If you are new to grant writing, you may have heard seasoned grant writers talk about the “grant season.” And you may have thought, “Is that real?!”
If you write federal grants, you understand that January through June is “grant season.” Most federal grant opportunities are released during that time frame so that funding decisions can be made before the start of the federal fiscal year (October 1).
I don’t write many federal grants (maybe 2-3/year), but when I look at my grant calendars, I still notice a “grant season.”
For example, right now, I am frantically writing foundation grants. 50% of the grants I will write this year are due between April and July.
Why does this matter?
Grant Writing Tip of the Day
Know your grant funder inside and out. Learn their buzzwords, their focus areas, and their mission, and write accordingly.
It matters for three main reasons.
Firstly, when I set expectations with my clients, I let them know that April-July is peak grant writing. This means that we may not receive many awards until October/November. We usually receive 30% of our actual grant funding (meaning we have the actual money) in the first half of the year and 70% in the second half.
Clients tend to get antsy during the year’s first half, worrying about whether we will reach our grant funding goals. I reassure them that grants aren’t evenly distributed throughout the year, and we will receive a windfall in Q3 and Q4.
Secondly, it matters because it provides an opportunity to prepare your materials. Spend Q1 revising program goals and budgets, collecting updated financials, and researching and planning grants. Once “grant season” rolls around, you will be ready!
And finally, setting up your grant calendar far in advance and understanding that there is a disproportionate number of grant deadlines in Q3 and Q4 will allow you to knock out some grants without deadlines early in the year. Writing smaller grants without deadlines in January and February will get you some quick wins and prevent your schedule from being overloaded later in the year.
Until next time,
Write Epic Grants
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