The Request for Proposal is focused on offering applicants an opportunity to make a positive change using the funding of the grantor. The Request for Proposal is the grantor’s tool to make this happen. There is no more important section of the Request for Proposal than the Project or Program Description itself.
In the Project Description, it is the responsibility of the grantor to give the applicants a straightforward description of the project. Without an accurate description of the grantor’s expectations, applicants will not be able to give the grantor what he or she is looking for.
The following are some of the questions for which the grantor (funder) is seeking answers:
- What is the project that the applicant intends to develop?
- What are the means by which the end product or project will be created?
- What is the purpose of the project?
- What are the main component parts of the project?
- How will the project or program elicit the desired benefits?
- Who are the beneficiaries of the project or program?
- How will society or the community at-large benefit from the project or program?
Here is an example of the project description as it is woven into the fabric of the Request for Proposal:
The County of the Bronx, New York, is seeking qualified applicants to develop and prepare a housing facility for the homeless in said County. The facility must be large enough to accommodate 200 beds for our residents and offices for staff and departmental programming.
The physical layout must be aesthetically pleasing and handicapped accessible into the premises as well as within the building proper. The building must be safe and meet all national, state and local standards and OSHA regulations.