A Great Community Idea Can Still Be Ignored
Your organisation may have identified a genuine problem.
You may know exactly who is affected.
You may even have a promising solution.
But when you approach a potential funder, you have only a limited opportunity to make that idea understandable, relevant and compelling.
This is where a powerful concept paper matters.
A concept paper is more than a shortened project proposal. It is an opportunity to make a funder pause and ask:
“Tell us more about this.”
For CBOs, CSOs and NGOs competing for increasingly limited development resources, that first impression matters.
A strong concept paper connects a clearly defined problem, credible evidence, a practical solution, measurable results and a compelling reason for the funder to care.
The United Nations, for example, uses concept-note and proposal templates that require applicants to articulate elements such as objectives, budget, duration, expected results and cross-cutting considerations.
So, how do you make your concept paper stand out?
1. Start With the Funder, Not Your Organisation
One of the most common mistakes is beginning with:
“Our organisation was founded in 2018 and has been implementing projects in…”
That information may be important later.
But it isn't necessarily the strongest opening.
Start with the problem and opportunity.
Before writing, understand:
- What does the funder support?
- Who are its priority beneficiaries?
- What geographic areas does it target?
- What thematic areas does it fund?
- What outcomes does it seek?
- What activities or costs are excluded?
- What eligibility requirements apply?
A concept paper should demonstrate alignment, not simply describe what your organisation wants to do.
Guidance from the UN Democracy Fund, for example, stresses the importance of demonstrating compatibility with the fund's objectives and criteria.
The golden rule:
Don't ask only, “What do we want funding for?”
Ask:
“Why is this relevant to this funder, at this particular time?”
2. Give the Problem a Human Face
A weak problem statement says:
Youth unemployment is a major problem in Kenya.
It may be true, but it is too broad.
A stronger concept paper identifies:
Who?
Where?
What is happening?
Why is it happening?
What are the consequences?
For example:
Young women in informal settlements in Kisumu face limited access to market-relevant skills, finance and business networks, constraining their ability to transition from informal survival activities to sustainable enterprises.
Now the reader can see the problem.
But don't stop with description.
Bring evidence.
Most grant-development guidance recommends using data to demonstrate the magnitude of a problem and, where possible, comparing the situation with national or comparable populations. It also recommends using local needs assessments and explaining the consequences of leaving the problem unresolved.
Your evidence could come from:
- Government statistics
- Academic research
- Credible development reports
- Local needs assessments
- Programme monitoring data
- Community consultations
- Evaluations
- Administrative data
A compelling story attracts attention. Evidence earns credibility.
3. Explain Why Action Is Needed Now
A good concept paper answers:
Why now?
Perhaps:
- A policy has changed.
- A crisis has intensified.
- A new market opportunity has emerged.
- Climate risks are increasing.
- Existing interventions are not reaching a particular population.
- New evidence suggests a better approach.
- Communities have identified an urgent unmet need.
This creates a sense of timeliness and opportunity.
But avoid manufacturing urgency.
Your argument should be evidence-based.
4. Present a Solution, Not Just Activities
This is where many concept papers become lists.
Conduct 10 workshops.Train 200 participants.Hold five stakeholder meetings.Develop a manual.
Those are activities.
The funder needs to understand what those activities will change.
Instead of:
Train 200 young women in entrepreneurship.
Think:
Equip 200 young women with practical enterprise, financial literacy and market-access capabilities, enabling them to strengthen existing businesses and pursue viable income-generating opportunities.
The distinction is important.
Activities describe what you will do.
Outcomes describe what will change.
The UN's proposal guidance similarly emphasizes the logical relationship between objectives, outcomes, outputs and indicators.
5. Make Your Objectives Specific
Your concept paper should not promise to:
“Empower the community.”
That is too vague.
Instead, define what you intend to accomplish.
For example:
Specific objectives:
- Strengthen the business and financial management capabilities of 300 women entrepreneurs.
- Improve access to appropriate financial and market opportunities.
- Establish peer-support and business networks that facilitate continued learning and collaboration.
The reader should be able to understand what success looks like.
