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Tips for Developing Successful Grant Applications
The tips provided here are helpful hints for organizations that submit applications for environmental education grants awarded by EPA. They will guide you in developing your application and help you avoid common errors that can cause your application to be disqualified from consideration for funding. This guidance supplements, but doesn't replace, the instructions in the solicitation notice which contains current requirements.
Goals
Environmental education projects and sub-grant education activities must
be based on sound science and must enhance critical-thinking,
problem-solving, and decision-making skills of the target audience. EPA
will not fund projects that advocate a particular viewpoint or course
of action about environmental issues, or proposed activities to simply
disseminate information. Projects and sub-grant activities must teach
analytical skills and informed decision making that leads to responsible
actions to protect the environment.
Basic Eligibility
- Make sure your organization is eligible to apply for grant funds:
- A college or university; a local or tribal government education agency; a state education or environmental agency; a 501(c)(3) not-for-profit organization; or a noncommercial educational broadcasting entity is eligible
- A teacher's school district, an educator's not-for-profit organization, or a faculty member's college or university may apply, but an individual teacher is not eligible
- Local or state government entities and public agencies that conduct educational programs on environmental topics or that partner with an organization to help them do that are eligible
- The primary applicant must be based in the U.S. or territories; the majority of the project activities must take place in the U.S., or in the U.S. and Canada or Mexico, or in the U.S. territories
- Meet the deadline for submitting your application--EPA will not consider proposals submitted to www.grants.gov, or "postmarked" by the U.S. Postal Service or a commercial delivery service after the published deadline
Application Process
- Submit all application materials either in hard copy (original and 2 copies) to the appropriate EPA Region or to www.grants.gov. Materials required for a proposal should be submitted in the following order:
- Two Federal Forms: Application (SF 424) and Budget (SF 424-A)
- Work Plan (up to 7 pages):
- Project Summary (1 page)
- Full Project Description
- Project Evaluation Plan
- Detailed Budget Showing Match (not included in the page limit)
- Appendices (not included in the page limit)
- Timeline
- Logic Model Showing Outputs and Outcomes
- Qualifications of Personnel and Programmatic Capabilities
- Letters Stating Responsibilities of Partners, if applicable (Note: Not in the RFP for EE Sub-Grants)
- When submitting in hard copy, your application should be sent to the EPA region in which your project will be located. Remember to submit an original and 2 copies and to submit only the materials listed above (NO binders, maps, brochures, CDs, etc.)
Project Design
- Describe how the project will meet at least one of EPA's environmental education priorities, such as EE teaching skills, and one of EPA's environmental priorities, such as taking action on climate change, which are identified in the Solicitation Notice
- Stay focused — don't try to address through one project every EPA priority listed in the Solicitation Notice. Avoid simply restating the goals and priorities listed in the Solicitation Notice. Evaluation panels often select projects with a clearly defined purpose which can be accomplished, rather than projects that attempt to address multiple priorities. (Note: The EE Sub-Grant Program is different in that it may require multiple priorities in a single project in order to accomplish its goals.)
- Avoid proposing ineligible projects, such as technical training of environmental management professionals; research and development not of an educational nature; projects that advocate a particular viewpoint of course of action about environmental issues; or environmental "information" and/or "outreach" projects that have no educational component
Content of Proposal
- Describe the project accurately and precisely:
- Research the project and describe exactly why there is a need for the project in your community or in the field of environmental education
- Identify existing efforts related to the project — use the information to support the project or to justify a different approach
- Clearly define measurable quantitative or qualitative outputs that can be reported during the funding period
- Include outcomes that will result from carrying out the activities or outputs of the project
- Describe exactly what you are going to do and how you are going to do it
- Identify the products that you will use or produce and how you will distribute them (EPA prefers not to fund new curriculum because there are many excellent existing materials)
- Specify the methodology, such as workshops or field trips, you will use to implement the project and explain how it teaches critical-thinking, problem-solving or decision-making skills
- Explain how the project will promote environmental stewardship
- Explain the project's potential for wide application or how it could serve as a model for other communities or organizations
Audience and Partnerships
- Target your audience carefully:
- Describe clearly the individuals or groups that make up your audience and, where appropriate, those of your sub-grantees; for example, 19 school districts, and/or 60 high school teachers, 400 middle school students, etc.
