Apply for Grants

III. Grant Proposal Content Requirements

Grant proposals must be prepared in the following format and must fully address all of the sections below. Applicants shall limit the executive summary to one page and the narrative portion of their proposals to five pages or less, excluding budgets and resumes. To assist you in formulating your proposal, included below are special considerations and examples of how to approach a question (provided in parentheses).

Executive Summary:

Title: A short descriptive name of the proposed project.

Applicant's Name & Contact Information: Identify the name of the party applying for the grant. Also, please identify one individual in applicant's organization to whom all correspondence regarding this grant should be sent. Please include name, title, address, telephone and fax numbers and e-mail address.

Funding Requested: Total request of funds

Objective: Provide a concise statement of the purpose(s) of the project in quantified and measurable terms.

Summary Statement: A 300-word or less summary describing how and why the expected results of the project will meet the purpose of the Hunting Heritage Partnership Grant Program through the state wildlife agency’s methodologies and evaluation or regional state fish and wildlife agency association’s methodologies and evaluation.

Narrative:

Title: Use the same title listed in the Executive Summary; A short descriptive name of the proposed project.

Applicant's Name & Contact Information: Identify the name of the party applying for the grant. Also, please identify one individual in applicant's organization to whom all correspondence regarding this grant should be sent. Please include name, title, address, telephone and fax numbers and e-mail address.

Mission, goals and objectives: Your proposal should state clearly defined mission, goals and objectives related to hunting recruitment and retention. Your programs also should reflect goals set by your parent agency/organization and by national and state bodies, as applicable.

a. Mission: Why is this program in existence? What is it trying to do? A mission statement offers broad explanation about what this program should contribute.

(Example: One grantee identified the need to increase hunter recruitment and retention to maintain and increase support for wildlife conservation and hunting, as well as stabilize funding of conservation programs through license sales.)

b. Goals: Why are you doing this program? Goals define how the program will help achieve the broader mission.

(Example: In 2003, the same grantee identified the need to pursue a Hunting Heritage Partnership Grant to test and evaluate a pilot program designed to increase hunting recruitment and retention among youth.)

c. Objectives: What specifically do you want to accomplish? Objectives must be measurable, and generally - although not always - set up on a relatively short time frame.

(Example: This grantee's pilot program identified the following objectives:
1. Identify kids who are interested in hunting but don't have social support for hunting in their immediate family.
2. Pair kids with hunting mentors at youth pheasant hunt and workshop events.
3. Provide opportunities for kids to hunt again beyond this single-day event.
4. Determine whether this process results in them likely to become "regular" hunters over time.)

Approach: Describe the process to be followed to meet project objectives including:
a. A description of techniques and methods to be used;

b. A description of how the applicant will monitor project progress; and

c. A description of how the applicant will measure project progress in achieving objectives.
Project Time Schedule:
a. What is the time schedule for fulfilling the objectives of the project?

b. Identify key milestones of the project and provide the dates that they will be achieved during each quarter of the Grant Program. Remember that all projects must be completed by March 3, 2010!
Evaluation component to measure effectiveness: Your evaluation should include the following considerations, when possible. Evaluations should:
a. Be based on program goals and objectives. (Don't measure outputs or outcomes that you were not specifically trying to achieve.)

b. Identify simple program outputs such as numbers of participants and feedback (but don't stop there!)

c. Investigate program's learning outcomes (behavior changes, etc.) when appropriate.

d. Encourage use of multiple and varied assessment methods whenever possible. (The more ways you can look at something the more comprehensive your evaluation will be.)

e. Consider the evaluation in initial planning stages as a key project component, not tacked on at the end as an afterthought.

(Example: As part of grantees project, two sets of surveys allowed coordinators to note successes and areas needing improvement. Below are some suggestions for performing an evaluation:
1. Exit surveys: The first, called exit surveys, were given to youth, parents, and all volunteers at the end of the 2004 Indiana Youth Pheasant Hunt and Workshop events to gauge initial successes, challenges and recommendations.
2. Post-hunting season survey: A second survey took place at the end of the 2004 hunting season, to assess a variety of factors, attitudes and behaviors to gauge the program's success as a recruitment tool.
3. Final report: As part of the project's final report, Indiana broke the project into its key components and identified success, challenges and recommendations for each one. This captures additional recommendations to improve future programs.
If, by assessment of these criteria, the grantee discovers that this program was successful, the entire program could easily be expanded. Armed with these results, the grantees can decide upon next steps for recruitment and retention efforts.)
Outline budget needs, resources, support, resources and staffing: As you plan your effort, you should outline all core elements of your project and ensure that it has adequate agency support, as well as resources and staffing to achieve your goals.
a. A budget should identify all the variables you need to cover. Look at what is feasible to cover over the life of the project. This will help avoid planning a project that takes more staff and resources than your agency/organization can fund. Include an itemized budget showing cost justifications where necessary. "Matching" funds or "cost-share" funds are encouraged to include in your itemized budgets and are awarded extra points when committee reviews proposals. Grant funds shall not be used for any unrelated, unnecessary or indirect expenses (e.g. salaries, overhead, office supplies, etc.) NSSF shall have final approval of all submitted budgets. If you have any questions about your budgets, please ask.

b. Show how staff from related fields (wildlife, law enforcement, education, information, etc.) is ready to work together to reach project goals. Consider the placement and involvement of qualified, committed and knowledgeable staff qualified to carry out parts of the project.

c. Be integrated with similar, ongoing efforts, whenever possible. Integrating your new project with similar, ongoing efforts ensures that opportunities for and effects on participants are frequent and sustainable over time.

(Example: A clearly defined budget made sure that one DNR's project was feasible for the long haul. The project tapped key members from the Divisions of Fish and Wildlife, Division of Law Enforcement, and contractor's staff.)
Previous Work Conducted: Provide an overview of past projects conducted by the agency that were directly related hunter recruitment, retention, access or any other project similar in scope, especially if it was in partnership with NSSF.

Outline involvement of stakeholders whenever possible: Partners and stakeholders can be key to program development, from initial planning to evaluation. Use them whenever possible. Successful programs bring a coalition of stakeholders together to design, implement and evaluate a program that meets their mutual needs. Stakeholders have some interest in the program being developed. They care about the program and are willing to commit to it.

Diverse stakeholders lend a variety of perspectives to the program, helping shape the focus and audience for maximum benefit. Their participation also helps achieve buy-in early in the process, so the program is more likely to be used. During evaluation, stakeholders can offer input about what information to gather, how to gather it, and how to share it with important audiences.

(Example: One project tapped stakeholders from state conservation organizations, hunter education volunteers, and hunting-related businesses. These stakeholders were identified as folks who would support hunter recruitment and retention efforts long-term. Stakeholders completed evaluations to better guide the improvement and development of future efforts.)

Resumes: Include a resume or curriculum vitae ("CV") of key personnel. Resumes or CVs must not exceed one page per individual and are in addition to the five page requirement for the proposals.

Incorporate best information and research available: When developing your proposals, make room for needed research:
a. Allow for collection and examination of existing research.

b. Provide opportunities for staff to become familiar with existing research.

c. Develop new research (or identify needed research) as appropriate.

d. Encourage staff to incorporate findings into the project.

Note: See section "Supporting Research" for a list of existing research that might be helpful to you in developing your HHP project.