When considering a federal grant, you need to know:

• Are you eligible? This is spelled out specifically in the Request for Proposal (RFP) or Request for Application (RFA).
• When is the deadline? Most submissions are sent through Grants.gov, which specifies a given date and time for each RFP/RFA.
• What is the Catalogue of Federal and Domestic Assistance (CFDA) number? All federal grants are given a CFDA number, which is a universal identifier for the grant and is used many times in the submission process.
• What is the award amount? Knowing the grant amount ensures your budget does not exceed limitations, and it also allows you to manage project or research expectations.
• How many proposals will be funded? This information allows you to estimate the success rate on this competition, and therefore, your chances of winning.
• Is there a match requirement? Often federal grants request matching funds. However, a couple notable exceptions are the NIH and NSF.
• What are the directions and format requirements? Instructions for your proposal are found in the RFP/RFA and must be followed to the letter.
• How will my proposal be reviewed? The scoring criteria are usually included in the RFP/RFA. If not, request them from the program officer.
• What forms and whose signatures are required? The RFP/RFA and Grants.gov will include specific information about forms, signatures, and other certifications needed to complete your proposal submission.
• Who is the program officer? This is included in the RFP/RFA, and typically listed on the agency website as well. Contact him or her with any questions, but only after reading the RFP/RFA.

When considering a foundation or private grant, you need to know:

• What is the foundation’s mission? Knowing the mission of the donor will allow you to make an effective match with the mission of your institution.
• What does the annual report tell you? These reports are a good guide to the past and future giving of the foundation.
• Who leads the foundation or makes decisions about funding? You should Google every board member and the leadership. Doing so will give you an understanding of the granting emphasis and decision-making of the foundation.
• What do the tax returns (990pf) indicate? Looking over the 990pf tells you who the foundation funded, how much they gave, and for what purpose. You can then assess how this compares to your needs.
• Where are the submission directions? In many cases, the process instructions are located on the donor’s website. If you cannot find this information, contact the foundation.
• Will a draft proposal or concept paper help you? Be sure to check if this is a requirement; some donors request this step before inviting you to submit a full proposal. Whether a requirement or not, developing a concept paper will help you solidify your ideas.
• Who should you contact with questions? Unlike federal donors, it is not as easy to make contact with a foundation. If possible, try to speak with the program officer or head of funding.
• What are the benefits of developing and maintaining a relationship with the donor? Since you may need ongoing support, be sure to involve the foundation at all stages. Further, even after the funding is over, continue the relationship. Your reputation as a good steward of funding cannot be overstated, and often, board members from different organizations are familiar with each other.
• How much of your finance and administration charges will the foundation pay? Be prepared to negotiate the overhead charges of your institution, which will be much less than what you may receive from some federal agencies.
• What should you do if you receive a rejection letter? Speak with the foundation representative or program officer to see if a resubmission will be considered. If so, follow through and resubmit a revised proposal.

The differences between federal and foundation grants are evident from the points above. Federal grants are drawn from taxpayer money, which dictates accountability and specific regulations on how and when the money is awarded. Many foundations, on the other hand, have been established by individuals – both living and deceased – to promote the causes of grantor. Often, they are willing to fund out-of-the-box and risky projects. Chances are, once a strong relationship is developed between a foundation and an institution, it will continue. On the other hand, federal grants must adhere to peer reviews, evaluations, and relatively unbiased decisions when granting each award. In the current environment of diversified funding for projects, understanding how both types of donors tend to work is necessary for grant success.

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Is your idea part of a strategic plan?

If you are writing a programmatic grant it should be a team effort. The strategic assessment of what needs to be funded, who will implement the grant, and how it all fits into the mission of the organization is what will ground your proposal. For researchers, consider what you have accomplished before, what your preliminary data signify, and how qualified you are to conduct the work. In other words, be certain that you have given serious thought to the undertaking of the proposal.

Have you read the Request for Proposal (RFP)?

Before you move on to any other part of the process, read the RFP from start to finish. Obvious issues – such as eligibility or due dates – can be recognized right away; you may even decide that your idea doesn’t align with the grant program and move on to a better match.

What do your colleagues say?

Your experienced colleagues will provide you with sound advice on whether your idea is feasible. Budget size, technical challenges, and review panel hurdles are just three of the areas in which their expertise will be helpful.

Is the Program Officer enthusiastic or encouraging?

Once you have read the RFP and talked to your colleagues, you can talk about your project or research with the Program Officer. He or she will answer questions and give you an indication of whether your idea is a good fit for the program.

Does your organization have the right infrastructure?

