1. Goals and Objectives are a vital part of your grant proposal. Goals are extensive statements with a long-term, ideal outcome in mind. Most proposals have no more than three goals (Community Toolbox, 2015). Objectives are detailed statements that will show the reviewer exactly how you plan to achieve your goals (Community Toolbox, 2015).
SMART objectives are well written objectives. Specific- Tell how much of what is to be accomplished in a given time-frame. Measurable- Information concerning the objective can be gathered, identified, or acquired from records. Achievable- The objectives are not only possible, the organization more than likely will be able to make them happen. Relevant to the mission- The organization has a clear perception of how these objectives fit in with the vision and mission of the organization. Timed- A timeline has been developed by the organization by which the objectives will be completed. Challenging- The organization is stretched to set its aims on important changes that are essential to members of the community (Community Toolbox, 2015).
A proposal was written for Lightsville Public Schools based on four focus areas developing specific activities based on each need, and creating measurable tools to evaluate whether or not students and parents are succeeding (Colorado Grants, 2015). Although most proposals have no more than three goals, this proposal had four. Each of the four goals relate directly to the four focus areas described above (Colorado Grants, 2015). The goals were well written and specific and the objectives coincided. The objectives were followed by the SMART format. There is no question as to what was to be accomplished.
Goal 1: Students who participate in the programs at the learning center will improve their academic achievement. Goal 1 had two objectives and they both coincided with the goal.
The Read to Succeed Project's goal, in my opinion told what the goal was, but it did not grab my attention to where I wanted to read further. The goal states: "The goal of the Read to Succeed! Project is to enable at risk students and students with learning and reading disabilities to improve their reading skills to the point where they can succeed in school and develop the reading skills that will prepare them for high school and post-secondary education (Kurzweil Educational Systems , 2002)."
I would have worded the goal to say: The goal of the Read to Succeed! Project is to enable at risk students and students with learning and reading disabilities to advance their reading skills to the point where they are confident that they can succeed in school and their reading skills are developed to the point that they are confidently prepared for high school and post-secondary education.
Objective 1 stated: "Providing a measurable increase in reading speed, comprehension, and reading attention span. The objective is that the students will double their reading speed and increase their reading skills by one to two grade levels by the end of the school year (Kurzweil Educational Systems , 2002)."
In my opinion Objective 1 should have put a specific time frame of three months for reading skills, and 6 months for reading speed
2. The overall goal of the grant proposal is extremely important. The goal of the grant proposal is simply a broad statement of what you want to accomplish with the potential grant. Goals should be broad and abstract, leave the details for the budget and objectives section of the grant. For example, a goal statement can be something as simple as "Decrease the amount of homeless veterans in Arizona." This gives the entire grant proposal direction for those who will be reading and reviewing the grant. The goal of the grant proposal also needs to be dramatic and compelling so that the grant review committee will actually want to help you. The goal is a make or break section of the proposal.
One example of a very well-written grant proposal goal is from the Centerville Community Center, which was seeking funding for a community exercise and health program. "The Centerville Community Center is a grassroots community organization dedicated to improving the health, educational attainment, human welfare, and opportunities for youth, adults and families in Centerville" (Colorado Grants, 2015). Their grant proposal had three very clear goals: "1. To provide educational, recreational, cultural, health and lifelong learning opportunities for youth and adults. 2. To offer educational advancement opportunities for adults and seniors. 3. To ensure that no one in Centerville or in surrounding areas goes hungry" (Colorado Grants, 2015). Perhaps one of the reasons their proposal was accepted was because their goals are captivating; it is something everyone in the community can support and would have a huge impact in the community. Despite having three goals, they were very succinct and to the point. The proposal went on to provide helpful background information to describe all of the ways the community center has already helped the community, along with factual information (Colorado Grants, 2015).
An example of a poorly-written grant proposal goal comes from the City of Summerville Department of Public Safety. First of all, this proposal had lots of detailed information, background, statistical data, and a thorough budget. Unfortunately, it was a case of information overload for the reader; it had lots of text and the goal was not explicitly stated. It would have been helpful if the basic goal of the proposal would have clearly been labeled so the reader did not have to scan through multiple paragraphs. The only section of the proposal that comes close to stating the goal is the cover letter submitted by the Dept. of Public Safety, stating, "I am submitting this proposal to increase the public safety of the City of Summerville by improving the overall physical fitness of the officers of the Summerville Police Department" (City of Summerville 2003). A better way to write the goal for this grant proposal would be to label a section titled "goal." I would rewrite the goal statement to something like this: "Improve the physical fitness of our public safety department to better protect our city." I believe this would be more effective because it is redundant to include the "i am submitting this proposal" part and it pulls on emotions by saying "to better protect our city."