Help with Solicitation for Grant Applications

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Elements of a DOL SGA Should I apply for this grant? How do I write a winning proposal? Commonly Requested Components

Elements of a DOL SGA

The Department of Labor announces funding opportunities by publishing a Solicitation for Grant Applications (SGA) in the Federal Register. A typical SGA contains the following elements:

1. Billing Code: identifies the department, agency and program putting out the notice and the purpose of the notice.
2. Summary: gives an overview of the program and services being sought by the solicitation.
3. Dates: identifies the deadline for submitting an application (response to the notice) and describes the methods of submitting the application.
4. Addresses: gives the address to deliver the application.
5. For further information contact: elaborates on how to obtain forms/applications and who to contact with any questions.
6. Supplementary Information has multiple parts:
   1. Background — includes the authority for the grant funding, the purpose of program, the size of the grants to be awarded and any definitions.
   2. Eligible Applicants¹ — defines who can apply for the grants
   3. Application Contents — lists the elements that are required for the application to be reviewed. There are two parts: the technical proposal and the cost proposal (in other words the program and the budget)
   4. Evaluation Criteria and Selection Process — describes the information that must be contained in the technical and cost proposals and the maximum points that may be awarded for each criterion during the rating process
   5. Deliverables — requirements for grant recipients to fulfill this specific grant, such as formal reports, studies, or progress reports. NOTE: not all SGAs have this element.
7. Grant Requirements: lists the DOL regulations and OMB circulars that are applicable to the different categories of DOL grant recipient, as well as any additional grant specific requirements.

¹ In writing a proposal, applicants should pay particular attention to the bolded elements.

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Should I apply for this grant?

Each Solicitation for Grant Application (SGA) contains sections called Summary and Supplemental Background Information. While these sections provide insight into the services being sought, pay particular attention to the eligible applicant and deliverable sections to determine if your organization should consider submitting an application.

The eligible applicant section will let you know if your organization can apply. For example, some solicitations for grant application are only for states or state agencies to respond.

The SGA may include a deliverables section that describes the products and meetings required to fulfill this particular grant. If the requirements are unfamiliar or seem overwhelming, you may want to call the "for further information contact" person and determine if the requirements are feasible for your organization.

Finally, does your organization provide the services requested in the SGA? The closer the match between your organization's mission and activities and the services being sought, the better your chance of success in competing for funds. Be sure organization is capable of providing the services the federal government is seeking to fund.

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How do I write a winning proposal?

If your organization is an eligible applicant, is capable of providing the services sought and capable of fulfilling the requirements outlined in the solicitation, there are just two sections to concentrate on when writing the proposal — the evaluation criteria and selection process and the application contents.

The application contents enumerate what the application must contain to be considered. Sometimes there is extra information describing these elements. Do not use this information as the outline for constructing your proposal. Make sure every piece of information required is included, but look at the evaluation criteria and selection process for your proposal content.

The evaluation criteria and selection process should be used to organize your proposal. The reviewer must evaluate your proposal using these criteria and point structure. Make sure that every question and request for information from the evaluation criteria is answered in the proposal. Use headings to let the reader know what question you are answering. To the extent possible, follow the order of the rating criteria when writing your proposal.

Finally, in reviewing your proposal, make sure it is within the allowable page limit, uses the correct margins and font size, and is mailed on time.

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Commonly Requested Components

Need: Use statistics to show how the community needs the proposed services. Information such as unemployment rates, poverty rates and high-school dropout rates are standard statistics that can tell a convincing story for a particular community. America's Career Infonet, local One-Stop Centers, and state employment service can provide some of these statistics.

Use Partnerships: Show how the whole community is interested in working together by demonstrating that other organizations, such as schools, government, businesses, faith-based and community organizations, are a part of the team effort. Include letters from the partnering organization describing its commitment to the project, unless the SGA specifically says not to include supporting letters. It is helpful to begin your outreach early if you plan to include support letters.

Goals and Objectives: Clearly number each goal and objective. Ensure that measurable indicators exist to evaluate whether the program attains the goals and objectives.

Evaluation: Describe the method for collecting data and how it will be analyzed to determine if the goals and objectives are reached.