Grant Writing on Foreign Topics

Freelance grant writers are often asked to write for agencies whose mission is outside of their area of expertise and professional training. This does not mean however that they can’t write competently on what I call foreign topics. It does mean that writing a fundable proposal is going to take considerable research and study in order to write competently in the foreign topic.

A good example is a grant that I’m writing currently for a museum to design and install a new exhibit. I am not trained as a museum professional, nor am I schooled in the proper design elements of an effective museum exhibition. But fortunately for me there’s something called Google through which I can find many articles, research papers, online consultant blogs, sample grant proposals, and many other excellent resources from which to glean the information I need to write.

Here is a list of things I do to prepare when writing about foreign topics:

1. Schedule meetings with the client to ensure that I’m clear on their desires and the project content. I need time to pick their brains so I make it clear up front that I need their meaningful input.

2. Connect with professional people in the foreign topic area to discuss the client’s needs and ask questions. This can be a difficult thing to accomplish because everyone is busy and they may see you as a competitor in the grant competition.

3. Conduct a thorough online search for resources related to the foreign topic that provide necessary information.

4. Draft a project design and when possible find an expert in the topic area if the client does not qualify (or at least another grant writer) to review the design and give you feedback.

5. Identify appropriate vocabulary and concepts commonly used by professionals within the foreign topic area and integrate this vocabulary into your writing.

I’ve found in the past that writing a grant in the new topic area is not necessarily a hindrance to being successfully funded. In fact, I’ve actually had a lot of success writing grants and foreign topic areas and my guess is that my writing style, while clear, is different enough to be fresh and therefore appealing to readers who may be bored with the standard writing style of professionals within the foreign topic.

Generally, grant writers should not limit themselves to areas of professional knowledge in which they consider themselves to be experts. There have been times when I have turned down grant that is simply too technical for me to undertake and which was in a foreign topic area where the learning curve was simply too steep. Better to lose a contract that do an incompetent job and lose a client.

So when you go out and look for new clients, think broadly and cast a wide net. You’ll be surprised at how well you can write about foreign topics after a brief period of study and research. Involve your client actively in the narrative review process. Don’t be afraid to write grants for clients in foreign topic areas. Go for it

Talk about foreign topics have you heard about Rodney’s Online Scavenger Hunt?  Watch the video below for more info or click here to read all about it!

Published by Creative Resources & Research http://grantgoddess.com

Grant Writing on Foreign Topics

Freelance grant writers are often asked to write for agencies whose mission is outside of their area of expertise and professional training. This does not mean however that they can’t write competently on what I call foreign topics. It does mean that writing a fundable proposal is going to take considerable research and study in order to write competently in the foreign topic.

A good example is a grant that I’m writing currently for a museum to design and install a new exhibit. I am not trained as a museum professional, nor am I schooled in the proper design elements of an effective museum exhibition. But fortunately for me there’s something called Google through which I can find many articles, research papers, online consultant blogs, sample grant proposals, and many other excellent resources from which to glean the information I need to write.

Here is a list of things I do to prepare when writing about foreign topics:

1. Schedule meetings with the client to ensure that I’m clear on their desires and the project content. I need time to pick their brains so I make it clear up front that I need their meaningful input.

2. Connect with professional people in the foreign topic area to discuss the client’s needs and ask questions. This can be a difficult thing to accomplish because everyone is busy and they may see you as a competitor in the grant competition.

3. Conduct a thorough online search for resources related to the foreign topic that provide necessary information.

4. Draft a project design and when possible find an expert in the topic area if the client does not qualify (or at least another grant writer) to review the design and give you feedback.

5. Identify appropriate vocabulary and concepts commonly used by professionals within the foreign topic area and integrate this vocabulary into your writing.

I’ve found in the past that writing a grant in the new topic area is not necessarily a hindrance to being successfully funded. In fact, I’ve actually had a lot of success writing grants and foreign topic areas and my guess is that my writing style, while clear, is different enough to be fresh and therefore appealing to readers who may be bored with the standard writing style of professionals within the foreign topic.

