We recently came across some great advice for organizations that are seeking funding for projects focused on eliminating poverty for indigenous people. It includes:

1. Making sure that people who will benefit from the project have been involved in the project's creation and that this involvement is well documented via interview summaries, focus group results, field visit reports, or other sources.
2. Including information from secondary sources such as demographics, statistics, and other data in the context or background sections of the proposal.
3. Providing an analysis of existing government policies and programs that have impacted indigenous people, and an inclusion of public awareness activities, if relevant.
4. Recognizing existing norms and traditions of the indigenous people, and ensuring that the proposal respects, protects, and honors them.
5. Building in a capacity-building component to reduce the disenfranchisement that may have resulted from isolation.

Read the full article here.

Contributed by Laura Deaton

"No matter how long you’ve been writing grant proposals, or how successful you’ve been, you can always learn something new. It pays to refresh your thought processes from time to time, either by taking another class in proposal writing (or even a short story writing class) or reading another grant proposal writing book. Think outside the box to boost your creative thought process. If you’ve never read Truman Capote’s ‘In Cold Blood,’ do. The writing is so succinct, so eloquent – in the words of one reviewer, ‘I haul my copy out every 2-3 years just to remind myself how wonderful the rhythms and nuances of the American language can be at the hands of a master.’ "

Get Pamela Grow's Top Ten Tips for Grant Proposal Writing at the SOFII website.