Lesson PURPOSEFUL WRITING IN THE DISCIPLINES:

8.4 WRITING A PROJECT PROPOSAL

WHAT’S NEW
WRITING A PROJECT PROPOSAL
A project proposal is a highly persuasive and informative documents that aims to address a particular problem or
issue. It is a bid or offer to initiate a project for an individual or a 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;
 Project plan that details how the set goals and objectives will be
accomplished;
 Financial, human (e.g., experts, consultants), and technical (e.g., equipment
and facilities) resources useful in implementing the project; and
 Budget that specifies how much money is needed and for what purpose it
will be spent. https://www.freepik.com/free-vector/
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There are four types of project proposals which vary depending on the context of the
problem and the receiver and sender of 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 it 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 self-initiated proposals that no one ask 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 proposals to the reader
 States the project proposal title, date the proposal was requested (if solicited), general purpose and scope of the
proposal, and acknowledgement of people who have contributed to the completion of the proposals
 Includes the highlights of the proposal and directs the readers to this highlights

2. Title Page
 Includes the project title that is concise and informative

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  Includes the lead organization, place and date of project, client’s or donor’s name, proponent’s name and the
department or organization he/she represents, and date of submissions

3. Abstract of Executive Summary

 Includes the objectives, implementing organization, major project activities and total project cost
 Usually composed of 200 to250 words and highlights only the major points; some abstract may be longer
depending on the culture of the funding agency
 Uses a paragraph format

4. Context of the Proposal

 Describes the socio-economic, 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 the 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
 List 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 proposals

12. References
 Lists all the references used in drafting the project proposal using the format required the funding agency

Guidelines in Preparing for a Project Proposal

1. Decide what the problem is and prepare a rough idea on how this problem can be addressed.
2. Develop or select a framework that will help you organize your ideas systematically.
3. 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.

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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 them.
4. In the project implementation section, use a Gantt chart for presenting the timeframe.
5. Write the abstract after you have completed the report.
6. Study the successful proposals that are similar to yours.
7. Be factual but use technical terms sparingly.
8. Choose a reader-friendly format
9. Use section words to make your proposal more dynamic.

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 Here is a sample project proposal you can refer to:

I. Project Title:
“Bote Queen”

II. Project Proponents:

This project is headed only by the Supreme Student Government.

III. Project rationale:

In line with vision-mission of the school, this project will help Promote cleanliness and awareness of the students
about the 3Rs; Reduce, Recycle.

IV. Project objectives:

 To expose students in different environmental activities
 To raise fund and support the Supreme Student Government (SSG) projects
 To promote the awareness of the students

V. Project description:
This project will be accomplished through the help of our officers, faculty and staff, and the support of the students.
Each sections will have a representative queen and they are required to bring bottles for the first and last counting.
From their bottles and other recyclable materials, they will make a presentable costume to be showcased by their
representative and the pageant will begin.
VI. Project Duration:
 Each section will start collecting bottles on march 1,2019 (Friday)
 The first counting will be on March 5,2019 (Tuesday)
 The last counting will be on March 11,2019 (Tuesday)
 The pageant will begin on March 15, 2019 (Friday)

VII. Target Beneficiaries:

The five section will start collecting bottles will receive an incentive from the Supreme Student Government
(SSG) on their Christmas Party. The collected money will be used for the LPCA battle that is proposed to be held in
October.
VIII. Propose Budget
The only expenses will be prize (trophy, sash, certificates) for the winning sections and also the reigned
Bote Queen. The budget for this is estimated at Php 500-Php1500.
IX. Monitoring and Evaluation
This project will be overall managed by the Supreme Student Government (SSG) and each adviser of the
sections will assist their students for the activities.
Source: http://www.slideshare.com

A project proposal is basically a problem-solution text that aims to persuade its reader to grant
funding on the project or the accomplishment of the solution to the problem. It has five basic parts, namely,
title page, project summary, qualification budget justification, and project narrative. It includes visual such as
Gantt charts, for timetable, and tables for budget justification and avoids confusing terms such as jargons,
acronyms, and abbreviations specific to a field of study.

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