The first part of the proposal is the Summary. Although this part comes up first in the proposal format, it is supposed to be completed at the end of the proposal development exercise when all other project information has been put in place (refer proposal packaging). A summary should be no longer than one page and it should summarize the situational analysis/project context/justification in a small paragraph. Following that, the objectives and outcomes have to be listed. The activities will form the last part of the paragraph in this summary section.
Step 4
The Problem Analysis section is where the proponent’s knowledge about the targeted beneficiaries and the proposed intervention will be tested. The Problem Analysis comprises of the Background, Analysis, Profile of the Target Population and the Need. The Background part deals with the current situation that has led to the need for implementing the project. The organization’s own interest in implementing the project and the history of its involvement with the issue can also be mentioned here. After giving the background, the Analysis part should give a detail on the research and assessments carried out on the issue in the area where the NGO will implement the project. If there are other similar efforts being made by other organizations in the same area, even this has to be mentioned. You need to be fully equipped with all the secondary information in addition to any primary date you have. All this information has to be explained in the Analysis Section.
The proponent is expected to have wide information about its target communities. In the Profile of the Target Population, the demographic details and their characteristics have to be carefully explained. It is important that all information supplied here has to be backed-up with evidence. If it is mentioned that “35% of women suffer from physical injuries due to violence against them,” then the source of this information has to be mentioned clearly. Such evidence adds up to the quality of the proposal.
The Need part identifies the existing interventions and the gaps in them. You need to convince that although other interventions are being implemented, your project is still unique and it will specifically deal with a certain problem not addressed by other larger programs. Here, you can also mention about leveraging the resources of other agencies to achieve the objectives of the project.
