Questions to Ask When Writing a Grant
For grant writers, development staff and anyone at a nonprofit, school or community group with a proposal to prepare. Some of these questions are for the funder's program officer, some for the colleagues who run the program and keep the books, and the rest you answer yourself as the draft takes shape. They are grouped in the order the work runs: whether to apply at all, what this funder is looking for, the need, the plan and its outcomes, the money, and getting it submitted.
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The questions
Each question, and why to ask it
Fit
Do we meet every eligibility requirement in the guidelines, exactly as written?
Why ask it
Go down the list before anything else: legal status, location, budget size, years in operation, type of applicant. One unmet line can end an application however good the writing is, so where the wording is unclear, ask the funder and keep the reply.
Does this funder pay for the kind of work we are proposing, or are we bending the program to fit the call?
Why ask it
Put your project summary next to the funder's stated priorities and read them together. If you had to add a new component to make the match, reviewers tend to notice, and you would be committed to running that component if the money came.
What has this funder paid for in the last few years, and in what amounts?
Why ask it
Look for a list of past awards on the funder's website, in its annual report or in whatever public filings exist where it is based. The list shows the usual grant size and the kind of organization that gets funded more plainly than the guidelines do. If nothing on it resembles you, raise that with the program officer before you write.
What size of request is realistic for an organization like ours?
Why ask it
Start from the past awards: what this funder has given to organizations with a budget near yours is the best guide to a first request. Many program officers will not name a figure but will react to one, so if you get a conversation, say the number you have in mind and listen to what comes back. When your figure sits well above the usual grant, ask whether a smaller first request or one phase of the project would be the better way in.
Do we have the staff time to write this well, and then to run it and report on it if it is funded?
Why ask it
Add up the hours for drafting, chasing attachments and, later, the reports. Then ask the program lead whether the project can be delivered on top of current work. A small award can cost more to manage than it brings in, and passing on it is a reasonable decision.
Is the program officer open to a conversation before we apply, and how do they want to be approached?
Why ask it
Some funders welcome a call, some want a short letter of inquiry first, and some ask applicants not to make contact at all. The guidelines usually say which. Follow the stated route, since going around it is a poor way to be introduced.
Here is our project in two sentences. Does it sound like a fit for this program?
Why ask it
This one is for the program officer, and writing the two sentences beforehand is useful work in itself. A lukewarm reply has just saved you several weeks. Follow it by asking what would make the project a closer match, or whether another of their programs suits it better.
Who inside our organization has to approve this application, and have they said yes?
Why ask it
It may be the executive director, the board, or at a university an office that handles sponsored projects. Their internal deadline is often days ahead of the funder's, so ask for the date as well as the yes. Get the approval before the writing starts, not during the last week.
Have we applied to this funder before, and what happened?
Why ask it
Search the files for old proposals, decline letters, reviewer comments and any report still owed on an earlier grant. An overdue report is worth clearing before a new request goes in. If the last attempt was declined, the new proposal should show what has changed since.
The funder
What is this grant program trying to change, in the funder's own words?
Why ask it
Copy the key phrases from the guidelines and the funder's strategy page and keep them beside your draft. Where those terms honestly describe your work, use them, because readers are often scoring against that language. Where they do not, that is a fit problem and no rewording will fix it.
How will proposals be scored, and is the rubric or list of review criteria available?
Why ask it
When the criteria are published, build your outline from them, in the same order and under the same headings, so a reader finds every scored item without hunting. When they are not, ask the program officer which parts of the application carry the most weight.
Who reads the proposals: program staff, a board, outside experts or community reviewers?
Why ask it
Specialists in your field will want the method in detail, while a volunteer board or community panel needs plain language and no jargon. It also helps to know how many applications each reader is given, which tells you how much work your first paragraph has to do.
What do the strongest proposals to this program have in common, and what are the usual reasons one is turned down?
Why ask it
Program officers see the whole stack, and many will answer this plainly if asked. Write down each weakness they mention and check your draft against the list before it goes in.
Does the funder want new projects, or will it support work we already run?
Why ask it
Some programs pay only for something new or for a pilot, and others prefer an established program that needs to continue or grow. If yours already exists, ask whether expansion or general operating support is eligible. Dressing an existing program up as an innovation tends to come apart at the first site visit.
How long is the grant period, and can the grant be renewed or extended?
Why ask it
The length of the award sets what you can honestly promise: a twelve-month grant cannot carry an outcome that takes three years to show. Ask whether a second grant is possible, whether it would be a fresh competition, and what the funder would want to see first. Ask too what happens to money unspent at the end, since funders handle that differently.
What will this funder not pay for?
Why ask it
Exclusions often cover things like equipment, buildings, existing salaries, overhead, endowments or advocacy work, and every funder draws the line differently. Read the list before the budget is drafted. If your project depends on something the list does not mention either way, ask.
