Grant Proposal Outline: Sections and Order

A standard grant proposal outline runs in this order: cover letter, executive summary, statement of need, goals and objectives, methods or project design, evaluation plan, organizational background and capacity, budget and budget narrative, sustainability plan, and attachments. The outline below lists what belongs under each heading, so you can copy it as a working skeleton. When a funder publishes its own required sections or order, use theirs instead.

The standard outline, with what goes under each heading

1. Cover letter (one page, if the funder accepts one)

• Amount requested and project name in the first sentence
• How the project advances the funder's mission
• Any prior contact with the funder
• Signature of the executive director or board chair

2. Executive summary (one paragraph to one page)

• The problem, in one or two sentences with a key statistic
• What you will do
• The measurable outcomes
• Amount requested and project period
• Why your organization can deliver

3. Statement of need

• The problem and who it affects (population, number, location)
• Local data, with sources and years
• Outside data that shows scale or comparison
• The gap your project closes
• Evidence of demand (waitlists, referrals, surveys)

4. Goals and objectives

• One to three goals
• Measurable objectives under each: baseline, target, deadline

5. Methods or project design

• Activities and how each serves an objective
• Who delivers them (roles, not just names)
• Participants: who, how many, how recruited
• Timeline table by month or quarter
• Partners and what each contributes
• Why this approach (evidence base or prior results)

6. Evaluation plan

• Indicator for each objective
• Data source and collection method
• Who collects data, and when
• How results will be reported and used

7. Organizational background and capacity

• Mission, history, and people served
• Results from similar work
• Qualifications of key staff
• Financial management and governance

8. Budget and budget narrative

• Line-item budget by category (personnel, fringe, travel, supplies, contractual, other, indirect)
• Narrative justifying each line with the calculation shown
• Other funding, matching funds, and in-kind contributions

9. Sustainability plan

• How the work continues after the grant period
• Specific funding sources, secured or planned

10. Attachments

• IRS determination letter
• Board list
• Most recent audit or financial statements
• Current operating budget
• Letters of support or commitment
• Any forms the funder requires

You can start drafting directly from this skeleton in our grant proposal template, which follows the same order. For how to write each section rather than what to list, see the step-by-step guide to writing a grant proposal.

Outlines for other proposal types

The standard outline fits most foundation requests. Three other formats are common.

Short foundation proposal or letter proposal

Small family and community foundations often want two to five pages in letter form. The outline compresses to: request and fit, the need, the project and outcomes, organizational credibility, budget summary, and closing. A letter of inquiry uses nearly the same shape when the funder wants a pitch before a full proposal.

Federal application

Federal outlines come from the Notice of Funding Opportunity, which lists required narrative sections, page limits, and review criteria with point values. A typical federal package contains:

• Standard forms, starting with the SF-424 application form and, for non-construction programs, the SF-424A budget
• Project abstract (often with its own word or page limit)
• Project narrative, organized under the notice's exact headings, which often track the review criteria
• Budget narrative or justification
• Required attachments such as a logic model, resumes, letters of commitment, and an indirect cost rate agreement

Rebuild the outline from the notice every time. Our federal grant proposal guide walks through how those sections differ from a foundation request.

Research proposal

Academic and scientific proposals follow a research logic rather than a program logic. A general outline: title page, abstract or project summary, specific aims or objectives, background and significance, preliminary data, research design and methods, timeline, personnel, budget and justification, and references. NIH and NSF each prescribe their own components; for NIH, the outline is built around the Specific Aims page.

Split the page limit inside the outline

An outline should also set a target length for each section, because reviewers reward proportion. Under a ten-page limit, an allocation like this keeps the argument where the points are:

The budget and attachments usually sit outside the narrative limit; check the guidelines. When a federal notice weights its criteria by points, match the allocation to the points: a section worth thirty points should not get the same room as one worth five.

Check the outline for gaps before drafting

Read the outline as a chain. Every objective should answer part of the need, every activity should serve an objective, every objective should have an indicator, and every cost should trace to an activity. A gap found at outline stage takes minutes to fix; the same gap found by a reviewer costs the award. To see the finished chain written out in full, read our complete grant proposal example, and before submitting, run the draft through the grant proposal checklist.

If you would rather hand the outline to someone who writes proposals every week, ask for a quote on a complete draft.