The Research Phase
Grant writing, just as any
other professional activity, can be broken down into a series of phases or
stages. Perhaps the most important phase in the grant writing process is the
research phase where the background, research, and planning are undertaken.
This particular phase can
literally mean the difference between success and failure. When seeking to
obtain grants from foundations, corporate entities, or similar institutions it
is critical that you develop a familiarity with the particular institution’s
history and track record of grant awards.
Each grant making body
develops a unique approach to deciding and awarding grants and it is important
to recognize each one’s individual requirements, interests, and type of grants
awarded historically.
After all, if you are applying for a research grant in
assisted living, for example, and the grant making body that you are
petitioning for an award has a history of awarding grants in K-12 related
research or similar, there is not much point in petitioning that particular entity.
Do your research. There are myriad resources to research grant
making bodies online as well as numerous books and other research material but
it is vital that once you set your sights on a grant making organization that
the research doesn’t stop.
You must actively review the organization’s award
history, its specific requirements, and how long it typically takes to review
applications in order to ensure that it also matches your funding requirements
and constraints.
Grant Application Phase
One thing is very important
to point out up front. Making the grant application is not a shotgun approach.
You cannot simply cut and paste the majority of the application in applying to
several grant making bodies. For one thing, this is unprofessional and the grant
application reviewers will detect this type of language immediately.
Each grant application must
be tailored to match the needs and requirements of each awarding organization.
More often than not the grant making body will have its own downloadable
application form to which other information can be attached and returned.
The
nice thing is, as discusses later, that usually grant applications generally
contain the same sections and sub-headings which simplifies things
considerably.
Once you have settled on a
suitable grant making organization to make application to then the real work
begins. The very first item to be aware of in making the grant application is
to review the application itself provided by the organization and to make not
of all the application deadlines. Failure to follow the guidelines and
deadlines exactly assures your application of failure.
The typical grant
application process involves following the instructions in completing the grant
proposal and submitting it to the relevant organization in the proper format by
the given deadline.
Alternatively, some organizations may ask for a Letter
of Inquiry first, which is nothing but a short single page letter outlining
the character of your own organization and the project proposal prior to making
a full grant application.
This saves everyone a lot of time if the type of
project is something that the grant making body is simply not interested in.
However, in most cases and
certainly following the Letter of Inquiry, the completed grant proposal is the
primary device which funding agencies utilize to determine granting decisions.
The grant proposal itself accomplishes the following items:
- Who are you
- Why you are asking for funds
- What is that you intend on doing with the award
- How you are a suitable match with the goals of
the granting organization
Examined in this light, the
grant proposal makes much more sense to the novice grant writer. At this point,
it is time to begin the grant writing process which is where most people get
intimidated. Don’t be. Grant writing can be complex but when the different
components are broken down individually and their overall purpose is
understood, actually writing the grant proposal becomes much easier. Certainly
knowing in advance what type of grants the funding agency usually makes helps.
The Grant Review Phase
This is the phase of the
grant application process that you do not have any control over. The grant
review phase is the period of time that the funding agency takes to review
your, as well as other, grant applications. The funding agencies all require
different review periods to make their decision but the nice thing is that each
agency usually posts this information on its website or places this information
on the actual grant application.
Each funding agency has some
sort of screening process in which administrative staff weed out the grant
proposals that do not match the agencies grant making objectives, are
illegible, poorly thought out, or a simply late. Once these grant proposals are
weeded out then the remaining grant proposals are discussed and researched
further and recommendations are formulated for each. Following this step, the
organization’s review board is given the remaining grant proposals and makes
its own decisions based on their own review as well as the recommendations of
the staff reviewers.
It’s important to realize
that each funding body has its own review process and this process can include
site visits, requests for personal interviews, or further information—Be Prepared!
Sometimes the board might only see a
synopsis of the grant proposal prepared by the initial reviewers and sometimes
a particular board may dispense with the screening process entirely and review
every application. This is why research is important and following the
instructions, guidelines, and deadlines exactly is one of the best ways to
ensure success.
The Grant Award Decision
Phase
The denial of a grant
proposal usually results in a form letter informing you of your proposal being
turned down. These form letters normally do not contain much information about
why it was turned down since funding agencies may not track such data and
certainly do not have the staff to respond on such an individual basis to each
and every denied grant proposal.
Basically, get used to being
turned down in the grant writing world. There is only so much money and a
limited number of organizations making grant awards and a whole lot of
applicants. Grant writing is formulaic and can be accomplished with a high
degree of success but everyone gets turned down at one time or another.
Funding
organizations have award budgets and often the only reason you may be turned
down is your application got to towards the end of the award cycle and the
funding agency is simply out of money.
Apply again the following cycle if you
truly believe your proposal ideally matches the needs of a particular funding
agency. It is a common understanding in grant writing circles that many grant
proposals are only accepted after two or three submission cycles.
If your grant proposal is
accepted then you will receive either some type of cover letter along with a
check or the funding agency may have some sort of contractual documentation
which it requires you to follow. These types of contractual agreements that
accompany the funding award most usually require you to submit a final report
upon completion of the project.
However, when you receive one or the other
types of award acknowledgement is good form to confirm the award and, in the
case of a contractual agreement, returned the signed document immediately
making note of all the requirements.
And, speaking from personal experience,
whether the funding agency actually requests a follow-up report or not, you
should submit a write-up of the project and its outcome to the funding agency
just as a professional courtesy.
Another factor in actually
receiving an award is the consideration of whether you received the full amount
budgeted for a given project.
Failure to receive the full amount budgeted
requires you to either adjust the budget and inform all funding agencies of the
revised project plan, or, alternatively, request to apply the funds to another
related project, or to simply return the money. Some funding agencies will only
award a percentage of the total budget requiring you to seek other funding
sources.
