Professional Writing for the Criminal Justice System

1838	Grant Writing for the Justice Professional*

What you will learn in this chapter:

• How to write proposals for small- and moderate-sized grants

• How to locate foundations and other grant sources

• Logic modeling

Public and private social service agencies and organizations struggle, even in the best of times, to obtain sufficient resources to support their work. Additionally, these agencies frequently (if not continually) experience greater demand for their services than they can afford to deliver. In this context, grant writing may help balance the books, fund a new, much-needed service, or fund a new employee position—all thanks, in part, to our writing efforts. If we can write for professional practice, we can write a successful grant proposal. The secret is to learn the craft and the landscape.

To announce the availability of grants or contracts, federal and state governmental funders and large foundations often publish requests for proposals (RFPs). Typically these documents delineate the criteria for eligibility. For example, a particular grant may be available only to state or local governmental agencies, nonprofit corporations, educational institutions, or religious organizations. RFPs also announce grant amounts and time frames, as well as application instructions. We must pay special attention to the instructions, for they will tell us precisely how to proceed. For government grants, for example, the RFPs may specify the font size and type, double-versus single-spaced pages, margins, subheadings, maximum number of pages, and time line for accomplishing projected outcomes and assessment, including evaluation and assessment procedures.

Sometimes funders announce a bidders’ conference. This is a meeting that can be held in person, online, or by conference call. A bidders’ conference may be open to any agency, but sometimes it is by invitation or advance registration only. Potential grant funders often post application forms and guidelines on websites. These grants tend to be competitive and substantial in size.

In the course of your career, you are more likely to apply for small grants (typically up to $50,000 per year) from a variety of potential funders. Examples include state government, large or small foundations, religious organizations, family or 184special-interest foundations, or charities. Their criteria and procedures may be formal, but just as often the funder’s criteria may be informal to the point of no published procedures at all.

Although it may sound intimidating at first, the principles guiding smaller grant applications are similar to those of other professional writing. First, gather information in the form of notes. The grant instructions will inform the kinds of information we need to collect before writing. Find the information and jot it down. Keep good notes. Then, when this material is collected, organize the notes into paragraphs according to each subdivision of the grant. Follow the grant instructions precisely if they are available, as this may make or break a successful evaluation. If there are no clear instructions, we can construct a proposal along the lines of logic modeling.

Logic Modeling

The logic model has six basic components that you should think about before beginning to write the grant:

1. Introduction: Brief description of grant and grant applicant, amount requested, and timing.

2. Problem statement: What is the problem that the grant would address? How serious is the problem and how many people are affected (new cases each year and total cases at any one time)? What has been tried before and how difficult is the problem to address? Who are you (the agency) and what is your expertise in view of the previous questions? Who will be the principal investigator, the grant administrator, and what are this person’s credentials?

3. Inputs: What resources are needed in order to address the problem? What percentage would the grant pay for? What other resources would be included in the program and where would they come from? In-kind contributions are noncash resources, such as rooms, equipment, staff time, and utilities. Applications should identify both in-kind and cash resources necessary to carry out the program, clearly identifying the percentage covered by the grant request.

4. Outputs: What activities or interventions would the program provide, especially the grant? This includes individual and group activities designed to address the problem. Usually this is a list of total effort: people-hours of each activity, in chronological order. Outputs are what grant money is used for.

5. Outcomes: Positive consequences of the interventions (outputs) for individuals, families, groups, communities, and so on.

a. Immediate (first 6–12 months), usually cognitive in nature

b. Intermediate (1–3 years out), usually enhanced cognition and skills

c. Long term (3 years or longer), usually cognition, skills, and behaviors.

6. Measurement strategy: How the inputs, outputs, and outcomes will be counted. Precision and specificity may vary with the size of the grant. Applications for small grants may indicate more general indicators; larger grants will require specific measurement tools and evaluation methodologies.

Applications should explain why the proposed interventions are likely to lead to the predicted outcomes. This is sometimes called a theory of change. Sustainability refers to how the program will be maintained after the grant period. Some proposals are for start-up 185programs, meaning developing expertise and acquiring reusable resources (like space, hardware, or tools) that will create new capacity that the host agency can perpetuate on its own.

Prepare a clear budget. How much will it cost to accomplish your goals? How much of the grant will cover your costs? How will you pay for the costs not covered by the grant? What will happen to your project once the grant ends in, say, 1 year or 3 years? Who will fund your work then?

