Budget
How will we ensure the project has the resources to accomplish its goals?
Determine what external and internal funding sources exist. Determine how much in-kind contributions can be made by the partner organizations. Determine how much the project will cost in terms of materials and person-hours, including student stipends. Leave wiggle room in the budget.
Resources:
Things to consider when making a budget
Funding
Do we know how and where to apply for funding?
Calculate the certain funds, potential funds, and how much the project will cost. Determine what can be added/subtracted depending on successful and unsuccessful funding applications. Find lists of relevant grants. Determine which grants are appropriate to apply for (i.e., fit, deadline, intensity of applications) and research what makes a successful bid for them. Consider all the various parts of the project you could fund through different grants (i.e., student salaries).
Resources:
How to guide for a simple research budget
Proposals
Do we know how to get resources? How do we write research and grant proposals?
Effective proposal writing will make the odds of receiving funding much greater. Projects need funding, so putting the necessary time into funding proposals is essential. Proposals also help flush out the project’s scope to narrow in on what it aims to accomplish and how.
Resources:
Writing grant applications and making your case
Capacity
How will we to determine what resources are necessary to conduct the research project? Are we confident we are able to accomplish the project?
Discussing realistic expectations and limitations can clarify the research process and help buffer against issues down the road (time crunches, disagreements, etc.). Undertaking an effective research project is a lot of work, so ensuring that the capacity exists for it to be accomplished is important to avoid any mid-term realizations that it’s too much to do.
Resources:
Tool for mapping community assets
Assessing local needs and resources
Assessing organizational capacity tool
