When asking yourself questions about your potential proposal, one should be the "WHY" question; WHY is it that your project should be funded?  To put it bluntly, there needs to be a good reason for the agency to shell out its money to you to fund the development of your ideas.  Generally, the approach that you present will either:

• Improve upon the current state of the art, or
• Fill a currently unmet need

Laying out your "WHY" reasonings is much like telling a story.  This story should have four points:

1. The problem.  Outline the general need you're addressing.  Include references to appropriate publications and statistics to illustrate the degree of the problem.
2. The current state-of-the-art.  How is the problem that you outline in Point #1 above currently being met?  Cite industry examples, including pros and cons of each.
3. Your solution.  Briefly describe your proposed solution, specifically showing how it solves the problem outlined in Point #1.
4. Benefits of your solution.  Why is your solution better than what is currently available?  Lay out the technical, economic, and social benefits of your proposed solution in a way that caters to the needs of the specific agency you are targeting.
   

By being clear about "WHY" your idea is innovative, important, and useful, you can make a viable case for the worthiness of your idea.

The Kristoff Group can help you define the answers to these and other questions you may have about the proposal development process.  Over the next few months, I'll be expanding on each of the questions you'll need to answer to determine what information you need to convey in a winning proposal.  Need more help?  Contact me, Sue Kristoff, at This e-mail address is being protected from spam bots, you need JavaScript enabled to view it This e-mail address is being protected from spam bots, you need JavaScript enabled to view it or 978-549-2019 with your proposal development questions.