• Proposed calendar

• In what form will the money be applied to the problem? As personnel? As hardware? As professional development?

• Propose a timeline. If possible, indicate realistic benchmark accomplishments at various times during the life of the grant

• What contingencies (interruptions and/or complications) do you anticipate and how will you respond to them?

Your logic model and theory of change include questions designed to help you make the kinds of decisions and planning that will then allow you to write knowledgeably about your grant project. The logic model shows how your planned project will lead to an intervention that has been geared to effect change in stages while leading to ultimate goals. This may sound difficult, but the good news is this: Grant funders who fund requests from various justice agencies have a strong interest in wanting these agencies and services to work better. As social service dollars become rarer, grant funders are becoming more interested in funding grants that make a clear case for problem solving.

Even if the grant funder does not explicitly request a logic model and a theory of change, the guideline is to incorporate these ideas into your grant proposal especially when you are seeking more than $10,000. Be sure to also include your and/or your office’s expertise and legitimacy. Be sure to include your identification and credentials as the principal investigator of the sought-for grant. Oftentimes, your curriculum vitae, or resume, will need to be attached in the appendix. If the applicant agency is a private nonprofit (non-government), the proposal should provide relevant tax-exempt status documentation.

For grants of less than $10,000, unless otherwise specified, funders are likely to require less formal presentation of information, but even these proposals are more likely to succeed if you have developed your logic model and theory of change. No matter how informal a grant proposal process may seem, always submit your best, most professional work.

To identify sources of grants of any size, we suggest doing some homework about local foundations. As tax-exempt organizations, they must be registered with their home state’s tax-exempt-granting department, for example, the state Department of Business Regulation. You can research: foundations’ size, especially the amount of money they award each year; mission and purpose; application procedures; their trustees; and other financial practices. You may have success using your contacts to reach out to someone in a particular foundation’s leadership. Who is that leadership? Perhaps you might partner with other agencies and write a collaborative community-based grant proposal by pooling resources and expertise. If there is a college or university in your area, its internship or service-based learning office may know of potential community partners. University faculty members may also be available to help identify grant sources.

186And of course the Internet can be of invaluable assistance at every stage of the grant writing process. Here are some websites that may prove useful as sources of information about available grants.

• Office of Justice Programs, from the U.S. Department of Justice (ojp.gov/funding/Explore/CurrentFundingOpportunities.htm): The RFPs on this site range widely and are listed in six broad categories: Bureau of Justice Assistance; Bureau of Justice Statistics; National Institute of Justice; Office of Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention; Office for Victims of Crime; and Office of Sex Offender Sentencing, Monitoring, Apprehending, Registering, and Tracking.

• Catalog of Federal Domestic Assistance (www.cfda.gov): “contains detailed program descriptions for 2,167 Federal assistance programs.”

• A Guide to Funding Resources (www.nal.usda.gov/ric/guide-to-funding-resources): Includes “links to searchable databases offering funding opportunities from government and/or private sources that are available to local governments, community organizations, and individuals. It provides web links to more than sixty full-text online guides, manuals, and tips to assist grantwriters prepare successful proposals. The section of ‘Additional Resources’ is a bibliographic listing of published grant writing resources and funding directories.”

• Grants.gov is a “source to FIND and APPLY for federal grants. The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services is proud to be the managing partner for Grants.gov, an initiative that is having an unparalleled impact on the grant community.”

• HHS Grants Forecast (www.acf.hhs.gov/hhsgrantsforecast/): “A database of planned grant opportunities proposed by its agencies. Each forecast record contains actual or estimated dates and funding levels for grants that the agency intends to award during the fiscal year. Forecast opportunities are subject to change based on enactment of congressional appropriations.”

• Michigan State University Libraries (staff.lib.msu.edu/harris23/grants/2socser.htm): “A compilation of web pages and books of potential interest to nonprofit organizations seeking funding opportunities related to social services” in Michigan and nationwide.

• Rural Assistance Center (www.raconline.org/info_guides/funding/grantwriting.php): Provides advice and listings of rural grants opportunities.

The Takeaway

• Grant-writing skills are built on basic writing skills

• Funders of large grants, such as federal and state departments, sometimes issue requests for proposals and/or hold bidders’ conferences, both of which specify the requirements for successful grant proposals

• Thousands of smaller foundations and charities use less formal methods to assess grant applications, sometimes just a description of the proposed project

• The Internet is an important tool for finding foundations and governmental agencies that provide funding for justice and human service work

• Both large and small grant proposals are organized according to logic modeling.

