florida common application application guide · funders using the florida common application (fca)...

Florida Common Application

Application Guide

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Table of Contents

Introduction 2 Funders Accepting the Florida Common Application 2

Types of Support 3 Tell Your Story: Part 1 4 Overview, Summary, and Description 5 Tell Your Story: Part 2 6 What Your Story Should Tell 6

What Funders Look For 6 Need for Assistance 7 Target Population 7 Project Approach and Design 8 Scope of Work 8 Evaluation Approach 8 Capacity 9 Budget 10 Sustainability 10 Telling Your Story: Part 3 11 Project Innovation 11 Anticipated Challenges 11 Telling Your Story: Part 4 12 Evaluation Model 12 Evaluation Model Helpful Hints 14 Conclusion 17

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Florida Common Application Application Guide

Introduction: Funders using the Florida Common Application (FCA) frequently use certain terms,

concepts, and review criteria that are familiar to us, but may not be familiar to grant applicants. To help foster greater understanding between funders using the FCA and prospective grantees, we have developed this concise guide. The FCA guide does not include formal rules and requirements – rather, the guide offers:

definitions of key terms we use when conducting business with applicants and grantees

fundamentals of a good proposal

insight into what funders look for when reviewing applications and making funding decisions Remember that each funder using the FCA has its own mission, areas of interest, grantmaking guidelines, and proposal review criteria. Make sure you do your research on the specific funder(s) that will receive your application.

Funders Accepting the

Florida Common Application

Children’s Services Council of Palm Beach County

Palm Beach County Board of County Commissioners

Palm Healthcare Foundation

Quantum Foundation

United Way of Palm Beach County

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Types of Support: The FCA requires you to select the type of support that most closely matches

your needs. Note that not all funders using the FCA provide each type of support. You will need to refer to each participating funder’s website to see if they provide a particular type of support.

Capital Support: Capital includes the acquisition, construction, renovation, or improvement of a physical asset such as property, fixtures, large equipment, or machinery.

General Operating Support: General operating support allows nonprofit organizations to maintain existing programs and services by paying for utility bills, maintenance upkeep, salaries, or anything else that helps keep the organization running.

Program Based Services Support: Program Based Services are a particular way of solving a problem or addressing an issue and achieving specific results. Program Based Services can be new or existing, but they should always focus on a specific target population in a specific geographic location.

Event Sponsorship: Including fundraisers, conferences, workshops, colloquia, health fairs, community celebrations, etc.

.

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Tell Your Story: The idea of writing a grant proposal may feel overwhelming, and asking for

money is not easy. But, it might be helpful to think about telling a story rather than writing a proposal. The purpose of the FCA is to provide you with several opportunities to tell your story to potential funders. In general, your story should tell us:

why funding is needed

what the funding will be used for

how the funds will be managed The sections that follow provide additional information on what makes a good story.

Rem

emb

er

• This guide is NOT a substitute for doing your research regarding eachof the participating funders.

• Planning and preparation is vital to the grant writing (or story telling)process.

• Make sure to follow the instructions and prompts provided in theFlorida Common Application Letter of Inquiry and Full Proposal forms.

• We have attempted to provide as much instruction and assistance aspossible, but it is important that you contact the funder(s) you areapproaching if there are any questions about what they require inparticular.

• No project is guaranteed to receive funding; there are more goodprojects than there are dollars to fund them.

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The Letter of Inquiry and the Full Proposal each include an Overview and Summary section. The Full Proposal also includes a Description section. As you move from Overview to Summary to Description, your narrative should move from providing broad concepts and general statements to providing detailed descriptions and specific information. Accordingly, the amount of space available for you to “tell your story” increases as you move from one section to the next.

• Overview

• Summary

• DescriptionPart 1

Overview Summary Description

Amount of narrative space available increases

Broad Concepts

&

General Statements

Detailed Descriptions

&

Specific Information

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As you might imagine, organizations submit – and funders review – many proposals. Each proposal tells a different story. No two stories are ever exactly alike, and no one can formulate a one-size-fits-all set of rules for telling or reviewing them. However, there are certain “essentials” that transform a story from bad to good. Although you are free to use the narrative portions of the FCA to highlight things of your choice, these are the essentials of a good story:

The FCA provides instructions related to the Overview, Summary, and Description sections. Although these instructions reference the essentials, the following charts provide some helpful hints regarding what your story should tell and what funders look for regarding each essential.

• What Your Story Should Tell

• What Funders Look ForPart 2

Essentials of a Good

Story

Need for Assistance

Target Population

Project Approach and

Design

Scope of WorkCapacity

Budget

Sustainability

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Need for Assistance

Your Story Should Tell Funders What Funders Look For

Why this problem, need, or issue is important for your organization to address.

The research your organization did to learn about the problem, need, or issue.

The local data or evidence that exists to document the problem, need, or issue.

How your organization collected this data or evidence.

If there was a demand from the community or target population to address this problem, need, or issue.

The proposed project focuses on a problem, need, or issue that is important to our funding organization.

The applicant uses local data to demonstrate how the problem, need, or issue impacts Palm Beach County.

