Non-Profit Guides | Grant Writing Guide

Sample Grant Application No. 3

This sample grant application pertains to government or public grantseeking to the U.S. Government by a community-based non-profit organization with 20 years experience. This sample does not apply to private grantseeking, is designed for an established, experienced organization, and will not assist, individuals or start-up organizations. This multi-section grant application contains five (5) exhibits and is presented on three (3) pages. You are on page two. To page one. To page three.

Sample Public Implementation Grant Application

Federal Housing and Retraining Program (HRP)

Exhibit 4 - Detailed Program Information

Introduction

This proposal is for an Implementation Grant for a HRP Program administered by the CBO and LNO in the neighborhoods of The Area. The goal of the program is to provide occupational training construction skills and on-the-job-experience as well as basic educational services and leadership development counseling. Participants in the Program will improve their proficiency in English and will prepare for the General Educational Development examination leading to a State High School Equivalency Diploma. The target population for HRP is the community's most economically, occupationally, and educationally disadvantaged young men and women. In the planning and implementation phases of this project, the grant administrators will utilize the resources of the community, along with those of experts in educational planning and administration.

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Reasonable Costs

The planning process has taken into account all reasonable and legitimate expenses related to the implementation of the HRP program. The CBO has had extensive experience in managing, implementing and administering training and counseling programs and this knowledge has been put to use to devise both the program and the budget.

Cost estimates have been based on a detailed program design , which takes into account all of the criteria, clients and other aspects of the HRP program, which include staffing, wages, stipends, educational costs, cultural activities, liability insurance and uniforms, tools and equipment. Other costs that will be incurred will include counseling and support services, leadership development and job placement.

The program is based on a year long schedule which takes into account the difficulty, hazard and liability that training young people for the construction trades entail. Safety will be emphasized and all progress through the program will be based on capability, ability, attentiveness and responsibility.

The instruction for each of the trades that is covered (carpentry, electrical, plumbing and pipe fitting, and masonry) will be conducted by trainers who have practiced the trade that they will teach. In this way the students will learn a great deal more than just how to perform the tasks that each of the trades require. They will also be involved in the actual practice of construction as laborers on the site and will acquire necessary understanding of the actual process of construction and the folkways that govern behavior at construction sites.

Each of the students will be paid a small stipend for both work and the attending of classes. We have figured this stipend on the basis of the 10 months that the students will be in the actual schooling of the program. The remaining period will be spent in outreach and job placement activities. Each of the trainees will likewise be provided appropriate safety equipment, tools and clothing such as steel-toe work boots, Carhardts, work gloves, hammers, etc. Classroom supplies will also be provided in whatever manner is deemed advisable by the instructors.

We have estimated these cost as follows:

Outreach and recruitment activities will be extensive and the pool of applicants will be large those not selected will be placed on a waiting list for other training activities.

Educational and job training services will require one full time supervisor/counselor, 4 part time classroom instructors and 4 part time trade instructors. The cost of staffing will be $10,000 per student.

Trainee wages stipends and fringe benefits for the 10 month period will be $9,600.00 per student.

Supplies and materials for each of the trainees, which will enable them to pursue instant outside employment once the program is over will be $1,500.00 per trainee.

All other costs of the program are reasonable and customary and are illustrate in the budget worksheets.

Costs per unit of housing for acquisition and architectural and engineering from the HRP initiative will be a minor part of the financing for hard costs on the project. The cost per unit will be: $5,000.00.

Program Planning

The HRP Program described in this exhibit comprises recruitment, training, education, professional and peer counseling, leadership development, and job placement for young men and women from the neighborhoods of The Area who have not finished high school, qualify as very low income community residents, and have very limited training, educational, or job placement resources available to them. The grant will include feasibility studies on recruiting students to the program; utilizing and supporting existing community counseling, child care, health care, and job counseling services and developing new services where these do not already exist; retaining students in the Program once they have begun their on-site training and educational activities; providing comprehensive English as a Second Language training and instruction toward successful completion of a State High School Equivalency Diploma (through the GED examination); and follow-up with students once they have completed the Program and are working in their communities.

