Printer FriendlySome funders will ask you to write a one to two page concept paper before submitting a full application. In such cases, you generally will not be allowed to submit a full proposal unless you concept paper captures the interest of the funder. What is a concept paper and what makes it strong?
The concept paper encapsulates some key elements that your proposal will contain about the program for which you are soliciting funds. When writing your concept paper, the ideas you express to the granting foundation should be brief, concise, and clearly stated. A good concept paper should include the following information:
- A description of your organization
- The target community/population group to be served
- An explanation of need
- A brief description of the goals of the program and its expected outcomes
- A brief description of some of the key components of the program
Be sure to identify any partnerships that your organization will establish in conjunction with the program.
To be effective, the concept paper should contain the right level of detail. The decision of what details to include or excludes depends on the degree to which you think the information is vital in describing the characteristics of your program, or in highlighting certain points that you believe are important for the granting foundation to know. For example, it may be helpful to include some statistical data to emphasize the need that exists within the community/population group (please see tipsheet Succeeding at Grant Writing by Doing Thorough Background Research). When including certain details about your program they should be as concrete as possible (as in the case of citing statistics). Another way to formulate your ideas in developing a concept paper is to present your program as if marketing a product:
- What is the product? Describe your product and include its main features.
- How will this product address specific needs for the population group?
- How will the consumer benefit from this service?
by Beata Murrell
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