Generally, grant writers should not limit themselves to areas of professional knowledge in which they consider themselves to be experts. There have been times when I have turned down grant that is simply too technical for me to undertake and which was in a foreign topic area where the learning curve was simply too steep. Better to lose a contract that do an incompetent job and lose a client.

So when you go out and look for new clients, think broadly and cast a wide net. You’ll be surprised at how well you can write about foreign topics after a brief period of study and research. Involve your client actively in the narrative review process. Don’t be afraid to write grants for clients in foreign topic areas. Go for it

Talk about foreign topics have you heard about Rodney’s Online Scavenger Hunt?  Watch the video below for more info or click here to read all about it!

If They Made a Movie about Grant Writing Consultants……

It would be a thriller.  Yes, I’m sure of that. It would be an action-packed, intrigue-driven thriller that would keep you on the edge of your seat. I’m talking about the kind of thriller that is somewhere between Speed (with Sandra Bullock and Keanu Reeves) and Matt Damon’s The Bourne Identity, but it would have the heart of a drama – think about the perseverence of The Shawshank Redemption.  And it would also have some of the recklessness of Thelma and Louise.

I would be played, of course, by Kathy Bates, who would certainly win an Academy Award for her sensitive portrayal of such a complex character. Other grant writing consultants in the movie would be played by Brad Pitt and Shirley McClain, with supporting roles filled by Ben Affleck, and other fine actors. Richard Gere would be in it just because.

Here’s the basic plot:

Our heroine, Kathy Bates, would get a phone call charging her to write a very competitive grant in a very short period of time. She would argue briefly that it couldn’t be done, but she’d be told that it must be done and it must be successful because the fate of free world is in her capable hands. She would call her colleagues Brad Pitt (who’s having a beer at Rubicon) and Shirley MacLaine (who is somewhere in the moutains firewalking and getting in touch with her Chi) who would rush back into town to help.

Brad Pitt would work with the client to get the data needed for the grant, but it wouldn’t arrive.  Kathy Bates would yell, “But tell them we must have it!” and Brad would valiantly declare, “Don’t worry, I’ll get it,” as he hopped on his trusty steed (old Honda) and headed out to pick up the data personally. Richard Gere would just massage Kathy’s back while she wrote, whispering, “You can do it.  I know you can,” into her ear while she writes.

Tight shot on the clock spinning wildly as the time passes, and the calendar as the days fly by….

Shirley MacClaine tirelessly does research while support staff member Tina Fey works on the budget. Ben Affleck answers the phone with expert skill, keeping would-be interrupters away with a polite, but firm, “No, you can’t speak with her.  She’s saving the world!”

As the deadline draws nearer, the pressure mounts.  Shirley floats in and out picking up pieces here and there and offering her expertise.  Brad  remains calm on outside while expertly assembling appendices. Kathy’s fingers sieze up from the pain, but Richard massages the pain away.

As the first draft is complete, in walks Helen Mirren, competently and calmly proclaiming, “I’ll take over from here,” as she sits with the narrative and begins proofreading and editing, her pen flying across the page as Richard offers Kathy cool grapes, Tina wraps up the budget, Shirley finalizes the abstract, and Brad  talks to the client on the phone, assuring him that all is well.

Suddenly, Tina shouts, “Nooooo!!!!! The web portal is down!” Kathy rushes into her office, knocking Richard down on the way (sorry, Richard). “But it can’t be down!  The grant is due in 2 hours!” Tina just rocks back and forth, “It’s down, it’s down, it’s down, oh my god it’s down…..”

Helen retains her predator-like focus on the editing task.

Tina says, “Wait!  I think I can hack into the portal through the government’s evaluation site…”

“Do it!” shouts Kathy, “Do it NOW!”

Ben shouts at someone on the phone, “New phone service?  Are you crazy?  This is no time for solicitation!  She doesn’t want to talk you.  She’ll never want to talk to you!”  As he slams the phone down, Tina explains, “I’m in!”

“Great,” sighs Kathy, “Let’s get this baby uploaded and put to bed.”

“Ready!” says Helen, as she hands over a perfectly edited draft to Kathy.

Shirley calmly floats in, “I knew everything would be ok.”

“Don’t be so sure,” cautions Kathy. “We’re not out of the woods yet.”

