“Do I Need a Consultant to Apply for a Grant?”

Honestly, the answer is probably no, you do not need a consultant to apply for a grant.

I’ve never seen a grant that obligated the applicant (through the application guidelines or the program requirements) to utilize a consultant. There’s no special certification or particular program of education needed to be a grants consultant. While some tools exists, there aren’t even tools that are “must haves” for this field beyond the basics of a computer, the internet, and basic word processing and spreadsheet software, and a heck of a lot of time.  Why, then, do we even exist? Do we serve any purpose at all? Of course I feel that we do. Our value is similar to that of most consultants: this is what we do all day long, so we know the field.

It’s not that grants are so complicated that the average person can’t figure them out, it’s really just that the average person doesn’t always have time to devote to the work of researching grant opportunities and writing grant applications and usually isn’t familiar enough with the field to know what’s out there, where to look, and how the various funding processes work. That’s where consultants come into play.

Do grants consultants know all there is to know about grants? Absolutely not. Unfortunately, the grants field is not always a clear one. Even those of us doing grants all day every day for years do not have all of the answers. There are many, many grant funders and even many more funding streams in the US. All of this involves countless individuals who participate in the program development, application review, and program oversight and evaluation processes along the way. While there are similarities among the many grant funding streams, each works a little differently. A consultant with a strong background in funding research who has applied to many funding streams multiple times is going to be able to offer the applicant solid direction and valuable input throughout the grant identification, application, and implementation and evaluation processes based on knowledge and experience, but cannot know every possible caveat or potential outcome for every program. There are simply too many variables. This is also why no grants consultant can guarantee with 100% certainty that your grant will win if the grant program is competitive.

So what are you paying for and why? Why take the risk of investing in a consultant if you don’t even know if you’ll win the grant? If you hire a grants consultant, you’re paying for time and knowledge. You still have to participate in the process no matter what, and your time contribution may be significant depending on the application, but it will be notably lessened with a consultant’s assistance. This frees you up to do all of the other things you’re supposed to be doing all day, like your regular job and meeting your home and other personal obligations. Our client contacts tend to be highly productive, intelligent, and resourceful folks that simply don’t have the time to devote to writing applications alone, learning how various grant programs work, or designing appropriate program evaluation plans. Basically, our job is to lighten their load by helping out with the grant work and advising them based on what we’ve seen over the years. While consultants don’t know everything, simply working regularly in the field provides a wealth of knowledge about basic grant processes, how to obtain information, program histories and current funding availability, and specific program rules—both publicly released and otherwise. A good consultant should be able to improve your chances of winning grants—in the immediate and long-term. Even if you don’t win the first grant the consultant writes, simply working with the consultant through the process should demystify the process some so that moving forward you have a better sense of how to grants work and what is required for success.

Is it possible to just go it alone? Absolutely. You can apply for and implement and evaluate grants without assistance if you have at least the minimum resources needed to do so.

So what are the crucial, minimal resources needed to be successful in the grants arena?

• A computer with the internet and word processing and spreadsheet software
• Solid writing skills
• Time management skills and the ability to adhere to deadlines
• Organizational skills
• Time
• Basic knowledge of the requirements of the program you are applying to or implementing funding from (At barest minimum, this would mean knowledge of the RFP for research applications, implementation, and evaluation, plus knowledge of any evaluation guidelines established by the funder for implementation and evaluation.)

If you have more resources than the above—for examples, in depth or historical knowledge of programs, particularly strong writing skills, a good editor, an evaluator or assessment professional, or a coalition of organizations or individuals that will support you throughout the process—you’re likely to increase your chances or level of success. A good consultant—and do be sure to get a good one with experience in the area you’re focused on, if you’re going to invest the money—can help here.

Three Weeks Left in the 2011 PEP Application Period!

2011 PEP applications are due three weeks from tomorrow. How are you doing? Where are you at in your proposal development process? Maybe you’re wondering where you should be at by this point. As long as you submit by 4:30pm Washington, DC time on May 13^th, it doesn’t matter terribly what your process looked like for getting to that point, but if you’re looking for direction, here’s an idea of what you should be doing in the final three weeks.

