By Lynnette Cale, Grants Development Consultant (Healthcare)
You’re rushing against the clock to finish and submit a grant before the deadline. You hope that your internet or computer doesn’t crash and that no mistakes or missing information prevents your application from being accepted. What makes it even worse, this isn’t the first time you have found yourself racing the clock to get a grant submitted. The good news is it could be your last time. A few simple changes along with an understanding of how grant timelines and cycles work can help ensure a smoother, less stressful process.
Many grants- federal, state, and foundation, operate on cycles. Federal and state grants may be one-time, annual, or multi-year grants. Foundations may have one or more application periods per year. Grants may open for short periods or during busy times, leaving applicants with little time to plan, prepare, write, and review the proposal. Learning the funding cycle and application periods for grants of interest is necessary to enable you to apply promptly and budget the time needed to plan and apply when the grant is open.
Knowing the grant cycles along with proactive planning and preparation allows grant applicants to apply on time with less stress and more well-thought-out, accurate, competitive grants, increasing your chances of having an award-winning proposal.
Start by keeping important documents and accounts up to date and in one centralized location. Most grants, especially government grants, ask for the same basic information. Having this information updated and easily accessible will save time and energy at the beginning of the application process. Information such as your SAM.gov account, tax-exempt number and most recent certificate, organizational chart, last annual report and budget, organization mission and vision statements, and FEIN number are important to have accessible and updated. Out-of-date or expired registrations and information can delay the application process and take weeks to update. Planning can prevent delays and denials.
Keeping important documents up to date leads to the next point, keep track of important dates. Make note of renewal/expiration dates for important documents such as your SAM.gov account, tax exemption certificate, etc. Also, make note of estimated posting dates for grants and grant deadlines. Many grants open and close in cycles. Becoming aware of these estimated time frames and making note of them will help you anticipate and look for them each year. You can also subscribe to lists and email notifications for grant postings and forecasts. Grant websites such as Grants.gov, agency-specific websites (such as SAMSHA.gov), and foundation websites post their current, upcoming, and past grants for the year. Making note of these deadlines and grants of interest will also help plan and manage the application timeline. Once a grant is posted, there is a limited time to apply. Long-standing grants, such as the USDA Distance Learning and Telemedicine grant, often require similar information and documents from year to year. Knowing the estimated timeframe for the grant application period and gathering information based on what has been historically requested for the grant in advance of the application opening can help ease the stress of the application process and deadlines, especially during busy periods or short application windows.
Additional planning and preparation options, as opportunities and time allow, include having a team assembled for the grant program in advance of approval, having quotes for services, equipment, hiring, and seeking additional or supplemental funding opportunities as needed for the project.
Know what kinds of grants, funders, and projects you are interested in. Cast a smaller, more focused net when searching for grants. This will help you use your limited time to search and apply for grants that specifically meet your needs. Have “canned,” ready-to-go project ideas waiting and fleshed out. These projects should be well thought out and address a specific, unmet need for your area, organization, and demographic. Having a prepared problem statement, place of action, general timeline, budget, staffing plan, and sustainability plan drafted will allow you to focus your search on relevant funders and grant opportunities and start with the framework already in progress allowing you to focus on adding specific information, modifying your information to fit the application, gathering additional documents and information, and reviewing and proofreading the application for completeness, competitiveness, and comprehension. If you have applied for the grant in the past but were not funded, some grantors will allow you to request feedback on your application. This allows you to make any corrections and improvements to re-apply in the future or to use when seeking funds elsewhere.
Grant cycles vary by funders and projects; however, spring and late fall are busier for grants. Using the slower periods throughout the year to prepare, update information, make note of upcoming important dates, and plan will help reduce stress, focus attention on areas of greatest need and timelines, and improve your ability to apply and produce competitive, well-planned grant applications. Taking simple, proactive steps and planning can help reduce stress and increase your chances for successful grant applications.