Tina, Brad, and Helen work together to get all the documents uploaded, while Shirley and Kathy sip some tea.

Tina announces, “Done! The grant has been submitted…on time!”

Helen adds, “And it’s a good one!”

Kathy comments, with a matter of fact tone, “Of course it is.”  Then she looks around for Richard….

Ben answers the phone and tells Kathy, “It’s Mr. Non-Profit. He says he has a challenging project for you…..and it’s due next week.”

Kathy sips her tea, raises and eyebrow, and says, “Oh?  Sounds intriguing.  Brad, Shirley, we have another assignment!”

——————————

Published by Creative Resources & Research http://grantgoddess.com

If They Made a Movie about Grant Writing Consultants……

It would be a thriller.  Yes, I’m sure of that. It would be an action-packed, intrigue-driven thriller that would keep you on the edge of your seat. I’m talking about the kind of thriller that is somewhere between Speed (with Sandra Bullock and Keanu Reeves) and Matt Damon’s The Bourne Identity, but it would have the heart of a drama – think about the perseverence of The Shawshank Redemption.  And it would also have some of the recklessness of Thelma and Louise.

I would be played, of course, by Kathy Bates, who would certainly win an Academy Award for her sensitive portrayal of such a complex character. Other grant writing consultants in the movie would be played by Brad Pitt and Shirley McClain, with supporting roles filled by Ben Affleck, and other fine actors. Richard Gere would be in it just because.

Here’s the basic plot:

Our heroine, Kathy Bates, would get a phone call charging her to write a very competitive grant in a very short period of time. She would argue briefly that it couldn’t be done, but she’d be told that it must be done and it must be successful because the fate of free world is in her capable hands. She would call her colleagues Brad Pitt (who’s having a beer at Rubicon) and Shirley MacLaine (who is somewhere in the moutains firewalking and getting in touch with her Chi) who would rush back into town to help.

Brad Pitt would work with the client to get the data needed for the grant, but it wouldn’t arrive.  Kathy Bates would yell, “But tell them we must have it!” and Brad would valiantly declare, “Don’t worry, I’ll get it,” as he hopped on his trusty steed (old Honda) and headed out to pick up the data personally. Richard Gere would just massage Kathy’s back while she wrote, whispering, “You can do it.  I know you can,” into her ear while she writes.

Tight shot on the clock spinning wildly as the time passes, and the calendar as the days fly by….

Shirley MacClaine tirelessly does research while support staff member Tina Fey works on the budget. Ben Affleck answers the phone with expert skill, keeping would-be interrupters away with a polite, but firm, “No, you can’t speak with her.  She’s saving the world!”

As the deadline draws nearer, the pressure mounts.  Shirley floats in and out picking up pieces here and there and offering her expertise.  Brad  remains calm on outside while expertly assembling appendices. Kathy’s fingers sieze up from the pain, but Richard massages the pain away.

As the first draft is complete, in walks Helen Mirren, competently and calmly proclaiming, “I’ll take over from here,” as she sits with the narrative and begins proofreading and editing, her pen flying across the page as Richard offers Kathy cool grapes, Tina wraps up the budget, Shirley finalizes the abstract, and Brad  talks to the client on the phone, assuring him that all is well.

Suddenly, Tina shouts, “Nooooo!!!!! The web portal is down!” Kathy rushes into her office, knocking Richard down on the way (sorry, Richard). “But it can’t be down!  The grant is due in 2 hours!” Tina just rocks back and forth, “It’s down, it’s down, it’s down, oh my god it’s down…..”

Helen retains her predator-like focus on the editing task.

Tina says, “Wait!  I think I can hack into the portal through the government’s evaluation site…”

“Do it!” shouts Kathy, “Do it NOW!”

Ben shouts at someone on the phone, “New phone service?  Are you crazy?  This is no time for solicitation!  She doesn’t want to talk you.  She’ll never want to talk to you!”  As he slams the phone down, Tina explains, “I’m in!”

“Great,” sighs Kathy, “Let’s get this baby uploaded and put to bed.”

“Ready!” says Helen, as she hands over a perfectly edited draft to Kathy.

