An early step in the creation of any new program is the development of a concept paper. The concept paper allows you to communicate to those outside your organization the purpose of your project. Just as importantly, it allows the organization to internally define the scope of the project – what it is and what it is not. This lays the groundwork for developing a budget and locating funding sources, and reduces the temptation to change the project because of a perceived availability of funding in service areas outside of the scope of the project.

Your goal in writing the concept paper is to describe – in five pages or less – the scope of the project, what need it is meeting, how it will solve for that need, and how you will keep the doors open. With that in mind, remember that the concept paper can change as more information becomes available. Delays may push the timeline back. Budgets may change due to increased costs or to savings from unexpected in-kind donations. Be prepared to edit your concept paper as these changes occur.

Elements:

Your concept paper should include the following:

- Project Title Page
The title page should include, at minimum, the working name of the project, date, and contact information. Often, a relevant graphic, photograph, or quotation can add visual impact to this page.

- Organizational Statement and Introduction
The organizational statement needs to encompass the project or mission in a nutshell. If you can clearly define to the world what you do and use relatively few words, you improve the chances of your project being memorable and remove the risk of being misunderstood. For example:

“Alaska Funding Exchange provides consulting and fundraising services to nonprofits throughout Alaska to help them accomplish their good work.”

In 19 words, this statement has told you who (Alaska Funding Exchange) does what (consulting and fundraising services) for whom (nonprofits), where (Alaska), and why (to help them accomplish their good work).

In Alaska, many communities faces challenges caused by factors that would not occur to residents of other regions of the state, much less those from out of state. If background information is required to set the stage for your proposal, a brief introduction can be included. This introduction might include descriptions of the region’s peoples and culture, economic status, remote location, geographic features, or other idiosyncrasies that either create a unique need or affect the implementation of your plan.

- Need
This section demonstrates the importance and the timeliness of the project. If the concept paper is being addressed to a specific funder, make certain that you state the relevance of your project as it relates to the grantee’s funding priorities. This would also be a great place for comments from community leaders, supporting data, and personal histories of people negatively affected by the lack of services that your project will fill.

- Project Narrative or Methodology
Discuss the methods you will use to meet the need. Anticipate reasonable questions or objections to your program and address them. If similar programs have been launched in the past, note specific successes that you will emulate and describe key differences that will either enhance the impact of your program or avoid pitfalls that have befallen others. Finally, describe the means by which you will measure the success of this program. This adds both accountability and relevance.

- Organizational History and Resources
Summarize the history of your organization, with specific focus placed on those areas that demonstrate your capacity to carry out this project. If you have key resources – including personnel, equipment, or location – that showcase your ability to make your proposal succeed, describe these resources in detail.

- Timeline
How soon can you integrate your plan into the community? What steps need to be taken before it can be carried out? If the project is transitory in nature, provide a start and end date with specific goals laid out. This is your opportunity to further demonstrate to your funder that you have put a great deal of thought into this project and have created a realistic plan for its implementation.

- Budget and Funding Strategy
You will need to demonstrate how funds will be appropriated and accounted for. As this is not a full proposal, you do not need to itemize every expense; but you will need to list major expense categories and the amounts budgeted for each.

Additionally, you’ll need to show how much has been earmarked for the project from your general funds, how much has been raised to date and from what sources, how much is left to raise, and from whom you anticipate raising the remaining funds.

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