Tips and advice for writing your project proposal

On the evening of Wednesday, 28th June, the event 'How to write a project proposal?' took place. About 60 residents attended the event at VISTA college. They received tips and had the opportunity for one-on-one discussions with experts across various themes. On this page, you'll find all the tips and advice divided by section.

Why do we use an online project form?

  • It standardises the submission process, making it easier for us to understand and process your form
  • It gives us a clearer understanding of:
    • The project's purpose and how it fits within Burgerbegroting (Citizens’ Budget)
    • The project stages / the time required and available
    • The requested budget and its intended use
    • The project's organisation and schedule of activities
    • Who's involved and who still needs to be informed

Personal information

In this section, enter your name, address, email address, and phone number. Also, let us know if you're submitting your project on behalf of a foundation.

The idea

This section asks a lot of questions, which will help us get a clearer picture of your project. We can then provide better advice, and the final evaluation will be more effective.

  • First, give your project a name and provide a brief description. Choose a catchy name as it will be used everywhere, such as on the website and during the final event.

    Here are some pointers for this section:

    • Take a moment to thoroughly think about your project before you start writing.
    • Begin by writing a summary of your project idea on a single A4 sheet
    • Then, distil this into a concise summary for the project form.
    • The more specific your description, the better – for both sender and receiver.
    • Write concisely and clearly.
    • Keep an eye on the word limit (maximum 250 words).

  • Next, choose under which theme you're submitting your project. Here are our tips:

    Briefly describe what you aim to achieve with your project, in which district your project will be executed, how your project would benefit the district or city, what it would take for you to be fully satisfied with the project and whether you will be executing the project yourself. If you won't be executing the project yourself, it's important to let us know who will be doing so.

  • We ask you to upload images that we can use for communication about your project. These could be images of the location or a sketch of your plan. Our tips are:

    • Avoid copyright claims. If you take the photos yourself and people are in them, ensure you have their consent.
    • Upload a maximum of 5 files.
    • Upload high-quality images, i.e. a minimum of 1 MB and a maximum of 5 MB per photo.
    • Please upload files in jpg, jpeg or png format.

Your neighbours: community support

If you have an idea for your local area, it's crucial to discuss your project idea with your neighbours, especially if it involves changes to public spaces, like constructing a boules court. Ask local residents whether they support your plan. This ensures that:

  • Everyone's on the same page.
  • You're proposing a project with community backing.
  • People feel heard and won't be caught off guard by a decision.

You can collect signatures from residents. Be sure to gather the co-submitter/resident's name, address, the date and a signature on a piece of paper. You can print and use the form 'draagvlakformulier'.

Budget and costs

In this section, estimate the costs required to realise your plan. Make an assessment of the significant costs per item and specify an amount. Describe for each type of cost what the budget will be spent on:

  • Maintenance and management costs: e.g. control and safety for playground equipment, maintaining a stairlift, or greenspace management (flowers and plants)
  • Working budget: e.g. the purchase of plants or everything needed for a neighbourhood party (hiring stalls, stages, bouncy castle, etc.)
  • Staff budget: e.g. hiring security for an event

This section also includes a provision for unforeseen costs of 10%. It's crucial to provide a realistic cost estimate and the total amount. The Burgerbegroting team will include this in your final project proposal.

    • Use whole numbers, no decimal points.
    • Provide a description for each item.
    • Maintenance and management costs: consider any recurring annual costs.
    • Make sure you don’t need more than the total budget per theme.

Planning and implementation

In this final section, we ask if your project can be realised within one year. This is one of the project criteria. We also ask you to sketch out a provisional timeline for your project. Divide your project into phases and try to be as specific as possible when estimating the time required. Then fill in the planning per month.

Additionally, it's important to consider what else you'll need to bring your project to life. Perhaps you need to apply for a permit? Do you need volunteers? Is a blueprint required? We ask you to describe this in 250 words.

Tips from experts by experience

Farèn Sallak from the Water Pas project and Cynthia Rondags from the Terra Sigillata Nature Play and Discovery area project (Pottenberg) shared their experiences with Burgerbegroting. Their projects were selected in 2022 and realised this year.

    • Learn about existing regulations, such as discounts for associations.
    • Get quotes from the right person or organisation.
    • Talk to proposers of similar projects from the previous round and learn from them.
    • Dare to dream.
    • Think outside the box.
    • Inform residents well in advance and tell them where they can ask questions.
    • Celebrate your achievements!

Go ahead, submit your proposal now!

Once you've carefully outlined your project idea, you're ready to fill in and submit the project form. You'll find it right here on this page. After submitting your proposal, expect a confirmation email from us. Don't forget to check your spam folder just in case. Once you've received our confirmation, sit tight and we'll be in touch soon.

Best of luck!

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