Proposal
PURPOSE
I have multiple documents listed below that include the proposal and relevant reference information.
The purpose of the proposal was to answer a call for proposals on behalf of a local non-profit organization seeking a grant to benefit the community's youth. The call for proposals was from Northrop Grumman, an engineering/technology company that required the grant be used for something STEM-related. I decided to write the proposal on behalf of DOCK, a non-profit organization that takes care of youth from low-income neighborhoods after school and during summer. DOCK advocates for productivity and continued education for its participants. I thought it would be beneficial to write the proposal to Northrop Grumman seeking a grant to sponsor the Education Exhibition. This exhibition would give DOCK's youth better access and resources to college information, among more scholastic assistance. The exhibition was to work in conjunction with Florida Institute of Technology, which specializes in STEM.
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There are also 2 reference documents in addition to the proposal. The advance planning exercise provides extra background information in further detail. The proposal logic map provides a visual representation of my process for completing the proposal.
AUDIENCE
The intended audience of the proposal was to be the manager of community relations at Northrop Grumman. Since the grant was very specific to being STEM-related, it was important for me to emphasize this element in a way that benefitted the grant's guarantor and recipient. I related DOCK to Northrop Grumman to show that they both value the pursuit of strengthening communities. Like Northrop, the DOCK program specializes in academic prosperity, life enrichment, and productivity for youth and teens of Brevard County’s low-income neighborhoods. The specification of STEM actually piqued more interest, because DOCK's participants were most interested in these fields. My main priority was effectively conveying this to the department of corporate citizenship at Northrop.
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Secondary audience members were various staff members and managers at DOCK who helped me collect my research. Also individuals at the executive level and possible board members. For this reason, it was also a main priority for me to uphold the integrity of the organization. They are well-known and liked in the community, so I wanted to make sure the proposal measured up to quality standard.
WRITER /
CONTEXT
I had a special connection to this project for a few different reasons. Firstly, I used to volunteer at DOCK in high school as a tutor and mentor. I remember really enjoying it and feeling uplifted afterwards. When I learned that we would be choosing a non-profit organization for this project, I did not hesitate to choose DOCK. Secondly, the woman who runs DOCK has been a family friend for many years, so I felt comfortable interacting with her throughout the process. Lastly, I currently work for Northrop Grumman as a technical editor. I immediately thought of the company when brainstorming sponsors. It seemed as though all of the elements came together really nicely for me to compose an effective and compelling proposal.
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The context of this document is also worth noting. The project was completed during my first semester of the program, so I did not have the knowledge that I currently do. It was first time being exposed to this genre of writing. I went into the course with no prior experience whatsoever. I definitely feel as though I have built a solid foundation for my understanding of proposal writing.