Shirley calmly floats in, “I knew everything would be ok.”

“Don’t be so sure,” cautions Kathy. “We’re not out of the woods yet.”

Tina, Brad, and Helen work together to get all the documents uploaded, while Shirley and Kathy sip some tea.

Tina announces, “Done! The grant has been submitted…on time!”

Helen adds, “And it’s a good one!”

Kathy comments, with a matter of fact tone, “Of course it is.”  Then she looks around for Richard….

Ben answers the phone and tells Kathy, “It’s Mr. Non-Profit. He says he has a challenging project for you…..and it’s due next week.”

Kathy sips her tea, raises and eyebrow, and says, “Oh?  Sounds intriguing.  Brad, Shirley, we have another assignment!”

——————————

A Freelance Grant Writer Is A Jack Of All Trades

When you decide to start your own grant writing business, there are many skills to develop in order to be successful. You may, depending upon your success, end up hiring employees to do some of the tasks for you; however, that level of success is unlikely to be immediate. So you better learn how to be your own bookkeeper, secretary, custodian, and whatever else needs to be done (i.e., chief cook and bottle washer).
One of the exciting things about running your own freelance grant writing business is the opportunity to learn lots of new skills and to do everything yourself. This means you’ll have to be organized and think ahead because there won’t be anyone to back you up.
Here are a few of the skills that you need to posses, develop, or get some training in before you attempt to go out on your own as a freelance grant writer.
1. Keyboarding skills-in the past you may have been able to either type your own writing or dictate and have somebody transcribed for you; however, now you are dependent on your very best hunt-and-peck method.

2. Editing skills-unless you have a trusted, skilled, and inexpensive editor who’s willing, ready, and able to edit your drafts; you are going to have to be your own editor.

3. Graphics skills-the quality of software available today for dcreation of graphics has raised the bar far beyond the elementary, cartoonish clip images we used to drop into documents to add a little pizzazz.

4. Filing skills/secretarial skills-being able to find which you need at the time you need it without wasting valuable writing time searching through stacks of paper is important.

5. Budgeting skills-you may have had the advantage in the past of relying on a steady stream of income and a set budget from which you could order materials and never run out. You may also have had the advantage of working in a large organization where if you did not have the materials  needed you could always borrow from another department. Without an accounting department, you will be responsible for paying your own taxes, Social Security fees, business registration fees, city business taxes, insurance costs (liability, worker’s comp, etc), utilities, rent, equipment, materials and supplies, transportation, expenses, and, well… you get the picture.

6. Chamber of Commerce skills- this encompasses a large set of skills from understanding and following federal, state, and local rules/regulations, taxes, licensing, insurance, and a variety of other minutia that are requirements for running a business.

7. Marketing and sales skills-now this may have also been included under item 6 above; however, I’ve listed it as a separate item because until you run a business, you generally do not have to sell or market your skills to anyone except perhaps your immediate supervisor. Now as a freelance grant writer you will need to market your skills to a variety of agencies and individuals who seek your services. You will need to develop your elevator speech, your print materials, and your online presence. If you are uncomfortable selling yourself or speaking publicly then you’ll need to seek a place to develop those skills such as Toastmasters.

Freelance grant writing is much more complicated than simply writing grants for clients. It means you’re running a business and you must develop a comprehensive set of business-related skills in order to be successful in the long run. Look at it as a challenge and a growth experience because if you are already a good writer and a successful grant writer within an agency then you may have what it takes to go out on your own and experience the success, fun, and freedom of running your own freelance grant writing business.

Published by Creative Resources & Research http://grantgoddess.com

A Freelance Grant Writer Is A Jack Of All Trades

When you decide to start your own grant writing business, there are many skills to develop in order to be successful. You may, depending upon your success, end up hiring employees to do some of the tasks for you; however, that level of success is unlikely to be immediate. So you better learn how to be your own bookkeeper, secretary, custodian, and whatever else needs to be done (i.e., chief cook and bottle washer).
One of the exciting things about running your own freelance grant writing business is the opportunity to learn lots of new skills and to do everything yourself. This means you’ll have to be organized and think ahead because there won’t be anyone to back you up.
Here are a few of the skills that you need to posses, develop, or get some training in before you attempt to go out on your own as a freelance grant writer.
1. Keyboarding skills-in the past you may have been able to either type your own writing or dictate and have somebody transcribed for you; however, now you are dependent on your very best hunt-and-peck method.