 

At this point, you should have already:

• Created a grants.gov account for the applicant agency or updated the existing account. If you haven’t done this yet, go to http://grants.gov/applicants/get_registered.jsp today. Account set-up can take one day or several weeks, and submission through this system is required in 2011.
• Gathered data and information to substantiate the need for your proposed project. Need information must include but should not be limited to School Health Index (SHI) scores for Modules 1-4 for each school/building participating in your project if you are a local educational agency (LEA) applicant or a community-based organization (CBO) with a school partner. If you are a CBO with no partnering school, you need to conduct another formal need assessment and include those results in your application.
• Met with key project team members and stakeholders to determine the direction your project will take in order to address needs identified.
• Made at least an initial contact with any project partners.
• Begun collecting sales quotes and other cost information and started assembling your budget narrative.
• Downloaded the grants.gov application package, familiarized yourself with how it works and what you will need to do to load the package, and begun filling out the required federal forms.

*Any tasks above not yet completed should be taken care of immediately.

 

This week you should:

• Gather any outstanding need data.
• Finalize your project design, including determining your project timeline.
• Finalize your management plan. Ensure adequate time will be committed to overseeing the implementation of the project!
• Finalize your partnerships and request any signed partnership agreements or letters needed.
• Gather any outstanding budget information and complete a full draft of the budget. Check to see that your proposed match meets the matching requirement. (For information on the matching requirement and calculating match, see pages 21 and 22 of the RFP.)
• Full draft your narrative.
• Continue working on federal forms and assurances and draft the required national evaluation participation commitment letter. Print completed items and obtain superintendent or executive director signatures. Scan them in and upload them to your grant package. Even though grants.gov provides an electronic signature, the actual signatures are also required per the RFP.
• Request any appendices items needed from others such as job descriptions, resumes, and the indirect cost rate proof.

 

Next week you should:

• Collect any outstanding appendices items and load them on to your grant package.
• Meet with key team members to review the budget and make any need budget revisions. Finalize your budget by week’s end so that you have time to fill out the federal 524 budget form, enter budget numbers in the federal 424 form on the grants.gov package, and complete your narrative ensuring it fully justifies all items in your budget.
• Collect any outstanding letters, partnership agreements, forms, and assurances with signatures and load them on to your grant package.
• Revise your narrative.
• Write an abstract.

 

The final week you should:

• Have another person read your narrative to ensure clarity, then finalize your narrative. Remember the narrative is limited to 25 double-spaced pages using 11- or 12-point Times New Roman, Courier, Courier New, or Arial font with one-inch margins. (Arial Narrow and Times Roman are no longer allowed.)
• Complete the Screening Form included on page 113 of the RFP and load it on to your grant package.
• Load all remaining documents to your grants.gov package. Remember only PDF files will be accepted.
• Submit your grant early. If you can submit two or more days before the deadline, that is ideal. Grants.gov has a multi-step process for accepting applications that involves applicant receipt of a total of four confirmation emails. It can take up to two days to receive all four emails. If all emails are not received, or an email is received stating there is a problem with the application, you will only be able to go in and fix and resubmit the application if the deadline has not yet passed. Hence, you should aim to submit two or more days early if at all possible.

 

Good luck!!

 

Three New OSDFS Technical Assistance Webinar Opportunities for Potential PEP Grant Applications

The Dept. of Ed has announced the following:

The Office of Safe and Drug-Free Schools will be conducting three  technical assistance webinars designed to assist applicants to better understand various aspects of the 2011 application process for grants under the Carol M. White Physical Education Program (CFDA 84.215F).

 

The first two, held on Tuesday, April 19, 2011 are identical and provide basic information about PEP.  Select the one that best fits into your schedule.  In addition, if you would like more information about SHI, BMI, HECAT, & PECAT,  you may also want to attend the webinar on Thursday, April 21, 2011.

 

You will find specific information related to these conference calls pasted below, or  you can access the information on our website at: www.ed.gov/programs/whitephysed/applicant.html.

 

 

PEP TECHNICAL ASSISTANCE WEBINAR SCHEDULE

 

 

1. 1. Technical Assistance Webinar for 2011 PEP Applicants – Basic Information

Date: Tuesday, April 19, 2011

Time: 10:00 am, Eastern Daylight Time

Meeting Number: 745 723 332
Meeting Password: OSDFS

——————————————————-
To join the online meeting (Now from iPhones and other Smartphones too!)
1. Go to https://educate.webex.com/educate/j.php?ED=145829037&UID=0&PW=NYmY5MDUxZGZi&RT=MiMxMQ%3D%3D
2. Enter your name and email address.
3. Enter the meeting password: OSDFS
4. Click “Join Now”.

