The Art of Grants: 7 Ninja Strategies for Killer Grants Applications

How will you prepare your grant applications? Do you scan the guidelines, think it’s a good idea, start to put pencil on paper, and realize halfway through that it’s not for you? Or even worse, don’t you qualify? Do you put it off to the last minute and freak out, sweating profusely as you try to finish it before the deadline, hoping there will be no tech problems when it comes to getting on at 11 and 59? Sound remotely familiar?

What if we could help you change the way you think? Do you adopt a fun way of being strategic and only write the applications that you know you have a chance to get?

Develop sharp focus and use these seven strategies to prepare for your next battle grant.

1. Choose your fight

Are you on the right battlefield? Please see the Rules of Participation (Funding Guidelines) to see if you are eligible to apply for a grant. If not, find another battlefield or join someone else’s army. There’s no point trying to fight a battle you can’t win, but if you really want some of the loot, offer your services in exchange for a small grant payment. Strategically, you may have something to offer that gets your app going.

If you can join the battle, will you get the tools you need to fulfill your part of the campaign plan? If the grant doesn’t cover infrastructure, human resources, transportation, or whatever else you need, your troops will be deprived of what they need. Consult others who have gone before you to find out what they did and what financial compensation they were given. If resources are not favorable, find another campaign.

Find out who can be funded / find out what can be funded and for how much (list of previously funded projects, if available)

two. Get inside their head, offer them the light

You are entering the battlefield on the terms and conditions of the funder. They need your help, that’s why they pay you. But your opponents will also want to impress the funder. The funder has a problem (goal set) and you have the solution (intervention) to make things better for him (result set). They are the generals of the army and they know that the best emissaries are the rank and file. The generals have mayors, in charge of managing the allocation of resources. Seek his wisdom, plant your seed. They will let you know if your ideas are likely to hit rocky ground. They could do a good recon.

Check the guidelines for your goals and results, and then sell your project proposal accordingly. Run your idea beyond them, listen and adapt your plan.

3. Gather your intelligence

The key to the kingdom is to crack the enigma code. Get started with dispatches: Sign up for the funder’s newsletter list to be notified of campaign rule updates. Examine the rules for participation in detail in case something was lost and keep an eye on releases (including FAQs, regular updates). Learn about past campaigns, including who was involved, what they did, and their allocated budget.

Compete for a spot with the leaders of this campaign with a strong business case. Research your numbers. Gather as much evidence (of necessity) as possible. Be specific about numbers, eyewitness accounts, inquiries, and other successful campaigns. Use this information to determine your goals. Use your intelligence to give yourself a tactical advantage.

Do your homework. Get on the mailing list, check the guidelines and the application form. Please check the FAQs regularly for updates and check on previously funded projects. Gather as much data as possible to demonstrate the need and your understanding of the situation.

Four. Plan the battle and gather your generals and troops.

Every battle campaign has a plan. Your task is to show that your plan will work. That it is well planned, measured in time, resources and budget; that your army, from captains to troops on the ground, has the right skills to succeed.

Your plan must be approved by your battle-hardened generals, who will see to the progress of the campaign. The plan will be theirs. They will sign the treaty with the funder and make sure it is followed or the consequences will be dire.

The stronger your generals and allies, the more campaigns your captains have fought successfully, the greater the chances of a successful submission. Make sure your chain of command has crystal clear channels of communication.

Produce a detailed project plan with a timeline. Align it with resources and budget. Make sure you have the right skills and commitment in your project team and partners. Make sure your governance is clearly articulated and understood by everyone involved, including the funder, and that there is a clear top-down and bottom-up communication strategy.

5. Whoever wants to fight must count the cost

No campaign is free. Time, money, risk. A wise player would calculate the cost before making the decision to go into battle. Do you have the people and the time to put together your proposed battle plan before the deadline? Will the funder pay the entire reward or will he have to commit some of his own resources or those of others to balance the account?

Getting into someone else’s campaign requires risk. The last thing you want is to have your missing team found or caught napping. A good commander plans all eventualities before going into battle. A bad commander at best spends more resources than he can spend because he did not plan for things to go wrong and at worst he will fail, lose his reputation, and will never be allowed to be in the field in the future.

Make sure you can balance the budget. If expenses are high and the funder is unlikely to cover these costs, seek contributions elsewhere or use your own resources to make up the shortfall. Do not rush the application or leave it to the last minute. Put some of your own resources into putting together the best application you can. If you don’t plan for risks, YOU can be trapped with a much larger financial contribution to avoid failure, loss of reputation, and successful future applications.

6. Get the devil out of the details

Don’t let language be a barrier. Putting your plan on paper in the funder’s language doesn’t mean you have to go to great lengths to use sophisticated, technical language. They look for the best strategies to help them achieve their goals. Give it directly and in the simplest way possible so there is no confusion. Minimize the opportunity to ask questions about the risks you pose to them. Leave them no doubt, keeping your explanation as simple as possible, that you mean business. Do not leave anything to chance.

Always answer the questions that are asked. Even if that means repeating what you have said elsewhere. Keep your language simple. Check out the funder’s goals and results. Give them all the documentation they ask for. Make sure you have letters of support and commitment, quotes when requested, and relevant permissions. Make it so easy that someone reviewing your application has everything they need to make the RIGHT decision.

7. First win, then go to battle

A good commander is in control at all times. Do not proceed with any application unless you are sure you have a chance. Before the plan. Become a great strategist with plans and contingencies ready for the right opportunity. Learn from all of your campaigns and use them wisely.

Save yourself time and effort. Go over strategies 1 to 5 and only then throw your gauntlet. Keep your intelligence open looking for the right opportunities. Prepare what you can do in advance considering: who, what, where, when, why and how. Evaluate each project so you can strengthen your funding case and do better next time.

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