How you cite a grant proposal depends on where you found it. As always, follow the MLA format template and list the information provided in the version of the source you are using.

Let’s say the proposal is in your possession. In that case, list the creator of the proposal in the “Author” slot. The creator may be an individual or, as shown in the example below, an organization. Then provide the title of the proposal or a description of it, followed by the date the proposal was written, if known. In the optional-element slot at the end of the entry, list the format:

Write Now. Proposal to the Foundation for Innovation in Musical Theater. 28 Apr. 2000. Typescript.

If you found the proposal in a physical archive, list the date in the middle optional-element slot and include the name of the archive as the title of the container along with the archive’s location:

Write Now. Proposal to the Foundation for Innovation in Musical Theater. 28 Apr. 2000. Director’s Archive, Foundation for Innovation in Musical Theater, New York. Typescript.

If you found the proposal as a scan in a digital archive, list the website as the container and the URL as the location:

Write Now. Proposal to the Foundation for Innovation in Musical Theater. 28 Apr. 2000. Archive of Grants in the Performing Arts, www.artsgrants.org/write-now. 

For more information on citing archival materials, see “A Guide to Citing Materials from Physical Archives and Collections” and “Citing Artifacts in a Digital Archive.”