Campus Life Fee Grant Application Tips

Writing grant proposals requires forethought, research, and a commitment of time. The following points will assist you in producing a competitive proposal and be successful.

Grants will be evaluated solely on your grant application rather than a grant hearing and application.

How Applications are Evaluated

Grant applications should be concise and include full details of your event/initiative plans.
Review the grant policies and procedures prior to submitting your grant online.
Be familiar with the grant due dates. For optimal opportunity for funding, complete your applications further in advance of your event, and earlier in the academic year. Grant applications must be a submitted by the deadline at least 30 days in advance of your event. Groups must account for several weeks of processing between when they are notified of their grant award and when the grant check is available in the planning of their event. Grant applications will be evaluated by an evaluation committee of University staff and students.
Write your application as though the evaluation committee has no prior knowledge of your group or your event as to give appropriate background information.
Draft your application and review it with your student group prior to submission.
Consider scheduling a meeting with the Associate Director for Campus Activities to help review your grant application prior to submission.

It is important to be familiar with the entire grant process and know what is expected of your student group should you received a grant award.

Starting the Application

Does the proposal address the specific requirements and answer the questions of the funding organization?
Does the proposal effectively convey the information you want the recipient to know about your event?
Have I discussed and explained each of the goals stated in the proposal?

Budget

Does the budget page, which will be scrutinized by the committee, accurately reflect the monetary needs for the program?
Is all information related to requested or committed funds accurate?
Does the budget balance?
It sometimes helps to include proof of the cost of the programs when submitting a budget. The proof might take the form of brochures from an activity, a price list, or other material from products or services you are purchasing.

Big Picture Thinking

If the overall picture we are presenting of our student group one that inspires confidence in our goals and in the competency and efficiency of the group submitting the proposal?
Is the proposal as concise as possible, while still being complete?

Finishing Thoughts

If important information needs to be reiterated, have I done so in a manner that emphasizes rather than repeats?
Is there anything in the proposal that would be better left unsaid?
Do your final proofing and editing on a full printout of your material, not just on a computer screen. To check for accuracy and avoid repetition, you need to be able to shuffle back and forth between pages.
Take the time to read the completed application before sending it out.