Proposal Types by Funder Type
Federal Proposal Types
- Request for Proposal (RFP): Formal solicitation for competitive proposals to provide specific products or services.
- Notice of Funding Opportunity (NOFO): Announcement detailing federal financial assistance availability.
- Funding Opportunity Announcement (FOA): Notice of available grant funding for specific programs.
- Broad Agency Announcement (BAA): Used for scientific research proposals where multiple awards are anticipated.
- Government-Wide Acquisition Contract (GWAC): Pre-competed contract vehicle for IT products and services.
- Request for Task Order Proposal (RFTOP): Task-specific solicitation under an existing contract vehicle.
- Indefinite Delivery/Indefinite Quantity (IDIQ): Contract providing for an indefinite quantity of supplies or services.
- Request for Information (RFI).
- Sources Sought Notice (SSN).
- Blanket Purchase Agreement (BPA).
- Cooperative Agreement.
- Discretionary Grant Application.
- Supplemental or Continuation Application.
- Small Business Innovation Research / Technology Transfer (SBIR/STTR).
- Congressionally Directed Spending (CDS-Senate).
- Community Project Funding (CPF-House).
State Proposal Types
- Request for Applications (RFA).
- Request for Qualifications (RFQ).
- Invitation for Bids (IFB).
- Formula or Block Grant Proposal.
- Concept Paper / Pre-Application.
- State Cooperative Agreement.
- Renewal or Extension Application.
Local Government Proposal Types
- Municipal RFP / RFQ.
Mini-Grant Proposal.
Community Development Block Grant (CDBG) Proposal.
Public-Private Partnership (P3) Proposal.
Letter of Intent (LOI) / Expression of Interest (EOI).
Foundation and Corporate Giving Proposal Types
- Letter of Inquiry (LOI): A brief proposal or concept note submitted to gauge interest before a full application is invited.
- Foundation Grant Proposal (FGP): A full-length application to a private foundation, often including narrative, budget, and evaluation plans.
- Corporate Social Responsibility Grant (CSR Grant): Proposals submitted to corporate giving programs aligned with their social impact or community investment goals.
- Sponsorship Proposal: Requests for corporate sponsorship of events, programs, or campaigns—often involving marketing value or visibility.
- Employee Matching Gift Program Proposal: Submitted by nonprofits to qualify for or promote participation in a company’s employee giving match program.
- Corporate Community Partnership Proposal: Proposals for ongoing collaboration, volunteer engagement, and in-kind support (e.g., technology, training, products).
- Annual or Capital Campaign Support Request: For multi-year funding or major gifts related to capacity-building, infrastructure, or expansion projects.
