United Religions Initiative
Bowes Award 2008
Uplifting Innovations in Interfaith Cooperation
Develop a Project Proposal
ELEMENTS OF A SUCCESSFUL PROPOSAL
Developing a solid project and submitting an engaging proposal a good challenge. If you have never applied for an award from another organization, this process will help you to develop some key skills and experience that will be useful to you in future fundraising efforts.
Completion of a truly engaging proposal requires significant time. The time between the initial posting of these materials (mid-January 2008) and the due date (April 30, 2008) is less than 4 months. You are encouraged to use as much of that time as possible to develop the best proposal possible. There is no advantage to early submission. Do not procrastinate. Start working on your proposal well before the deadline, share drafts of your proposal with others for an objective opinion, and allow plenty of time for revisions before the application deadline.
There is no formula for writing the “winning” proposal, but the applications that are most appealing will have the following components:
❍ Overall, the project reflects URI’s Preamble, Purpose and Principles and brings these values to a living reality.
Demonstrating the connections between your project and the PPP with evidence or examples is more engaging than simply stating that your project is in keeping with the PPP.
❍ The abstract provides a concise summary of the project.
The abstract is the first item where reviewers read about your project. The ability to describe the project in a few sentences is a good indication that the project has clear focus. The abstract should include 1) what you want to accomplish, 2) why you want to accomplish it, 3) how you plan to accomplish it and the timeline, and 4) how you plan to evaluate the impact of the project.
❍ The budget realistically reflects the income and expenditures of the project.
How will the project be funded? Who will be involved? What is required for conducting the day to day business of the project? What is the annual cost of the project and how would it change in subsequent years? How would the Bowes Award be applied to the project?
❍ The purpose and the goals of the project are clearly stated.
Describe the questions, interests or needs that your project will address and the larger context of the issues. What strengths do you have and what opportunities do you see that will help your project to be a success at this time.
❍ The plan for the project is detailed and reflected in the budget, purpose and goals.
Show awareness of any potential weaknesses or external threats to your project. How do you plan to move the project forward and deal with obstacles. The regional review team will be paying attention to the processes and methods that you will use for the project. Show that you have identified resources that will be able to help the project move forward.
Be realistic. Is the scope of the project significant but unachievable? How much of the project work, if any, will you have already completed by the start of the award, and how much remains to be done? Can you complete the project? Does your project require special skills—such as knowledge of a other faith traditions—that you possess? What other qualifications do you bring to the project? Will the project result in concrete products—such as articles, a manual or a book? Projects designed to be replicated or otherwise shared with other groups have a good chance of success.
What is the timeline for the project?
❍ There is a plan for measuring the success of the project.
It is important that your project describes how you will determine whether the completed project succeeds or fails to achieve its goals. Projects with well-designed evaluation components are more likely to be received well.
Integrate evaluation into your project, starting with its planning phase, throughout its implementation, and following its conclusion. Whenever possible, include members of the community served by the project as part of the evaluation process. Be sure to consider the following: who will be served by the project and who will not; what tools will you use to evaluate the project, and who will conduct the evaluation?