2. Editing skills-unless you have a trusted, skilled, and inexpensive editor who’s willing, ready, and able to edit your drafts; you are going to have to be your own editor.

3. Graphics skills-the quality of software available today for dcreation of graphics has raised the bar far beyond the elementary, cartoonish clip images we used to drop into documents to add a little pizzazz.

4. Filing skills/secretarial skills-being able to find which you need at the time you need it without wasting valuable writing time searching through stacks of paper is important.

5. Budgeting skills-you may have had the advantage in the past of relying on a steady stream of income and a set budget from which you could order materials and never run out. You may also have had the advantage of working in a large organization where if you did not have the materials  needed you could always borrow from another department. Without an accounting department, you will be responsible for paying your own taxes, Social Security fees, business registration fees, city business taxes, insurance costs (liability, worker’s comp, etc), utilities, rent, equipment, materials and supplies, transportation, expenses, and, well… you get the picture.

6. Chamber of Commerce skills- this encompasses a large set of skills from understanding and following federal, state, and local rules/regulations, taxes, licensing, insurance, and a variety of other minutia that are requirements for running a business.

7. Marketing and sales skills-now this may have also been included under item 6 above; however, I’ve listed it as a separate item because until you run a business, you generally do not have to sell or market your skills to anyone except perhaps your immediate supervisor. Now as a freelance grant writer you will need to market your skills to a variety of agencies and individuals who seek your services. You will need to develop your elevator speech, your print materials, and your online presence. If you are uncomfortable selling yourself or speaking publicly then you’ll need to seek a place to develop those skills such as Toastmasters.

Freelance grant writing is much more complicated than simply writing grants for clients. It means you’re running a business and you must develop a comprehensive set of business-related skills in order to be successful in the long run. Look at it as a challenge and a growth experience because if you are already a good writer and a successful grant writer within an agency then you may have what it takes to go out on your own and experience the success, fun, and freedom of running your own freelance grant writing business.

What is a Grant Competition?

Grant writing is exciting because it’s a competition, for money, so there’s a lot at stake. The competition isn’t so much against other grant writers as it is against the RFA criteria.  It’s like the grant maker is throwing you a pitch and your job is to hit it out of the park!

The competition is what makes grant writing exciting for me, the winning and losing is what raises the adrenaline level of every grant writer. Grant Writer reputations are made and lost in grant competitions and people who don’t understand what a grant competition is all about can be misled into thinking that a writer is less than competent if there grant is unfunded. Not that success is not important, because it is, but if the observer (a client perhaps) does not understand how a grant competition is operated and what goes into winning a grant award, then mis-assumptions are bound to be made.
Here’s a list of key concepts at play in the grant competition that many people outside the process did not understand.
a. Grant applications are scored by readers who may, or may not, have expertise in the grant area.
b. Readers generally work in triads and it only takes one reader in the group who dislikes a particular proposal to sink its chances of receiving funding.
c. While most grant competitions allow applicants to protest the results, these protests are rarely successful because you are challenging the legitimacy of the process of scoring and those who will decide on the validity of the protest are the same people who designed and implemented the scoring process.
d. There are sometimes unstated priorities for funding that are not written in the RFP. These unstated priorities are generally unknown to novice applicants, non-grant writers, and program administrators of agencies. This is why it’s important when hiring a grant writer to determine their level of experience with a particular grant, agency, and topic.
e. Often grants are scored on a 100 point scale and there are often priority points given that favor agencies with particular characteristics. In today’s hyper-competitive grant environment, it is important to score as close to 100% as possible in order to ensure a possibility of receiving the funding.
f. Your legislator is unlikely to be of any assistance or value in helping you get a competitive grant approved. I am frequently asked by clients if their relationship with a legislator will be of any value and unfortunately it is not. Legislators can be helpful in contacting the agency to gain notice of successful funding or to request information about a protest. Aside from these limited areas, legislator intervention in the scoring process is not welcomed nor viewed positively by agency staff.
Grant competitions are exciting and a lot is at stake. Submission of grant proposals is a lot of work on the part of a lot of people in when you have that level of commitment you have a concomitant level of concern about the outcome. Winning a grant competition is a little like the clock striking 12 on New Year’s Eve in I’ve done my share of victory dances down the aisle of my agency when we’ve successfully secured a large grant award.
It is important for grant writers, especially freelance grant writers, to help clients understand what the grant competition entails so that expectations are realistic and so that there is a shared understanding of the process and the pitfalls inherent in. After all, it is a human process and prone to human error.

