Writing Successful Grants KnowledgeBase

This KnowledgeBase archive includes content and external links that were accurate and relevant as of September 30, 2019.

The Writing Successful Grants KnowledgeBase is an online resource aiding education professionals in their pursuit of public and private grants to support local programs. Its five elements contain information and resources that assist the grant seeker with developing their project, writing the grant proposal and managing the grant upon its award.

Task 1: Establish Contact with Funding Source

Guideline: Prior to proceeding with the grant proposal, the grant seeker should initiate contact with the funding source to identify requirements, resolve questions, and begin to develop a level of rapport with the funder's project lead. Doing so, enhances the prospects of submitting a successful grant proposal.

Resources

Checklists

Contact with a Governmental Agency

Seekers of governmental grants may have questions about the proposal guidelines, grant schedules, and details about the grant being sought. This checklist delineates reasons and means to contact an agency and the information generally sought.

Questions for Past Grantees

When gathering information about a potential funding source, it is helpful to contact past grantees to discover what made them successful. This list of seven questions will serve as a starting point in the discussion with past grantees.

Questions for Past Reviewers

One strategy for learning more about a funding source is to contact past proposals reviewers about the review process. This list of questions could be used when interviewing reviewers to tailor the proposal to the grant funder's requirements.

Questions for the Program Officer

Contacting a potential funding source helps the grant seeker determine what the funding source is looking for in a proposal and how you can tailor their proposal to better meet those requirements. This checklist provides questions to ask the program officer.

References

Can We Talk? Contacting Grant Program Officers

This article authored by the University of Tennessee's Director of Research Development Robert Porter, Ph.D., explores the importance of developing relationships with sponsored research program officers. Though the article's focus is on contact with federal agencies funding sponsored research, all grant seekers may find its content useful. Particularly useful may be a sample approach to contacting program officers.

Grantmaking at ED

This U.S. Department of Education document answers questions about the discretionary grants process.