Grant Proposal
Order Description
She is very picky about following the instructions. So if you need anything from the book please let me know and I can upload pictures of the chapters.
The text book is Technical Communication 13th Edition by John Lannon and Laura Gurak.
Aside from the instructions below the professor had told us in class not to mention in the Proposal that we did research on the Chairman of the NEA.
She also said to be creative when addressing the NEA’s Grant requirements.
FOR EXAMPLE: Do research that shows how since Houston is known for Arts, the number of people to tune in and actually start to follow the Academy of American Poets is high.
Grant Proposal (500-2000 words)
INSTRUCTIONS:
The textbook chapters referred to here are based on the 13th edition. If not, you will need to search for everything in the textbook relating to grants as part of your research.
Read Chapter 23 and Chapter 7 before completing this project. Using the background information provided below, write a 500–2000 word (single-spaced) grant proposal asking for an Arts on the Radio and Television grant from the National Endowment for the Arts. You will format your proposal as a business letter. Your proposal will have the following six sections: Introduction; Background/Problem/Purpose; Proposal/Plan/Schedule; Staffing; Budget; and Conclusion.
See the examples in the textbook. While these proposals take several different forms, yours should be in letter form. You do not need a letter of transmittal, table of contents, abstract, etc. You DO need to separate your proposal into sections and label each section accordingly. You DO need to get letter formatting RIGHT. If you’re unsure about letter formatting, review Chapter 17.
Additionally, your proposal should include a research component, including material from at least 5 outside sources to support your argument. Sources should be documented using correct APA format for in-text citations and reference list. For additional information about research and citation, review Chapter 7 and Appendix A. Do not use yourself as a reference, or the NEA.
BACKGROUND:
Since the Downtown YMCA insists on charging the Academy of American Poets $5,000 to rent their space for the National Poetry Month reading, the Academy has to find another venue for National Poetry Month next year. Every April is National Poetry Month, and the Academy can’t imagine what would happen if they couldn’t afford to have the reading next year. The Academy’s Board has decided that the most cost-effective way to reach the largest audience is to broadcast the reading on public radio and TV instead of just holding the reading at the YMCA.
You, as the grant writer for the Academy, have decided to apply for an Arts on Radio and Television grant from the National Endowment for the Arts to fund the reading. You’ll respond to their RFP (see links above) For more information on RFPs, read Chapter 23
You’re partnering with Houston’s KUHF radio and KUHT television stations to broadcast the event, but will that be enough to attract the audience the NEA is looking for? And where will you hold the reading if you can’t have it at the Y? You’ll have to solve those problems in your project design.
Remember to avoid negative language.
GRADING CRITERIA:
Your proposal will be graded according to the criteria by which proposals are typically accepted or rejected (included in text). A successful grant proposal will:
• Demonstrate an understanding of the NEA’s needs.
• Use support research, including at least five relevant outside sources.
• Use correct APA format for in-text citation and reference list.
• Be organized into six clear, well thought out sections (Introduction; Background/Problem/Purpose; Proposal/Plan/Schedule; Staffing; Budget; and Conclusion).
• Illustrate the soundness of the plan being offered.
• Illustrate the quality of the project’s organization and management.
• Demonstrate an ability to complete the job by the deadline.
• Demonstrate an ability to control costs.
• Illustrate the firm’s experience and record on similar projects.
• Demonstrate the qualifications of the staff to be assigned to the project.
• Use persuasive techniques (including a clear focus on audience needs and benefits, honest and supportable claims, appropriate detail, readability, convincing language, accessible and attractive page design, proper citations of any sources or contributors, etc.).
• Display correct grammar and mechanics.
• Demonstrate concision, clarity, and fluency.
TIPS FOR WRITING YOUR PROPOSAL:
Focus on the funder’s needs, as described in the RFP. In this case, write your proposal to the NEA’s mission statement. Begin your search here:
https://arts.gov/grants
The NEA uses the following review criteria to judge whether it will fund proposals:
https://arts.gov/grants-organizations/art-works/application-review
o You will be graded on how well you tailor your arguments to the NEA’s purpose; have you emphasized the benefits to the NEA if they fund your proposal? You must have a clear understanding of your audience’s needs.
• Intro:
o Address your proposal to Dana Gioia, Chairman of the NEA. (FYI—he’s a poet.) If he is no longer the chairman, find out who is the current chairman as part of your research.
o Always be mindful of the goals of the proposal. Hook the audience’s interest. Creativity does not preclude professionalism.
o Some questions you might consider: Why is the Academy uniquely qualified to do this plan? What successful initiatives have they implemented before? What is the serious problem with America’s exposure to poetry that needs to be addressed? If you don’t read poetry yourself, why not? Try to think of what would get you interested.
• Background/Problem/Purpose:
o Remember that National Poetry Month is in financial jeopardy.
o Demonstrate to the NEA how your project will help them further their own goals. Remember that all business writing should be audience-oriented, purposeful, and economical.
• Proposal/Plan/Schedule:
o You’ll be asking for money to support National Poetry Month; your organization’s goal is to “encourage Americans to make poetry a larger part of their lives.”
o Tell the NEA exactly what you plan to do for your radio and TV broadcast of the National Poetry Month reading. Be creative. You’re free to come up with any idea you can that would speak to the NEA’s goals and the goals of the Academy’s National Poetry Month. You may do research on which poets you’d like to have at the reading. You’ll be graded on how specific you are and how convincing your plan seems, not on whether it’s what the Academy actually does. See the NEA’s review criteria for ideas on what kinds of projects they like to fund. When you do research, make sure you cite your sources according to APA format and include a Works Cited page at the end of your proposal. See your textbook for APA citation format.
• Staffing:
o Choose appropriate staff members to discuss. Use the Academy’s staff website for info.
o Don’t list all the staff; pick and choose for rhetorical effect.
• Budget:
o Make up the numbers but be realistic.
o You’ll have to decide how specific to be. Is this the kind of project that needs line-by-line budgetary information, or can you group tasks into categories and discuss how much each category will cost?
• Conclusion:
o Unlike some business proposals, grant proposals should not include a deadline date for a business offer. Rather, you should remind the reader of the key benefits of your plan and try to motivate action. In the case of a grant, motivating action means that you hope you’re chosen.
o See tips for writing conclusions in your textbook.