Some foundations will provide questions or topics for you to address. If none are available, the following is a standard outline for a grant proposal:

Summary. This tells the reader who you are, what you want to do, how much money you need, and how much money you are seeking. It should include key ideas from every one of the grant sections that follows it, but should also be short.

Introduction. Introduce yourself, your artistic history and accomplishments, or those of the nonprofit organization applying for funds. Use some data and quotes from experts or reviewers about artistic quality, if possible.

Problem Statement/Statement of Need. This is not where you say how much money you need, but where you write about what is lacking and who is affected, if you do not do your project. Perhaps you are tackling unusual subject matter that the public should better understand. Perhaps you are experimenting with a new medium. Try to think about the possible audience for your finished work in writing this statement.

Goals, Objectives and Outcomes. This section is usually very short. Goals are broadly stated; objectives are specific and measurable; outcomes try to answer the question, "So what?" -- as in: "So what if 10 youth participate with you in an art project? How might they be changed by that experience?" Hold off on describing what you want to do. Rather, in this section, talk about what might be achieved if you complete your project and it is successful. How many people might grow more familiar with an unusual medium? How many might participate with you in creating a public art piece in their neighborhood? What skills might you have at the end of the process that you do not have at the beginning? What questions will you have explored?

Methods. In this section describe your planned activities. Include information about how long they will take and whether you will work with others along the way. If you are undertaking a specific approach, include a rationale for using it.

Evaluation. If your project were to succeed and you were to achieve your goals, objectives and outcomes, how would you measure that success? Would you use simple criteria like attendance figures and critical reviews, or would you survey your audience, use focus groups or follow-up after the event with questions for those who participated? Describe what information you will collect, who will collect it and who will analyze it.

Budget. Your budget is a plan for how much money you will raise (the "income") and how much you will spend (the "expenses") to achieve your goals. Construct it thoughtfully. After drafting your budget, re-read your methods and evaluation sections to make sure that you have included the costs for everything you proposed to do.

Future and Additional Funding. What if the foundation to which you are applying will not support the full cost of your project? What if you want to continue your project over time if it succeeds? In this section you propose a plan for raising the rest of the money you need both for the currently proposed project and (if relevant) in the future.

Conclusion. This section is optional, but often it is nice to wind up the proposal with a quick and compelling statement about what you plan to accomplish.