By Charlotte von der Brelie, Grants Development Consultant
It is every grant manager’s worst nightmare: your supervisor asks you to submit a proposal to a grant program with a deadline just days away. While most writers prefer to have the lengthiest runway possible to prepare a full proposal, that does not always happen. Regardless of how last-minute proposals sometimes make their way to your plate. The following tips will help you avoid a meltdown and keep things on track.
Get it together.
Make a list of all components needed to submit your application. Do you need to create/update a login to an online submission portal? How many narratives are needed, what do they entail, and how many pages do you need for each? What documents will you need to provide? Who will need to be involved in composing, collecting, and approving the various components? Having a comprehensive list of all necessary items early in the process will make prioritizing the next steps much easier.
Set aside time.
Whether you have a couple of weeks or a couple of days, estimate how much time you will need to dedicate to proposal development and secure meeting times with others who will be involved. You will likely need to schedule brainstorming sessions, proposal review, data collection, or any other necessary collaborations. Consider limited availabilities and prolonged response times during the summer and prevent last-minute scrambling to track down needed signatures and approvals by making your team aware of what is required of them as soon as possible. Time management is a crucial element of submitting proposals with even the longest runways so be sure to properly prioritize this proposal among your other projects, so you do not lose any more time.
Use what you have.
With little time for crafting your proposal, see if you can locate any writing, you may already have on the project, whether from a past grant proposal, white paper, notes, or other documents. Utilizing previous work can cut down on writing time so you can use more time and effort on polishing the proposal. If you can utilize previous work done, be careful to tailor the information you include to the specific program to which you are applying. Reviewers will notice if you do not pointedly address the priorities of the grant program and will deduct points.
Delegate, delegate, delegate.
You may be primarily responsible for the proposal’s completion and submission but, depending on the level of difficulty of the application, delegation to other members of your organization or partner entities is crucial to getting it finished on time and at a high standard. Identify items that can be delegated early in the process and communicate regularly with all hands involved. If other team members are not available to help or you need additional assistance, consider hiring a consultant grant writer. An experienced grant writer may be helpful if you are not well-acquainted with grants or the program in question. They can help guide you through the process, write out concepts in thorough, compliant language, and ensure the timely submission of your grant application. Should you choose to bring in a consultant, be sure to check their references and set clear expectations for both parties so the process goes as smoothly as possible.
Set a project cutoff time before the deadline.
When you are working with a limited time frame, you must set a cutoff time well before the actual deadline and cease to add information to the proposal, change budget numbers, or make significant project changes. Spend the remaining time between your cutoff and the submission due date to work with what you have, polish the writing, and make sure everything lines up as it should. Be sure to communicate the cutoff time to your team so that you have all the necessary components in place before the cutoff. It is strongly discouraged to attempt to make significant changes while submitting the proposal or just before the deadline, particularly with online submissions. What may seem like a simple change of one budget number may lead to a need to change the numbers in numerous places throughout the proposal and run a high risk of providing inconsistent information to the funder.
Know when to pull the plug.
Despite the best efforts of the project developers and writers, a last-minute submission may simply not be possible. If you are missing key components or will not have time to thoroughly review the proposal, it may be best to decide not to apply to this round. Many grant programs are opened annually. If you are not ready to submit a quality application by this year’s deadline, consider setting the project aside for now and returning to it when you have more time to work on it. Federal programs are typically released on similar timeframes from year to year so anticipate a similar deadline for the following year and give yourself plenty of time to develop your project and put yourself in a better position to get funded. If you submit an incomplete or low-quality proposal and are denied, you may hurt your chances of receiving funding in future solicitations because you presented yourself and/or your project in a negative light to reviewers. No matter how perfectly this program aligns with your goals, there will be other funding sources in the future.
While last-minute proposals should be avoided, when possible, they are sometimes unavoidable. Hopefully, these steps will help you to keep a straight head during a whirlwind proposal development process and aid you in putting your best foot forward.