It’s possible to get so wrapped up in the competition of grant writing that one might forget that there’s a grant to implement when that funding approval letter is received. So it’s important not to waste time in between the submission of a grant and the notification of funding or you may wind up behind in your implementation before you get started.
Now as a grant writer, especially a freelance grant writer, you may not need to pay attention to implementation. Your job as a grant writer is frequently (and perhaps hysterically gleefully) done the moment you have submitted the proposal and received that date-stamped receipt as proof of submission. But I suspect that many of you are employed to write and implement the grant so you don’t have time to dilly-dally as if there’s no further work to be done.

Here are a few things to consider undertaking in anticipation of a successful proposal:

a. Prepare position notifications so you’ll be ready to advertise for staff.

b. Research capital equipment costs so you can find the best deals; or, prepare requests for proposals that can be publicized as soon as funding is received.

c. Remain in communication with any project partners and collaborators to ensure that they are ready to start the work as soon as funding is received.

d. Educate other people within the agency on the goals and objectives of the proposal if it impacts their work.

e. Meet with the accounting department to discuss the proposal and ensure they are aware that additional funding may be received.

f. If you are hiring an external evaluator as part of the evaluation plan, now is the time to investigate which of the available contractors would best match your needs.

g. You may want to prepare a press release in anticipation of receipt of funding. This may be more of an exercise in positive thinking than is necessary if the grant is not funded; however, it never hurts to put positive thoughts out into the universe in support of your proposal.

You may feel that it’s unnecessary to undertake any work before grant is funded. I would certainly agree that a long shot grant may not merit much preparation until he funding letter is received. But generally speaking I don’t recommend applying for many long shot grants, there simply isn’t time. So most of the grants you apply for should be closely aligned with your mission, represent a level of competition that is acceptable in proportion to the work of developing an application; and therefore, some preparatory work after the application is submitted is a good investment in time. Remember that successful implementation of a grant is an excellent way to build grant maker confidence in your organization and in your ability to successfully implement grant programs.

By Derek Link

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