6. Connect Activities to Results
Your concept paper should tell a logical story:
Problem → Intervention → Outputs → Outcomes → Impact
For example:
⬇️
⬇️
⬇️
⬇️
This logical chain makes the concept easier to assess.
The UNDEF advises applicants to demonstrate a clear link between overall objectives and expected outcomes and warns that buzzwords cannot substitute for logical programme design.
7. Tell the Funder What Makes Your Approach Different
Development funders see countless proposals about:
- Youth empowerment
- Women's empowerment
- Climate change
- Entrepreneurship
- Livelihoods
- Digital inclusion
- Governance
- Education
So why should they pay attention to yours?
Your innovation doesn't necessarily have to be a completely new invention.
It could be:
- A new delivery model
- A previously overlooked target group
- A new partnership
- A locally developed solution
- Integration of several interventions
- Use of technology
- Community-owned implementation
- A scalable approach
- Evidence from a previous pilot
The UN Democracy Fund specifically advises applicants to demonstrate innovation and make interventions action-oriented with concrete outputs.
Ask yourself:
What makes this intervention more relevant, practical or potentially impactful than existing approaches?
8. Demonstrate That Your Organisation Can Deliver
A brilliant idea is not enough.
A funder will reasonably want to know:
Why should we trust your organisation to implement this?
Briefly demonstrate:
- Relevant experience
- Previous projects
- Technical expertise
- Community relationships
- Partnerships
- Geographic presence
- Governance systems
- Financial management capacity
- Previous results
Don't turn this into a five-page organisational history.
Choose evidence that directly supports your ability to deliver this particular project.
9. Show Who Will Benefit
Avoid saying simply:
“The project will benefit the community.”
Which community?
How many people?
Where?
What characteristics define the target group?
And most importantly:
Why them?
A strong concept paper clearly identifies its intended beneficiaries and explains why they have been prioritised.
Where relevant, consider:
- Women
- Young people
- Persons with disabilities
- Marginalised groups
- Rural communities
- Informal workers
- Smallholder farmers
- Refugees
- Children and adolescents
But don't add vulnerable groups simply to make the concept sound attractive.
Your targeting should reflect the actual problem and evidence.
10. Include Gender, Inclusion and Safeguarding Where Relevant
Modern development programming increasingly considers cross-cutting issues such as:
- Gender equality
- Inclusion
- Human rights
- Disability inclusion
- Youth participation
- Environmental sustainability
- Protection and safeguarding
Some funding mechanisms explicitly request such considerations. For example, UN concept-note guidance identifies gender mainstreaming, equality, inclusion, youth, human rights, climate change and sustainability among possible cross-cutting considerations.
The important point is to integrate them meaningfully.
Don't simply write:
“The project will mainstream gender.”
Explain what that means in implementation and results.
11. Make Monitoring and Results Credible
A funder wants to know:
How will we know whether the investment worked?
Your concept paper should identify realistic results and indicators.
For example:
| Result | Possible Indicator |
|---|---|
| Improved business skills | % of participants demonstrating improved knowledge |
| Increased access to markets | Number of enterprises accessing new markets |
| Improved enterprise performance | % reporting increased revenue |
| Stronger networks | Number of active business linkages established |
Avoid creating impressive-looking targets that your organisation cannot realistically measure.
Good monitoring is not about collecting the most data. It is about collecting useful evidence.
UN guidance also emphasizes clear indicators, targets and means of verification as projects move from concept to full proposal.
12. Explain Sustainability Beyond the Grant
A funder may ask:
What happens when our funding ends?
Your answer should be realistic.
Sustainability could involve:
- Local ownership
- Institutional capacity
- Revenue generation
- Policy integration
- Community contributions
- Partnerships
- Continued market access
- Replication
- Integration into existing systems
Don't promise:
“The project will be fully sustainable after three years.”
without explaining how.
Instead, show the mechanism through which benefits, capabilities or systems will continue.
13. Build a Realistic Budget Story
A concept paper may provide only a high-level budget.
But every major cost should make sense in relation to the proposed results.
If your project requests KSh 10 million, the reader should understand:
What will the money accomplish?
Your budget should broadly connect:
Resources → Activities → Outputs → Results
Stress the importance of a realistic, understandable and supportable budget.
