PROPOSAL CONTENT EXPLAINED (PHASE ONE)

NEED STATEMENT 

The need statement is the most important part of any proposal. Unfortunately, it is also often the most poorly written section. 

The need statement has two purposes:

1. To explain how your needs meet the funder’s interests and priorities; and 

2. To establish the specific problem the proposed project will address. 

Base your need statement on the funder’s RFP or guidelines, establishing your eligibility to apply and identifying which of the funder’s interests you are attempting to address. 

OBJECTIVES 

Objectives are simply the intent of the project. They indicate what the project will achieve and the time it will need to reach its goals. 

Objectives should be concise, specific, measurable, and relate directly to the need. In fact, the objectives should be an extension of the need statement. In the need statement, we described the current situation. Now, in the objectives statement, we must describe what the situation will be after we implement our project. 

The whole point of setting objectives is to show the funder—whose purpose in awarding grants is to help resolve problems—how the project will meet your particular needs and improve your situation if you have the funds to carry it out. 

Next, we'll discuss ACTIVITIES as a content in the Proposal.