SYLLABUS

WESTERN MICHIGAN UNIVERSITY

SCHOOL OF PUBLIC AFFAIRS AND ADMINISTRATION

Grant Writing for Nonprofit Organizations

Course # PADM 5830
Semester: Fall 2016
Instructor
Guest Speakers

Professor Martin
Pauline Pasch from Capital Region Community Foundation
Dianna Sachs WMU Librarian

Course Location
Meeting Times

Lansing
12 sessions: Monday, 6 p.m. to 9 p.m.

Email
Office Location
Office Hours

maria.martin@wmich.edu
Mondays before class by appointment. I am open to meetings via Skype (drmartin26) by
appointment.

Course ContextSchool of Public Affairs and Administration (SPAA)

Mission of the SPAA: The School of Public Affairs and Administration (SPAA) is committed to improving the
quality of public and nonprofit service. In a diverse and inclusive community, the mission of the SPAA is to
provide learning and discovery opportunities which advance the knowledge and use of professional ethics, best
theories, policies and practices for public and nonprofit organizations in order to create and support societies of
respect, liberty, justice, and equality.
Values of the SPAA: As a part of the College of Arts and Sciences, the SPAA embraces the colleges values of
global engagement, community participation, creativity and innovation, integrity, diversity, excellence,
sustainability, and social responsibility. In keeping with our mission as a School of Public Affairs and
Administration (SPAA) committed to improving the quality of public and nonprofit service, we uniquely value:

The common good

Democratic governance and liberty
Ethical leadership, decision-making and administrative practice
Advocacy for social justice
Plurality of ideas and perspectives
Collaborative teaching, research, and service
The intersection of theory and practice

Course Description (WMU Catalog)

This course focuses on the art and process of proactive grant writing. The course is conducted in a workshop
format with emphasis on writing a grant proposal and on logical relationships between sections of a proposal.

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Emphasis is placed in integrating research into the proposal development process, writing effective goals and
objectives, and incorporating summative and formative evaluation processes into the grant. Collaborative aspects
of grant writing are emphasized. Open to upperclass and graduate students
(http://wmich.edu/sites/default/files/attachments/u580/2015/2015%20%202016%20Graduate%20Catalog_0.pdf)

Textbooks and Readings

Required Textbooks
Karsh, E. & Fox, A. S. (2014). The Only Grant-Writing Book Youll Ever Need (4th ed.) Philadelphia, PA:
Perseus Books.

ONeal- McElrath, Tori. (2013). Winning Grants Step By Step: The Complete Workbook for
Planning, Developing and Writing Successful Proposals (4th ed.) Sacrimento, California: Jossey Bass
Books.

Other Required Readings

The following readings will be provided by the professor and posted to the class website.
Needs assessment
McCawley, Paul F. (2009). Methods for Conducting an Educational Needs Assessment. Moscow, Idaho:
University of Idaho. Available at https://www.cals.uidaho.edu/edcomm/pdf/BUL/BUL0870.pdf
Selct pages from:
Altschuld, James W. and Belle Ruth Witkin. (1995). Planning and Conducting Needs Assessments: A
Practical Guide. Thousand Oaks, California: Sage Publications.
Logic modeling
University of Missouri. (2008). Program Planning and Development: Program Logic Model. University of
Missouri. Available at http://outreach.missouri.edu/staff/programdev/plm/
W. K. Kellogg Foundation (2004). Logic Model Development Guide. Battle Creek, MI: W. K. Kellogg
Foundation. Available at https://www.wkkf.org/resource-directory/resource/2006/02/wk-kelloggfoundation-logic-model-development-guide
Program evaluation Tools

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Wingate, L. A. & Schroeter, D. C. (2016). Evaluation Questions Checklist for Program Evaluation.
Kalamazoo, MI: The Evaluation Center. Available at: http://wmich.edu/evaluation/checklists
W. K. Kellogg Foundation (2004). Evaluation Handbook. Battle Creek, MI: W. K. Kellogg Foundation.
Available at https://www.wkkf.org/resource-directory/resource/2010/w-k-kellogg-foundationevaluation-handbook

Web Resources for Suggested Reading

1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.
7.
8.
9.
10.
11.
12.
13.
14.
15.
16.
17.
18.

