By Susannah Mayhall, July 2012

It's every grant manager's worst nightmare: your supervisor asks you to submit a proposal to a grant program with a deadline just days (or hours) away. While most writers prefer to have the lengthiest runway possible to prepare a full proposal, that doesn't always happen. Whether you weren't aware of the program until late in the game, or didn't know an application was needed until weeks after the solicitation opened, sometimes last-minute proposals make their way to your plate. Use the tips below to avoid a meltdown and keep things on track.

1. Get it together. The first step you must take is to make a list of all of the components needed to submit an application. Do you need to create/update a login to an online submission portal? How many narratives are there, 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 to compose, collect, and approve of the various components?
2. Set aside time. Whether you have a couple of weeks or a couple of days, it is imperative that you estimate how much time to dedicate to proposal development and secure meeting times with others who will be involved, whether for brainstorming sessions, proposal review, data collection, or any other necessary collaborations. Prevent last-minute scrambling to track down needed signatures and approvals by making your team aware as soon as possible of what is required of them. Prioritize this proposal with your other projects so that you don't lose any more time.
3. Use what you have.  With little time for crafting the proposal, see if you can locate any writing you already have on the project, whether from a past grant proposal, white paper, notes, or other documents. If some of the work has already been done, be sure to find it to cut down on writing time so that you can put forth your best efforts to polish the proposal. However, be careful to tailor the information you include to the specific program to which you're applying. Reviewers will notice if you do not pointedly address the priorities of the grant program and will deduct points.
4. Delegate, delegate, delegate. Whether or not you could pull off a satisfactory proposal on your own with enough time simply doesn't matter when that time is taken away. 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 in a high-quality fashion. Identify items that can be delegated as early on in the process as you can 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 especially helpful if you are not well-acquainted with grants or this program in particular. He or she can help guide you through the process, write out concepts in thorough, compliant language, and ensure a timely submission of your grant application. Should you choose to bring in a consultant, be sure to check his or her references and set forth clear expectations for both parties so that the process goes as smoothly as possible for everyone.  
5. Set a project cutoff time before the deadline. While everyone wants to put together the most comprehensive proposal possible, when you are working with a limited time frame, it is imperative that you 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.  Work with what you have at the cutoff to polish the writing and make sure everything lines up as it should.  Be sure to clearly communicate the cutoff time to your team so that you have all of the absolutely 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.  If you change one budget number, you will likely have to change the numbers in numerous places throughout the proposal, and run a high risk of providing inconsistent information to the funder.  The same goes for other project details. If you are submitting online, making last minute changes could very well cause you to miss the deadline, when 4:59 pm is on time and 5:01 is late.  Assume that late submissions will not be accepted under any circumstances (which is often the case), and stay as far ahead of that deadline as you can.
6. Know when to pull the plug.  Sometimes, despite the best efforts of the project developers and writers, a last minute submission is simply not possible. If you are missing key components or getting uncomfortably close to the deadline without having some time to thoroughly review the proposal, it may be best to decide not to submit the application.  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 next year when you will have more time to work on it. Federal programs are typically released on similar timeframes from year to year, so by anticipating a similar deadline next year, you can give yourself plenty of time to develop your project and put yourself in a better position to get funded. Alternatively, if you choose to submit an incomplete or low-quality proposal, you may hurt your chances of receiving funding in future solicitations if this proposal is denied by presenting yourself and/or your project in a negative light to reviewers. Keep in mind that, no matter how perfectly this program aligns with your goals, there will be other funding sources in the future. No matter how well the program matches what's in your head, if you can't get it on paper for the reviewers, your proposal is not likely to be successful.

While last-minute proposals should be avoided if possible, sometimes they are unavoidable.  Hopefully, these steps will help you to keep your head straight during a whirlwind proposal development process.