By Derek Link
 
Related Posts:
 
Grant Writing Rejection
Federal Grant Selection Processes: Random or Fair?
Focus on Your Mission for Grant Writing Success

Published by Creative Resources & Research http://grantgoddess.com

What is a Grant Competition?

Grant writing is exciting because it’s a competition, for money, so there’s a lot at stake. The competition isn’t so much against other grant writers as it is against the RFA criteria.  It’s like the grant maker is throwing you a pitch and your job is to hit it out of the park!

The competition is what makes grant writing exciting for me, the winning and losing is what raises the adrenaline level of every grant writer. Grant Writer reputations are made and lost in grant competitions and people who don’t understand what a grant competition is all about can be misled into thinking that a writer is less than competent if there grant is unfunded. Not that success is not important, because it is, but if the observer (a client perhaps) does not understand how a grant competition is operated and what goes into winning a grant award, then mis-assumptions are bound to be made.
Here’s a list of key concepts at play in the grant competition that many people outside the process did not understand.
a. Grant applications are scored by readers who may, or may not, have expertise in the grant area.
b. Readers generally work in triads and it only takes one reader in the group who dislikes a particular proposal to sink its chances of receiving funding.
c. While most grant competitions allow applicants to protest the results, these protests are rarely successful because you are challenging the legitimacy of the process of scoring and those who will decide on the validity of the protest are the same people who designed and implemented the scoring process.
d. There are sometimes unstated priorities for funding that are not written in the RFP. These unstated priorities are generally unknown to novice applicants, non-grant writers, and program administrators of agencies. This is why it’s important when hiring a grant writer to determine their level of experience with a particular grant, agency, and topic.
e. Often grants are scored on a 100 point scale and there are often priority points given that favor agencies with particular characteristics. In today’s hyper-competitive grant environment, it is important to score as close to 100% as possible in order to ensure a possibility of receiving the funding.
f. Your legislator is unlikely to be of any assistance or value in helping you get a competitive grant approved. I am frequently asked by clients if their relationship with a legislator will be of any value and unfortunately it is not. Legislators can be helpful in contacting the agency to gain notice of successful funding or to request information about a protest. Aside from these limited areas, legislator intervention in the scoring process is not welcomed nor viewed positively by agency staff.
Grant competitions are exciting and a lot is at stake. Submission of grant proposals is a lot of work on the part of a lot of people in when you have that level of commitment you have a concomitant level of concern about the outcome. Winning a grant competition is a little like the clock striking 12 on New Year’s Eve in I’ve done my share of victory dances down the aisle of my agency when we’ve successfully secured a large grant award.
It is important for grant writers, especially freelance grant writers, to help clients understand what the grant competition entails so that expectations are realistic and so that there is a shared understanding of the process and the pitfalls inherent in. After all, it is a human process and prone to human error.

By Derek Link
 
Related Posts:
 
Grant Writing Rejection
Federal Grant Selection Processes: Random or Fair?
Focus on Your Mission for Grant Writing Success

What If Your Grant got Funded: Will You Be Ready to Implement?

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

Related Posts:
Uh Oh: We Got the Grant But We Didn’t Plan
Grant Writing Success is Just The Beginning
Control or Collaboration?  You Can’t Have It Both Ways

Published by Creative Resources & Research http://grantgoddess.com

What If Your Grant got Funded: Will You Be Ready to Implement?

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

Related Posts:
Uh Oh: We Got the Grant But We Didn’t Plan
Grant Writing Success is Just The Beginning
Control or Collaboration?  You Can’t Have It Both Ways