So you have an idea. And you're here looking for the best way to frame it so that whoever needs to approve your proposal doesn't dismiss you out of hand.
If you haven't made a video of yourself proposing this idea and played it during a meeting while proudly standing in the corner, mouthing along to your epic speech, I'm happy to report that you're doing great so far.
A project proposal needs to be simpler. It's a high-level overview of the project that details the purpose, vision, and plan to accomplish it. It's your roadmap that communicates objectives, resources, tasks, steps, and outcomes to the decision-making party. Whether you're initiating a new project or pitching an existing one, no video cameras are needed. Please.
Proposals are common, whether it's to initiate new business, secure funding, or land a contract. But project proposals are more specialized in that you can use them to get approval or inform stakeholders of new projects and initiatives.
My design team and I have put together some templates for project proposals, designed and formatted to suit different purposes. They're Google Docs that you can copy, and once you've filled them in, you can download them as PDFs. Have at 'em.
Table of contents:
What is a project proposal?
A project proposal is a structured document that outlines a project's objectives, scope, methodology, and resources—which is particularly useful when you need to convince your boss (or your boss's boss) to give you money.
Functionally, a project proposal does four things:
Clarifies project goals: What is this project going to accomplish?
Defines project scope: What work is within the boundaries of the project? What work falls outside those boundaries?
Assesses risk: What could get in the way of this project, and how will you get around those roadblocks?
Communicates value: Why should you do this project? What's the ROI?
Details necessary resources: What do you need (e.g., people, money, time) to accomplish this project? How much will it cost?
Basically, when you need to secure approvals, funding, or stakeholder buy-in for a new initiative, you need a project proposal.
18 project proposal templates
Ever wished you knew how to say the thing you wanted to say but… better? These project proposal templates will help you frame your next big idea so well it will sparkle in your boss's inbox.
1. Business project proposal template
This template outlines the basic elements of a project proposal. It contains sections for your executive summary, project goals, tasks, schedule, budget, and resources. It's flexible enough to adapt to business proposals of every size and purpose. Pageantry aside, this template represents the essentials of a business proposal.
Tip: Tie your schedule section to the task list you have in mind, so readers can get a clear view of the project's timeline.
2. Research project proposal template
Research proposals demand a focus on context. Whatever kind of research it is, it will always require an overview of existing information, gaps in knowledge, and any theoretical frameworks that may already be out there. It focuses heavily on explaining how you'll approach the project and how you'll collect and analyze the data.
Tip: Include as much context and background information about the industry or area you're researching. Display expertise and knowledge of the subject matter.
3. Grant project proposal template
It's never easy getting your project funded. But a good grant proposal can definitely boost your chances of getting free money. This template is designed to shine a light on the project details, timeline, goals, and team. It allows you to go into greater detail regarding where you intend to spend your funding—companies and entities that grant grants like transparency.
Tip: Break down the costs and be as transparent as possible about your goals and how this funding will help you reach them.
4. Marketing project proposal template
While all proposals share the same foundation, this template is formatted to accommodate a marketing team's most important points, providing an overview of the team, services, projected impact of the project, and an outline of the tools, software, and expenses needed.
Tip: Make use of the company section to highlight the team working on the project. Some proposals include detailed bio sections for each member.
5. Event project proposal template
Every successful event needs a roadmap that incorporates event objectives, venue options, budget breakdowns, strategies, and contingency plans. You can tailor this template to match events of different sizes. It'll do wonders for a company's product reveal and launch event, just the same as it would your CTO's daughter's 15th birthday party.
Tip: Highlight the unique selling points of your event, and incorporate engaging visuals or themes.
6. Software development project proposal template
This template emphasizes past experience and successful projects, as these are the most important software development selling points. It outlines the project scope, functionalities, development stages, projected timeline, budget estimation, and case studies.
Tip: Emphasize the scalability and user-friendliness of your software. Illustrate how it solves specific problems or improves efficiency.
7. Web design project proposal template
Much like software development, web design is the type of industry that requires a portfolio, making testimonials and imagery very important elements. This template will also help you outline ideas for the project, detailing pages and features you plan to implement. It's adaptable for freelance projects or agency pitches.
Tip: Showcase previous successful projects or design concepts to illustrate your creativity and technical expertise.
8. Training project proposal template
You can use this template to present comprehensive training programs. It includes training goals, methodologies, curriculum outlines, delivery modes, assessment strategies, and budget breakdowns.
Tip: Highlight the anticipated impact on learners and how your training program addresses specific skill gaps.
9. Consulting project proposal template
As a consultant, you want to emphasize problem-solving strategies, proposed methodologies, deliverables, costs, and expected outcomes. This proposal template helps frame that information and remains customizable enough to work with consulting services across multiple industries.
Tip: Incorporate case studies or testimonials to showcase successful consulting projects or solutions.
10. Education project proposal template
This template is structured to outline educational initiatives, curriculum changes, or program enhancements. It focuses on educational objectives, teaching methodologies, resource allocation, budget estimation, and evaluation criteria.
It can work great for corporate training, leadership development, or any other educational work you're leading at your business.
Tip: Emphasize how the proposed changes or initiatives align with educational standards or contribute to student success.
11. Nonprofit project proposal template
For a nonprofit project proposal, it's important to highlight its social impact, community engagement, fundraising strategies, budget allocation, and volunteer involvement. It's designed to convey your mission and its significance.
Tip: Highlight successful initiatives or stories of changed lives to illustrate the impact of your nonprofit.
