Guidelines for Narrative for SOS Grant Application

Please address each of the following areas in the order presented. The Narrative should not exceed four letter-size pages. Be concise and clear in your responses. You will need to directly relate the results of your OCAT back to the proposed project.

Organizational Overview
Provide a clear, concise statement about your organization, your request and your anticipated results. Provide a description of your organization, its accomplishments and current conditions that establish the context for the grant request. Describe anticipated outcomes of the activities and how these activities will make a difference.

Needs and Opportunities
Describe the need(s) you expect to address with this proposal. Present the problems or opportunities the organization must address to improve its stability and sustainability.

Discuss the process you conducted to initiate and advance these activities with the leadership of your organization. Did the OCAT help clarify strengths and challenges? How were the OCAT results used to define the organizational need or opportunity?

Provide a recap of what has been done to date to prepare for this project. Describe any changes in the organization that require updating of systems, knowledge, people, funding, etc. How was it determined that these proposed activities were the most viable for solving problems? Explain how activities integrate with your organization’s established processes and systems.

Objectives
Describe the intent(s) of the proposed activities/project, how they will be pursued and the difference they are expected to make in the ongoing operations of the organization. Relate the activities/products/projects to the benefits they will stimulate. What will be different because you performed these activities? What changes will occur in systems, knowledge, people, funding.

Methods
Describe what is going to happen in terms of the activities to meet specific needs/objectives, the methods to be used, timeframe that activities will occur and who will be responsible for monitoring and documenting the intended results. How will the methods be integrated into or replace existing systems?

Evaluation
How will you measure or evaluate the improvements? Share at least three indicators that will be used to substantiate change/improvement for the organization. Is there a baseline measurement for the indicators? How will you know the activities produced change? How will the organization acknowledge results? One year from now, how will the organization have improved as a result of this grant and the proposed activities?

Continuation of process/activities
How will these activities be sustained? How will the results be used in continuing to build sustainability and stability?

Budget
Provide a list of costs associated with the proposed activities/project along with any revenues contributed by the organization, collaborating organizations or other funders. See SOS Grant Budget Form.

Download a PDF of these guidelines here.