Addressing the problem, need, or issue is timely and/or urgent.

Implementation of the proposed project will likely affect the identified problem, need, or issue.

Target Population

Your Story Should Tell Funders: Funders Look For:

Who is impacted by the problem, need, or issue – this is your target population.

The defining characteristics and important socio-economic demographics of your target population.

The size of your target population, in general, in Palm Beach County.

How many members of the target population your project will serve.

The geographic location (town, community, neighborhood, etc.) where members of the target population who are served by your project are located.

How the target population was involved in determining the need for the project.

How the target population was involved in the development and/or implementation of the project.

A well described target population – who is impacted, where do they live, how many will be involved in the proposed project, etc.

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Project Approach and Design


The key elements of your project: what is your particular way of solving the problem (or addressing the need).

Why you think this approach is the best way to engage the target population and help them get to the intended results.

The research your organization did to identify the best approach to serve the target population and solve the problem (or address the need).

The research your organization did to design the most effective project for serving the target population and solving the problem (or addressing the need).

A clear description of what will be done and how it will be done.

A project design that is in-line with best practices.

Scope of Work


The work plan your organization will complete.

The timeline for completing each part of the work plan.

The services that will be provided to the target population (including when, where, and how often they are provided).

The roles and responsibilities of your organization and your project partners in completing the work plan and providing services.

A scope of work that is comprehensive and logical given the identified problem, issue, or need; identified target population; and geographic service area.

A scope of work that can sufficiently affect the identified problem, need, or issue.

A scope of work that integrates with relevant existing services.

A realistic timeline for the implementation and completion of the stated scope of work.

Evaluation Approach


The results that you are committed to achieving.

What data will be captured to demonstrate these results.

How your organization (and its partners) will capture this data.

Clearly stated goals, activities, outcomes, and impacts.

A logical and comprehensive method for collecting, analyzing, and reporting data related to the goal, activities, outcomes, and impacts of a project.

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Capacity


Why your organization and your project partners (if applicable) are the right organizations to address the need (or solve the problem).

Why your organization and your project partners (if applicable) are the right organizations to work with the target population.

The experience and expertise of your organization and your project partners (if applicable) in working with the target population.

The experience and expertise of your organization and your project partners (if applicable) in successfully implementing and sustaining projects of similar scope and size.

The roles, responsibilities, expertise, and experience of key project staff (including individuals from your organization, your partners, and consultants).

Appropriate relationships between the applicant organization and others doing similar or closely related work to address the identified problem, issue, or need.

Letters of support from organizations partnering with the applicant organization on the proposed project.

Demonstration of a strong commitment to the project from the applicant organization and its project partners.

The applicant organization and its project partners experience working with the identified target population.

The applicant organization and its project partners experience in implementing projects of similar size, scale, and scope.

The qualifications of key staff from the applicant organization and project partners to implement and manage the project successfully.

Positive prior experiences between the funder organization and the applicant organization, project partners, and key staff.

Good stewardship of the funder organization’s dollars as evidenced by the applicant organization’s financial information (audited financial statements, IRS Form 990, annual operating budget).

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Budget


The total cost to implement the proposed project.

The revenues your organization already has to support project implementation.

The revenues your organization expects to be generated from project activities (e.g., fees, reimbursements, etc.).

The revenues your organization needs to support project implementation.

The specific operating and non-operating costs of your proposed project.

Why each operating and non-operating cost is needed to successfully implement your proposed project.

NOTE: The FCA includes a line-item budget form to capture this information.

The total project budget is reasonable, given the size, scale, and scope of the project.

The total project budget is adequate to successfully implement and complete the project.

The project budget indicates how our funding organization’s dollars will be applied to line items in the total project budget.

The budget narrative describes each line item in the total project budget.

Each line item in the total project budget is programmatically justified.

The request to our funding organization is reasonable.

The applicant is seeking other sources of revenue (other foundations, reimbursements, etc.) in addition to a grant from our funding organization.

The applicant has secured other sources of revenue and included letters of funding confirmation.

Sustainability


The revenue needed to continue the project at the end of the proposed grant period.

The potential funding sources you have identified to support the project at the end of the proposed grant period.

How your organization plans to continue to serve the target population and address the identified need after the proposed grant period.

Post-grant sustainability plans are specific, realistic, and reasonable.

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If the Overview, Summary, and Description are where you tell your story, think of the Full Proposal sections such as Project Innovation and Anticipated Challenges as footnotes to that story. Funders using the FCA want to make sure this information does not get lost in the larger narrative. So, make sure you use these sections wisely. Do not repeat information you already provided in other areas of the FCA. Instead, provide a concise but detailed narrative that specifically addresses each section. Project Innovation: Questions to Consider

Anticipated Challenges: Questions to Consider

• Project Innovation

• Anticipated ChallengesPart 3

•differ from existing programs in the geographic area?

•differ from existing programs serving your targetpopulation?

How does your Project:

•transfer to Palm Beach County a program firstintroduced somewhere else?

•adapt a program first designed for some other targetpopulation?

Does your project:

•unique or creative in its design or approach?

