The Project Scope in the Request for Proposal will give you a clear idea of what the essence of the grant is all about. It will inform you on the areas that will need to be covered. Of course, in the application proper, you will be asked with a high degree of specificity to answer questions that will outline your program in detail to the funder. So, before you begin to undertake this task, you must make a determination if this grant application meets the mission and values of your organization.
That’s right! The gravest mistake made by organizational administrations in need of funding for a particular project or program is to take the Request for Proposal and construct an application and project to fit into the criteria presented by the funder. This is a misguided effort on the part of some organizations to gain access to funding for a project they had no intention of constructing.
The outcome of such an endeavor is that your application is disjointed and unclear because you did not have this project in focus prior to starting the application process. You then have to develop the project or program at the same time you are trying to complete the application and answer its questions. Over 80% of the time, based on personal knowledge and experience, these applications go unfinished and all the time spent trying to put the application together is wasted. Time is precious and it could have been put to much better use, such as further developing the concepts of your own project and program. It is always advisable to wait for the Request for Proposal for a project that fits your design and mission, and not the other way around.
With regard to the Project Scope, the following areas would be mentioned as far as their requirements are concerned:
- Location of your project
- Demographics of the location
- Rationale for the location
- Description of the physical layout of your program
- Interior design of your program
- Administration and job description
- Hiring protocol
- Compliance with OSHA and other regulatory bodies that could have oversight over your project or program