——————————————————-
To join the teleconference only
Please dial in using the information below:
Dial in number: 1-800-593-9940
Passcode: 5625816
——————————————————-
For assistance
1. Go to https://educate.webex.com/educate/mc
2. On the left navigation bar, click “Support”.

 

 

 

 

1. 2. Technical Assistance Webinar for 2011 PEP Applicants – Basic Information

Date: Tuesday, April 19, 2011
Time: 2:00 pm, Eastern Daylight Time

Meeting Number: 744 238 674
Meeting Password: OSDFS
——————————————————-
To join the online meeting (Now from iPhones and other Smartphones too!)
1. Go to https://educate.webex.com/educate/j.php?ED=145828192&UID=0&PW=NMDkxZTQwNjc2&RT=MiMxMQ%3D%3D
2. Enter your name and email address.
3. Enter the meeting password: OSDFS
4. Click “Join Now”.
——————————————————-
To join the teleconference only
Please dial in using the information below:
Dial in number: 1-800-593-9940
Participant code: 5625816
——————————————————-
For assistance
1. Go to https://educate.webex.com/educate/mc
2. On the left navigation bar, click “Support”.

 

 

 

1. 3. Technical Assistance Webinar for 2011 PEP Applicants – SHI, BMI, HECAT, & PECAT

Date: Thursday, April 21, 2011
Time: 3:00 pm, Eastern Daylight Time

Meeting Number: 749 562 391
Meeting Password: OSDFS

——————————————————-
To join the online meeting (Now from iPhones and other Smartphones too!)
1. Go to https://educate.webex.com/educate/j.php?ED=145828252&UID=0&PW=NNThkMThjYmU0&RT=MiMxMQ%3D%3D
2. Enter your name and email address.
3. Enter the meeting password: OSDFS
4. Click “Join Now”.
——————————————————-
To join the teleconference only
Please dial in using the information below:
Dial in number: 1-800-593-9940
Passcode: 5625816
——————————————————-
For assistance
1. Go to https://educate.webex.com/educate/mc
2. On the left navigation bar, click “Support”.

 

 

NOTE: The opinions expressed herein may not always reflect the views of the Office of Safe and Drug-Free Schools or the U.S. Department of Education and should not be viewed as an endorsement..   If you think ED’s SAFE AND SUPPORTIVE SCHOOLS NEWS would be helpful to a friend or colleague, please send them to: gov/news/newsletters/listserv/preventioned.html .   To access the OSDFS web site please go to: http://www2.ed.gov/about/offices/list/osdfs/index.html. .

 

 

 

SAVE THE DATE - August 8-10, 2011 ~~ OSDFS 2011 National Conference entitled Making the Connection:  Creating and Maintaining Conditions for Learning

 

Carefully Develop Your 2011 PEP Proposal to Communicate Value to Congress

Congress has just made cuts of historic proportions to the 2011 federal budget. (The 2011 federal budget year began 10/1/2011.) A wide range of programs saw their funding reduced or were cut completely. Deeper cuts are likely to be seen in the 2012 budget.

 

Many organizations have been and are responding by asking you to write letters to Congress to express your support for various programs, including the PEP grant program in particular. While I agree there is a place for those efforts in this process as programs are reviewed for their value because, ultimately funds are finite, I’m now recommending a slightly different approach, a two-process…

 

Step 1:

Do an amazing job on your grant proposal. Really, seriously. Write an absolutely stellar proposal that articulates a clear plan that is highly responsive specifically to your local need (not just generalized state or national need) and likely to work. Be sure your budget is large enough to accomplish your goals, objectives, and outcomes but modest enough to be financially reasonable. Don’t pad your budget, and don’t ask for things you don’t need. There is no generic amount that is too large for any particular size population from a competitiveness standpoint: you can request whatever you need to as long as you can justify your request. That said, don’t go overboard. Some of the education programs cut first this year were programs with histories of funding many bloated budgets that only led to marginal results. If you don’t want that to be the case for PEP, think bang for your buck.

