How to Write a Grant Proposal for Outreach Ministry

Writing a grant proposal

Outreach ministries often provide crucial support to individuals and families in time of need. Although outreach ministries often provide food, clothing and other support to those around them, they also sometimes lack the funding to answer every request for assistance or even continue their operations. Pursuing grants for outreach ministries is one method of receiving the funds necessary to expand or continue.

Instructions

1. Determine what type of funding support you would like to request for your outreach ministry. You might want to request program support to cover toiletries or items for a specific outreach program, or an in-kind gift, which provides actual goods or services, like Bibles, prayer books or other items.

2. Determine the amount of funding you need for your outreach ministry and the amount of funding you will request from the funder.

3. Create a cover sheet that outlines the name of the program, the contact information for the applicant organization and a one to two sentence summary regarding your grant request, including the amount of funding.

4. Outline the history and mission of your outreach ministry, including what you have accomplished, to demonstrate your ability to complete your project successfully. Include the number of people served from the program’s inception to present.

5. Create a need statement that outlines the specific need of your outreach ministry, the amount, and how the funding received may contribute to accomplishing the goals of the ministry. Identify the target population of the outreach ministry that you plan to run. For instance, if you plan to provide an overnight shelter, you may need to say how many people you plan to help per night, how much food you will need to serve and how much bedding you will need.

6. List affiliations of local churches, organizations and support from community leaders if applicable. Demonstrating support from your community can help strengthen a proposal.

7. Outline the goals and objectives of the outreach ministry, including the time line you plan to follow to complete them. Include a plan of evaluation for your outreach ministry, including who will evaluate the program for success and how often you will perform an evaluation of the program.

8. Include a line-item budget for your grant request, showing each specific item, such as salaries, supplies, insurance or other items and the amount. Make sure that each item adds up accurately.

9. Proofread your grant proposal and make sure your grant request accurately describes your organization.

Tips & Warnings

• Keep in mind that most funders will not provide more than 10 percent of the total project budget and that some limit it to 3 to 4 percent.

• Avoid sending a grant application with brochures or other extraneous materials unless requested by the foundation from which you have requested funds.

References

• Non-Profit Guides: Grant Writing
• Foundation Center: Proposal Writing Short Course