September has a particular kind of energy.
Vacations are ending. Calendars are filling. Programs are returning to full speed. Meetings that were postponed “until after Labor Day” have suddenly multiplied.
And the funding opportunity that seemed comfortably far away in July is now due in three weeks.
Before the fall proposal calendar becomes a collection of urgent emails and color-coded panic, take a little time for a reset.
Think of it as cleaning out the grant closet.
Some opportunities still fit. Some need attention. Some have been sitting there for months because nobody wants to admit they were never right for the organization in the first place.
A fall reset does not have to become a two-day retreat or a complete overhaul of your development operation. Set aside 60 to 90 minutes with the right people and work through the following areas.
First, empty the closet
Begin by making one complete list of the funding opportunities your organization is:
- Actively pursuing
- Considering
- Monitoring
- Expecting to renew
- Planning to research further
Do not rely on one person’s inbox, memory, or assortment of browser tabs.
For each opportunity, record the funder, program name, expected request amount, deadline, current status, responsible staff member, and next action.
You may discover duplicate research, expired opportunities, opportunities nobody officially decided to pursue, or “maybe” opportunities that have occupied mental space for months.
That is useful information.
You cannot prioritize what you cannot see.
Decide what still fits
The goal is not to submit as many proposals as possible.
The goal is to pursue the opportunities that offer a strong match between the funder’s priorities, the organization’s mission, the proposed program, the people affected, the amount available, and the organization’s capacity to carry out the work.
For each opportunity, ask:
- Is the organization eligible?
- Does the program genuinely advance the organization’s priorities?
- Is the funder interested in this kind of work?
- Is the amount appropriate for the proposed program?
- Can the organization meet the requirements?
- Is there enough time to develop a thoughtful proposal?
- Would the organization still want to undertake this work if the funding were awarded?
That last question is particularly important.
A funding opportunity can be exciting enough to make an organization temporarily forget that it never planned to start the program being proposed.
Sometimes the best outcome of a grant review meeting is a clear decision not to apply.
Check the calendar—not just the deadline
A deadline is not a work plan.
If a proposal is due October 15, the internal deadline cannot also be October 15.
Work backward and include time for:
- Reviewing the opportunity
- Confirming the program design
- Gathering community input and organizational data
- Developing the budget
- Requesting partner commitments
- Drafting the narrative
- Collecting attachments
- Reviewing for accuracy and consistency
- Securing leadership approval
- Uploading and submitting the application
Make room for reality.
The finance director may be closing the month. The executive director may be traveling. A partner may need two weeks to approve a letter. The online portal may reject an attachment because it dislikes the file name, the font, or the general direction of your life.
An internal schedule gives the team time to solve problems while they are still ordinary problems.
Update the information everyone keeps reusing
Many organizations have a proposal folder containing several versions of the same material:
- Three staff lists
- Four program descriptions
- Two conflicting annual budgets
- An evaluation plan from 2022
- A board list titled “FINAL”
- Another board list titled “FINAL NEW”
- A third board list titled “USE THIS ONE”
September is an excellent time to identify the current versions of frequently requested information.
Review and update:
- Mission and organizational history
- Current programs and service areas
- Leadership and staff information
- Board list
- Organizational and program budgets
- Audited financial statements
- IRS determination letter
- Most recent annual report
- Demographic and community data
- Evaluation findings
- Major accomplishments
- Partner information
- Standard attachments and certifications
Then decide where the approved versions will live and who is responsible for maintaining them.
A shared folder is only helpful when people know which documents are trustworthy.
Look for gaps before a funder finds them
Now review the programs for which you expect to seek funding this fall.
Can the team clearly describe the problem, activities, participants, timeline, outcomes, evaluation approach, staffing, partnerships, and costs?
Where are the gaps?
Perhaps the organization has a strong program but outdated community data. Perhaps the budget does not account for administrative time. Perhaps an expected partner has not agreed to the role described for them. Perhaps the team tracks attendance but cannot yet explain what changed for participants.
These are not merely proposal problems.
They are planning problems that the proposal process has revealed.
Finding them early gives the organization time to address them honestly instead of covering them with vague language at 11:30 p.m. on the night of the deadline.
Reconnect the narrative and the budget
The budget should tell the same story as the proposal narrative.
If the narrative promises eight workshops, the budget should reflect the people, space, materials, transportation, technology, and other resources needed to deliver eight workshops.
If the budget includes a consultant, the narrative should explain what that consultant will do.
If the program depends on donated space, volunteer time, or another form of in-kind support, the proposal should treat those contributions consistently and according to the funder’s instructions.
Use the reset to compare the program plan and budget before drafting begins.
A beautiful narrative attached to an unrealistic budget is not a strong proposal.
Confirm who is doing what
Fall gets busy for everyone.
Do not assume people remember the responsibilities discussed during a meeting in May.
For each priority proposal, identify:
- The proposal lead
- The program lead
- The budget lead
- The person gathering data and attachments
- The person communicating with partners
- The reviewers
- The final approver
- The authorized submitter
Then assign actual dates.
This is also the time to ask whether the team has enough capacity. If the same person is leading six proposals in four weeks while also running a program, the problem is not that the person needs a more attractive spreadsheet.
The organization needs to make choices.
End with three lists
At the end of the reset, create three short lists.
Pursue
These opportunities are strong matches and will receive the necessary time and attention.
Research or cultivate
These may be promising, but the organization needs more information, stronger relationships, or better program planning before applying.
Release
These are no longer priorities, are poor matches, or cannot be pursued responsibly right now.
“Release” may be the most satisfying list of all.
A good fall reset will not eliminate every stressful deadline. It will, however, replace uncertainty with decisions, clarify who is responsible for what, and help the organization invest its limited time where it matters most.
So open the grant closet.
Keep what fits the organization’s mission and plans. Repair what needs attention. And let go of the opportunities you were never going to pursue well.
The Grantsmanship Center helps organizations build the planning, proposal development, funder research, and grants management skills needed to pursue funding with clarity and confidence. For more information, visit our website: tgci.com
Get funding. Create change.