Wherever possible, community resources will be put to effective use. In some instances, it will be necessary to work with educational consultants to develop the comprehensive educational component of this HRP Program. Because this is a proposal for a Implementation Grant, the Partners have already injected significant energy into planning, course and program development in order to implement HRP at as early a date as possible. Careful planning at the early stages of the proposed HRP program has enable the Partners to address the diverse educational and job training needs of the participating communities.

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Potential problems and Solutions

The planning process should be focused on the recruitment and retention of students in the HRP Program. The planners will need to study the availability of local resources for recruiting students: community newspapers, local popular radio stations, community centers, police precinct community relations staffs and the Police Athletic League, local Boys and Girls Clubs, the Children's Aid Society, churches, mosques, synagogues and other religious institutions and their related youth groups, alcohol and drug rehabilitation centers, high school guidance counselors (to identify students at risk of dropping out of school who may be appropriate participants), community service agencies that work with disabled young people, and individual referrals will be useful sources for locating potential HRP Program participants. The program planners and administrators need to make connections with these sources and establish working relationships with them in order to compliment existing community services while providing a unique educational and job training opportunity for the target population. Specifically, the planning process will be targeted at working closely with the community to establish HRP as a viable community program.

At the implementation stage, it will be necessary to work closely with participants before they begin their on-site construction training or classroom education. It will be necessary to provide intensive and extensive pre-program counseling that will help participants to understand the scope of the HRP Program; the education, counseling, and training opportunities it provides; the importance of personal commitment to changing earlier patterns of attendance, punctuality, and responsibility in a job or school setting; and the potential to use the training to make significant changes in a participant's life. Where appropriate, participants who require ongoing assistance with psychiatric or drug-related problems will be referred to outside agencies for counseling. Such counseling in the earliest stages will help Program participants to set and achieve reasonable goals, develop their potential as students and working men and women, and remaining in the program.

Many community residents who wish to take advantage of HRP may be prevented from doing so because of the need to care for their dependent children. As part of the effort to recruit and retain these program participants, program planners will study the feasibility of providing child care for those hours during which program participants are on the job as well as the time when they are in class. It will be necessary to consider issues such as on-site day care versus hiring local residents to care for children in their homes. In addition, it is critical that Program planners take into account the insurance, licensing, and the health care, nutritional, and educational requirements of any program that cares for pre-school children. All of these issues need to be studied and specific provisions for child care will have to be formulated.

In many construction jobs, the ability to drive can be an asset for a worker. However, many potential workers from very low income families may never have had the opportunity to acquire this important skill. HRP participants who have not acquired a State driver's license will be able to study for the written test through the counseling component of the HRP Program. It is expected that those students who require practical driving instruction may benefit from a contractual arrangement with a local driving school.

In-House Staff Training

Staff members recruited for the HRP project will be required to work effectively as a team. Many will work with participants in more than one content area and all will be expected to assume counseling and leadership-building tasks with the group as well as a traditional classroom teaching roles. All staff members will need to spend considerable individual time developing lessons and curricular materials outside of required class time. In order to facilitate the team-building process, all HRP staff members will participate in a one-week retreat comprised of workshops and discussions focused on the community, the construction trades, the Program's population, and the mission and goals of the project. The five-day retreat will be held at the HRP site and will consist of the following activities:

Monday Morning: Team Building Workshop (outside consultant) role-playing, discussions, and exercises to help staff members develop a closer acquaintance with each other's individual expertise
Monday Afternoon: HRP's Mission and goals presentations by program administrators and discussion
Tuesday Morning: Introduction to Construction I field trip to a construction site that will help staff members to become more familiar with the environment in which HRP participants will be spending an important part of their working day
Tuesday Afternoon: Introduction to Construction II lectures by representatives of the construction trades to help staff members understand basic terminology and work processes on the job
Wednesday Morning: ESL I presentation by the ESL staff on the basic clients of teaching to a non-native speakers of English
Wednesday Afternoon: ESL II practice lessons and discussions presented as if the class were comprised of non-native speakers of English
Thursday Morning: Computer Lab presentation by the staff member in charge of the computer lab to familiarize staff members with its resources discussion of computer-assisted instruction
Thursday Afternoon: Computer Lab II further discussion of computer-assisted instruction and software programs to which participants with particular difficulties can be referred
Friday Morning: Counseling I discussion of community and HRP Program resources to assist participants with problems related to health, housing, child care, and family or legal emergencies
Friday Afternoon: Counseling II workshop on recognition and assistance with learning disabilities; drug, alcohol, or other substance abuse; physical abuse in a family or relationship; or personal psychological difficulties

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Outreach, Recruitment, and Selection Activities

Outreach, recruitment, and selection are critical components of this HRP Program. It is essential that the program administrators reach, recruit, and select those young men and women who are most in need of the resources offered. The following will be utilized by the program planners and administrators to reach and recruit program participants:

community newspapers and radio stations, using both community service announcements and advertisements
community agencies (such as the Police Athletic League, Boys and Girls Clubs, Children's Aid Society, and local social service agencies and public and privately-run homeless shelters) to identify potential program participants who are currently in or have dropped out of social service programs.
court officers and probation officers who can identify participants who have recently been discharged from youth correctional institutions or city or state prisons
local religious institutions and their affiliated youth groups
local agencies that work with physically disabled clients or those recovering from alcohol or other substance abuse problems who might be able to utilize the services of the Program
high school guidance counselors, who could identify those students who are about to leave high school or those who have very recently dropped out
community office of local political leaders, ranging from district leaders, to members of the City Council, State Legislature, or Congress
individuals who refer themselves or others

All recruitment efforts are to be conducted without consideration of a participant's race, ethnicity, sex, disability, or sexual orientation, and a statement to this effect will accompany all public service announcements, advertisements, and locally-placed flyers or posters.

As part of the effort to recruit and retain participants with dependent children, it will be necessary for the program planners to study the feasibility of providing child care services for those hours during which program participants are on job sites and in the classroom. See Exhibit 4 A 1 on Potential Impediments and Recommended Solutions for more information. HRP participants will be selected according to the following criteria:

Participants must be between the ages of 16-24
They must have left high school or be in serious risk of dropping out of high school. 75% of program participants will have already left high school.
They must be very low income or come from very low income families.
They should express an interest in learning about the construction trades and in completing a State High School Equivalency Diploma by preparing for the General Educational Development examination through the HRP Program

Twenty-five participants will be selected on the basis of recommendations of local community agencies and leaders and on the basis on an interview discussion with a HRP administrator. Students should be counseled prior to their acceptance into the program regarding its length (1 year) and the daily time commitment (9am-6pm, Monday through Friday) involved.

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Housing Plans

The site of both the housing program and the training activities will be conducted at the Avenue in the Area of the City. The CBO has an option on the above property and may use it for both instructional and construction purposes. The number of units that will rehabilitated will be 36, which will be both assisted rental with a portion devoted to transitional housing for homeless victims of disaster. The CBO will be the general contractor and developer of the project as well as the director of the program. At the end of the construction period CBO will be the property manager of the site.

The work that will take place at the construction site will be determined on an individual basis considering the condition of each of the individual units as recommended by the architectural and engineering study. It is anticipated that bath and kitchen remodeling will take place along with electrical and plumbing upgrades so as to bring the units into line with current housing standards. The work will take place during the time in which the training is being administered. The students will be actively engaged in learning the relevant construction trades on the site. The construction items identified in the grant amount will be used to construct the classrooms on the lower floors of the building where there is vacant commercial space.

Funding for rehabilitation, planning and subsidy will be or, in the case of predevelopment and planning costs, have been obtained through a variety of assisted housing programs sponsored by the City, State and Federal government, including housing tax credits, and private grants and loans.