187EXERCISE One-Page Grant Proposal

Suppose your college or university announces a $1,000 grant for a student organization project involving community engagement or community service. The RFP says that the proposal must be no longer than one page, double-spaced, 12-point font. Whatever your major (e.g., sociology, justice studies, human services, or social work), that department has a student organization, and you are involved as a member. Write a one-page proposal for a $1,000 grant in response to the RFP for a community engagement or community service project, to take place over one semester. Make up the details: size of the student organization, purpose of the project, and so on. A specific budget is optional, but may be helpful, and would not count toward the page limit. The college would award the grant to the student organization, not individual students.

Grant Application: Small Religious or Family Foundations

The exhibits that follow show the progression of a grant application, from first draft through final product. This is an application for a $3,500 grant, asking a family foundation with a history of supporting community-based services to support a prison-based garden project for female inmates. You can see that the application is formatted as a letter, only a page-and-a-half in length. The foundation, like thousands across the country, is so small and local that it has no forms. The foundation’s website invites applicants to submit letters explaining the amount requested, purposes, how funds would be used, and expertise and credentials of those applying. This approach is appropriate for small foundations with informal application procedures. Grants tend to range from $500 to $10,000, and may be renewable. Research your local foundations: their interests, methods, and recent funding priorities. Try to make contact with the person who processes applications. It may take a few years of unfunded proposals to get known and recognized by them.

Notice the outline followed by the final draft of this proposal, adapted from logic modeling:

1. Brief introduction identifying the request, the amount, the purpose, and the agency

2. The legitimacy of the applicant agency (connected to the introductory paragraph)

3. The legitimacy and expertise of the agency

4. The agency’s recent accomplishments

5. How the money would be used

6. Sustainability

7. Desired/anticipated results, how they are measured

8. Logistical information (current documents); private nonprofit agencies would also include tax-exempt numbers, board of directors list, and annual report to their membership

188 First Draft

Fredonia State Department of Corrections

Fenwick Women’s Minimal Security

East Fenwick, FA 00051

April 21, 201X

Mrs. Dee Pockets, Trustee

Good Intentions Trust

300 World Peace Street

Fenwick, FA 00055

Dear Dee,

We at the Women’s Minimum Security Prison Unit, inmates, officers and administration alike, would appreciate your Foundation considering funding a program with tremendous potential: a garden in which the inmates can grow their own vegetables and gain a sense of pride in their work. Just being outside a few hours a week should be beneficial to them, instead of being cooped up in their cells. We’re very excited about this idea, and hope you will be too.

We know this innovative project will work because the idea came from one of the inmates, and most of them said they’d sign up if we get funding. Can you imagine their excitement when they get to eat their own veggies? What a feather in your cap that would be! We mostly need money for a power tiller and also seeds, fertilizer, etc. We have the manpower to supervise the women, and we have already gotten a volunteer from the university to help us plant, fertilize, weed, and harvest correctly. The prison will supply other tools and materials, like fencing, shovels, hoes, and etc. We have plenty of unused space on the prison grounds to locate a garden, our consultant will select the best spot.

In case you’re worried about security, we’re proud to report that FWM will provide the professional and supervisory staff necessary to manage and oversee this project.

We think the project will result in better-adjusted inmates, who will leave the institution better prepared to adjust to community life. The proof, of course, will be in the pudding: fewer parolees returning to prison over time.

Please contact me if you need any further information or wish to discuss this request.

Thank you.

Sincerely yours,

Shirley Hope

What are your reactions to this first draft? If you were Ms. Pockets, would you be inclined to recommend funding? How well is the grant request organized? What information is missing? What is unnecessary and/or unprofessional language?

Fortunately for the Women’s Prison, the Foundation returned the letter for more information, rather than rejecting the request outright. She asked for explanations of why the garden would lead to lower recidivism, and whether there were other benefits for the women. She was concerned that the prison would return to the Foundation next year, 189asking for more funding, in other words, the project’s sustainability. The Foundation, being in the same state, knew of the prison, but wondered about whether there was sufficient expertise and organizational commitment to the project. In a follow-up phone call, Ms. Pockets commented on lack of sufficient detail as to why the project should “work,” that is, the reasons the garden would lead to the positive results claimed in the letter. She also commented on writing errors in the letter (did you find any?), including that she is not a “Mrs.” Finally, she said there were no promises, but the Foundation’s board was intrigued by the garden idea, and might consider reviewing a rewritten proposal at its next meeting, in 2 weeks.