Can we read a proposal that was funded, or talk with a current grantee?
Why ask it
A few funders publish samples or share one on request, and grantees are often willing to describe how the process went for them. Read a sample for its length, level of detail and tone. The sentences belong to someone else's project and will not fit yours.
About how many awards will be made this round, and how many applications does the program usually receive?
Why ask it
The ratio tells you how much effort the application deserves. If the funder will not say, the past award lists give at least the first number. Long odds can still be worth it when most of the text can be reused for the next funder.
The need
What is the specific problem, who has it, and where?
Why ask it
A need statement works when it names a group of people, a place and a condition you can document. 'Young people lack opportunities' is a subject. 'Teenagers in two neighborhoods have no supervised place to go after school' is something a reader can picture and check.
What local data shows the need, how recent is it, and where did each figure come from?
Why ask it
National numbers set the scene, but figures from your own service area carry the argument. Program staff may have waiting lists, intake counts or referral numbers nobody has thought to write down. Keep a source and a date for every figure, and cut any number that cannot be traced.
What do the people we serve say the problem is?
Why ask it
Survey results, notes from an advisory group or a participant's words used with permission show the project was shaped with the people it is for. If nobody has asked them yet, do not write as though someone had. Say how you will find out, and do it before the next proposal.
Are we describing the community's need or our organization's?
Why ask it
'We need a van' is the organization's need. 'Older residents miss medical appointments because no bus runs to the clinic' is the community's, and the van becomes the answer to it. Go through the section and rewrite any sentence where the thing lacking is yours.
Why does the problem persist, and which cause does our project go after?
Why ask it
A section that only shows how bad things are gives the reader no reason to think your activities will help. Name the cause you are able to affect. Then check that the activities you describe later are aimed at that cause and not at a different one.
Who else is working on this, and what is left undone?
Why ask it
Reviewers who know the area will know the other organizations in it. Name them, and say whom they do not reach or what you do differently. If you believe nobody else does this work, test that with a referral partner or two before you put it in writing.
Why is our organization the one to do this?
Why ask it
The material is your track record: results from earlier work, the experience of the staff, and how long the people involved have trusted you. Ask the program team for one specific result and one specific story. A single figure and a single example do more than a paragraph of adjectives.
Why now, and what happens if the project is not funded this year?
Why ask it
Real urgency might be a program about to close, a jump in demand, or a partner whose offer expires. If the truthful answer is that little would change, leave urgency out. A manufactured deadline is easy for an experienced reader to spot.
Plan and outcomes
What exactly will we do, with whom, how often and for how long?
Why ask it
Have the program lead walk you through an ordinary week of the project. If they cannot yet say how many sessions there are or how many people take part, the design is unfinished. Settle that in a meeting, because polished prose will not hide it from a reviewer.
What will be different for participants at the end, and by how much?
Why ask it
An outcome is a change in people: what they know, what they do, or the situation they are in. The number of people served is an output, which funders want as well, but it is not a result on its own. Write each outcome so that someone could tell at the end of the grant whether it happened.
Do the people who will run the program believe these targets can be reached?
Why ask it
Take the numbers to the people who will have to deliver them. Last year's actual results are the best starting point for this year's promise. An inflated target may help the score, but you will be reporting against it, and the same funder reads that report at renewal.
How will each outcome be measured: with what tool, collected by whom, and when?
Why ask it
For every outcome, name where the evidence comes from, such as a before-and-after survey, attendance records, test results or a follow-up call. If there is no starting figure to compare with, say that the first months will establish one. Then give the collecting to a named person, because measurement that is nobody's job does not get done.
Does the funder ask for a logic model, a theory of change or its own outcomes framework?
Why ask it
If there is a template, use it and keep to its terms. Where none is required, a one-page chart of resources, activities, outputs and outcomes is still a good test of the plan. Any box that does not lead to the next one marks a gap to fix before you write.
What is the timeline, and what has to happen in the first three months after an award?
Why ask it
Hiring, signing agreements and recruiting participants all take longer than a narrative likes to admit. Find out how long each took the last time your organization did it and use those figures. A start-up period that is honestly paced is more convincing than a project in full swing in week one.
Who will run the project, and are they already on staff?
Why ask it
People with names and relevant experience reassure a reader. When the key role is a new hire, include the job description and a realistic hiring period. Check whether the funder wants resumes or short biographies, and in what format.
Which partners are essential, and what has each one committed to in writing?
Why ask it
A letter of support says the partner likes the idea. A letter of commitment or a signed agreement says what the partner will do, provide or pay for. Check the guidelines for which kind is expected, and request the letters early, since a partner's sign-off runs on the partner's calendar.
Will any of the grant money pass to a partner, and under what terms?