 

Step 2:

Call your Congressional Office and ask to speak to the person in charge of appropriations and/or grants after asking to (and almost certainly being denied) speak to the actual Congressional Representative or Senator. Explain your personal involvement with PEP–whether that’s as an applicant hoping to receive funding in 2011 or a previously funded grantee. Many conversations have taken place and many letters have been sent outlining the basic, generalized need for this funding. It’s time to drill down to the local communities that are actually being impacted and how. You should plan out what you want to say ahead of time and make notes, because you may not be able to talk for more than a short time. Explain the specific needs your target population has, what you’ve done or what you plan to do, and how you know what you’re proposing will work or what key positive results you saw after grant implementation. This latter item is really, really important. Programs need to be valuable—showing results—to continue. This is always true, but it’s especially true right now during these dire financial straights. After your call, follow up with a letter reiterating what you said. If you’re applying for the grant this year, consider sending a copy of your proposal once it is complete. This is unlikely to affect your ability to win an award in during the competition, but it may be a valuable illustration of what specifically schools and community-based organizations are trying to do with PEP grant funds, which could be beneficial for keeping the program in the budget in the future.

 

In summary, if you want to see PEP continue to be funded, make an effort to show your members of Congress that this program is making a difference and that budgets currently being submitted are reasonable for the results to be achieved. Enough generic letters have been sent. It’s time for real conversations and proof of efficacy and cost-effectiveness, if we want to see this program continue.

 

PS You can certainly apply this approach to any federal, state, or local program you’d like to see continued!

 

Take Advantage of FREE PEP Grant Application Support 4/6!

Project Adventure (www.pa.org)—Insight’s exclusive adventure partner—is offering a FREE webinar focused on the 2011 Carol M. White PEP grant Wednesday, 4/6/2011 at 2pm Eastern Time! Project Adventure experts, including Bill Bates and others, will discuss their previous experiences with this grant program, provide tips for engaging stakeholders, and explain how adventure can help applicants meet state PE standards and respond to PEP elements and requirements. I’ll be speaking on the call, too, and my presentation will focus on RFP requirements and application tips. I’ll also be on hand to answer participants’ application-related questions during the event.

 

Project Adventure offers PEP technical assistance teleconferences each year, and they are always valuable. We’ve received terrific feedback from participants over the years, and we anticipate this year’s event will be the best yet! If you’d like to join us, email your name and organization name to registration@pa.org to register.

 

-Rosalie Mangino-Crandall

 

 

Be Sure Your 2011 PEP Application is a 2011 Application!

The PEP grant application/RFP for 2011 is very similar to the application for 2010, however, some changes have been made since the last competition. Note that all RFP changes—large or small—are important! Be sure you submit an application that is developed and assembled based on the newest PEP RFP to ensure you are in a position to score as many points as possible. You can obtain a copy of the official RFP at http://www2.ed.gov/programs/whitephysed/applicant.html.

 

The most notable changes this year are the deadline, submission mode, and Selection Criteria.

• The 2011 PEP deadline is May 13, 2011. If you assume the deadline is the same as 2010 (July 19), you’ll miss the application period by more than two months.
• In 2011, applicants must submit their grants using grants.gov rather than e-grants.ed.gov as required last year. Register your organization now for a grants.gov account, or update your existing account to ensure a smooth and timely submission.
• Among the Selection Criteria, one criterion from 2010 has been removed (the criterion referencing target population previously placed in section B2), and two new criteria have been added. Below are the Selection Criteria for 2011 PEP according to pages 33-35 of the RFP. Criteria B2 and C2 are new this year. See the RFP for notes on what should be included to respond to each criterion.

 

Selection Criteria

(A) Need for the Project.

(1) The extent to which specific gaps or weaknesses in services, infrastructure, or opportunities have been identified and will be addressed by the proposed project, including the nature and magnitude of those gaps or weaknesses. (10 Points)

(B) Quality of the Project Design. (40 Points)

(1) The extent to which the goals, objectives, and outcomes to be achieved by the proposed project are clearly specified and measurable. (10 Points)

(2) The extent to which performance feedback and continuous improvement are integral to the design of the proposed project. (10 points)

(3) The extent to which the proposed project is designed to build capacity and yield results that will extend beyond the period of Federal financial assistance. (10 Points)

(4) The extent to which the proposed project will be coordinated with similar or related efforts, and with other appropriate community, State, and Federal resources. (10 Points)

(C) Quality of the Management Plan. (30 Points)

(1) The adequacy of the management plan to achieve the objectives of the proposed project on time and within budget, including clearly defined responsibilities, timelines, and milestones for accomplishing project tasks. (15 Points)

(2) The extent to which the time commitments of the project director and principal investigator and other key personnel are appropriate and adequate to meet the objectives of the proposed project. (15 Points)

(D) Quality of the Project Evaluation. (20 Points)

(1) The extent to which the methods of evaluation are thorough, feasible, and appropriate to the goals, objectives, and outcomes of the proposed project. (10 Points)

(2) The extent to which the methods of evaluation will provide performance feedback and permit periodic assessment of progress toward achieving intended outcomes. (10 Points)

 

 

Carol M. White PEP is now open!