Usually, in fact almost all the time, a letter like the first draft would not receive any helpful feedback, nor any funding, because of the missing information and errors cited in the preceding paragraph. But the first draft is important for getting ideas on paper, and using critical thinking skills to build toward a more complete and professional product. Here is an example of a second draft.

Second Draft

Fredonia State Department of Corrections

Fenwick Women’s Minimal Security

East Fenwick, FA 00051

April 21, 2015

Dee Pockets, Trustee

Good Intentions Trust

300 World Peace Street

Fenwick, FA 00055

Dear Ms Pockets,

This is a request for a $3,500 grant to support an innovative pre-release program for female inmates at the Fenwick Womens’ Minimal Security Unit, Fredonia DoC. Your grant would cover the cost of supplies and supportive services for 15 female inmates scheduled for release next year. The Prison Garden would teach the participants’ work readiness skills, teamwork and leadership roles; as well as promoting self-esteem. We have assembled a team of volunteers that will teach gardening skills. A portion of the grant will pay for vocational and psychosocial counseling with both individuals and groups.

Fenwick Women’s Minimum (FWM) is a recognized innovator in the field of pre-release services, especially for women convicted of non-violent crimes. Our recidivism rates are among the lowest in the country. We have assembled an extensive system of community-based collaborators who coordinate their services with us; providing an array of supports, including early problem-detection and intervention, 24/7 accessibility for crisis-intervention, information, referral and advocacy, and developing linkages to formal health and welfare agencies.

FWM was established in 1985, during the states’ prison reform process, with the mission of “providing female offenders with knowledge, values, skills, and perspectives for maximizing their chances of success post-release”. Since then, we have established ourselves as a laboratory for developing strategies for female ex-offenders to successfully transition to the community. As a 190result of our Mentoring Program, funded by a federal demonstration grant five years ago, many have become role models and mentors for our post-release population.

The idea for a gardening program was first raised by one of our current female inmates who is scheduled for parole next year. In her words, “to give me something to do in my free time, when I might otherwise be getting into trouble.” We polled our current pre-release female population, and found that 70% would be interested in a prison garden, siting a variety of personal reasons. For us, this represents an opportunity to use they’re common interest to enhance there skill sets for post-release life.

FWM maintains a full-time professional staff with sufficient skills to manage this project. In addition, our Grounds and Facilities Department has most of the tools, resources and expertise to construct and maintain a garden. The DoC has agreed to set-aside sufficient land for cultivation. You’re funds would help us purchase a power tiller (first year only), top soil, fertilizer and seeds. An Agricultural Sciences Faculty Member at Fredonia State University has volunteered to consult on proper cultivation methods, for a modest honorarium. FWM will provide the professional and supervisory staff necessary to manage and oversee this project.

In terms of sustainability, $2000 would be needed from other sources in subsequent years, the power tiller is a one-time purchase. At this time, the FWM director is exploring potential sources of those funds, including adding the line to our future budget requests from the state. The individuals’ who will provide leadership and support to this project have agreed to continue for at least three years.

We will measure results in several ways:

• Inmate participation

• Garden output

• Participants enhanced work- and release-readiness

Attitudes’ and skills’ of daily living

Workplace skills

• In the long term, recidivism rates

Attached please find a copy of the FWM 2013 program report, which includes a list of participating agencies and professionals. Please contact me if you need any further information or wish to discuss this request.

Thank you for your consideration.

Sincerely yours,

Shirley Hope

191 Final Version

Fredonia State Department of Corrections

Fenwick Women’s Minimal Security

East Fenwick, FA 00051

April 21, 2015

Dee Pockets, Trustee

Good Intentions Trust

300 World Peace Street

Fenwick, FA 00055

Dear Ms. Pockets,

This is a request for a $3,500 grant to support an innovative pre-release program for female inmates at the Fenwick Women’s Minimal Security Unit, Fredonia Department of Corrections (DoC) . Your grant would cover the cost of supplies and supportive services for 15 female inmates scheduled for release next year. The Prison Garden would teach the participants work readiness skills, teamwork and leadership roles, as well as promoting self-esteem. We have assembled a team of volunteers who will teach gardening skills. A portion of the grant will pay for vocational and psychosocial counseling with both individuals and groups.