Why ask it
Money going to another organization needs its own budget lines and an agreement, and the funder may have rules on subgrants or contracts. Ask how they want it shown. Let the partner see and agree to its share of the budget before you submit.
What is most likely to go wrong, and what would we do then?
Why ask it
Low enrollment, a key person leaving and a partner pulling out are the usual candidates, and the program lead will know which one is most likely here. Some applications ask about risk directly. Where they do not, one or two sentences on the biggest risk and the fallback are still worth the space.
Money
What will the project really cost, including the time of people already on the payroll?
Why ask it
Sit down with finance and build the budget up from the activities: who does each one, for how many hours, with what materials. Working backward from the maximum award produces a budget that does not match the narrative. Staff time that is left out becomes a cost your organization covers without saying so.
Does every budget line match something in the narrative, and does every activity in the narrative have a cost in the budget?
Why ask it
Reviewers often read the two side by side. Transport costs with no transport in the plan, or an evaluation with no money behind it, both raise doubts. Print the narrative and the budget and tick each item off against the other.
Does the budget justification show how each figure was worked out?
Why ask it
Show the arithmetic: the rate and the hours, the unit price and the quantity. A round number with no basis is the easiest thing for a funder to trim. Have finance review it, since they are the ones who will answer questions about it later.
What does the funder allow for indirect or overhead costs, and how is it calculated?
Why ask it
Funders differ: some accept a rate your organization has negotiated, some set a flat percentage, some pay none. Get the rule from the guidelines or the program officer. Then ask finance what your true overhead is, so you know how big a gap the grant would leave.
Is a match or cost share required, and what counts toward it?
Why ask it
Cash, donated goods, volunteer hours and other grants are treated differently from one funder to the next, as is the paperwork needed to prove them. Confirm what qualifies before you promise anything. A pledged match becomes an obligation you will report on.
What other funding for this project is secured, pending or planned?
Why ask it
Most applications ask, and many funders are glad not to be the only one. Label each source by its real status and the date you expect an answer. Decide with the program lead what would be cut if a pending request falls through, because the funder may ask.
How and when is the money paid: up front, in installments, or as reimbursement?
Why ask it
With a reimbursement grant you spend first and claim afterward. Check with finance whether cash flow can carry that, and with the funder how long claims take to pay. For a small organization the answer can decide whether to apply at all.
What conditions come with the award, and has anyone read the grant agreement?
Why ask it
Ask the funder for a sample agreement before you apply. Conditions can cover how purchases are made, what records and audits are required, insurance, who owns what the project produces and how the funder is credited, and they vary a great deal. Have whoever signs contracts for your organization read it now, while declining to apply is still an easy choice.
What happens to the work when this grant ends?
Why ask it
Name the actual sources: fees, a contract, a funder you have already approached, or a place in the operating budget. 'We will seek other funding' is a line reviewers have read many times. If the project is meant to end, say so and describe what it leaves behind.
What will the funder want in reports, and can our systems produce it?
Why ask it
Get the report format, the schedule and the level of financial detail before you write, and show them to both program and finance staff. If a report asks for data you do not collect, either start collecting it or do not promise it. Put the reporting time into the work plan.
Submitting
What is the exact deadline, including the time of day and the time zone?
Why ask it
Online portals tend to close on the minute. Convert the deadline to your own time zone and write it where the whole team will see it. Then set an internal deadline two or three working days earlier and treat that one as real.
Is there a letter of inquiry, a pre-application or a registration step before the full proposal?
Why ask it
Some application systems, government ones especially, need an account or registration that can take days or weeks to be approved. Ask how long it is running at present. Start it the day you decide to apply, even if the draft is weeks away.
What are the limits on length and format, and does the portal count words or characters?
Why ask it
Paste a test paragraph into each field early. Some forms count spaces, strip formatting or cut text off without warning. Drafting to the limit from the start is far easier than cutting a third out the night before.
Which attachments are required, and who in the organization has each one?
Why ask it
Typical items are financial statements, a board list, proof of legal or tax status, an organizational budget, letters and resumes, though each funder sets its own list. Put a name and a date beside every item. The attachments, more than the narrative, tend to be what runs late.
Who is drafting each section, and who has the final edit?
Why ask it
A proposal written by several people shows its seams: the program is called three different things and the participant numbers change from page to page. Give each section one owner and a due date. Then give one person the last pass over the whole document, with authority to cut.
Who has to sign, and will they be reachable in the final week?
Why ask it
Check the signer's calendar now. A director on leave or a board chair who is traveling can hold up a finished proposal. The funder's instructions should say whether an electronic signature is accepted or a signed original has to be delivered, and if they do not, ask.
Whose account will the application be submitted from, and does a second person have access?
