Communities In Schools is entering a new fiscal year focused on strengthening the effectiveness of our institutional fundraising efforts. While we have successfully cultivated relationships with prospective funders and secured invitations to apply, funding success rates for both cold submissions and invited proposals have not consistently met expectations. This presents an opportunity to assess the quality, competitiveness, and effectiveness of our grant proposals and application practices.

To address this challenge, our team has refined proposal narratives, strengthened cultivation efforts, and incorporated funder feedback when available. However, we have not conducted a comprehensive external review of recent grant submissions to identify strengths, recurring challenges, and opportunities for improvement.

We are seeking an experienced grant professional to conduct an objective assessment of a representative sample of funded and unfunded foundation and corporate grant proposals. The goal is to evaluate proposal quality, alignment with funder interests, clarity of case for support, outcomes presentation, storytelling, budgets, and overall competitiveness within today's philanthropic landscape.

This project is intended to strengthen our grant development practices and provide actionable recommendations to improve proposal quality and increase future funding success.

By the end of the project, the consultant will conduct a comprehensive assessment of Communities In Schools' grant development and proposal-writing practices through a review of selected funded and unfunded grant applications. The review will identify key strengths, recurring challenges, and opportunities to improve overall grant competitiveness and funding success.

Based on this assessment, the consultant will provide strategic recommendations to strengthen proposal narratives, clarify and elevate the case for support, enhance the communication of outcomes and impact, improve budget presentation, increase alignment with funder priorities, and strengthen overall proposal structure, readability, and competitive positioning.

To support long-term capacity building, the consultant will develop practical tools and resources, including a proposal review rubric or quality-assurance framework that staff can use to assess submissions prior to funder review. Recommendations will also include grant development best practices, templates, and messaging guidance designed to improve consistency, efficiency, and effectiveness across future funding opportunities.

The engagement will conclude with a concise presentation summarizing key findings, recommendations, and actionable next steps for development leadership and staff.

Organization Mission

At Communities In Schools (CIS), we surround students with a community of support, empowering them to stay in school and achieve in life.