Sites

a. The site of both the housing program and the training activities will be conducted at the Avenue in the Area of the City.

b. The number of units that will rehabilitated will be 40, which will be both assisted rental with a portion devoted to transitional housing for homeless victims of disaster.

c. (see attached Deed and Site control documents.)

d. The work that will take place at the construction site will be determined on an individual basis considering the condition of each of the individual units as recommended by the architectural and engineering study. It is anticipated that bath and kitchen remodeling will take place along with electrical and plumbing upgrades so as to bring the units into line with current housing standards.

The work will take place during the time in which the training is being administered. The students will be actively engaged in learning the relevant construction trades on the site.

The construction items identified in the grant amount will be used to construct the classrooms on the lower floors of the building where there is vacant commercial space.

Funding for rehabilitation, and subsidy will be obtained through a variety of assisted housing programs sponsored by the city state and federal government, including housing tax credits, Federal, State, and City housing funds.

Construction and Property management

The CBO will be the construction and property manager for the project. The experience of the applicant is detailed on Exhibit 2.

Housing for the Homeless

The CBO is the initial phases of negotiation with the City, the American Red Cross and other community groups identifying homeless families and individuals, who have become homeless as a result of a loss of their permanent housing through fire. We have done substantial research and have produced a program and documentation for financing and administering this project.

Besides the transitional sheltering there will be a complete social service and housing component involved in the program. The HRP initiative will be a part of this innovative program.

Rehabilitation

It has been established that the units will require new kitchens and bathrooms and also interior painting. Contractors will be hired to handle these tasks and will be selected by competitive bid open to qualified contractors. The work will be supervised by the CBO staff and the architectural and engineering firm selected. The tasks in this assignment will take approximately four months from 6/1/9X to 9/30/9X. The Cost breakdown for the renovations is as follows (all units will be rehabilitated so that all costs listed have been multiplied by 40):

Cost of Kitchen Cabinets $300,000.00

Cost of Bath Fixtures $150,000.00

Carpentry Costs $120,000.00

Plumbing $80,000.00

Electrical Work $120,000.00

Appliances $150,000.00

Tile Work $60,000.00

Miscellaneous $20,000.00

Painting $40,000.00

Cleaning, Disposal and Finishing $10,000.00

Total Cost of Rehabilitation $1,050,000.00

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Coordination:

a. The CBO has ongoing relationships with faculty at various colleges and universities in the City's metropolitan area as well as relationships with various other social service agencies. It is anticipated that several of those completing the program will continue their education at one of the two sites of the State College in the Area. The college has run classes in the target area in the past and is expected to offer others in the future. Currently, CBO has a working relationship with the Area Community Center which has set a referral service for those seeking jobs in the community. Job training programs and other educational services are available in the community from the Worker's Union. The CBO has donated office space to that union so that greater outreach could take place. The expectation is that more than a few would be ready to obtain services from that program after one year in the HRP Program. Currently, CBO itself offers assistance to the community in referring residents to needed child care and counseling programs. All participating in the program would, of course, be able to use those services. Currently, the CBO has on its staff a social worker who provides or refers residents to needed social services. When unable to provide the necessary counseling herself, the social worker does make refers the client to other agencies.

b. In the past CBO has served as a center for the State's Homeless Housing Program. The staff of that program are currently employed at the CBO and have extensive contacts with those in the program as well as the various city agencies that serve the homeless. The staff itself is now in a housing program funded by the city to assist those tenants in need of services (Community Improvement Contract funded by the City). These contacts and skills will be further developed and provided to the staff of the HRP Program both in the Planning phase as well as during the training period of that program.

c. During the planning phase of the HRP program all of the Joint Boards as well as the unions of the construction industry will be contacted for exact information concerning their apprenticeship programs. The CBO's contacts with the various unions as well as their personal contacts with the educational directors of the unions should provide the HRP Program with the contacts necessary to facilitate the transition between the HRP Program and those of the unions in the construction industry.

To Sample Grant Application No. 3, Page 3

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