•unique or creative in its scope of work?How is your project:

What might prevent your project from being successful

How is your project designed to overcome

this challenge?

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The FCA requires you to complete an evaluation model. The evaluation model is a valuable planning, implementation, and quality improvement tool. It describes:

what your project expects to accomplish

who is responsible for completing the work

when you will achieve certain benchmarks

what you will measure to demonstrate progress towards addressing your identified problem, issue, or need

how you will measure progress towards addressing your identified problem, issue, or need The evaluation model has four inter-related parts -- goal, activity, outcome, and impact – which together help to tell your story. If narrative sections of the FCA are where you tell the “long version” of your story, think of the evaluation model as the “Cliff’s Notes” or “Readers Digest” adaptation of that story.

In addition to serving as another way to tell your story, the evaluation model functions as a navigation system, letting you know where you are going, how to get there, and when you have arrived. However, this navigation system only works when the goal, impacts, outcomes, and activities are:

“SMART” goals, impacts, outcomes, and activities are also important because:

If your project is funded, your funder will ask for regular updates on your project’s progress.

Reporting becomes easier if you know what to track, measure, collect, and analyze

Demonstrating success becomes easier if you have set benchmarks and milestones for your project.

Each part of the evaluation model is detailed on the following page, along with its narrative counterpart, a brief definition, and examples.

• Evaluation ModelPart 4

• specificS

• measurableM

• achievableA

• realisticR

• time sensitiveT

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Evaluation Part Goal Activity Outcome Impact

Corresponds to: Overview Scope of Work Evaluation Approach

Need for Assistance

What it Tells:

The result you expect your project to achieve

The specific task(s) to be completed or step(s) to be taken

The result you expect your activity

(or series of activities) to

achieve

The result you expect to have on a community or

systems-level

Example A:

Establish a new primary care

safety net access point in Riviera

Beach

The nurse practitioner will

provide case managed chronic disease care to a

minimum of 1,000 unduplicated

patients by the end of Year 1

Decreased blood glucose levels among 75% of unduplicated

diabetes patients by the end of Year 1, as measured by blood glucose tests

Increase the number of Palm

Beach County residents with a primary medical

home

Example B:

Reduce infant mortality rates among African Americans in Belle Glade

The prenatal care specialist will

develop prenatal care plans for a

minimum of 100 African American

women by the end of Year 2

A minimum of 80% of project

participants will establish a medical

home and complete 100% of their prenatal care visits as measured

by case management notes and client surveys

Reduce the number of African American infant deaths in Palm Beach County

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If you took a picture of your evaluation model, it might look something like the following figure:

Helpful Hints

A project typically has:

only 1 goal

at least 2 or 3 impacts

at least 3 or 4 outcomes

at least 5 or 6 activities

There may be more than:

1 outcome per impact

1 activity per outcome

Your evaluation model:

is a "snap shot" of your project -- it tells your story in an abbreviated form

is a "navigation system" -- it will be used to track your project's progress and help you demonstrate your project's success in reports to funders (if your

project is funded)

goal

impact

outcome

activity activity

outcome

activity

impact

outcome

activity

impact

outcome

activity activty

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Just as no two stories are exactly alike, evaluation models vary and no one can formulate a one-size-fits-all set of rules for assessing them. However, funders regularly look for some similar indicators when reviewing evaluation models. Although you are free to use the evaluation model of the FCA to highlight things of your choice, here is what funders look for:

The project’s evaluation model includes a goal that is consistent with the mission of the funding organization

The project’s evaluation model includes activities, outcomes, and impacts

The goal, impacts, outcomes, and activities are SMART

The project’s scope of work is sufficiently captured

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Conclusion: Writing a grant proposal or telling a story requires both art and science. This

Application Guide was designed to provide some assistance, but it is not a substitute for thoughtful planning and some hard work on your part. In general, if you have a good project that has been carefully planned to meet real needs, you will find people willing to talk with you and advise you. However, that does not always mean your project will receive funding. Just as there is an art and science to writing your grant proposal, there is an art and science to reviewing it. Some common reasons for declination of a grant proposal are: limited availability of funding; lack of detail in the proposal; and, insufficient description of how the project fits within a funder’s grantmaking guidelines and funding focus areas. Funders (including those accepting the FCA) receive far more grant requests than our funds can accommodate. Therefore it is important that you take time to research and plan in order to make the strongest case possible for funding your project.

Help

ful H

ints

• Communicate with funders. When in doubt, ask for clarification.Make sure you understand what is expected. Funders who accept theFlorida Common Application may require information in addition towhat's requested in the FCA.

• Follow the directions.

• Be creative, clear, concise, and accurate. Make the case for yourproject in your own unique way, and include data.

• Emphasize what your organization will do. Spend more timedescribing your solution than the issue. Economize content and avoidrepetition.

• Evaluation counts. Keep what you want to learn and evaluate in mind,as well as the assessment tools you will use to evaluate your project(e.g, records, surveys, interviews, pre- and post-tests).

• Proofread carefully. Make sure numbers add up and typos areremoved.

florida common application application guide · funders using the florida common application (fca)...

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