Non-Profit Guides: http://www.npguides.org/index.html

NIH Grant Writing Tips: http://grants.nih.gov/grants/grant_tips.htm
General Code: http://www.generalcode.com/resources/grant-writing
NSF Grant Writing Guide: http://www.nsf.gov/funding/preparing/
Granter Writers Association Resources: http://www.grantwriters.org/grantwriter-resources
Granter Writers Association Funders: http://www.grantwriters.org/researching-funders
Foundation Center: http://foundationcenter.org/getstarted/tutorials/shortcourse/
USAID Project Starter Kit: http://usaidprojectstarter.org/
Better Evaluation: http://betterevaluation.org/
MDRC: http://www.mdrc.org/
Arnold Foundation: http://www.arnoldfoundation.org/grants/
Alfred P. Sloan Foundation: http://www.sloan.org/apply-for-grants/grant-proposals/
The Annie E. Casey Foundation: http://www.aecf.org/
Living Cities: https://www.livingcities.org/
The Edna McConnell Clark Foundation: http://www.emcf.org/
The Spencer Foundation: http://www.spencer.org/apply
The William T Grant Foundation: http://wtgrantfoundation.org/Grants#apply-research-grants
The Russell Sage Foundation: http://www.russellsage.org/

Learning Objectives/Outcomes
Upon successful completion of the course, students will be able to:
1. Identify appropriate funding sources for their organizations funding needs under consideration of current
and emerging policies.
2. Effectively communicate with funders and grant seekers.
3. Locate, analyze, and synthesize information that supports the need for and scope of a grant application.
4. Critically examine grant applications and provide constructive feedback on grant applications.
5. Write successful grant applications for diverse audiences.

Learning Objectives Connected to the Network of Schools of Public Policy, Affairs, and
Administration (NASPAA) Competencies/Domains
PADM 5830 is an elective course in the nonprofit concentration in the MPA program and serves to address one or
more competencies in the five domains. Students in concentrations other than the nonprofit concentration may
take this course with the approval of their MPA advisor, in advance of enrolling in the course. While many
courses address one or more of the domains, PADM 5830 specifically emphasizes domains indicated with an X

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check mark in the column before the numbered domain and has learning outcomes identified and corresponding
assignments as evidence of the emphases.
Domain

Learning
Outcome

Assignments for
Assessment

1.

Lead and manage in public governance

2.

Participate in and contribute to the policy process

3.

Analyze, synthesize, think critically, solve problems, and make

decisions

1, 3, 4

1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6

4.

Articulate and apply a public service perspective

2, 4, 5

1, 2, 7, 8

5.

Communicate and interact productively with a diverse and changing

workforce and citizenry

2, 4, 5

1, 2, 7, 8

Assignments to Assess Student Achievement

Assignment #

Weight

Points

Due Date

1.

Preparation and active course participation

10%

100

Continuous

2.

Funder profile

10%

100

Week 2

3.

Needs assessment

10%

100

Week 4

4.

Project description, including logic model

10%

100

Week 6

5.

Evaluation plan

10%

100

Week 7

6.

Management plan

10%

100

Week 8

7.

First Substantial Draft of Proposal

10%

100

Week 9

8.

Peer Review Roundtable

10%

100

Week 11

9.

Complete funding proposal and presentation

20%

200

Week 12*

100%

1000

Total

* The week 9 proposal is the mandatory draft for peer review with the final proposal and proposal presentation
due in week 12.

Grading Scale
A total of 1000 points are available for this course, representing knowledge, skill, and competency evidence for all
assignments.

Grade

Percentage

Points Needed

94%-100%

940-1000

BA

88% -93%

880-939

83%-87%

830-879

CB

78%-82%

780-829

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C

73%-77%

730-779

DC

68%-72%

680-729

63%-67%

630-679

0%-62%

629

General expectations
Writing. Writing is an essential aspect of all assignments completed for this course. In this class, you are not asked
to write for an audience of peer-reviewers of academic journals, but for funders. Follow the expectations set out
in the funding guidelines that you choose and make sure to develop attractive, professional manuscripts. If not
otherwise indicated in the proposal guidelines, use the Publication Manual of the American Psychological
Association (American Psychological Association, 2009) for citations and references.
Due Dates. Due dates are indicated in the course schedule. All assignments are due by 6 PM EST on the date
indicated, unless otherwise indicated. Late assignments will NOT be accepted in this course. (Late submissions of
proposals [even by seconds] would not be considered by funders!) You will receive 0 points for late submissions.
Submissions. All assignments must be submitted to the appropriate Elearning Dropbox for the assignment.
Products should be saved as: StudentLastName-AssignmentTitle (e.g., Schroeter-NeedsAssessment).
Grading Rubrics. Rubrics for all assignments will be posted to Elearning and discussed in class. Use the grading
rubrics as a checklist before submitting any assignments.

