Applied Policy Project Submit A Proposal Applied Policy Project Proposal Proposal Proposal Roles and Responsibilities FAQs Sample APPs Welcome to the Proposal Stage of the Applied Policy Project (APP)! Thank you for your interest in working with a Batten MPP student for their Masters capstone project, the Applied Policy Project (APP). In the APP, students evaluate solutions to your real-world problem under faculty guidance. Questions? Contact Us How does it work? Clients propose a public policy problem. In the Fall semester, students define the problem, understand its context through background research and interviews, explore evidence on how to address the problem, and develop a list of possible solutions that could be relevant to your organization In the Spring semester, students refine the possible solutions, evaluate them, make recommendations, and generate an implementation plan. What type of projects fit the APP objectives? Projects typically involve a specific type of public policy problem where organizations are looking to make progress on current or future public policy challenges where the path forward is unclear. Projects are a good fit for our process when students can provide policy solutions and analyze their costs and benefits. Examples include: Finding cost-effective water systems for farmers in rural Hawai’i, Increasing student retention in the University of North Carolina system, and Comparing different policy options to solve Austin’s housing problem. Because students need to engage in scoping, researching, and generating and recommending solutions to a public policy challenge, projects that only engage in part of this process are not a good fit for the APP. Examples of projects that are not a good fit include: Business strategies for for-profit organizations. Fundraising or funding source strategies. Gathering information about existing policies without looking for solutions. Standalone literature review production. Organizing and conducting a survey. Guidance on organizational structure or current policy implementation. Understanding the causes of a problem without looking for solutions. What to write on the proposal? Proposal length Proposals should take one or two pages. However, there is not a strict restriction on the number of pages as long as you are able to answer the questions in each section. Submit your proposal Client description In this section, you should describe your organization, the mission, and vision. If applicable, include the broad goals of the specific unit (i.e. a smaller area of the organization). What types of strategies does your agency use to meet its goals (i.e. advocacy, fundraising, program development, coalition participation)? Problem definition What is the problem at hand? You can phrase the problem as a question or statement. Is it a symptom of other issues or a root of other issues? What types of solutions are you already aware of/considering to tackle this problem? Background of the problem This helps bring context to the problem at hand. Use this section to explain why and to whom this issue is relevant. What, if anything, has your organization done to tackle this problem? What other information is necessary to understand the problem? Specific tasks Is there any specific task that you would want the student to help you with (e.g. provide a literature review of a topic, provide a report with descriptive on a specific datasets)? Please include any specific expectations/needs. Data availability Are there any particular datasets that you know of that can help the student investigate the policy problem? Can your organization provide relevant data or help the student obtain it? Other concerns Use this section to write about particular issues with the problem at hand or particularities with the organization that you feel are important to communicate at this stage of the process. Submission You can submit your proposal in PDF using this link. Submit A Proposal FAQs Sample APPs View All