Guest Blog: Learning the Hidden Rules of Federal Grants
Elaine Schmidt is a Grant Professional who is concurrently pursuing her MSW. In today’s guest blog, she shares a bit about what she’s learned in her time grant writing with Jezreel Consulting.
Writing Federal Grants is a bit like applying to college.
While it’s been a while since I applied to college–13 years–I’ve worked in and around admissions at various points in my career. In my work performing foundation, corporate, and now federal grant writing, I can’t help but see the parallels everywhere I turn!
Here’s how it usually goes for college admissions:
First, a student will research schools that match what they’re looking for (small campus? big city life? highly-ranked engineering program?). Identifying schools that align with someone’s financial, personal, and professional needs requires research, soul searching, and figuring out what is attainable and unattainable based on admissions standards.
Then comes the fun part: applications. The student must evaluate what it is they do best and frame their background, needs, and aspirations to a prospective university. The student fills out a litany of forms, writes essays (pouring their soul out in 650 words or less), and gathers letters of recommendation from teachers who can attest to the student’s reliability and likelihood to succeed.
Keeping track of and meeting deadlines for early action versus regular decision can be stressful, especially since school is still going strong during the application cycle.
It’s a mix of excitement, nerves, and “Did I remember to upload that tax document?” moments, but once it’s all submitted, it’s like a massive weight off a student’s shoulders. Then, the waiting game begins.
“Did I get accepted?”
“What will my life look like in a year if I get in…or don’t?”
“How am I going to manage all the work if I am accepted?”
Replace a few words, and you’ve just read the emotional roller coaster that is federal grant writing. But instead of a student figuring out how to take the next step in their growth journey, you’re supporting an organization. And instead of signing up to pay thousands of dollars, you’re signing up to receive thousands of dollars to grow your impact.
Let’s see that play out:
First, the organization will research grants that match what they’re looking for (small business development? big infrastructure grant? highly-competitive energy program?). Identifying grants that align with an organization’s mission, financial and professional needs, and capacity requires research, soul searching, and figuring out what is attainable and unattainable based on grant requirements and how competitive the grant will be.
Then comes the fun part: applications. The organization must evaluate what it is they do best and frame their background, needs, and aspirations to a prospective grant maker. The organization fills out a litany of forms, writes essays (pouring their soul out in 650 words or less), and gathers letters of support from partner organizations and governmental bodies who can attest to the organization’s reliability and likelihood to succeed.
Keeping track of and meeting deadlines can be stressful, especially since programmatic work is still going strong during the application cycle.
It’s a mix of excitement, nerves, and “Did I remember to upload that tax document?” moments, but once it’s all submitted, it’s like a massive weight off an organization’s shoulders. Then, the waiting game begins.
“Will we receive the grant?”
“What will my organization look like in a year if we get it…or don’t?”
“How am I going to manage all the work if we receive this grant?”
Much like the college application process, it’s important to have an advocate who can tell you the unspoken rules of grant writing. Anyone who has worked in admissions knows that the label does not always indicate how the sausage gets made. It takes someone with a deep knowledge of what a university’s admission team–or a grant maker–is prioritizing and looking for.
When I applied to college, my admissions advisor told me that schools like Harvard wouldn’t care if I said, “When I was born, my parents bought me a Harvard onesie, and ever since then I knew Harvard was the place for me!” But schools like Notre Dame–my eventual alma mater (Go Irish!)–loved that kind of essay. Notre Dame was looking for people who fit into a certain campus culture (for better or for worse). Harvard was more interested in whether I’d performed independent research and published a book before the age of 18.
Similarly, each governmental organization has its own grantmaking history, organizational priorities, and personality that grant writers track to more effectively discern which grants to pursue and how to frame an organization for each grant.
One thing is for sure, much like during my college admissions experience, I’m glad to have Fielding as a mentor who shares her insider knowledge about the set of hidden rules and acts as a mentor in my grant writing career. Welcome to the insiders club!
Federal Grants Boot Camp, 2024