The Proposal:

The proposal is how you inform the potential funder about your project. It details who you are and your experience, the objectives of the project, a description of the project, a detailed budget, how much money, product, and/or support you are asking for from the foundation or prospective funder, and any other materials that will concisely inform the funder and sell the project.

Pleasing the Customer:
Please understand that these are general suggestions of how a proposal should be put together. Most foundations will provide a list of criteria that will become the backbone of your proposal. If you put this basic information together in advance it will easily conform to most application requirements.

Cover Letter:
Often, the cover letter of a proposal is neglected. The cover letter is your chance to get the funder’s attention, give any information that is specific to the prospective funder, and give the whole package a more personal, hands on feel.

Organization Name:
Some foundations like you to provide your organization’s full name and contact information.

Mission of Organization:
Most organizations have a founding mission statement. Take your mission statement and apply it to the storytelling project. Define how the festival will help fulfill the mission of your organization.

Total Organization Yearly Budget:
This is your organization’s yearly working budget.

Project Description:
Often, this is the first piece of information in a proposal. It is a brief description of the project you are trying to get funded. Briefly, but clearly, outline the nature of the project. This will also include dates and locations.

Project Objectives:
Now that we know what the project is, what do you hope to achieve with it?

Total Budget Cost:
You will want to provide an estimate of how much it will cost to put on the festival and any peripheral costs that are attached.

Requested Amount:
Often, funders cannot or will not fund the entire project, so you must know in advance what type of grants or funding they provide and the typical size of the grant. Most of that information can be obtained on the Internet, or by requesting application materials from the source. Based upon that information, request the appropriate amount of funding from the entity.

Organizational History:
You need to be prepared to provide information concerning the tenure of your organization as well as how this project affects your organization in the short term and long term.

Project Budget:
It is always helpful to funders if they can refer to a budget breakdown. Often they will only ask for the top page (budget summary) of your budget, which shows the amount budgeted for each category. It is wise to have a detailed budget and a summary budget on hand for your project.

Supporting Material:
These are items that give more depth and credibility to your proposal. They include, but are not limited to:

- A current list of your organization’s staff and Board of Directors.

- Job descriptions, bios, and resumes of personnel responsible for the project.

- Bios on performers (storytellers) participating in the festival. All of these bios add credibility to your project.

- Any marketing or promotional materials for the festival. These materials help the funders visualize what it is going to look like and how you are going to market the festival.

- Letters of Support for the project. These are letters from your performers and festival staff saying that they are fully committed to the project, as well as anyone reputable that you may have on an advisory committee, such as the mayor or state governor.

Certification:
You and your organization must certify the correctness and the truthfulness of the information in the proposal.

Sample Grant Application:
See below for a downloadable sample grant application/proposal. (You must have Adobe Acrobat Reader installed to view the .pdf file.)

Download Sample Grant Application/Proposal

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