The lack of infrastructure has been the downfall of many proposals, particularly those involving research. You must determine ahead of time whether your organization can handle the work before you spend the time writing a proposal.

Is your team qualified?

Suppose your organization is suited for the project – now you must consider the human capital. Your team should be well-qualified and experienced enough to take on the effort for your project or research, including technical support and research assistants.

Why is your project or research needed?

This may be the most important question to ask before writing. If you cannot provide a good answer, this will echo throughout your proposal. Do your homework; review and understand the literature or complete preliminary questionnaires. Better yet, use a planning or seed grant to assess the need for your project or research. These steps will reassure the reviewers that your work is important and must take place.

What is the significance of your project or research?

Once you determined that your project needs to happen, consider the impact that it will have and the changes that will take place for the population you are serving. Think about what key outcomes could become models for others in the same field as you.

What is the heart of your proposal?

Planning and designing your proposal depends on four or five sentences: the heart of your proposal. Your goal, three measurable objectives, and – if you are writing a research proposal – your hypothesis are what define your path. If you can easily write these sentences, you are ready to submit. If not, wait until the next solicitation or competition. Once you develop these statements, you are ready to proceed.

What are the serious challenges involved?

Any potential difficulties should be mulled over before writing a proposal. If several major problems arise, you may want to consider a different approach or even another topic.

How will you budget your proposal?

All the resources at your disposal – and those you lack – should be considered when answering this question. Talking to your institution’s financial office will likely shed light what budget items should be included or excluded. In essence, you need to submit a reasonable budget that is consistent with the narrative, and avoids raising concerns in any way.

Working with a good idea, understanding your path, avoiding obstacles, and organization are vital to your decision to submit or wait. Once you answer all of the above questions, and are confident in the success of your project, you are ready to begin writing.

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You are not alone. Even seasoned researchers have only a 50 percent chance of winning a grant. If you are new to grant writing, the success rate is much lower. Statistically, new grant writers submit between 2.2 – 3 proposals before being funded. In some cases, the award rate might be as low as 12 percent. Still, after your first rejection, don’t wait. Seek the advice of an experienced grantee, then rewrite and resubmit your proposal. If you are not funded after the second submission, it may be that your research or project may have some serious flaws or simply cannot compete against other applicants.

Contact the Program Officer

Your program officer is well aware of your project and what happened during the review process. He or she can guide you to a successful resubmission by giving you invaluable information on how your grant was reviewed, and the flaws that the reviewers believed could be remedied. Your program officer will be your best partner over the course of your resubmission process. Ask him or her about what the reviewers thought were some of the greatest strengths of the grants they reviewed, as well as the greatest flaws. Lastly, ask him or her for constructive comments about your proposal.

Listen to Your Reviewers

Try to listen to what the reviewers have written. Negative comments can occur for several reasons. Your proposal might have had serious flaws, or the reviewers could have found the proposal difficult to read and so could not find where you addressed the scoring criteria. In some cases, some reviewers might have been highly critical while others praised your idea. However, don’t use the praise of one or two reviewers as a reason to mentally dismiss the concerns of the whole panel.

High Risk and Outside-the-Box Research

If your proposal had excellent science, was well written, and had support from your institution, it may have been rejected for being too risky for the donor to invest their funding. This is especially the case when compared to other excellent, less risky but high-benefit applications. If the former is the case, look into foundations that would be willing to fund a high-risk, but high-benefit project for a portion of your work. Once you have secured their funding, resubmit to the more competitive federal agencies.

Don’t Hurry the Resubmission

Your inclination might be to resubmit as soon as possible. This may not be the best approach, since you need to give careful thought to the reviewers’ comments and address them carefully. Be certain that the significance of your research was not the main criticism. If it was, you may want to give your full attention to this area. Whatever the reason, take the time to resubmit your very best work and take the reviewers’ criticisms into account.

Respond to the Reviewers’ Page

Be courteous and appropriately brief in addressing the reviewers’ comments. Under no circumstances imply that the reviewers were incompetent, even if you think they were. Instead, just address the most important criticisms in a factual, objective, and professional manner. This will always impress the panelists and could even win them over.

Become a Grant Panelist

Grantees should always wear two hats when writing their proposals. The first is the requester’s hat and the second is the evaluator’s hat. In order to gain experience and insight into the review process, serve on a grant panel. Once you are fully aware of the review process, it will reinforce good practices and correct bad habits in your own applications and writing.

Samuel Johnson said, “Great works are performed not by strength, but by perseverance.” New grant writers should strive to live by this phrase, which experienced researchers already know to be true. In this way, your proposal’s rejection can be a great motivation to provide your best effort for the resubmission.

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