Project Proposal

Reading & Writing 11

Project Proposal
–It is a highly persuasive and informative document
that aims to address a particular problem or issue.
–It is a bid or offer to indicate a project for an
individual or group.
–It usually ranges from 1,000 to 2,500 words
depending on the complexity of the project being
proposed.
A good project proposal specifies the
following:
– Goals and objectives that the project wants to accomplish
– A project plan that details how the set goals and objectives will be
accomplished
– Financial, human (experts, and consultants), and technical
(equipment, and facilities) resources useful in implementing the
project
– The budget that specifies how much money is needed and for what
purpose it will be spent
Types of
Project
Proposals
1. Solicited Internal

–It is used when the target reader is within the

organization.
–It responds to a specific request within the
organization.
–The problem has been identified within the
organization and the decision to solve has been
made.
2. Unsolicited Internal

–It is used when the target reader is within the

organization.
–It is a self-initiated proposal that no one asked for.
–The target reader has not yet identified that a
problem exists within the organization; hence, no
decision has been made to solve the problem.
3. Solicited External

–It is used when the target reader is not within

the organization.
–It responds to a specific request from someone
who is not within the company.
–The problem has been identified and the
decision to solve it has been made.
4. Unsolicited
External
–It is used when the target reader is not within the
organization.
–It is a self-initiated proposal that no one asked for.
–The target reader has not yet identified that a
problem exists; hence, no decision has been made
to solve the problem.
Parts of a
Project
Proposal
1. Cover Letter
– Introduces the proposal to the reader
– States the project proposal title, the date the proposal was
requested (if solicited), general purpose and scope of the
proposal, and acknowledgment of people who have
contributed to the completion of the proposal
– Includes the highlights of the proposal and directs the readers
to these highlights
2. Title Page
–Includes the project title that is concise and
informative
–Includes the lead organization, place and date of the
project, client’s or donor’s name, proponents name
and the department or organization he/she presents
and date of submission
3. Abstract or Executive Summary
–Includes the objectives, implementing organization,
major project activities, and total project cost
–Usually composed of 200 to 250 words and highlights
only the major points; some abstracts may be longer
depending on the culture of the funding agency
–Uses a paragraph format
4. Context of the Proposal

–Describes the socioeconomic, cultural, and political

background in which the proposal is situated

–Presents data collected from other sources that are

relevant to the planning stage
5. Project Justification
– Provides a rationale for the project
– Includes a problem statement that specifies the problem addressed by the project
– Points out why the problem is an issue that requires immediate attention
– Specifies the target group's needs that arise from the adverse effect of the
described problem
– Presents the approach or strategy that will be used to address the problem
– Describes the capability of the implementing organization or group by stating its
track record

Note: When writing this section, justify why your organization or group is the best
group to implement the project.
6. Personnel Involved

–Lists the people involved in the project,

their corresponding roles, and their
summary of qualifications
7. Project Implementation

– Is divided into an activity plan which specifies the schedule

of activities and a resource plan which specifies the items
needed to implement the project
– Describes the activities and resource allocation in detail, as
well as the person in charge of executing the activities
– Indicates the time and place of activities
8. Budget

–Presents the expected income and expenses over a

specified time period

– Itemizes the budget

9. Monitoring and Evaluation
–Specifies when and how the team will monitor
the progress of the project
–Specifies the method for monitoring and
evaluation
–Specifies the personnel in charge of monitoring
and evaluation
10. Reporting Scheme

–Specifies the schedule for reporting the

finances and progress of the project
11. Conclusion
– Briefly describes the project, the problem it addresses,
and its benefits to all stakeholders through a summary
– Directs the readers back to the good features of the
project
– Urges the readers to contact the proponent to work out
the details of the project proposal
12. References

–Lists all the references used in drafting the

project proposal using the format required by the
funding agency
 Guidelines in
Preparing for a
Project Proposal
1. Decide what the problem is and prepare a rough idea of
how this problem can be addressed.

2. Develop or select a framework that will help you

organize your ideas systematically.

3. Identify your specific activities, outputs, resources, and

methodologies.
4. Build your project proposal team and appoint a project
leader who is responsible for coordinating activities and
communicating with the funding agency.

5. Identify the organization that will probably fund your

project. These can be government agencies, non-governmental
organizations, private companies and foundations, and
international funding agencies.

6. Hold an initial meeting with your team to discuss the plans

in preparing the project proposal.
7. Allot sufficient time for planning.

8. Involve all the team members by assigning specific

responsibilities to them.

9. Be realistic with your project proposal. Make sure

that your objectives and activities are within the given
time and resources.
10. Contact the funding agency if some
items and requirements are not clear to you.

11. Always put yourself in the shoes of the

receiver of the project proposal.
 Guidelines in
Writing a
Project Proposal
1. The title page must be unnumbered but it is considered
page i; the back page of the title page is unnumbered as
well; but it is considered page ii. The abstract, which follows
after the title page, is considered page 1 and must already be
numbered.

2. Do not use abbreviations on the title page.

3. Attach the curriculum vitae of the personnel who are part

of the team.
4. In the project implementation section, use a Gantt
chart for presenting the timeframe.

5. Write the abstract only after you have completed

the report.

6. Study other successful proposals that are similar to

yours.
7. Be factual but use technical terms sparingly.

8. Choose a reader-friendly format.

9. Use action words to make your proposal more

dynamic.
Write T if the statement is true and F if
false.
1. A project proposal is mainly informational.
2. A Gantt chart is one way to present the schedule of
activities.
3. A one-word title is more preferred to a descriptive title.
4. A project proposal is usually one page only.
5. It is ideal to include only the total budget needed.
6. Only the team leader should write the project proposal.

7. Opinions add credibility to the proposal.

8. The project proposal needs to address a specific problem.

9. The qualification of personnel is crucial to the approval of the

project proposal.

10. There is only one format for a project proposal.