Group Work - Grant Proposal
According to the Merriam-Webster Online Dictionary, a grant is "an amount of money that is given to someone
by a government, a company, etc., to be used for a particular purpose (such as scientific research)"
In this project, your group will identify a specific plan of action to address a specific issue related to your topic, with the aim of procuring grant funding for your plan. Each member of the group should already be an expert, after researching and writing about the group's topic.
Please make sure to scroll down through this entire page to see ALL guidelines.
The task for your group, in this phase of the project, is to complete the following steps:
At the Kickoff Field Trip, the group must research together to find the best possible shared resources related to the group's topic.
At the Project Workday, each group must submit a FOF Workday Checklist (this document can be found in your group files).
At the Project Workday, the group must decide together on a single, specific "Next Step" to propose in regard to that topic. In order to make that decision, each group must complete their own copy of the FOF Decision Matrix (this document can be found in your group files). Please follow the directions on the document for naming and sharing.
At the Project Workday, the group must decide on specific responsibilities for each member and create a FOF Group Contract.
At the Project Workday your group will put together a "Grant Proposal" website and presentation (these can be found in your group files), in which you will describe the specific actions that you will take in your "Next Step." This action might be:
A new research project
A new device or extension/addition/alteration to an already existing device
A new service or process
An advocacy action (lobbying, sponsoring specific legislation, etc.)
An educational action
Any other legitimate action that your group might see as a potential "Next Step."
No matter what choice your group makes, the action must be focused on a local (state of Virginia) level.
Your group will present your proposal, in competition with other groups, for up to $1,000,000 in grant funding. Please use the Funding Our Future Expense Reference Sheet to base your expense projections on.
Grant funding amounts will be decided by the audience at the Grant Proposal presentations.
NOTE: Your grant proposal does NOT have to exactly equal $1,000,000 Your group may decide to create a grant proposal for more or less money - but please keep in mind that groups who under-fund their project by asking for less than $1,000,000 are not as likely to do well at the grant competition. In addition, groups who ask for more than $1,000,000 will need to include information on how they propose to obtain that additional funding.
Some other things to keep in mind...
Your grant will be assessed on the following criteria:
Is your plan of action PERSUASIVE?
Have you identified a specific, compelling need for action related to your topic?
Have you clearly demonstrated that your group's plan of action will have an impact?
Is this clearly an effective use of money in relation to this issue?
Is your plan of action FEASIBLE?
Is your group's plan realistically achievable?
Will you be able to achieve your plan with the amount of money you expect to raise?
Does your plan have clear DETAILS?
WHO will do WHAT?
WHERE and WHEN will this take place?
How much money will each part of your plan cost?
How will you evaluate or measure the success of your plan in the future?
Who will measure the impact, and how will it be measured?
How will you know if your strategies are working?