Create A Winning Grant Team

When your own team is confused about the grant process, the final product will show it and the funder will notice. Gather a team of the right people and your proposal will be on the right track for success.

Depending on the type of proposal (private foundation, government contract, research study, etc.), you will have different players on your team. Sometimes the grant writer won't be the project lead, but will still be the project manager. In the case of government contracts or research studies, the grant writer won't have the expertise to be the leader. However, as a grant writer, you will still manage the process. You may also be managing several proposals simultaneously and it is good to be able to use the strengths of the experts around you.    

Who Should Be on Your Grant Team

• Proposal writer: the person who actually pulls together all of the required documents, writes the narrative and creates attachments for the submission. The Sensei of grant writing! 
• A finance expert: this can be your CFO, financial associate or accountant. It should be someone who knows about the finances of your organization and the program or project at hand. This should not be the person who only enters numbers into a database. 
• Program or project expert: this should be the person who knows the program/project needs.  
• Organization leader: this should be someone who has the authority to sign letters, decides how to allocate expenses and who adds leadership to your proposal.

Project Management Tips for Grant Writers

• Trust your teammates to do what they do best. 
• Remember that consensus does not come easily. Keep the lines of communication open and be willing to share ideas.
• Start with a draft that people can respond to rather than asking them to create it from the very beginning. Creativity flows much faster this way.
• Be the process leader. Guide people about the next steps and what needs to be accomplished.
• Ask critical questions early. Don’t wait until the last phase of creation to get answers about your budget expenses or outcomes.

Grant writing is not a one-person job. Use the expertise and insight from others in your organization to build a proposal that effectively describes what you want to do and how you are going to do it. If you take the time to involve all the players from the beginning, you will set yourself up for success when you receive the grant award and during the reporting process. When people appreciate what it takes to secure grant funding, they are more willing to help you see it through. Go Team!

~Cheers!