Need Grant Writing Help? - Proposal Summary - Part 9 of 11

Now it's complete!  Well, almost...

The proposal summary does what it suggests; it summarizes the entire proposal.  Here you're about to be taught the basics of constructing a solid and compelling summary.

All proposals of more than 5 pages in length should contain a summary.  The summary is a clear one to two page abstract of the proposal.

A proposal summary should contain the following elements:

• Identification of the applicant (your organization)
• The specific purpose of the grant request
• The applicant's qualification to carry out this purpose (the program)
• The anticipated end results
• The total program or project budget and how much the applicant is requesting from the grantmaker to be used toward that amount

Keep in mind summaries are succinct.  You should include each of these elements in one short paragraph.  Follow the order given in the bullets above when writing your proposal.  A crisp and well articulated summary helps the reviewer understand the need for the program and the results expected.

Some Tips

• Decide what the key points are in each section of the proposal you have been writing and include only those key points in this summary.
• Stress the key points that you know are important to the funder.  Make sure the summary highlights the potential grantmaker's proprieties.

We're getting closer.....

Up next.... Putting It All Together.