For Instructional Coachs ·
What you'll accomplish
By the end of this guide, you'll have a process for using Claude to produce first-draft grant narrative sections — need statements, program design narratives, and evaluation plans — in a fraction of the time it normally takes. A grant proposal that used to take 3-6 hours of writing gets drafted in under 1 hour.
What you'll need
Before writing anything, collect:
You don't need all of these — but the more context you give Claude, the better the narrative.
Before prompting Claude:
This step is still yours to do. Claude can draft, but you must ensure the proposal meets the specific funder requirements.
The need statement explains why this grant is necessary. Give Claude:
I'm writing a grant proposal for [grant name]. The funder is [funder name]. Help me write the need statement section.
Context about our school/district:
- School: [name, type, setting]
- Student population: [demographics, % low-income, ELL, SPED as relevant]
- Current challenge: [what problem you're addressing]
- Data to cite: [paste your current achievement data or teacher survey results]
The need statement should be [word/page limit]. Formal grant writing tone. Emphasize [funder's priority themes from the RFP].
The program design explains what you'll actually do. Give Claude:
Now write the program design section for this grant. Our proposed program:
- What we'll do: [describe your coaching program or initiative]
- Who will be served: [number of teachers, grade levels, content areas]
- Implementation timeline: [when each phase happens]
- Key activities: [list the main program components]
- Evidence base: [any research or models you're drawing from, e.g. "Jim Knight's Impact Cycle", "structured literacy implementation framework"]
- How this is different from what we currently do: [what's new or expanded]
Section limit: [word/page limit]. Evidence-based language, reference the research where possible.
Funders want to know how you'll measure success:
Write an evaluation plan section for this grant proposal. Include:
- How we'll measure program implementation (fidelity)
- How we'll measure teacher outcomes (e.g., coaching cycle completion rates, PD participation, teacher surveys)
- How we'll measure student outcomes (e.g., assessment data we'll track)
- Who is responsible for data collection
- How we'll use data to improve the program mid-cycle
Keep to [word/page limit]. Use specific, measurable indicators. Avoid vague language.
After Claude generates each section:
Once all sections are drafted, paste everything into a single Claude message:
Here is my complete draft grant proposal: [paste full draft]
Please review it for:
1. Consistency — do all sections tell the same story?
2. Gap check — is anything the funder asked for in the RFP missing?
3. Tone — is the language consistently formal and evidence-based?
4. Strength — what is the strongest argument in this proposal?
5. Weakness — what is the weakest section that needs strengthening?
Need Statement:
Write a [word limit] need statement for a [grant type] grant. Our school: [context]. Challenge: [problem]. Data: [paste data]. Funder priorities: [themes]. Evidence-based, formal tone.
Program Design:
Write the program design section for our [program name]. We will: [activities]. Serving: [population]. Timeline: [phases]. Evidence base: [research]. Limit: [words]. Formal grant language.
Budget Narrative:
Write a budget narrative for the following line items: [list items and amounts]. Explain why each cost is necessary for the program's success. Justify the personnel costs by connecting them to program outcomes.
Evaluation Plan:
Write an evaluation plan for a coaching program measuring: teacher outcomes ([list]), student outcomes ([list]), and implementation fidelity. Include data sources, collection timeline, and how data will drive program improvement. [word limit]