Establish the pipeline
- Readiness Review and funder fit
- Pipeline, calendar and reusable materials
- One priority proposal where timing allows
Praxis distinguishes proposal deadlines from decision dates and never treats an application as expected revenue. Build a funder pipeline around programs you can deliver. Connect your case for support, budget, submission calendar and reporting obligations from the start.
More than $21.6 million in awards written, including a $2 million Children and Youth Behavioral Health Initiative (CYBHI) award. Hisham also wrote a client chapter’s winning 2026 National Chapter of the Year application.
Who this is for
- A program with a defined community need and a funding gap.
- A development team balancing new proposals with existing awards.
- An organization that needs a repeatable pipeline and renewal rhythm.
Not included
- Guaranteed awards or payment as a percentage of funds raised.
- Applications without an eligible applicant or a credible delivery plan.
- A deadline that leaves no time for authorized review and submission.
Delivery stages
How the work unfolds.
Build submission capacity
- A scoped sequence of applications
- Renewal and reporting plan
- Funder conversations and staff handoffs
Maintain the rhythm
- Monthly pipeline review
- Agreed proposals and reports
- Stewardship and renewal follow-through
Deliverables
The work leaves something behind.
- Prioritized funder pipeline
- Submission and reporting calendar
- Reusable proposal library
- Budgets and an attachment checklist
Most engagements draw on one or two workstreams.
Workstreams and deliverables
Combine the workstreams your team needs, with clear owners and review points.
01Funding strategy and prospect researchPursue opportunities that fit your mission, capacity and timing.
- Prospect research with documented funder fit and source dates
- Funding-mix and concentration-risk analysis
- Prioritized opportunity pipeline with stated probability and effort assumptions
- Submission and decision calendar with internal review dates
- Funder relationship map and outreach briefs
- Eligibility and readiness matrix against published criteria
- Fiscal-sponsorship research for review with prospective sponsors
- Letters of inquiry and concept notes
- Go/no-go decision framework with capacity and timing thresholds
02Readiness and positioningGive your team a consistent, evidence-backed case for investment.
- Case-for-support document with a defined funding need
- Organizational description, history and capacity language library
- Theory of change and logic model
- Needs statement with cited public data
- Data appendix with service counts, waitlists and relevant geographic comparisons
- Outcome definitions and measurement plan
- Organizational chart and staffing narrative
- File of existing audited financials and the IRS determination letter
- Reusable narrative and attachment library with owners and expiration dates
03Proposal developmentBring the narrative, numbers and attachments into one submission.
- Federal, state, county and foundation proposal narratives
- Response matrix mapping each requirement to its location
- Implementation work plan and milestone schedule
- Evaluation plan with proposed data sources and collection instruments
- Sustainability narrative with documented funding assumptions
- Partner-role matrix and letters of commitment
- Partner memorandum of understanding (MOU) drafts for authorized legal review
- Reviewer-perspective scoring simulation against published criteria
- Plain-language narrative with a documented editorial review
- Submission-ready document set matched to page, font and margin requirements
04Budgets and financial attachmentsMake each proposed cost traceable to the work it supports.
- Line-item budget and written cost justification
- Personnel schedule with full-time equivalent (FTE), salary and fringe assumptions
- Indirect-cost calculation and rate-treatment narrative for finance approval
- Match and cost-share schedule with documented sources
- Subaward budgets and pass-through cost schedules
- Multi-year budget and cost-escalation schedule
- Budget-to-narrative reconciliation and exception log
- Budget assumptions memo for the finance lead’s approval
05Government and federal submissionsGive authorized submitters a complete package and a clear submission plan.
- System for Award Management (SAM.gov) Unique Entity Identifier (UEI), Grants.gov and Login.gov registration and role checklist
- JustGrants, U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) e-snaps and state-portal submission requirements matrix
- Automated Standard Application for Payments (ASAP) enrollment, authorization and payment-administration handoff checklist
- SF-424 family, SF-LLL and assurance drafts for authorized certification
- Portal attachment index with naming conventions and size limits
- Pre-deadline portal readiness review and issue log
- Submission-day runbook with owners and cutoff times
- Submission confirmation archive and version register
- Post-submission clarification responses and decision log
06Renewals, reporting and funder relationsCarry the original promise into the next reporting period.
- Reporting calendar with named contributors and internal due dates
- Progress and final reports tied to approved measures
- Renewal and continuation narratives with updated budget requirements
- Modification, no-cost-extension and rebudget request drafts
- Site-visit and monitoring preparation packet with evidence folders
- Interim funder update memos and correspondence log
- Funder relationship cadence and executive meeting briefs
- Lessons-learned record for the next application cycle
07Development operations and individual givingKeep donor information and follow-up connected to your funding plan.
- Annual development plan with revenue targets by channel
- Donor segmentation and moves-management stage definitions
- Appeal calendar, donor correspondence and sponsorship copy
- Acknowledgment and receipting workflow for tax-compliance review
- Stewardship, recognition and impact-reporting schedule
- Salesforce, DonorPerfect or Bloomerang deduplication and coding plan
- Gift-acceptance policy draft for board and counsel review
- Pipeline, renewal and lapsed-donor dashboard
- Board development update with prospect stages and next actions
Experience behind the work
County role
$6.5M
County wins $6.5 million for violence prevention
In a county role, Hisham wrote the successful $5 million California Violence Intervention and Prevention (CalVIP) proposal. He also wrote the $1.5 million U.S. Department of Justice Bureau of Justice Assistance (DOJ/BJA) proposal, awarded in 2022. His work included scopes, budgets, subawards and reporting.
Read the workNonprofit role
$2M
Youth behavioral-health drop-in center wins a $2 million award
Hisham wrote the successful Children and Youth Behavioral Health Initiative (CYBHI) proposal for a youth behavioral-health drop-in center and supported grant-related finance within a $20 million nonprofit.
Read the workQuestions
Common questions
How long does an award decision take?
That depends on the funder’s cycle, your readiness and the opportunity. Praxis distinguishes proposal deadlines from decision dates and avoids treating an application as expected revenue. A sustained development effort often needs six months or more.
Do you write everything or work with our existing staff?
Both models are available. Praxis can lead drafting and assembly or provide structure, editing, budgets and quality review to your team. Your program and finance staff remain the source of operational facts and approvals.
Do you write federal or foundation grants?
The work spans federal, state, county and foundation proposals. Each pipeline is selected for eligibility and fit, not for the largest available award. Federal work usually requires more coordination of attachments, budgets and reporting capacity.
What information do you need?
A program description, budget, recent financials, governing and eligibility records, earlier proposals and a named decision-maker. The first review identifies missing materials rather than requiring a perfect filing system before Praxis begins.
Do you work on contingency?
No. Fees are tied to an agreed scope and capacity, not the amount awarded. Grant awards are never guaranteed; see our standards .
Related reading and work
Your contact
Hisham Ali Bob
Founder and principal · Nonprofit program lead, director and board member
hisham@praxisally.com · (510) 432-2173
Hisham aims to reply within two business days.