Writing proposals is often seen as a difficult thing. But if you have done good project planning before sitting down to write your proposal, most of the information you need to complete the proposal will be available to you.

Some General Information

Before getting into the specific areas a proposal should include, here are some general tips:

• Make sure that your request its the funder’s mandate. You may want to call the funder to discuss your project ideas before you write your proposal.
• Answer all the questions asked by the funder.
• Be as clear and concise as possible
• Support your comments.
• Keep the language simple and direct. Avoid jargon and acronyms (or initials such as APTN).
• The final copy should be neat, easy to read and carefully proofread.
• Make sure the numbers add up.
• Be positive.

The Components of a Proposal

Any proposal that you write will probably include the following topics.

Introduction

The introduction describes your organization, its qualifications and experience.

In this section, you will describe your organization, its mandate, its membership or clients and its programs and activities. This kind of information helps to establish your experience and your ability to successfully manage and complete the project.

Problem or Needs Statement

A Problem or Needs Statement describes the need for the project.

In this section, you should be able to answer these kinds of questions:

• What problems are you trying to address and what needs are you attempting to meet?
• If your project is to help people, are they interested in participating in the project?
• Why does your organization want to do this project?