Overview
Provided here are some general instructions for the final project. These instructions are geared more toward the initial stages of this project. More detailed instructions for the specific assignments in this project can be found in separate links. This document should give you a fairly good idea of what this project is about, what you’re required to do for the project, and what steps to follow to get started.

The Project
For this project, you are required to write a major proposal (a research proposal, a consulting proposal, a grant application, a product or service proposal, etc.) that involves a certain level of complexity. In the best of all possible worlds, I would like your final project to be a “real” proposal written for real money (or something of value), in response to a real request for proposal (RFP). In the second best of all possible worlds, I would like your proposal to respond to a real RFP, even though you don’t plan on actually submitting the document to the funding source. Therefore, one thing I would like you guys to do in the next couple of weeks is to actively seek possible sources for your project. You can contact local communities and organizations, e.g., the United Way, to see if they need anybody to write a proposal for them. Ask your family members, your friends, your relatives for help. Meanwhile, you may want to check out the following web sites for real RFP’s: the Catalog of Federal Domestic Assistance (www.cfda.gov) and National Endowment for Humanities (www.neh.gov).

Step 1–Identifying a Client
Your first task is to locate a client–a company or organization that needs people to write grants. Find a company, business, or organization that might have a use for your writing expertise. Non-profit organizations are a good place to start as they’re usually in constant need for grants as well as writing specialists to write the grants. A client’s problem or need should drive this project, as in most real-world situations–but think about your needs, too. You want to work on an issue that interests you, that might even be fun!, and that pertains to an area of expertise that you currently have or would like to have. The greater your interest and expertise, the better job you will do on the project. One good source for locating a client is the Georgia Center for Nonprofits (www.gcn.org). They have a list of non-profit organizations in Georgia at www.gcn.org/joinlis.html.

In selecting the project, keep the following in mind:

• access to client (interviews, information)
• requires research
• scope appropriate for a team of 3-4
• doable in the time frame
• technically and cognitively within reach

• significant problem, worth doing Keep in mind that this is a semester-long project. Thus you should start thinking about your project right now. Also keep in mind that, because this is a semester-long project, I expect a rather substantial final product.

Step 2–Conducting Research
Once you have identified a client and its need for a grant proposal, conduct some preliminary research to find out about your client’s current situation/need, what they are looking for, what sources of funding are possible. You will then write an initial project proposal to me requesting for my approval. Once approved, you can start your research process, to achieve a thorough understanding of the problem, to acquire information needed, to analyze your findings, to evaluate any possible alternatives, until you’re ready to write the proposal. Therefore, during this process, you will conduct both internal and external research, including, for example, interviews, on-site observations, surveys, library research, usability testing, etc. A sound research methodology is a prerequisite to the success of the project.This is a key step to the project. One of the critical aspects of this project is the accessibility of your client and their willingness to provide the information you’ll need for writing the grant. Therefore, before you commit to the project, make sure

• that your client is well prepared for the project,
• that they have a clear idea of what they want to do, and
• that they already have a good plan for how to do the project.

I can’t tell you how important this is. This is often what makes or breaks your project!

Step 3–Identifying Funding Sources and RFPs
This step could start simultaneously with Step 2. After you have obtained a fairly good understanding of your client’s funding needs, your next step is to locate a foundation that provides funding for the kind of projects your client is planning to implement. Most foundations would issue RFPs (requests for proposals) describing what the foundation’s mission is, what they’re interested in, what kind of projects and organizations they support, what geographical constraints they impose, and what other constraints or special requirements they have, etc. There’re several sources where you can find information about foundations: foundation directories, which are usually updated each year and are available in the library; online directories you can search on the Internet; and, the most helpful resource of all, the Foundation Center (www.fdncenter.org), which is located at 50 Hurt Plaza, Suite 150, Atlanta, GA 30303. The Foundation Center has several databases, which provide detailed information about thousands of foundations. The center is open to the public, and their services are mostly free of charge. Once you’ve located several possible foundations, study them carefully and make sure you fully understand what the foundation does, what their mission is, what they support, and what they require for grant applications. Pick the one that’s most appropriate for your client. Assignment–During this step, you will do your RFP analysis, in which you compare two foundations that support the kind of project your client wants to do.

Step 4–Drafting Your Grant Proposal
Now you’ve located a client, researched into their needs, and identified a foundation and its RFP. You’re ready to write your grant proposal! The first thing to do in drafting your grant is to copy the list of requirements for the grant proposal from the foundation’s RFP document. In most cases, the RFP would specify exactly what sections you should have in your proposal narrative and what documents you’ll need to complete your application package. Paste this list of required sections from the RFP onto the first page of your grant proposal. This list will serve as your outline for the grant proposal. As you complete individual sections of your proposal, always do it in the same file and keep updating this same file. As you turn in your section drafts, you’ll be turning in this very same file, each time updated with more sections until it’s complete. Don’t create a separate file each time you turn in a new section draft! Assignment–Obviously, you’ll be doing your section drafts during this step until the whole grant proposal is complete.

Step 5–Reviewing and Revising Your Grant Proposal
After you’ve completed your first draft of your proposal, submit it to me and your client for review. Upon receiving feedback from your readers, revise your proposal if necessary.

Step 6–Securing All the Documents Needed and Submit Your Proposal Package
Secure all the documents needed as specified by the foundation’s RFP. Package it and send it in before the foundation’s deadline. Some foundations may not have a deadline and review proposals on a rolling basis, but a lot of foundations do impose deadlines.

Step 7–Follow Up
The foundation may announce in their RFP what their time line is for decisions on proposals. You can always follow up at different stages after you’ve submitted your proposal. For example, you can follow up a few days after your submission to make sure the foundation has received your proposal and is not missing any required documents. You may also follow up after the decision deadline has passed to inquire about the fate of your proposal. You may even follow up after receiving a rejection of your proposal to politely ask about the reasons for the rejection so that you can improve your proposal in the future. In the happy case where your proposal is accepted for funding, you need to follow up on such things as what you need to do to keep the foundation updated on the project, what evaluation measures you need to take to assess the outcome of the project, etc.

Project Components
There’re six components to the project:

• Project proposal (50 points)–Each of you will be responsible for identifying at least one possible project. Once you have located a client, write an individual project proposal of around two pages, describing the client, its current situation and need, their objectives, possible funding sources, research needed, the scope and feasibility of the project, and a project plan
• The RFP (Request for Proposals) Analysis (50 points)–This assignment will require you to research into two RFPs related to your final project topic and compare and contrast the two. You will find two RFPs in a similar area, e.g., government research grants, business investment proposals, foundation grants, academic fellowships, etc. You will summarize and analyze your findings.
• Section drafts (not graded, but 20-point deduction for each draft not completed on time)–During the course of the project, you will write up drafts for various sections of your proposal, including, but are not limited to, situation, objectives, methods, budget, qualifications, assessment plan, benefits, and conclusion.
• Grant proposal (300 points)–After reviewing what the funding agency requires, you put together a grant proposal that most effectively addresses the funding agency’s requirements.
• Rhetorical Analysis (not graded)–Accompanying the final proposal, each group will also be required to turn in a rhetorical analysis in which you carefully analyze the rhetorical aspects of the proposal design: what process you went through, how effective your proposal is, why you have designed the proposal the way you did, how successful your collaboration was, what you would do differently next time, etc. The purpose of the rhetorical analysis is for you to step back from your project and examine it with a critical eye. The focus of the analysis will be on WHY rather than WHAT.