- Explain why your audience needs the project; e.g., because of the local impact of a particular environmental issue or an educational need
- Explain if/how your project will reach a variety of audiences, including but not limited to minority and low income populations
- Explain how you will recruit your audience and your incentives to keep them; if reaching teachers, explain incentives such as stipends or continuing education credits
- Build strong partnerships and/or alliances with EE networks, community organizations, and environmental and industry groups:
- Enlist the support of other groups that have similar goals
- Secure a commitment of services or dollars
- Identify how partners/alliances will collaborate and/or describe specific responsibilities of each partner
- Submit letters of commitment or memoranda of understanding from partners which state the dollars or services committed (if applicable - note that the EE Sub-Grant Program does not ask for letters of commitment in the RFP)
Evaluation
- Develop a methodology for evaluating the project:
- Describe how you will ensure that you are meeting the goals, objectives, outputs, and outcomes of the project
- Identify the strategies, milestones, and tools that you will use to track and measure progress towards achieving the outputs and outcomes of the project
- Describe how monitoring will be used to strengthen the project
Timeline
- Develop a realistic timeline:
- Demonstrate that you can complete the project within the funding period
- List the sequence and time frames of all tasks you will undertake to meet the goals of the project (on a schedule that covers the entire grant period)
- Describe how the project will be sustained after the federal funding period ends, if possible
Budget/Funding
- Set a realistic limit on the amount of EPA funds you request:
- EPA must limit the size of the grants to ensure nationwide coverage with available funding
- The likelihood that EPA will award funds for your project increases significantly if you request a reasonable amount of money; there will be many organizations competing for limited funds
- Develop a realistic budget:
- Make the budget clear and concise and use headings from the Budget Form (SF 424A), such as personnel, travel, and supplies
- Provide details on the basis of costs for items
- Present the budget in such a manner that someone unfamiliar with your organization will understand it
- Identify the personnel, materials, and other resources you will need to implement the project:
- Identify those that you and your partners already have and those for which you need funding
- Clarify which costs will be charged to matching funds, in-kind matches, EPA funds, or other funding sources
- Clearly identify matching funds:
- Show that your organization has obtained the required level of nonfederal matching funds, that is, at least 25 percent of the total cost of the project (Your match must be at least one-third of the requested Federal amount to be sufficient. For example, if the Federal amount requested is $30,000, divide this amount by 3, which equals $10,000. In this example, your match needs to be at least $10,000, assuming that the toal budget for the project is $40,000.)
- Carefully document those matching funds that are provided in cash and those represented by in-kind contributions and other nonmonetary support
- Be cautious about including what might appear to be excessive personnel or travel costs and high overhead expenses; your budget must be competitive
- Check the budget forms for mathematical errors
- Make certain you don't include unallowed items, such as construction costs
Logic Model
- Provide a graphic (logic model) to display the outputs and short-, medium-, and long-term outcomes developed through the project
- Ensure that the logic model clarifies the objectives (outputs and outcomes) and activities that are described in the work plan
- Use the logic model to show how the funded activities will result in positive outcomes
Format
- Meet the format requirements specified in the solicitation notice and at www.grants.gov if submitting electronically, and be sure to submit an original and 2 copies if submitting in hard copy.
- Pages must be letter-size — 8 1/2 x 11 inches
- Number the pages in the narrative portion of your proposal (i.e., Project Summary = page 1, Project Description = pages 2-7)
- Clearly label all portions of your proposal (i.e., Project Summary, Project Description, Project Evaluation Plan, Detailed Budget, etc.)
- Provide one original signed copy and 2 additional copies as specified in the Solicitation Notice, if doing a paper submission; electronic submission through www.grants.gov is also an option
- Do not exceed the page limits specified for the Project Summary and Project Description
- Do not send extra material, such as videotapes, newspaper articles, etc.
- Spell out each acronym at first use
- Perform an internal or external review of the application, or both:
- If possible, ask someone who has experience in writing grant proposals to review the application
- Perform an editorial review for clarity and conciseness
- Check the proposal for typographical, grammatical, and mathematical errors
- Perform a final quality control check to ensure that application materials are complete and signed and that the copies are legible
The Bottom Line
- Enhance environmental stewardship
- Identify measurable results
- Price the project competitively
- Write clearly and concisely
- Follow instructions and format
