Problem Statement

The key question in this section is why should this project be undertaken? This section establishes the specific problem(s) that your project is designed to address. It makes clear the relationship between your organization and the problem(s) to be solved.  (Other sections of the proposal will indicate what should be done and how it should be done.)

This section should demonstrate:

	Understanding of the problem(s) to be addressed, as well as the problem(s) significance to the population beyond your organization.
	A review and analysis of the literature that is pertinent to the problem.
	A timeline for the project, indicating why it needs funding now.
	The originality of the project at either a national or local level. If the project duplicates an earlier project, this section should provide a rationale for the additional funding.
	The generalizability of the project.
	The relationship between this project and your organization's goals, interests, and capabilities.
	The connection between this project and the guidelines or goals of the funding source (Hall 109).

A key challenge in this section is maintaining a narrow focus; the problem(s) should be limited to something that can be reasonably addressed by your project. Make sure that the problem and the project match; avoid identifying a problem of very general scope, then introducing a project that will address a limited part of the problem. Research and document the problem, not only to show that it really exists, but also to ensure the funding source that you have done the necessary homework to address the problem in an informed manner. Use statistics in this section, but avoid excessive graphics; those may be included in the appendix.