Developing Ideas for the Proposal

The first step in proposal planning is the development of a clear, concise description of the proposed project. For a summary of federal programs and sources, see CRS Report RL34012, Resources for Grantseekers , by [author name scrubbed] and [author name scrubbed], and other CRS reports on topics such as community or social services block grants to states, rural development assistance, federal allocations for homeland security, and other funding areas. For more information, see CRS Report R40486, Block Grants: Perspectives and Controversies , by [author name scrubbed] and [author name scrubbed], and CRS Report R40638, Federal Grants to State and Local Governments: A Historical Perspective on Contemporary Issues , by [author name scrubbed]. Developing a concept paper is excellent preparation for writing the final proposal. The summary should include a description of the applicant, a definition of the problem to be solved, a statement of the objectives to be achieved, an outline of the activities and procedures to be used to accomplish those objectives, a description of the evaluation design, plans for the project at the end of the grants, and a statement of what it will cost the funding agency. Areas to document are as follows:
Purpose for developing the proposal. Program Methods and Program Design: A Plan of Action

The program design refers to how the project is expected to work and solve the stated problem. In preparing the budget, the applicant may first review the proposal and make lists of items needed for the project. Additional Proposal Writing Websites

GrantSpace, Knowledge Base, How do I write a grant Proposal?
This report is intended for Members and staff assisting grant seekers in districts and states and covers writing proposals for both government and private foundation grants. In preparation for writing a proposal, the report first discusses preliminary information gathering and preparation, developing ideas for the proposal, gathering community support, identifying funding resources, and seeking preliminary review of the proposal and support of relevant administrative officials.
The second section of the report covers the actual writing of the proposal, from outlining of project goals, stating the purpose and objectives of the proposal, explaining the program methods to solve the stated problem, and how the results of the project will be evaluated, to long-term project planning, and, finally, developing the proposal budget.
The last section of the report provides a listing of free grants-writing websites, including guidelines from the Catalog of Federal Domestic Assistance and the Foundation Center's "Introduction to Proposal Writing."
Related CRS reports are CRS Report RL34035, Grants Work in a Congressional Office, by [author name scrubbed] and [author name scrubbed], and CRS Report RL34012, Resources for Grantseekers, by [author name scrubbed] and [author name scrubbed].
This report will be updated as needed.