PEP is now open! The official grant deadline is 5/13/2011.

 

The Federal Register posting is at: http://edocket.access.gpo.gov/2011/2011-7349.htm.

 

The full RFP will be posted to http://www2.ed.gov/programs/whitephysed/applicant.html later today or in the next few days.

 

Best of luck to all!

 

2011 Carol M. White PEP Grant Competition

The announcement for the 2011 Carol M. White PEP grant competition is finally in queue for tomorrow’s Federal Register. That means the grant competition is scheduled to open tomorrow. Applications are listed as due 45 days from the date of that posting, so the deadline should be May 11 or 12.

 

Are you applying? If you are interested in applying with Insight’s assistance, email info@insightgrants.com today. We have just a few slots remaining. We have a terrific record of success with this program. In 2010 alone, we had 11 PEP grant winners. As there were only 77 winners across the nation, this means one in seven 2010 PEP winners was an Insight client.

 

Whether you work with Insight or on your own, very best of luck with your application this year!!

 

See the blog tomorrow for the official grant deadline and more information.

 

Communication with Foundations

Grant writing consultants with experience mostly in government grants, or those who have worked for a grant firm or within an organization, often have questions when they begin to communicate with foundations.

While there aren’t necessarily “rules” for the following situations,  here is how Insight generally handles them:

When contacting a grant-making foundation, do you e-mail from your own e-mail address or use an applicant organization member’s address? Do you identify yourself as helping to write the grant, or as a member of the organization, or simply wait to see if you are asked to identify yourself when you contact the foundation?

This depends on the reason for contacting the grant-making foundation. If we are just looking for information to determine whether our client is eligible – what the rules are for applying, where priorities currently lie, etc., we just use our own email addresses, and then pass on what we learn to the client as the information is relevant. If the grant-making foundation needs to be contacted to build a relationship, we usually encourage the applicant to make contact with the foundation because we are consultants and may very well not be in the picture in the future to continue the relationship (though we may advise our client of text to include in the email or phone conversation,  to help them obtain all of the information necessary). Whenever possible, applicant organizations should build their own relationships with their existing and potential funders. That said, in the occasional case the client is not able to do that at the time contact needs to begin, we send emails to the grant-making foundations from our accounts with our client contacts included, so the two entities can be connected and begin building a relationship moving forward.

Can you ask a foundation for examples of Letter of Intent/Grant Applications from previous successful applicants?

You can, but I’m not sure whether you’d get them. It probably depends on the foundation. A better bet may be to obtain a list of some awardees and try to reach out to them directly. Always bear in mind that one organization’s winning application can be another organization’s losing application. Applications must be specific to the applicant in order to be effective. This sometimes means significant presentation differences.

Should the Letter of Intent/Grant be submitted as work of a member of the applicant organization?

I’m not sure it matters. We submit things for our clients all the time and we never say either way who did the work. If you are a consultant rather than a member of the organization and you submit something via email for your client, just be sure you make it clear in your email who at the applicant organization can be contacted with questions, and how (email, phone number). The foundation won’t care who did the writing on the Letter of Intent or application. They just want to receive a well-developed, applicant-specific application and to know who to get in touch with, should they need to.

A Short Break

The bad news is I have to take a break from posting to the blog. I sincerely apologize for the inconvenience to our readers, but the good news is I’m taking the break because Insight will be launching a new main website soon and the blog will become part of that site. The new site is currently under development and already looking great. I will continue to post information on Twitter (insightgrantspe, insightgrantsed, and rosaliecrandall) and will be sure to Tweet when the new site is ready. I believe it will have the same address as our existing site (www.insightgrants.com), so feel free to check for it yourselves, too. If you prefer email and would like to be notified that way when the new site is available and I am posting to the blog again, please send an email with your request to info@insightgrants.com. Thanks! The break should only be a few weeks long, but I know you have many other demands on your time. Don’t forget about us!! ;o) We’ll be back soon.

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