Fenwick Women’s Minimum (FWM) is a recognized innovator in the field of pre-release services, especially for women convicted of non-violent crimes. Our recidivism rates are among the lowest in the country. We have assembled an extensive system of community-based collaborators who coordinate their services with us, providing an array of supports, including early problem-detection and intervention, around-the-clock accessibility for crisis-intervention, information, referral and advocacy, and linkages to formal health and welfare agencies.

FWM was established in 1985, during the state’s prison reform process, with the mission of “providing female offenders with knowledge, values, skills, and perspectives for maximizing their chances of success post-release.” Since then, we have established ourselves as a laboratory 192for developing strategies for female ex-offenders to successfully transition to the community. As a result of our mentoring program , funded by a federal demonstration grant five years ago, many have become role models and mentors for our post-release population.

The idea for a gardening program was first raised by one of our current female inmates who is scheduled for parole next year, in her words, “to give me something to do in my free time, when I might otherwise be getting into trouble.” We polled our current pre-release female population, and found that 70% would be interested in a prison garden, citing a variety of personal reasons. For us, this represents an opportunity to use their common interest to enhance their skill sets for post-release life.

FWM maintains a full-time professional staff with sufficient skills to manage this project. In addition, our Grounds and Facilities Department has most of the tools, resources and expertise to construct and maintain a garden. The DoC has agreed to set aside sufficient land for cultivation. Your funds would help us purchase a power tiller (first year only), top soil, fertilizer and seeds. An agricultural sciences faculty member at Fredonia State University has volunteered to consult on proper cultivation methods, for a modest honorarium. FWM will provide the professional and supervisory staff necessary to manage and oversee this project.

In terms of sustainability, we anticipate requesting $2000 from other sources in subsequent years ; the power tiller is a one-time purchase. At this time, the FWM director is exploring potential sources of those funds, including adding the line to our future budget requests from the state. The individuals who will provide leadership and support to this project have agreed to continue for at least three years.

We will measure results in several ways:

• Inmate participation

• Garden output

• Participants’ enhanced work- and release-readiness

Attitudes and skills of daily living

Workplace skills

• In the long term, recidivism rates

Thank you for your consideration.

Sincerely yours,

Shirley Hope

Explanation of Corrections

1. Period after Ms.

2. Plural possessive, apostrophe after women

3. Spell out Department of Corrections the first time; DoC is acceptable thereafter.

4. No apostrophe because this is not the possessive case

5. Comma instead of semicolon to separate a complete sentence and sentence fragment in the same sentence

6. “Who” is used as a pronoun for a person

7. Comma instead of semicolon to separate a complete sentence and sentence fragment in the same sentence

8. 24/7 is informal

9. Use consistent wording when constructing a list; the word “developing” is inconsistent with the wording of the other “supports” in the list

10. Singular possessive

11. Period belongs before the close quote mark

12. “Mentoring program” is not a proper noun, and should not be capitalized unless it is a formal title

13. Period belongs before the close quote mark

14. Homophone: “citing” is the correct word

15. Homophone: “there” is the correct word

16. Homophone: “there” is the correct word

17. “Set aside” should not be hyphenated

18. Homophone: “your” is the correct word

19. “Agricultural sciences faculty member” is not a proper noun, and should not be capitalized

20. Passive voice

21. No possessive

22. No possessive

23. Possessive

24. No possessive

25. No possessive

193Conclusion

Successful grant writing is as much about taking initiative, as it is a mysterious art. You can locate and approach public and private funding sources in your own community and state. You can develop relationships with foundations’ decision makers, and learn their priorities and procedures. Grant proposals can be as brief as one page; most small and medium-sized grants (up to $50,000) will require a detailed explanation of the project, its importance, how it will be delivered and evaluated, qualifications of the sponsor and grant administrator (lead person), a timeline, sustainability, and budget. Often, the funder will provide instructions and guidelines, through RFPs, bidders’ conferences, and/or print or electronic announcements. In addition to the basic information listed previously, the proposal should utilize logic modeling, consisting of six steps: introduction, problem statement, inputs, outputs, outcomes, and measurement strategies. As with other professional writing, grant proposals must be well written: comprehensive, specific, well organized, and free of writing errors.

Reference

Weisman, D., & Zornado, J. L. (2013). Professional writing for social work practice. New York, NY: Springer Publishing.

* This chapter is adapted from Weisman and Zornado (2013).