A concept note is perhaps the shortest expression of a project idea given on paper to a donor. It is generally used to first propose a project to a donor before submitting a full application. Concept notes are typically between one and four pages long and summarize the key points of the proposed project.
Purpose
Oftentimes, NGOs think concept notes are just short proposals. However, unlike a proposal, a concept note does not directly ask for funding. Instead, its goal is to gain a donor’s attention and start a discussion. Ideally, this discussion will later help the applying organization develop a high-quality proposal that is more likely to get funded.
Instead of a concept note, some donors may also request a letter of inquiry. Both are very similar, however, concept notes never use letter formatting.
Concept notes are also important because they save a lot of time. Both for the donors and the applying NGOs. Since they are much shorter than a full proposal, NGOs do not need to spend much time writing them. Additionally, they are much less detailed so NGOs can continue to make changes to the proposed project even after submission. Many donors also like concept notes because they are easier to read, save paper, and take up less space in the filing cabinet.
Contents
While there is no standard format, a concept note should cover four main points:
- Project summary
- Why the project matters
- Call to action
- Contact information
Exact content and organization of the concept note vary. Applicants should pay special attention if donors require answers to specific questions.
Contents of the Concept Note: Project Summary
The project summary is a fairly straightforward component of the concept note. However, it is important to include the relevant information clearly and succinctly so that donors can easily read and evaluate your project.
Focus on your project, not your organization. At the concept note stage, donors are only looking to see if your project is of interest to them. At a later stage, donors will conduct further due diligence procedures, but that information is not necessary for the concept note. Try to include only one or two short sentences regarding your organizational background. The rest donors can glean from your website or by meeting with you.
Include specific and general location. Geography is very relevant in donor applications, so make sure you provide specifics even if it seems obvious. Always include what country and city/ cities you are working in. If you would regionally, make sure you clearly define those boundaries. It is also important to define if you are working in rural, suburban, or urban areas as well as working locally, regionally, nationally, or internationally.
Copy the language of the donor. Donors have their own goals and priorities in their grant-giving, and you need to make sure they understand how your organization fits in those goals. If a donor publishes their exact evaluation criteria, use those criteria as headings so the donor can easily find what they are looking for in your concept note. When describing your work, make sure to also copy the donor’s exact terminology. For example, if the donor uses the phrase “green initiatives,” use that phrase to replace any references to “environmental programs” or “Eco-activities” or any other synonymous phrases in your concept note. This is a small step, but clearly demonstrates to the donor that you have done your research and paid attention to all the small details.
Also Read: Monitoring and Evaluation (M&E): A Step by Step Guide
Contents of the Concept Note: Why the Project Matters
While the importance of your project may seem obvious to you, this is not always the case for the donor. Proposal writers often get caught up in the details and numbers of their project and forget the overarching reason for the project to exist. Do not make this mistake in your concept note.
Donors receive hundreds if not thousands of proposals, and they want to read applications that are important and clearly show the problem they are solving. Take this time to explain to the donor how you will impact the lives of your beneficiaries, and what the costs will be if the project does not take place. It is useful here to combine personal stories of the community members you hope to help as well as relevant statistics to show the scale of the problem.
This section of the concept note does not have to be long, but it does have to be clear and engaging. Even a single well-written sentence that clearly proves the necessity of your project can place you above your peers in the application process.
Contents of the Concept Note: Call to Action
This section is often short- perhaps only one or two sentences long. However, a concept note cannot be effective if this section is not properly written out. The Call to Action is what you want your readers to do after reading your concept note. Convincing your reader to complete this call is the entire point of the concept note.
Good examples of calls to action include: 
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- Request a phone call or meeting
- Request more information
- Request an answer to a question
- Request they learn more by visiting your website
- Request they consider your issue and adapt their behavior
Bad examples of calls to action include:
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- Direct request for money
- Vague request for “help” or “partnership”
- Request that is too time-consuming or difficult
- Request that just wastes the donor’s time
- Request that you could fulfill yourself
Contents of the Concept Note: Contact Information
Typically, the purpose of a concept note is to get the donor interested enough in your project to contact you and ask for the full proposal. The project summary and why the project matters section should motivate the readers, the call to action should convince the readers to contact you, and the contact section should tell your readers how to contact you. This section is fairly straightforward, but some concept notes make the mistake of providing either too few or too many modes of communication.
Including too few contact options makes it difficult for donors to contact you. For example, if you only include a telephone number but the donor needs to mail you a letter, then that is a problem. Similarly, if you accidentally mistyped your telephone number and did not provide an alternate form of contact, then the donor will never be able to reach you.
Conversely, providing too many options can be confusing to the donor and risky for you. For example, if you provide 10 possible contact methods, you will have to check all 10 regularly or risk missing the important message you were waiting for. Including too many sites also risks the donor contacting you in ways you cannot control. If a donor decides to send you a message via an account you do not check regularly or that is entirely run by a volunteer intern that could potentially damage your credibility with the donor.
Most commonly, the contact information of a concept note will contain:
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- One personal contact (name and position)
- One personal email
- Phone number and extension to personal contact
- Organization’s physical address
- Organization’s website
In general, the modes of contact you include should match the ones you check regularly and the modes the donor checks regularly.
Concept Note Template
We give you a Concept Note template with a purpose to give grassroots NGOs a better idea of what to include in a concept note to convince the donor to get your amazing projects funded.
It is uncommon that donors have a format for a Concept Note as they have for a full proposal. But always keep in mind that few donors might have their own templates and specific guidelines. While this template can give you an idea of how many concept notes look like, it is always imperative to follow the donor’s guidelines!
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Read a Full Concept Note!
Want to read a full sample concept note next? Here is a short, one-page sample Concept Note for Human Rights and Agriculture in Nicaragua.
