Is Your Organization Prepared to Manage a Grant?

By Dr. Teresa A. Smith

Applying for a grant can require hours of research, planning, writing, and gathering documents. Before your organization invests that time, you need to know whether it is prepared to manage the funding if the application is approved.

You may have found a grant that could help you expand a program, serve more people, hire staff, purchase supplies, or respond to a need in your community. You may even meet the basic eligibility requirements. However, eligibility tells you whether your organization is allowed to apply. It does not tell you whether your team has the people, financial systems, and reporting processes needed to manage the grant.

Before anyone begins writing the application, answer three questions:

1. Who will manage the grant money?
2. Who will collect the required program information?
3. Who will make sure every deadline is met?

Your answers can help you decide whether your organization is prepared to apply or whether some internal systems need attention first.

Who Will Manage the Grant Money?

Receiving a grant does not mean your organization can spend the money however it chooses. The funds must be used according to the approved budget and the funder's requirements.

Someone needs to monitor expenses, maintain accurate financial records, review purchases, and make sure the money is being used for its approved purpose. Ask who will manage the budget, who will approve purchases, how expenses will be documented, and who will compare spending to the approved budget.

Also consider what will happen when someone wants to make a purchase that was not included in the budget. Having a process for answering that question before the grant begins can prevent problems later. A strong program idea still needs a reliable financial process behind it.

Who Will Collect the Required Information?

Funders typically require organizations to document how grant-funded work is being carried out. Depending on the grant, your team may need to track who received services, what activities were provided, how funds were spent, and information connected to the results of the program.

Waiting until a report is due to gather this information can leave your team searching through emails, attendance records, receipts, and program notes. A clear process allows your organization to document its work as it happens.

Before applying, ask what information will need to be collected, who will collect it, where records will be stored, how often they will be reviewed, and who will check them for accuracy. Your organization should also consider how private information will be protected and make sure staff members and partners understand their responsibilities.

Who Will Keep the Organization on Schedule?

The work does not end when a grant is awarded. Your organization may have progress reports, financial reports, reimbursement requests, program information, and other requirements throughout the grant period.

A shared calendar can help your team track those responsibilities, but a calendar cannot complete the work. Each requirement needs someone responsible for making sure it gets done.

Decide who will monitor deadlines, prepare the required information, and review documents before they are submitted. Setting internal deadlines before the funder's deadlines can also give your team time to find missing information or correct errors. When everyone assumes someone else will handle a responsibility, important tasks can be overlooked.

What If Your Organization Does Not Have Every Answer?

Discovering a gap does not automatically mean your organization should abandon the opportunity. It may simply mean that writing the application is not the next step.

Perhaps you need to identify who will manage the grant, strengthen a financial procedure, create a better way to collect program information, or clarify responsibilities among staff members and partners. You may also need to determine whether your team actually has the time and capacity to complete the proposed work.

Finding those gaps before applying gives you an opportunity to address them. That is far better than receiving funding and then discovering that your organization does not have the structure needed to manage it.

Preparation Protects the Program

A grant can help your organization address an important community need. It also brings rules, deadlines, documentation, and responsibilities.

Before investing time in an application, look beyond whether your organization qualifies. Return to the three questions: Who will manage the money? Who will collect the information? Who will make sure every deadline is met?

Everybody wants the grant. The larger goal is to make sure your organization can manage the funding, complete the proposed work, and serve the people who are counting on the program.

If your organization has found a grant and needs help determining whether it is prepared to apply, visit ASKDRTAS.com to connect with Dr. Teresa A. Smith