Thinking about writing a paper...

It's that time of year again. A time for spring showers and, for better or worse, a flurry of final papers (for better if you like writing papers and are well-versed in the art of persuasion; for worse if you have no such desire or skillset).
For this class, I propose to write my paper on non-profit funding issues. The first part of the paper will deal with the effect of overall economic change on the availability of funds from public grants and private donations and endowments. Of course, in the current economic climate, spending cuts have to be made by all levels of government, and naturally, most of the cuts should be in the area of education and youth programming, not defense, entitlements, or tax breaks for companies that make over a billion dollars a year. Government grant programs have been cut, and private grant programs have also suffered a hit, as donations decrease and investment income on endowments is lower than anticipated. With fewer opportunities available and for less money, available grants become more competitive. Thus, in the past five years or so, funding for afterschool programs has become overall more difficult to obtain (and retain from year to year).
With this pressure in mind, some programs have to alter their overall mission to make them eligible for either a broader range of grants (generalize programming from, say, engineering for young women to science and math-related fields for young women) or a different pool of grants altogether that may be enticing due to the amount of funds available, ease of obtainment, etc. (shift from engineering to computers). If possible given time constraints and resources available, I'd like the second part of the paper to look at the effect changes in mission (driven by funding in particular) have on overall program effectiveness. My hypothesis is that "chasing" funding ultimately undercuts the program mission, but on the other hand, if changes are not made, perhaps the program would be unable to find funding and would cease to exist in any form. Part of the reason I am interested in this topic is because I don't know for sure what the evidence will show.
At this point, I am unsure how far I will delve into the actual mechanics of grant-writing. I do envision some sort of appendix that would be of immediate use to ALA staff, whether it be suggested grants to pursue or, as mentioned in class, a mock or template grant proposal. This will depend on what my colleagues end up doing, what my conclusions end up being, etc.
Accountability--accounting for money to ensure it meets the donors specifications. 
I look forward to many hours of chocolate- and NCIS-fueled research.