Grant Proposal Paper Information Fast Facts: The proposal should be approximately 8-10 pages long, It

Grant Proposal Paper Information
Fast Facts:
The proposal should be approximately 8-10 pages long,
It is written in APA format, double-spaced,
You will choose from a list of 3 community problems provided by the instructor,
Creative solutions are strongly encouraged, but they must be consistent with some understanding of the challenges of the people who will participate.
Description: Every 5 years, the County of Orange, Mental Health Agency gives out 12 million dollars in grant funding to 3 innovative projects that will make a positive impact to the mental health community. They must spend this funding, and look from programs that offer a fresh or new idea. Your paper will be written as if you are proposing a grant project for this funding by choosing one of 3 project options. I encourage you to think creatively and be innovative, but in service of members of our community that need a great deal of help. For grading information, refer to the syllabus regarding writing standards expected for this course, and please be sure to follow the structure described below.
Structure of the Proposal: Your proposal should include the following sections, and the final draft should be written in APA style format, with appropriate citations or references:
Each enumerated section should start on separate pages:
1) Title Page: Name your Proposed Project (Be creative and positive, or at least direct), also put your name and Abnormal Psych section you are in.
2) Brief 3 sentence synopsis (similar to an abstract): “The …… Project provides Orange County residents with
3) Introduction – This should be a 4-5 paragraph description of the problem that currently needs fixing, and the current state of the problem. A good introduction might include a description of the way the problem affects mentally ill community members, some research studies or reports that show the extent of the problem, or perhaps a case example that was featured in past news media. By the end of the introduction, it should be clear to the grant committee why this problem needs to be changed.
4) Background – This should include a 3-5 paragraph history of this problem in Orange County. Perhaps there are factors present in our community that make the problem worse (i.e. cost of living, “contain and exclude” practices, lack of community education or funding). What is currently being done, and why isn’t it working? What happens now with this problem? Has the problem become worse over the past 10-15 years? (Hint: for this section, look at the OC mental health website to try to see what is currently being done.
5) Population (“Participant Stakeholder”) Description – The people who will benefit from your grant project are called “Participant Stakeholders.” It can seem awkward, but make sure to use this term instead of other phrases like “target population” “the Mentally Ill,” etc. Using non-marginalizing language is extremely important in grantwriting. What do we need to know about this population? Include any demographic information on how many people may be experiencing this. If you can’t find information about how many people are dealing with this in Orange County, use national reports on how big this problem is overall in the U.S.. Is there anything specific about this participant stakeholder group that blocks them from finding solutions on their own? Here is a key point to remember: this grant is not about providing direct treatment services. You are trying to address a community resource problem or bias that makes life more difficult for participant stakeholders
6) Project Description – This is where you describe your amazing project idea so that the reader has a clear picture of what it will look like. Is it located in one place, or is it “mobile”? If it is in a single location, how easy is it for participants to get there? How will the project reach out to the community so that people know it exists? A good way to approach this is to describe the experience participants can expect, and what will be different in their lives or what will change in the community when it is over. Are there any foreseeable potential risks or issues? What information do you need to keep track of that will show whether or not your project is a success?
7) Collaborative Stakeholders and Linkages – It is important to work with other agencies and resources that already exist in Orange County and are also part of the community’s “network of support.” If your grant project is funded, you will become part of this community support team. These are your “Community Partnerships” or “Community Stakeholders”. Who else would be interested in collaborating with what you are doing? Consider proposing partnerships with other groups or agencies. You can include either Orange-County based, or national organizations, any other non-profit, school-based, or community support program (Disney Community Partners, Boys and Girls Club, Alliance of Mentally Ill, RAINN, OC Human Trafficking Consortium). For this section, please name actual programs and groups, not fictional ones.
8) Outreach and Project Awareness – 2 paragraphs that describe different ways that potential participants will be informed and encouraged to try participation (try to avoid stigmatization in outreach efforts)
9) Any special problems that a program like this would face or have to solve? Would the community be in support, or would there possibly be tension that needs to be addressed.
10) References or Citations (APA format) on research sources for population information, information about the problem, and background.
Tips That Will Help You on This Report and in Grant Writing in the Future:
1) “Reification” means “making something real” through language, symbols or other devices. “Reify” your project by writing in language that suggests your project is already a reality. A trick that successful grantwriters use is to create in the minds of the funding committee a project that seems obviously a good idea, as if it has already been tried successfully. Whenever possible refer to your project by its actual name instead of saying “this project” or “my grant proposal.”
2) Never think about “cost cutting” or “low-balling” proposals for fear it sounds too expensive. If funding groups like the premise of your project, they will find a way to pay for it. There is nothing worse than trying to be successful when underfunded.
3) If you don’t believe in your project, the grant funding panel won’t either. Your aim is for a grant funding panel to get to the end of reading your proposal and saying “Of course, we want to fund this.”
Grant Proposal Project
Option 2:
Overview – Funding from both State and Federal sources is available to provide mental health services for an expected increase in Orange County of child refugees and their families who have relocated due to the Russo/Ukrainian war. Grant resources will target especially families who have either been directly affected by or survived war-related atrocities, or who were exposed to life-threatening events prior to relocating to the United States. The intention of this grant request is to generate innovative and complimentary mental health support activities (i.e. art therapy, drama therapy, child/adolescent focused group therapy) to concurrent to traditional mental health services being provided by other agencies.
Based on experience with prior conflicts, the County of Orange Health Care Agency predicts that there will be statistically significant growth in the numbers of Ukrainian Refugee families. Emerging reports of atrocities that have occurred during the conflict suggest that many or most families who move to Orange County will have at least some experience with this type of experience. Prior outcome studies from other post-war immigrant waves have shown that children with these exposures are vulnerable to a variety of emotional and psychological problems, including trauma-related disorders such as PTSD and higher risk of Depression and suicidal feelings. Early intervention (i.e. closer to the time of trauma exposure) can improve these outcomes.
Successful proposals must include the following components:
Outreach within Orange County’s Ukrainian community to help identify and make contact with families who are within a target group (have at least one minor under 18 who was exposed to the situations described in the introduction),
Note that Direct Mental Health services are not expected to be provided to children and families within the scope of this grant. Most families will already have established connections with a direct service agency, and the present projects requested will serve as an adjunctive intervention.
Preference will be given to program proposals that emphasize innovative approaches to war-related grief support for children, such as programs that utilize art, drama performance, or media-based creative projects. Preferred projects considered for funding will cite sources professional journals, books, or publications that have demonstrated the use of creative therapies for war-affected youth.
Participatory services with children may be provided at a centralized location in Orange County, such as at a university campus, but transportation funding is not provided within this grant,
Chosen projects will be able to facilitate transition to more intensive service delivery systems such as emergency psychiatric support or inpatient referrals in cases where these services are needed due to the risk of suicidal behavior and trauma-related psychiatric symptoms known to affect this group. The project does not have to provide emergency services directly, but must identify local healthcare institutions (hospitals, emergency teams) who will be contacted as needed.
Additional requirements include an informational resource for parents or caregivers of minor participants, and access to Ukrainian language translation (note that language translation may be an “on-demand” resource). Partnerships or linkage with other, existing community resources engaging in similar services are encouraged, as this is a public-funded grant and not private-funded.