Assignment Descriptions
1. Preparation and active course participation (10%)
This is a graduate level, co-constructed course, designed with active student engagement, learnercenteredness, and in-class work in mind. This means that you are responsible to actively contribute to the
success of each class session. You are expected to read assigned readings prior to each course, complete
selected worksheets, and actively engage with the course content. In class, you will be asked to engage in
discussions about the course content, work on proposal elements by researching aspects of your proposal,
sharing your progress with your peers, writing subsections of the proposal, and providing constructive, critical
feedback to your peers. You are encouraged to use technology (e.g., a laptop or tablet) to maximize the
amount of work you can accomplish and the way in which you can contribute to class.

2. Funder profile and Letter of Inquiry (10%)

Based on your initial proposal idea, identify a funder in your area of interest and write a letter of inquiry to
them. Develop a funder profile (approximately 2 pages) that addresses the following questions:

Who is this funder?

What grant program does the funder have?

Which grant program is of particular interest to you? Why?

What types of grants have been funded within this program in the past couple years? (up to 5 years)
Why do you think the grant program is appropriate for your (organizations) needs?

The funding profile will serve as a means to align instructor expectations and student performance. More
details about the assignment and an assignment rubric will be provided in class.

3. Needs assessment (10%)

Discuss the problem to be addressed by the grant in a needs assessment (approximately 2-3 pages). Make
sure that the need is clearly linked to

Your organizations mission and vision

Those in need (typically the organizations target population)
Evidence (e.g., from the pertinent literature, organizational or publically available data, expert opinion,
etc.)

This assignment needs to use accepted reference styles (e.g., APA, MLA, Chicago, etc.) and illustrate factual
information in a way conducive to reading by the targeted audiences. Funders should be convinced about the
projects significance. More details about the assignment and an assignment rubric will be provided in class.

4. Project description, including logic model (10%)

Develop a detailed project description (approximately 3 pages) that clearly identifies:

Project goals and objectives

The project logic
Strategies and associated tasks that describe how the goals and objectives will be accomplished
A timeline for accomplishing the tasks

More details about the assignment and an assignment rubric will be provided in class.

5. Evaluation plan (10%)

Develop an evaluation plan (approximately 2 pages) that explains how the funder will know that your project
was successful. The evaluation plan should include descriptions of the evaluator/evaluation team,
uses/purposes of the evaluation, evaluation questions, evaluation methods, and reporting strategies. More
details about the assignment and an assignment rubric will be provided in class.

6. Management plan (10%)

The management plan should be presented in about 3 pages and include the proposed budget, budget
justification, organizational capacity, and plans for project sustainability. More details about the assignment
and an assignment rubric will be provided in class.

7. Draft Proposals (10%)

Drawing from all of the course information that we have discussed to this point, write a draft of a proposal to
the funder that you have written the letter of inquiry to. Pay close attention to stipulations from that grantor
and also make sure that your document has a logical organization meaning that each component flows or
transitions well into the next. The document should be engaging and reader friendly.

8. Proposal Reviews (10%)

Students will participate in a simulated proposal review process and review 3 proposals of course peers. The
instructor will provide a link to a web-based questionnaire for the review. Students are asked to critically
assess their peers proposals, rate them against quality criteria, and justify their ratings in high quality, open
responses. The instructor will aggregate the information for each student and facilitate a panel discussion in
class. The feedback from this assignment can be used to make final improvement to the proposal. More
details about the assignment and an assignment rubric will be provided in class.

9. Complete funding proposal and presentation (20%)

Develop a full grant proposal. The proposal should be (1) complete (i.e., include all elements requested by the
funder or the instructor); (2) well written; (3) logically structured, (4) based on current evidence, and (5)
packaged for electronic dissemination in a single file (MS Word or PDF). Your funding proposal should follow
the guidelines of the funder in sufficient detail. If detailed proposal guidelines are provided by your funder,
these guidelines must be included in your proposal as Appendix A. If no detailed proposal guidelines are
provided by the funder, please include at a minimum these elements in your final proposal:
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.
7.
8.

