Proposal Planning for Grant-Funded Projects Course

Lesson 1 • Key Stakeholders in Grant Projects

Identifies internal and external actors who influence proposal success. Clarifies roles so students can assign responsibilities accurately in later planning stages.

Lesson 2 • The Grant Funding Landscape

Maps the major categories of grant funders and their distinct priorities. Establishes the vocabulary and mental model needed for all subsequent planning work.

Lesson 3 • Proposal Lifecycle Overview

Traces a proposal from opportunity identification through award and closeout. Grounds students in the full timeline before they plan individual phases.

Lesson 1 • Organizational Capacity Assessment

Guides students in honestly evaluating their organization's readiness to compete. Prevents misaligned applications by matching internal strengths to funder expectations.

Lesson 2 • Reading and Interpreting Solicitations

Teaches close reading of Requests for Proposals and Notices of Funding Availability. Students extract eligibility rules, priorities, and hidden reviewer expectations.

Lesson 3 • Funding Research Strategies

Introduces databases, alerts, and network-based methods for locating grants. Connects research habits to the strategic alignment concepts from Chapter 1.

Lesson 1 • Gathering and Analyzing Evidence

Covers primary and secondary data collection methods appropriate for proposals. Students learn to synthesize statistics, research, and community input into coherent evidence.

Lesson 2 • Principles of Needs Assessment

Explains the purpose and types of needs assessments used in grant contexts. Establishes why rigorous problem definition strengthens funder confidence.

Lesson 3 • Defining the Target Population

Teaches precise demographic and geographic specification of who will be served. Accurate population definition directly shapes objectives, budget, and evaluation design.

Lesson 1 • Introduction to Logic Models

Presents the logic model as a visual theory of change connecting inputs to impact. Students see how each proposal section maps onto logic model components.

Lesson 2 • Building a Logic Model

Guides step-by-step construction of a logic model for a real or simulated project. Emphasizes internal consistency so every element links causally to the next.

Lesson 3 • Goals vs. Objectives Distinction

Clarifies the hierarchical relationship between broad goals and measurable objectives. Prevents the common error of writing vague goals that reviewers cannot score.

Lesson 1 • Work Breakdown Structure

Introduces the work breakdown structure as a tool for decomposing project scope. Students move from objectives to deliverables to discrete, assignable tasks.

Lesson 2 • Roles, Responsibilities, and Staffing Plans

Guides creation of staffing narratives and responsibility assignment matrices. Reviewers use staffing plans to judge whether the team can execute the proposed work.

Lesson 3 • Partnership and Collaboration Planning

Addresses how to structure formal partnerships that strengthen a proposal. Covers memoranda of understanding, sub-award roles, and collaborative governance.

Lesson 4 • Timeline and Milestone Development

Teaches construction of Gantt charts and milestone tables appropriate for proposals. Realistic scheduling demonstrates organizational competence to funders.

Lesson 1 • Cost-Sharing and Matching Funds

Covers the rules and documentation requirements for matching contributions. Students learn to identify, value, and record in-kind and cash match sources.

Lesson 2 • Budget Review and Compliance

Introduces a systematic review process to catch errors before submission. Compliance checks prevent disqualification and post-award audit findings.

Lesson 3 • Building the Budget Spreadsheet

Walks through line-by-line budget construction using a standard template. Students practice calculating personnel costs, fringe, and indirect charges accurately.

Lesson 4 • Budget Categories and Cost Principles

Explains direct and indirect cost categories and the principles governing allowability. Establishes the financial vocabulary used in all subsequent budget work.

Lesson 1 • Evaluation Fundamentals for Proposals

Distinguishes formative, summative, and developmental evaluation and their proposal roles. Connects evaluation design back to the logic model built in Chapter 4.

Lesson 2 • Data Collection Methods and Tools

Covers survey design, administrative records, observation, and case studies. Students match data collection methods to indicator types and resource constraints.

Lesson 3 • Reporting Schedules and Deliverables

Designs a reporting calendar aligned to funder requirements and project milestones. Proactive reporting planning prevents compliance failures during implementation.

Lesson 1 • Compliance Verification and Submission

Covers final compliance checklists, formatting rules, and electronic submission steps. A single non-compliant element can disqualify an otherwise strong proposal.

Lesson 2 • Persuasive Grant Writing Principles

Applies rhetorical and plain-language principles to grant narrative construction. Persuasive writing converts strong planning into reviewer scores that win awards.

Lesson 3 • Internal Review and Revision Process

Establishes a structured peer and leadership review cycle before submission. Systematic revision catches gaps that individual authors cannot see in their own work.

Lesson 4 • Handling Reviewer Feedback

Teaches how to analyze reviewer comments and prepare resubmission strategies. Turning rejection into a learning cycle is a core professional competency.