Researching and vetting grants is one of the most satisfying parts of the grant writing process, in my opinion. I take great care to ensure that every grant I write has the best possible chance of being awarded. I have talked a lot about this and you can find those archived emails here:
- Actionable ways to vet a grant opportunity
- Why I search for grants with specific programs in mind
- One way I fill my grant schedule with dozens of grant opportunities
- How I snipe other orgs to find promising grant funders
Today, I will list the important questions I ask myself when doing grant research. What makes me change a grant opportunity from “Researching” to “Scheduled?”
When I log in to one of my grant research tools, like GrantStation, I set up the filters to generate a list of opportunities for the organization and program I am working on. Most times, a list of 150-250 grants is populated, and then I start the manual filtering.
Here are some of the questions I think about:
- Is the deadline feasible? Will we have time to gather the necessary documents?
- Does our mission align with the grant funder’s mission and funding goals?
- Does the 990 show that the funder has funded organization’s like our in the past?
- Do we meet the size and financial guidelines of the grant?
- Do we have the capacity and expertise to report on the grant, if awarded?
- Do we have any connections or affiliations that can help us win this grant?
- Are they awarding one grant or multiple grants?
The answers to these questions may prompt you to ask yourself additional questions, and that’s OK. The goal is to objectively assess whether the time it takes to apply for a grant is worth it based on the likelihood that you will be awarded the funding.
Until next time,
Write Epic Grants
P.S. Are you new to Write Epic Grants? Don’t worry; all past emails are archived here. Head over there and don’t miss a thing.