Cover Letter (letter of intent; 1-2 pages)

Executive Summary (1 page)
Statement of Need (2 3 pages)
Project Description (3 pages)
Evaluation Plan (2 pages)
Budget and Budget Justification (2 pages)
Organizational Information/Capacity (1 page)
Appendices
A. Funding Guidelines
B. Others as allowable or requested in the funding guidelines
C. Completed checklist (from funding guidelines or textbook)

All students are required to submit a draft proposal for peer review (assignment # 7) in week 9, and the final
proposal in week 12. In week 12, students also will present their final proposals to the class. More details
about the assignment and an assignment rubric will be provided in class.

Course Schedule
Session
#

Date

Topic

Readings &
Preparation

Assignments

Due
Date

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Session
#

Date

Topic

9/12

Guest Speaker: Dianna Sachs WMU

Librarian
Course overview, welcome, and orientation
Proposal ideas

KF, Lessons 1 5
McEl, ch.1 and Do
Worksheet (WS) 1.1
(fill in as much
information as
possible)

9/19

Grant opportunities; Funder relationships

Writing

KF, Roundtable I &

Lesson 6
McEl, ch.2 and WS 2.1

9/26

Needs assessment
Grant goal and objectives

KF, Lesson 7
Needs assessment
readings

10/3

The proposed program

Logic modelling

Kellog Found &U

Missouri Logic Model
readings
KF, Lesson 8
McEl, ch 3 (pgs. 3235) WS 3.1

10/10

Guest Speaker Pauline Pasch from Capital

Region Community Foundation
The proposed program
Logic modelling

KF, Lesson 9 10

10/17

Project evaluation

10/24

Management plan

Readings &
Preparation

Assignments

Due
Date

Funder Profile and

Letter of Inquiry (#2)

9/19

Needs Assessment
(#3)

10/3

KF, Lesson 11
McEl, ch.4 and WS 4.1
Program Evaluation
Readings

Project description
(#4)

10/17

KF, Lesson 12 14
McEl, Worksheet 7.1
ONLY

Evaluation Plan (#5)

10/24

Midterm feedback

10/31

Writing workshop:
Background and Proposal Summary
Worksheets and Questions McEl, chs. 9-10
Draft Background and Proposal using
Worksheets and do peer review using
questions

KF, Lesson 15 &

Roundtable II

Management Plan
(#6)

10/31

11/7
NO
CLASS

Independent Work:
Proposal revisions

Proposal revisions

Draft Proposals for

Review (#7)

11/7

10

11/14

Guest Speaker: TBA

After the proposal

KF, Part III &

Roundtable III
McEl, ch.12

Proposal Reviews (#8)

11

11/21

Summary of peer feedback, critical

reflections, review panel, and review of
course materials

Review of course
content

Initial Student
presentations and
feedback

12

11/28

Student presentations and final course

Presentation readings

Final Proposal and

11/28

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Session
#

Date

Topic

Readings &
Preparation

reflection

Assignments

Due
Date

Presentation (#9)

Attendance Policy
Attendance at all sessions and for the duration of all sessions is expected. The work is sequential. There are no
excused absences. In-class assignments/activities have no make-up sessions and, therefore, points for a missed
class session are 0 points for participation and 0 points for any assignment within the missed class session. If you
miss a class session, you should obtain any notification of change of future assignments or other course material.

Modifications to Course
Modifications to the syllabus and course schedule are likely throughout the course. Students are responsible for
knowing and adhering to these changes.
Note on Class Meeting Time: Should an emergency or unforeseen circumstance arise for the instructor and/or
guest speaker, it may be necessary to cancel a class meeting. Should the faculty member/guest speaker not be
able to meet the class at the regularly-scheduled time, the class will be notified via email, with as much advance
notice as is possible. Alternative online activities or class sessions will be provided within 24 hours of the
cancellation to provide content and activities as originally planned for the class meeting. Be sure to check your
wmich.edu email account or the E-Learning for this course on the days of class. If a class is cancelled, the
instructor /guest speaker will send an email to all students no later than 3:00 PM of the scheduled class session
day, with notification to the Lansing site coordinator and the School of Public Affairs and Administration office in
Kalamazoo. Should the university close because of weather or other unforeseen circumstances, the closure will
be announced on the University website, www.wmich.edu (plus check the course location website).

Technology and Research Protocol

Telephones

Phones should be silenced during class time. Use the break times to check, return, and/or
originate calls.

Computers

Laptops, tablets and other devices may be used in class for class content purposes only.