Why ask it
An application tied to the personal email of someone who is ill or has left is hard to recover in the last hours. Where the portal allows, register with a shared organizational address. Have the second person log in once ahead of time to prove the access works.
Has someone who did not write the proposal read all of it against the guidelines?
Why ask it
Hand a colleague the review criteria and ask them to score the draft. Wherever they cannot find an answer, a reviewer will not find it either. Ask for a separate pass on the figures, to see that the narrative, the budget and the forms all give the same numbers.
When will decisions be announced, and when could the project start if it is funded?
Why ask it
The answer sets the start date in your timeline and tells finance when to expect the money. If the decision comes after your planned start, move the start. Ask the funder whether costs incurred before the award can be covered, and assume they cannot until told otherwise.
If we are declined, will the funder share reviewer comments, and may we apply again?
Why ask it
Find out before you submit, so you know what to request afterward and by when. Comments from a decline are some of the most useful free advice a grant writer gets. Ask too whether a resubmission is welcome in the next round or only after a waiting period.
What from this application can the next one reuse?
Why ask it
File the final narrative, the budget, the attachments and your notes from talking with the funder where colleagues can find them. Record what took longest. That list is your calendar for the next proposal.
How to use these questions while the proposal is being written
Practical guidance for the conversation itself
Who each question is for
Questions for the program officer
Most of The funder group, and a few under Fit and Money, can only be answered by the funder. Read the guidelines, the frequently asked questions and the past awards first, and take only what those leave open. Five or six questions is a reasonable load for one call. If the guidelines say not to make contact, respect that and work from the published material.
Questions for program staff
The need and Plan and outcomes depend on the people who run the work. Interview them as you would a source: what happens in an ordinary week, what last year's numbers were, what they would change with more money. Write down their words. The plainest sentence in a proposal is often something a program manager said out loud.
Questions for finance
Bring finance in when the activities are sketched, not when the narrative is finished. They know what staff actually cost, what the organization's overhead is, how payments have arrived from other funders and what the last audit said. Give them the funder's budget rules and a sample grant agreement, if the funder will share one, along with the questions under Money.
Questions for yourself
The Fit group is mostly yours, and it is the one that gets skipped when a deadline is close. Answer those in writing, even briefly. A half page on why this funder, why this project and why this year either turns into the opening of the proposal or shows you there is not one to write.
A working order for the weeks before the deadline
Decide before you draft
Go through Fit, and the eligibility lines of the guidelines, before opening a blank document. An hour spent there can save the weeks a full proposal takes, and a decision not to apply frees those weeks for a funder that suits you better.
Start the slow things on day one
Registrations, partner letters, signatures and audited figures all depend on other people's calendars. Send those requests first, using the Submitting group as a checklist, and settle who drafts which section while you wait for them.
Outline from the review criteria
Use the funder's headings in the funder's order, and place the questions from The need and Plan and outcomes under the section each one feeds. A gap in the outline shows you which colleague to interview next.
Build the budget and the narrative together
Every activity added to the plan adds a cost, and every cut to the budget removes something the narrative promised. Keep both documents open and change them as a pair. Leaving the budget to the last two days is how the two end up disagreeing.
Write the summary last
The abstract or executive summary sits first and is sometimes the only part every reader finishes. Write it once the rest is settled, so that it states the final amount, the final targets and the final dates.
Talking with the program officer
Send a short summary ahead
A paragraph on the project, the amount you have in mind and two or three questions, sent a few days before, lets the officer prepare and keeps the call brief. It also shows you have read what is already published.
Ask, then stop talking
The pull on a funder call is to pitch. You learn more by asking the fit question and letting the pause run. What the officer says first, and what they come back to a second time, is usually what the review will turn on.
Take a no as information
If the officer says the project is not a fit, thank them and ask what would be. Arguing the point does not change the guidelines. You may well be back with a different project, and it helps to have left the first conversation on good terms.
Confirm in writing
After the call, send a short thank-you that repeats any answer you plan to rely on, such as an allowed cost or an eligibility ruling. It gives the officer a chance to correct you and gives your files a record for whoever writes the next application.
When an answer is missing
The program cannot be described yet
If the staff cannot say what will happen, how often and for whom, the project is not ready for this round. Offer to help design it for the next one. A vague plan written up well is still a vague plan to the reviewer, and a problem to deliver if it is funded.
The data does not exist
Say what you do know, name the source, and state how the project will gather the rest. Do not round up, borrow a figure from another place without saying so, or present an estimate as a count.
The fit is only partial
Apply for the part of the work that matches, and say plainly that it is one part of a larger program. Asking the funder whether a partial fit is worth submitting is fair, and the answer often comes quickly.
Time has run short
Cut scope before you cut checking. A smaller, accurate proposal with every attachment in place does better than an ambitious one with a missing form. If even that cannot be done, note the next deadline and start on the slow items now.