What is the grant cycle?

It is crucial to remember that grant fundraising is a cycle, and cycles always repeat. Grant fundraising is an essential aspect of many organizations, especially those in the nonprofit sector. Grants provide a significant source of funding for a variety of programs and initiatives that these organizations undertake.

The cycle typically involves several stages, including researching potential funding sources, preparing grant proposals, submitting applications, and evaluating the results of the project.

There are many various interpretations of the grant cycle, but the chart below provides a basic overview of how it works.

Research

Good research is key to good projects. Grant cycles are a well-researched aspect of nonprofit fundraising. This phase includes online searches, networking, and sometimes even extensive baseline surveys and evaluations. The first step is to identify potential funders that align with the organization’s mission and goals. This may involve researching foundations, corporations, government agencies, or other organizations that have a track record of supporting similar causes.

Once the potential funders have been identified, the organization must research each funder’s priorities and interests. This may involve reviewing the funder’s website, annual reports, and other publicly available information to gain a deeper understanding of their funding priorities and the types of programs and initiatives they typically support. It provides a solid basis for project planning. This time should also be used to look into who may be interested in funding the project.

Prepare

With the necessary research completed, you can begin working out the project details, budget, and draft proposal. This phase also includes further discussions with potential partners and donors. The project details phase involves defining the goals and objectives of the project, as well as identifying the activities, outputs, and outcomes that will be achieved through the project. This may involve developing a logic model or theory of change to guide the project design and evaluation.

In addition to developing the detailed budget for the project, it involves researching the costs associated with each activity or output, as well as estimating indirect costs such as staff time and overhead. Developing an accurate and realistic budget is critical to the success of the grant proposal, as funders will want to ensure that the proposed project is feasible and cost-effective.

The organization can start creating the grant request once the project’s specifications and budget have been established. This normally involves following the funder’s guidelines, completing the necessary application form, and providing thorough information on the project’s objectives, activities, results, and budget. The proposal must be convincing, straightforward, and comprehensively cover all of the priorities and requirements of the funder.

By investing time and resources in this phase and developing a compelling proposal that meets the needs and priorities of the funder, organizations can increase the chances of securing grant funding and achieving their fundraising and programmatic goals.

Apply

Counter-intuitively, the application phase can in some circumstances be the longest phase of the grant cycle. One common occurrence during the application process is that the donor may request further documentation or information from the organization. This can include additional details on the project plan, budget, or outcomes, or it may involve providing evidence of the organization’s past performance and impact.

In some cases, donors may also wish to negotiate certain aspects of the project proposal. This may involve discussions around the scope of the project, the budget, or the expected outcomes, and it may require the organization to make adjustments to the proposal in order to meet the donor’s requirements. Some donors may wish to arrange a site visit to the organization or project site. This can be an opportunity for the donor to gain a deeper understanding of the organization’s work and impact, and to see firsthand the progress and results of the proposed project.

Many projects will be initially rejected, in which case you may choose to 1) continue applying to other donors, or 2) go back to the research phase. Even if you are accepted, there is often some back-and-forth before the final award is granted.

Implement

Once the project is finally approved and the checks cleared, the actual project work begins. One important aspect of the implementation phase is monitoring the project’s progress and outcomes. This involves tracking the project activities and outputs against the project plan and timeline, as well as measuring progress toward the desired outcomes and impact. Effective monitoring requires the organization to establish clear monitoring systems and indicators and to collect and analyze data on an ongoing basis to assess progress and make any necessary adjustments to the project plan.

Monitoring can also help to ensure that the project stays on track and within budget. By regularly tracking expenses and comparing them against the project budget, organizations can identify any areas where they may need to adjust spending or seek additional funding to complete the project successfully. Make sure proper monitoring occurs throughout the entire project so you are ready for the next phase.

Evaluate

Looking at the results of the project, keep track of your accomplishments as well as where you could improve next time. Use the results of the evaluation to plug back into your research for the next grant.

One key benefit of evaluating and analyzing the project results is that it can provide valuable insights and learning that can be applied to future grant-funded projects. By identifying areas of success and areas for improvement, organizations can use this information to inform their research and planning for future projects and to develop stronger, more effective project proposals that are more likely to secure funding.

There is no standard timetable for the grant cycle- the process can be completed in weeks or months or years. Do note that grant cycles can overlap, so just because you are currently implementing one project does not mean you should stop applying for other projects. Also, is recommended to continue researching and networking year-round.

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