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The Concept Paper
The Concept Paper is a brief summary of your idea that the institutional
advancement office will use in helping you craft a grant application and find funding
for your project. It can also be used to send to prospective funding sources
particularly foundations, by giving the agency staff something to look
at while you discuss your ideas for possible funding (given enough lead time before
a deadline).
The Concept Paper is the first step in the grant development process at the
college. Your completed paper is “a sketch” of your concept that help you and the IA
office develop the second required step, the Grant Summary Form, which is routed
to Executive Council to determine whether the college will pursue the grant project.
Once approval is obtained, the third step is the full proposal development with the IA
office. The final step is an internal review and approval/signature process
coordinated by the IA office. This occurs prior to submitting the proposal to the
funding source. As that process unfolds, there will most likely be changes along the
way in what you have conceptualized and what makes its way into your final
proposal. This is a normal part of the development process, and all parties reviewing
the drafts are prepared for that so use your Concept
Paper to define your project under your “ideal” circumstances. The IA
o
ffice will keep all affected
parties informed of major changes throughout the process. This helps build cons
ensus and support
for your work
and minimizes the elemen
t of “surprise” for the
c
ollege administration when the final
version, different from your initial concept, is being reviewed for sign
-
off.
Use the guidance listed below when filling out the form. Additional grantwriting
resources are available
online at
the IA office we
bsite:
http://mwcc.edu/advancement/
. You can also get a copy of our Grant
Development Guide there, a brief handbook describing MWCC’s grant development
process and offering
grant writing point
ers, or by calling extension 113.
Call extension 113 if you have questions or need help with the form. Thank you.
INSTRUCTIONS FOR COMPLETING THE
CONCEPT PAPER FORM
•
Title of Project
.
Give your project a brief descriptive title.
•
Submitted by
.
List your name and names of other persons/agencies that you are considering
to be project collaborators.
•
General Area
.
List the general area in which the project falls, for example, faculty development,
science education, nursing education, etc.
•
Date
.
The date the Concept Paper is written.
1) General Purpose Statement
.
What is the purpose of this project? What is your overall goal?
Think about your project idea in these terms: What is going to change as a result of
my project’s implementation, and how are we going to measure it? (Show your ideas
for measurement under # 6, “Evaluation Strategy.”)
2) Needs Statement
.
Why does this project need to be done? What are problems this project
is attempting to solve? What evidence do you have to support your view?
Do you have statistical data? Committee findings and reports? Literature trends?
Describe briefly.
3) Objectives of the Project
. What specifically will you do in this project in order to meet your overall goal? Are
your objectives specific and measurable? Will you be able to
evaluate your objectives when the project is completed?
4)Methods for Accomplishing Objectives
. How will you accomplish your objectives? What resources will you use?
5) Target Group
Who Will Be Served
.Who will be served by this project? Who will be involved?
6) Evaluation Strategy
.
How will you evaluate whether or not the project accomplished what you set out to
accomplish?
7) Results/Benefits Expected from Project
.
What results or benefits do you expect from conducting this project? How will the
college or organization benefit? How will various individuals benefit? How will the
community benefit?
8 )Estimated Costs, if Known
.
How much do you expect this project to cost? Where will most of the cost be
incurred? Personnel? Travel? Instructional Materials? Equipment? Other Important
Considerations Prospective funders will want to know how the project relates to the
mission of the college, as well as any collaborative efforts. Please consider the
following questions as they relate to your idea.
9) Relationship to Goals of MWCC’s Strategic Plan or Departmental Priorities
.
How does this project meet an institutional need? Is it related to a goal in the
Strategic Plan? Does it relate to the priorities of your department?
10) Personal Scholarly Pursuit
.
Does the project relate to your particular plan for professional development as a
scholar or teacher? Explain briefly.
11) Support Required from College Ancillary Services Will the proposed idea require
significant or unusual support from any ancillary services of the college? For
example, technology support, use of laboratory space or special facilities, marketing
department support, office space, etc. Explain briefly.
12) Other Departmental or Outside Collaboration Will the proposed idea involve
more than one division or department within the college? Any organizations or
agencies outside of the college? List those expected to cooperate.
Answer these questions to the best of your ability and forward your completed form
(via email) to [email protected] We will contact you to schedule a meeting
to determine your project’s viability and talk about funding options.
Concept Paper Form
Title:
Submitted by:
General Area:
Date:
1.General Purpose Statement
:
2. Needs Statement
:
3. Objectives of the Project
:
4. Methods for Accomplishing Objectives
:
5.Target Group Who Will Be Served
:
6.Evaluation Strategy
:
7.Results/Benefits Expected from Project
:
8.Estimated Costs, if Known
:
9.Relationship to Goals of MWCC’s Strategic Plan
or Departmental Priorities
:
10.Personal Scholarly Pursuit
:
11.Support Required from College Ancillary Services
:
12.Other Departmental or Outside Collaboration
:
Use additional pages as needed.
