Application Components: Program Design

This is the eleventh article in a series on grant writing. Read the introduction to the entire series.

In the Program Design section, it’s important to detail past success, but don’t shy away from also talking about lessons learned. Funders want to know that you are constantly working to provide a high-quality program and showing how you use past experiences to improve is a powerful way to discuss this.

It is important that you make it clear that the program will address the need you expressed in the need section of the proposal. Going with the example above, if the need was lack of access to after-school programs due to transportation issues, your program should solve that problem in a meaningful way. Be as specific as possible in this section. Your goal is to allow the reviewer to picture the program in their head easily without confusion. If you are providing transportation, discuss how the vehicles will be obtained, how you will ensure the drivers are qualified, what safety measures you have put in place, and any other pertinent details. The reviewer is likely to know nothing of your program, so make sure there are not any holes when describing it.

This section should also relate to your budget. Ensure that any budget items listed in the budget worksheet are discussed. If requesting funding for transportation, make sure to describe how that transportation will be used in this section.

The bottom line is that in order to make your case and propose a fundable project, it must potentially solve a problem that both your organization and the funder are interested in, must generate results that can be effectively measured in some way, and must be feasible to implement.