How can you make your grant proposal accessible to immigrant and refugee communities?

1 Understand your audience

Before you start writing, research the funder's mission, goals, and priorities. Find out what kind of projects they support, what criteria they use to evaluate proposals, and what format and language they prefer. Try to align your proposal with their interests and expectations, and use clear and concise terms that they can understand. Avoid jargon, acronyms, and technical terms that may confuse or alienate them. If possible, use examples or testimonials from previous or current beneficiaries of your program to illustrate your points.

2 Highlight your cultural competence

One of the key elements of a successful grant proposal is demonstrating your cultural competence, or your ability to work effectively with diverse groups of people. Show how your program respects, values, and responds to the cultural, linguistic, and social needs of immigrant and refugee communities. Explain how you involve them in the design, implementation, and evaluation of your program, and how you address any barriers or challenges they may face. Provide evidence of your staff's training, skills, and experience in working with these communities, and how you foster a culture of inclusion and equity in your organization.

4 Translate your proposal

If you are applying to a funder that operates in a different language than yours, or if you wish to reach a broader audience of potential supporters, you may want to translate your proposal into another language. However, translation is not only a question of replacing words with their equivalents. It also involves adapting your content, style, and tone to the cultural and linguistic context of your readers. To ensure a high-quality translation, it's important to hire a professional translator who is fluent in both languages and familiar with your field and topic. Additionally, provide the translator with the original proposal, any relevant background information, and any specific instructions or guidelines from the funder. Lastly, review the translated proposal for accuracy, clarity, and consistency and ask for feedback from native speakers of the target language.

6 Here’s what else to consider

This is a space to share examples, stories, or insights that don’t fit into any of the previous sections. What else would you like to add?