Posts Tagged ‘Completing the Application’
Completing the Application
You have to be sure that you are qualified for the grant that you are interested in. You may be able to check this by reading and understanding the Eligibility Requirements.
Often times, you have to check what the government requires from the program you are proposing. For example, a grant for public housing agency can be granted if it has projects that support the reduction and elimination of drug-related crime.
You are also required to compose a proposal. The proposal must contain your goals, your objectives and his plans for the business that he is venturing in. This may be a daunting task because whatever is written could make or break your application. Whatever the government agency behind the grant you are interested in reads in that proposal, it will be the deciding factor whether you get the application approval or not.
That is why some people resort to the Internet to at least have an outline of what the proposal must look like. However, because of the confidentiality of the content for a grant proposal, chances are you will have a hard time looking for some online. The proposals contain confidential information about the company. Naturally because as mentioned before, the proposal must contain the procedures, processes and programs. Having this posted online will get their competitors access on how to better them.
So the best way for you to do so is to do it on your own. Just like anything in life, if you want to get things done right, do it yourself.
In writing, do not be impatient. Most firms devote two to four weeks in general just to compose a Government proposal. They have to make sure that whatever proposal they send to the government agency, it will be the gist of whatever direction their business endeavor will head to. At the same time, it would have to be credible and deserving of the funding the government could possibly bestow to them.
Gather the information about your company. You can get these in the paperwork they provide you once you start working for them. In this way, whatever you put on paper in your proposal is actually the information the company has divulged beforehand. Thus, it will give the government agency a better idea on why the business needs the extra funding.
If these aren’t available for you, ask help from those who could possibly assist you in doing so. If your company is non-profit, approach a board member who has a long tenure. If it is a large establishment, go to the program and financial support staff.
Step one: the concept. It is very necessary that you show to government agencies you have a concrete idea where to take your project. You have to make sure that the goal of your project is in accordance with the mission and vision of your company. Whatever documentation you presented, you must keep a copy for yourself, just in case the need for it arises.
Step two: the program. The information you can include in your proposal is:
a.) the nature of the project and how you plan on pulling it off
b.) a timeline for the activities you presented
c.) the possible outcomes and evaluation chart that will be utilized to rate the progress of the project
d.) the needs of the staff and volunteers.
Step three: the expenses. Now this is the hardest of them all because it involves money. You cannot specify how much the over-all cost will be. That is why this is the last section of the proposal. At this point, you do not have to give the government agency the full 411, but at least give them the idea on how much percentage will be allotted to this aspect and this aspect.
Names are also necessary. In order to make the proposal more formal when presented, you must do your best to include the names of the people who are the key staff in assisting the proposal of your chosen project. You can also include names of people in the staff who helped you prepare your objective proposal, as well as the cost proposal.
In your proposal, the research that had been allotted to come up with the finished product must be evident. Government agency will pretty much determine the effort of the possible grantee in his proposal. Look at it like the term papers you used to submit to your college professors, a proposal is pretty much like that. With what you have written there, the government agency will get an idea on the commitment and dedication you have on the project.
Grants to Help the Single Female Parent
Being a single mom these days can be so tedious, generally statistics say that single moms are one of the most disadvantaged parties in the United States.
Believe it or not, single female parents:
* are rarely awarded spousal support, in it only occurs in 15% of divorce cases.
* who are actually awarded spousal support doesn’t get the support anyway. Statistics say that only 36% of the 15% of total women awarded with spousal support actually get this support.
* who are given spousal support rarely getting the whole amount; it’s usually less than half actually.
* suffer from a fall in their standard of living, after divorce, while a male’s standard of living actually increases by 15%.
And because of the recurring social stature of women, most single female parents are those that used to be homemakers, meaning they are jobless and have no experience as a worker whatsoever. This is a problem because they are dependent on their husbands for income, and once that income goes away, they are left with nothing.
There is one way to recover from such a blow, some women already have a start on tertiary education, and only need the money to finish it. Fortunately, the government offers various grants that target single moms who want to finish their education.
What is a grant?
A grant is usually a form of financial support that the federal government offers to certain eligible people. The government offers over 900 grants and out of these nine hundred there are a few grants targeted towards single mothers. The Catalog of Federal Domestic Assistance (CFDA) has a complete list of all the grants that may be applied for and this can be found at their website at www.cfda.gov.
If you’re one of the mothers who want to pursue higher education, it is best however to go to the financial aid office of your respective college or university. Usually, grants, especially scholarship funds have faculty representatives for each school who can assist students who are applying for grants.
Who is eligible for a grant?
Usually grants awarded by the US government are only for U.S. citizens. Aside from those criteria, each grant has its own set of eligibility rules. Some only cater to undergraduates, some only to juniors or sophomores, some only for Native Americans some only for Alaskans, and yet another some that target the course rather than the origin of the applicant. For example, there are a lot of grants that offer scholarships for outstanding students who are studying the sciences or tribal politics of Native Americans.
Why apply for a grant?
As a single female parent, furthering your education is one of the sure fire ways to find a living where you can earn more than minimum wage, sure minimum wage is ok if you’re single but if you have a child or children, it’ll be a lot harder to find time both for work and for childcare.
How to prepare for a grant application
1. Get the Catalog of Federal Domestic Assistance from the financial aid office of your college or university. You can also get the list from www.cfda.gov.
2. Study the grants that are applicable to you, not just the eligibility but also the application process and the purpose of the grant as well as the Government department giving it.
3. Ask yourself where are you going to apply? Does your application have to go through the school, does it have to go through the local government or can you send it directly?
4. These projects usually have assessment pages where they show previously or currently funded individuals or institutions, study these to find out your chances of getting the grant.
5. Know what types of paperwork are required note down everything you already have and everything that you still have to get.
6. Call the contact persons and ask to get an application kit.
7. After filling the kit don’t forget to include your grant proposal; most of the judgment is based on this piece of writing. It’ll help a lot if you attend or at least have read previous grant proposals.
8. Make sure to have the application in before the deadline.