Grant Application

Directions for Completing Maine Women’s Giving Tree Grant Applications

• Complete grant applications on the form included below, including the signed cover sheet and budget form. Applications, excluding the cover sheet and budget form, must be no more than four pages and address all five required topics of Organization, Program Description, Need, Implementation, Evaluation, and must include the required budget form.
• The grant amount requested should be the amount submitted in your Letter of Intent. If the amount needs to be changed, please note this and provide a justification for the changed amount in your application under Program Description. We will take this additional request under consideration in reviewing your application.
• Proofread your application, and review it carefully for clarity, accuracy, and completeness. 
• Any submission not containing the signed cover sheet, the required application form, and/or the required budget form will NOT be accepted.
• Submit one copy containing the signed cover sheet, the application covering the five topics, and the budget form by 5 pm on February 28, 2025 via email to: [email protected].

Additional guidance for preparing your grant application:

• The grant application is reviewed as a stand-alone document. Include all relevant information regarding your funding request in this document. Reviewers will not use any information not in the application, such as your Letter of Intent, website or past applications.
• Do not assume reviewers are familiar with your program or organization. Don’t assume that your application will be approved or funded in full, even if you have received funding from us in the past. This is a competitive process.
• We strongly recommend you familiarize yourself with the information on our website (mainewomensgivingtree.org) about our organization, our requirements, and our past grant awards.

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Topics to Include:

1. Organization:

• Briefly describe your organization, including its mission, brief history and ongoing programs.  Be concise and relevant!

2. Program Description:

• Describe the program for which you are seeking grant funding and the amount requested. 
• Is it a seed grant for a new and/or experimental program, an enhancement of a current program, or a sustaining grant to continue an ongoing program?

3. Need:

• Define the target population. Be as specific as possible. Demonstrate the need in our catchment area (primarily Mid-Coast Maine between Freeport and Wiscasset, not Maine as a whole or the U.S.
• Explain in detail why this funding is necessary. How will the target population benefit? Tell us what we will see happen as a result of this funding. Make your case!
• Describe in detail how you plan to engage the target population to participate in the program.

4. Implementation:

• What are the expected outcomes in the 12-month grant implementation period (July 1 – June 30)?  Do you foresee any potential barriers to completing implementation during this time? If so, how will you address these?
• Who will manage implementation and/or delivery of services? Include relevant qualifications of significant personnel.
• Do you expect volunteers to participate in the project? If so, how will they be utilized?
• What other resources exist and/or are needed to ensure the success of the project (e.g., facilities, materials, supplies, transportation).

5. Evaluation:

• What method(s) will you use to evaluate the effectiveness of the project?
• Who will oversee the final evaluation process and report on the progress of the grant during implementation, including producing the interim and final reports as required?

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Completing the Budget Form

• List all personnel who would be involved in the grant program, not just those for whom our funding is sought. The qualifications of these personnel should be described in the Implementation section of your application. This helps us evaluate the adequacy of staffing being devoted to the project.
• List all direct costs of the program, not just those for which funding is sought. Describe each line item (for example, don’t just say Miscellaneous, especially on those line items for which our funding is sought). This information helps us evaluate the adequacy of resources being devoted to the project. Fully explain in the implementation section of your application the math behind the cost of the product or service for which you request our funding (for example, if your program provides meals, provide the total number of meals, serving size, cost of meals).
• The totals and sub-totals in the first column (Cost) should equal the sum of those in the second column (Amount requested from MWGT) and in the third column (Amount from external sources).

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Grant Application