- Check out previously approved grants as a guide. See below, or ask a PRC member to recommend a good proposal for you to use as an example based on what your project is. You may even find a successful proposal for a very similar project that you can borrow language from. Well-written proposals should be long enough to cover the topic, but short enough to keep it interesting. Present all the relevant information concisely.
- Let the Summary be your sales pitch and chance to make the project shine. The reader doesn't need a lot of details here but they need to get excited about your project.
- Work on the budget first, not last. Though typically the most time-consuming information to acquire, the budget is the backbone of your proposal (everything else is justification for why you need this money) and your project could end up changing once you get into budgeting details, so don’t put off getting at least a rough draft of the budget in order before you start writing.
- Be clear and specific about the nature and purpose of every item in your budget. If it isn’t obvious to an outside reader what something is or why it’s necessary to the project, make sure to explain it somewhere else in the proposal, or in a budget narrative.
- Make sure you’ve clearly explained all the W’s (and H) of the proposed activity - Who? What? Where? When? Why? How? - somewhere in the proposal (probably under Implementation and/or Timeline sections).
- Make sure you have SMART objectives (specific, measurable, attainable, realistic, and time-bound). “Improve life skills” or “increase self-esteem” is not specific enough. Tell us exactly how you define that change. For example, “creatively solve a problem as a team” or “list 5 positive traits they see in themselves.” Check out indicators on the VRF for inspiration.
- In your objectives, use active voice (not "participants will receive training on..." but rather tell what the participants will be able to DO as a result of the training), and concrete action verbs (not "students will understand/know/gain skills in/be able to..." but rather "students will demonstrate/list/state/identify/select/do..." - tell what they'll measurably do to demonstrate that knowledge/skill/ability).
- In the Background and Outcomes sections, explain how you know that the proposed goals/objectives are currently unmet and how reaching them will improve the lives of the participants. Don’t assume that the reader already knows anything the situation for Thai youth or schools. Use the Background section to show the community needs assessments you've conducted that lead you to know this is the right project for your community, and use the Outcomes section to show how the project will fulfill those needs.
- Make sure it's clear how your Goals and Objectives are prerequisites to the stated Outcomes and are relevant to the needs stated in the Background. Every section of the proposal should fit together consistently.
- Reference involved community members by name in your Community Involvement section. Make sure you are using Peace Corps's participatory approach to development and that it shows in this section. Tell how the project came about and make sure that includes a clear interest and commitment from the community members.
- Show your project's Capacity Building potential through legitimate hands-on opportunities for participants to gain and practice new knowledge/skills/attitudes. Passively attending trainings taught by PCVs is not enough to build capacity, projects must include targeted skill transfer and opportunities to demonstrate it.
- Demonstrate project Sustainability through concrete follow-up plans, well-designed capacity building, and demonstrated relevance to the community's overall needs and interests (i.e. they must be not only capable but also motivated to continue the work).
- Use professional language – it’s Friends of Thailand, not friends from high school.
- Use positive and confident language – “can” and “will,” not “hopefully” or “try to” or “ideally.”
- Don’t make this about you! You’re just the author for a proposal on behalf of everyone involved, so avoid a lot of narrative using “I” and “me” - refer to yourself in the third person or as “PCV” (and if you find you’re having to do that a lot, look at the focus of the proposal and make sure it’s weighted toward community partners more than yourself).
- Use the future tense to talk about a project that hasn't happened yet and the past tense for background about the past, avoiding simple present statements like "this camp helps youth develop life skills." (rather, "this camp will help youth develop life skills.")
- Don’t sweat the form – these are universal forms and every section may not apply to every project, doesn’t necessarily mean there’s anything wrong with your project. Just explain what you can in each section and focus on the parts that are relevant to your project. Some of the sections may be redundant. If you already covered something in another section, you can simply re-summarize as briefly as possible and move on. DO NOT use expressions like “as previously stated” or “like I said,” as they serve no function but to draw attention to the fact that you’re repeating yourself (if you don’t point it out, maybe they won’t notice).
- Think of the proposal-writing process as a guided opportunity to think through all the aspects of your project and get a clear road map down on paper – not a stressful chore! Let your proposal exhibit your enthusiasm for the project and showcase the amazing work you and your community are doing. PRC, PC staff, and the funders receiving your proposal are all here to support you in obtaining funding. These are non-competitive grants and we’re all on your team so if you’re new to grant writing this is the perfect zero-stress environment in which to practice!
- Have fun, and email your friendly PRC representative if you get stuck!