12. Sales project proposal template
Very likely the most commonly used type of proposal, sales requires a very detailed outline of products or services, pricing, benefits, ROI projections, and proposed strategies. You can easily customize this template for B2B or B2C sales.
Tip: Identify your client's pain points and include them in your proposal alongside your solution.
13. Human resources project proposal template
This template is best used to outline initiatives such as recruitment strategies, training programs, employee benefits, or policy changes. This template focuses on HR objectives, methodologies, implementation plans, and budget allocation.
Tip: Showcase the anticipated positive impact on employee satisfaction and company performance. Provide evidence and proof that your approach has yielded positive results in the past and has a proven track record.
14. IT infrastructure project proposal template
You can use this type of proposal to pitch implementing an IT infrastructure or upgrading it. It includes technical specifications, budget breakdowns, timelines, and risk mitigation strategies.
Tip: Emphasize scalability, security, and technological advancements when you pitch your services.
15. Real estate project proposal template
This template outlines property details, market analysis, project scope, and financial details. You can use this project proposal for property development, sales, or investments.
Tip: Include visuals like property images or location maps to help readers visualize your ideas.
16. Financial project proposal template
Unsurprisingly, a financial proposal highlights financial strategies, budget allocation, ROI projections, risk assessment, and expected outcomes. It's best used for funding requests, investment proposals, or financial planning.
Tip: Emphasize the projected financial returns and risk mitigation strategies.
17. Arts and culture project proposal template
To best represent cultural initiatives, art projects, or events in a compelling manner, it's important to lean heavily on displaying artistic significance, community involvement, budget allocation, and expected cultural impact.
Tip: Showcase previous successful cultural events or artistic collaborations to highlight credibility and creativity. Make sure to include promotion strategies for your project.
18. Engineering project proposal template
For engineering projects, it's important to focus on technical specifications and design alongside project scope, methodologies, technical specifications, budget estimates, and anticipated outcomes.
Tip: Make sure your technical approach and specifications are as detailed as possible. This information can raise issues for your client if your technical specifications aren't compatible with their existing infrastructure.
What goes into a project proposal?
Every pirate treasure map has a few key components: the big red X where the gold is buried, a compass showing which way to read the map, and a sea monster in the corner, just in case you thought it would be easy.
While project proposals don't usually include sea monsters—although it depends on the project—there are still key elements you should expect:
Executive summary: A concise overview gives decision-makers (who will almost definitely not go over the rest with a fine-tooth comb) an at-a-glance understanding.
Goals: You need clearly defined SMART objectives (specific, measurable, achievable, relevant, and time-bound) that align with organizational strategies.
Scope of work: This is a detailed description of what the project will (and won't) encompass. It establishes clear boundaries for your project so you don't do any non-billable digging in the sand.
Timeline: Tell stakeholders how long you'll be sailing after the treasure in question and how much digging you expect to do by giving them a detailed schedule outlining key milestones and deliverables.
Budget: A realistic and detailed financial plan covers how much the project will cost in terms of time and cold hard cash. Even the most enterprising pirate captain needs to count their gold doubloons at the end of the day.
Resources: Include a list of all the tools, resources, and people needed to accomplish the project. If you send a fleet out treasure hunting, you need to know how many crew—and how much rum—you'll need per boat.
Project proposal template distribution options
Now that you've created your project proposal, you want to make sure people see it. Specifically, the people who will determine whether you can execute the project you've planned so carefully.
Depending on how you want to get feedback on the proposal, you have two solid options for how to distribute it:
Email files directly: If you don't want folks touching your finished product, attach it as a PDF to an email sent directly to stakeholders. (Key word there: PDF—it preserves formatting.) In the email, give an executive summary and tell people how to provide feedback. Should they reply? Reply all? Drop notes in Slack? Wait for a meeting?
Save to the cloud: If you want people to be able to comment directly on the document, save it to a collaborative cloud storage option, like Google Drive. If you set the permissions right, the right people can leave comments and suggestions in line. Bonus: if you find a typo right after you send it out, you can fix it and no one will notice.
Printing hard copies and carrier pigeons are also options, but please don't.
Make your project proposal templates better with automation
A persuasive project proposal does more than communicate your vision and plan for the project. It also showcases your ability to execute it. Once your proposal is approved, automation can help with the execution part.
Zapier connects thousands of apps, so you can streamline your project management processes. Automatically turn form submissions into tasks, create tasks on a schedule, and send notifications when tasks are updated in your project management software—so you can focus on the more strategic work.
Learn more about how to automate your project management workflows. You'll be able to accomplish every milestone outlined in your project—on time and within budget.
Project proposal template FAQ
What is the format of a project proposal?
A project proposal usually includes an executive summary, goals, scope, methodology, timeline, budget, and resources. Most also include an evaluation section. Think of it as the who-what-when-where of project planning.
What are the 4 elements of a project proposal?
The four key elements of a project proposal are the executive summary, project goals, methodology, and evaluation criteria. (There are other common elements included in most, but these are the cornerstones.)
How do I write a proposal for a project?
To write a project proposal, start with one of the templates above. Then work through each section: executive summary, goals, method, and other criteria. Scroll up for more details on how to make it work.
Is there a proposal template in Word?
Yes, Microsoft Word offers project proposal templates. You can also save one of the templates above as a Word doc.
Related reading:
This article was originally published in January 2024 and has also had contributions from Abigail Sims. The most recent update was in February 2025.
