not project!) INFORMATION • Planning and Leadership • This question provides the reviewers with an understanding of how this two-year grant invests in a future vision for your organization. Leverage! • Discuss the relevant decisions/plans about where your organization intends to be in the next two years? Artistically. Administratively. Financially. • How will this grant award help with achieving these goals? How is this related to larger Org. Plan?

8. ORGANIZATIONAL (not project!) INFORMATION • Planning and Leadership (cont’d) • How have board and staff contributed to the overall planning? • Community/Core Audience: Who is your target audience? Use DATA! American Fact Finder provides great information • Artistic Policy: This is an Artistic quality question and ask for a description of how your organization supports artists.

9. Exercise:Organizational Information • What kind of relevant information can your organization provide in the Organizational Information Section to demonstrate credibility? • What are some goals your organization would like to achieve in the next 2 years?

10. Question 10: Project Information • Describe the Project • Explain the category choice • Details! Details! Details! • Answer all the questions, as appropriate. Reference criteria. • Evaluate - how will you know if the project is a success?

11. Project Information (cont’d) • PROJECT OVERVIEW - Describe Major activities of the Project • How and Why is this timely for your organization right now? • GOALS and Objectives – What is the difference? • Demonstrate how the proposed project aligns with OGP project category goals

12. Goals vs Objectives – What’s the difference? • GOAL: Describes the result or outcome your organization intends to achieve by the END of the grant period. Example: To increase the number of attendees ages 20-25 at the annual summer music festival • OBJECTIVE: Describes the steps to achieve your goal. Example: To produce 3 (fall, winter and spring) Friday night “Music in the Courtyard” events with artists targeting young adult audience.

13. Project Information (cont’d) • PROJECT DETAILS: • When? • Where? • Who? Participants and Who will implement the project • How?: Selection criteria for artists • Marketing strategy? • New staff?

14. Project Information (cont’d) C. PROJECT EVALUATION • How will you know whether your project is a success? • Qualitative vs Quantitative data • Demonstrate how the project aligns with project category goals (outcomes) and objectives (process) • Is this relevant if your organization is hiring a new staff person?

15. Exercise:Project Information • In 1-2 sentences give an overview of the proposed project • Describe 1 Goal of the proposed project • Identify 1 Objective to achieve this goal

16. Question 11: Project Budget • This is a two-year project request • Check and double check your funding request calculation • Tip: Plan the budget when as you plan the project to avoid mistakes and omitting important details.

17. Program vs Organization budget

18. INCOME • Cash Match • Income • Earned Income: ex: Ticket sales, Sales, rental income • Contributed Income: Other grants, Individual donations • OGP Grant request • Income Explanations

19. Income - Example

20. EXPENSES • Project Expenses • Salaries and Fringe benefits: Staff members who are directly involved with project activities • Operating Expenses: other project expenses • Expense Explanation

21. Expenses - Example

22. Exercise:Project Budget • Brainstorm a list of the things that will cost money for the proposed project.

23. Tips and Reminders • Review appropriate criteria • Establish Organizational credibility • Answer all the questions • Provide information about how intended project fits into organization’s longer term plan and the appropriate project category • Make sure narrative and budget match • Take time and care to present EXCELLENT work samples

24. QUESTIONS??? Thank you!!