Avoid both extremes:
❌ An unrealistically low budget that cannot deliver the promised results.
❌ An inflated budget filled with costs that are difficult to justify.
14. Write for a Busy Decision-Maker
Your concept paper may be competing with dozens or hundreds of others.
Don't make the reader work unnecessarily hard.
Use:
- Short paragraphs
- Descriptive headings
- Clear language
- Relevant evidence
- Logical sequencing
- Tables where useful
- Consistent terminology
Avoid:
❌ Excessive jargon
❌ Long sentences
❌ Repetition
❌ Unnecessary background
❌ Unsupported claims
❌ Acronym overload
The UN Democracy Fund explicitly recommends plain language, concise sentences, accurate information and avoiding jargon and repetition.
Remember:
Clarity is not about making your idea smaller.
It is about making your idea easier to understand.
15. Respect the Funder's Template
This sounds obvious.
Yet it is one of the easiest mistakes to make.
If a funder provides:
- A template
- Word limits
- Character limits
- Required questions
- Mandatory attachments
- Budget categories
- Eligibility criteria
Follow them.
Don't submit your favourite 12-page concept paper when the funder requested a two-page concept note.
UN Peacebuilding Fund materials, for example, provide specific concept-note templates and project budget templates, including versions designed for CSOs.
A good concept paper is not simply well written.
It is compliant.
The 10-Question Concept Paper Test
Before submitting your concept paper, ask:
1. Is the problem clearly defined?
2. Is there credible evidence?
3. Is the target population clearly identified?
4. Does the proposed intervention address the stated problem?
5. Are the objectives specific and realistic?
6. Are outputs and outcomes clearly connected?
7. Does the idea align with the funder's priorities?
8. Can the organisation demonstrate capacity to implement it?
9. Is there a credible sustainability strategy?
10. Does the budget make sense?
If you cannot answer these questions confidently, the concept paper probably needs more work.
What Makes a Concept Paper Memorable?
A powerful concept paper doesn't necessarily use impressive vocabulary.
It creates a clear mental picture.
The reader should finish it knowing:
This is the problem.
These are the people affected.
This is why it matters now.
This is the solution.
This is what will change.
This organisation can deliver it.
This is why our support can make a difference.
That is the difference between a document that merely requests funding and one that makes a compelling investment case.
Don't Write a Concept Paper Just to Submit an Application
For CBOs, CSOs and NGOs, every funding application is also an opportunity to sharpen your thinking.
A strong concept paper can help your organisation:
- Clarify its priorities
- Understand the problem better
- Identify potential partners
- Define measurable results
- Strengthen its funding strategy
- Communicate its value
- Build relationships with development partners
And sometimes, even when a concept isn't funded, the process reveals what needs to be strengthened.
Don't measure the quality of your concept paper by its length. Measure it by the clarity of the case it makes.
🚀 Is Your Organisation Ready to Turn an Idea Into a Fundable Concept?
At Techinva Kenya, we support CBOs, CSOs, NGOs, social enterprises and development-focused organisations with:
Concept papers | Grant proposals | Project proposals | Governance documentation | Strategic plans | Training manuals | Research and documentation | Project management support
If your organisation has a promising idea but struggles to translate it into a clear, evidence-based and funder-aligned concept, let's talk.
👉 Contact Techinva Kenya before the next funding deadline—not after you have submitted.
Your community may have the solution. Your concept paper needs to help the right people see its potential.
Trusted Resources to Explore Further
For readers who want to strengthen their proposal-development skills, these are useful primary or authoritative resources:
- UN Peacebuilding Fund – Application Guidelines & Templates — includes concept-note and CSO budget templates.
- UN Democracy Fund – Tips and Lessons for Applicants — practical guidance on clarity, innovation, alignment, impact and sustainability.
- UN Democracy Fund – Proposal Assessment Criteria — illustrates how proposals can be assessed against criteria including impact, implementation capacity, value for money and sustainability.
- UN 2030 Agenda Sub-Fund – Concept Note Guidance — provides a concept-note template and guidance on areas including objectives, budget, SDGs and cross-cutting issues.
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