Google Apps

WMU Google Apps are accessible via http://wmich.edu/google

Elearning

Elearning is accessible through your GoWMU account:

https://gowmu.wmich.edu/cp/home/displaylogin

University Policies
Method of Course Evaluation
Students will have an opportunity to complete a course evaluation form late in the course, using the WMU ICES or
another designated WMU evaluation system. The evaluation will cover course content and faculty performance.

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Please respond to the ICES when requested in your wmich.edu email. Comments and information from the forms
will help in developing this course in the future.

Academic Integrity
Western Michigan University (WMU) is a student-centered research university that forges a responsive and
ethical academic community. Its undergraduate, graduate, and professional programs are built upon intellectual
inquiry, investigation, discovery, an open exchange of ideas, and ethical behavior. Members of the WMU
community respect diversity, value the cultural differences of those around them, and engender a sense of social
obligation. Because of these values, all individuals are expected to conduct themselves in a professional and civil
manner. This includes exemplifying academic honesty, integrity, fairness, trustworthiness, personal responsibility,
respect for others, and ethical conduct. These attributes are exhibited in the University as well as in the
community. Members of the University community abide by this code out of commitment to serve as responsible
citizens of the University, the community, the nation, and the world. Responsibility for fulfilling the obligations of
the code of honor is shared by the students, faculty, and every other member of the University community.
You are responsible for making yourself aware of and understanding the policies and procedures in the Graduate
Catalog that pertain to Academic Integrity. These policies include cheating, fabrication, falsification and forgery,
multiple submission, plagiarism, complicity, and computer misuse. If there is reason to believe you have been
involved in academic dishonesty, you will be referred to the Office of Student Conduct (OSC). You will be given
the opportunity to review the charge(s). If you believe you are not responsible, you will have the opportunity for
a hearing. You should consult with us if you are uncertain about an issue of academic honesty prior to the
submission of an assignment or test. Collaboration on homework assignments is unacceptable except when
permission is explicitly granted by the instructor to submit a collaborative or combined-student piece of work.
If a student is uncertain about an issue of academic honesty, he/she should consult the faculty member to resolve
questions in any situation prior to the submission of the academic exercise.
Violations of academic honesty include but are not limited to cheating, fabrication, falsification, forgery, multiple
submission, plagiarism, complicity, and computer misuse. For more details go to
http://catalog.wmich.edu/content.php?catoid=23&navoid=938.
Students who take this class are expected to submit his/her own work. If you use language, data, or ideas from
other sources, published or unpublished, you must take care to acknowledge and properly cite those sources.
Failure to do so constitutes plagiarism.
All work submitted for this course must be original work. Material that has been submitted for another course
cannot be used in this course.

Disability Services for Students

To assure compliance with the Americans with Disabilities Act, faculty members at Western Michigan University
need to know how a disability will impact student participation and work in courses. Any student registered with
Disability Services for Students who would like to discuss accommodations for this class should contact the
instructor of record in a timely manner preferably before or at the first class session. Students with
documented disabilities who are not registered with DSS should call the office at (269) 3872116 or visit
www.wmich.edu/disabilityservices. Students cannot request academic accommodations without first scheduling

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an appointment and meeting with a DSS staff member. If a student does not register with DSS, his/her academic
accommodations/modifications cannot be executed.

Sexual Misconduct Reporting

Students and instructors are responsible for making themselves aware of and abiding by the Western Michigan
University Sexual and Gender-Based Harassment and Violence, Intimate Partner Violence, and Stalking Policy and
Procedures related to prohibited sexual misconduct under Title IX, the Clery Act and the Violence Against
Women Act (VAWA). Under this policy, responsible employees (including instructors) are required to report
claims of sexual misconduct to the Title IX Coordinator or designee (located in the Office of Institutional Equity).
Responsible employees are not confidential resources. For a complete list of resources and more information
about the policy see www.wmich.edu/sexualmisconduct.

WMU Resources
WMUs Libraries:

Can be accessed via your GoWMU account or going to www.wmich.edu/library.

Writing Center:

Can be accessed at www.wmich.edu/casp/writingcenter.

WMU Graduate College:

The Graduate College offers a variety of workshops and resources pertinent to the
MPA program. Please access www.wmich.edu/grad.

E-Learning:

Accessible through your GoWMU account. Check with the faculty member of PADM
5830 submission, discussion groups, and other course-related matters.