Tools
Creating a Grantseeking Calendar for 2010
by Cynthia M. Adams, CEO GrantStation
Building a Grants Strategy – Part 5
Cynthia M. Adams will be teaching an interactive webinar on
Creating a Grantseeking Calendar on February 25.
Click here to learn more and sign up for this webinar
After you have narrowed the field to the best possible set of grantmakers for your projects and collected background information on each grantmaker, your next task is to build a grants strategy around each project.
The idea behind a strategy is to build in enough funding to absorb any denials, so the total amount indicated in your strategy will often add up to more then the amount needed for a specific project. You may find that you don’t have to submit the last few requests in your strategy if your initial grant proposals are successful.
Here is a sample strategy:
| Grantmaker | Amount to request |
Deadline |
NPS – Rivers, Trails & Conservation |
Tech Assistance | Open |
First National Bank of Arkansas |
$ 4,500.00 | Quarterly |
Arkansas Power and Light |
$ 4,500.00 | Quarterly |
The Arkansas Trail Society |
$ 9,000.00 | Feb 8, 2011 |
National Recreational Trails Program |
$50,000.00 | May 2011 |
USDA – Public Facilities Grant |
$50,000.00 | May 3, 2011 |
Alfred Logan Family Foundation |
$25,000.00 | May 7, 2011 |
Arkansas Wildlife & Recreation Program |
$20,000.00 | June 15, 2011 |
Benjamin Family Trust |
$18,000.00 | June 17, 2011 |
The Conservation Fund |
$45,000.00 | June 21, 2011 |
The Founders Trust |
$85,000.00 | July 18, 2011 |
The following information about the targeted grantmakers will help in the design of an overall grants strategy:
- From our research we know the NPS Technical Assistance Program can provide the planning document that is critical to moving this project forward. We have talked with the NPS program officer and it appears we meet all of their criteria for assistance. This application process only requires filling out the proper forms and showing support from our Board of Directors. There is no deadline, and the turn around time is about six weeks. We can place a value of approximately $5,000.00 on the development of this plan.
- The two local businesses identified do not have deadlines, but they both review grant requests quarterly. From our discussions with these businesses we know that once we have a plan in place we can submit the planning document, along with a cover letter, as our grant request. Securing $10,000.00 in local support for this project will help motivate other grantmakers’ involvement, so we want to secure this money up front.
- The Arkansas Trail Society is a natural partner. It is important to not only secure funding from this source, but also their endorsement of the overall project. Support from this statewide trail society will help leverage a larger commitment from the National Recreational Trails Program. Once the planning document is completed, and local funding committed, we will apply for a $9,000.00 grant to match local support. (This is our first real deadline, so we will have to build the rest of the grants strategy from this set date, forward. As part of our research we will know when we can expect announcement of the Arkansas Trail Society grant, let’s just say March 2011. At this point we will have secured the planning document, and about $18,000.00 in grant awards.)
- Both the National Recreational Trails Program and the USDA Public Facilities Grant applications are due in May. Using the planning document prepared with the assistance of the NPS, and having demonstrated local and regional grant support of the project for about $18,000.00, we can request support from USDA, and potentially come up with a one to one match via the National Recreational Trails Program.
- If we have not secured enough funding from the grantmakers identified and are running out of options, then we will prepare a larger grant request to The Founders Trust in mid-July.
The overall idea is clear: secure any non-cash donations (and label that donation with a “value”), identify and secure local and/or regional funds, and then start applying for the larger grants using non-cash donations and grant awards you’ve secured so far as leverage.
Preparing the Grantseeking Calendar
The next step is to integrate each grants strategy into a working calendar. This is actually fairly easy considering the amount of work you’ve accomplished getting to this point.
Each strategy identifies a set of grantmakers to whom you will apply. Try working backwards from the deadline date to create a work schedule that will provide plenty of time to prepare each proposal.
At times you will identify the same grantmaker for more than one project. As part of your research (see Search Tips in the previous article) you should have a conversation with the grantmaker to determine which project they might be most interested in funding. It’s possible that the grantmaker will be interested in both projects, particularly if you are applying at two different times within the 12 to 18 month working timeline you’ve established.
My rule of thumb is to submit your grant request two weeks before the due date. Submitting early increases your chances of funding. Let’s say something is missing from your package, or there are specific questions about the request. The grantmaker is more likely to contact you for clarification if you have submitted well before the due date. If your proposal arrives at the last minute with dozens, if not hundreds, of other proposals, the request goes through the in-take process without any special attention. Submitting early also builds credibility for your organization and demonstrates that your request isn’t a last minute appeal but part of an overall strategy.
With the two week “rule” in mind, a proposal to the Arkansas Trail Society, due February 8, 2011 would show up as “due” on the grants calendar as January 25, 2011. It usually takes about two or three weeks to draft the proposal and gather the attachments, and two weeks to polish a well-drafted grant request.
Following is a sample entry on the grantseeking calendar for the Arkansas Trail Society grant request:
| Grantmaker | Start date |
Draft date |
Submission date |
Arkansas Trail Society |
December 15, 2010 |
January 9, 2011 |
January 25, 2011 |
Occasionally there will be other deadlines that are critical to note on your calendar such as “Request letters of support” or “Get collaborative to sign the Memorandum of Understanding.” Be sure to include these dates in the calendar.
It’s important to make your calendar as detailed as possible so that you don’t have to scramble to get essential items together at the last minute. Forgetting small details, such as a signed Memorandum of Understanding with your collaborative partners, can hold up the submission of a request.
Here's a template for your Grantseeking Calendar (DOC) and some points to keep in mind when working with it:
- Treat the deadlines on your grantseeking calendar as if they are written in stone. You will probably have dozens of deadlines for proposals and for grant reports to meet during the course of a year. A schedule committed to a calendar will be a lifesaver.
- Post your grantseeking calendar on the wall (in your office or in the hall outside your door). This will make it obvious to everyone who comes into your office that your schedule is full and that you don’t have the time to prepare a grant request that is not on your schedule.
- Keep your grantseeking calendar up-to-date by removing proposals that have been submitted. It is helpful to move submitted requests to a grants tracking form in order to keep track of all of the grant requests that are denied and those that are funded.
It is common knowledge that getting a grant request funded can be tough. Here is a quote that you might want to post near your grantseeking calendar to keep everyone’s expectations in line.
“On average foundations award grants to between 5% and 10% of those who apply, and in many cases less.”
However, it is also important to remember that people give to people. A strategy behind every project demonstrates that you have a vision, which encourages grantmakers to join you in making that vision a reality.
Other articles in this series:
Main Page
Part 1 – Adopting a Process
Part 2 –Developing a Decision Matrix
Part 3 – Identifying Needed Funding
Part 4 – Generating a Grants Strategy
Part 5 – Establishing a Grantseeking Calendar
This Tracks to Success article was edited by Julie Kaufman. If you have any questions, comments, suggestions, useful tips, or are interested in writing a series for us, please email our Research team, or call our toll-free number: 877-784-7268.