January 02, 2017
Key Differences between Foundation Opportunities & Government Opportunities
Foundation grants often have known release dates and established program areas, which means there are few surprises: You can find out when the foundation accepts proposals, and you can usually learn about the program areas and past grantees on the foundation's website. You may even be able to access the grant application well in advance of the application due date if the foundation uses a standard application format.
U.S. government (USG) grant opportunities are different. For many government funding opportunities, the sponsoring agency doesn't have direct control over all the variables, including when a funding opportunity announcement can ultimately be published.
For example, a government agency may plan to release a grant opportunity to address an issue such as providing housing for a vulnerable population. However, until the final federal budget is approved, the agency won't know its total budget, which programs will be funded, or how much money can be allocated to each program.
Additionally, government agency program plans are subject to political pressure and the current administration's agenda. Unlike foundations, which are essentially autonomous and can decide what to fund, government agencies must align their programs with the government's priorities. For international funding, this can mean some countries and regions receiving more funding than others due to national security interests.
What does all of this mean for you, the potential grantee? It means you need to stay abreast of developments at the national level and in the current political climate if you are interested in receiving government funding. You can do this by following the news, by establishing and maintaining relationships with staff at government agencies, and by paying close attention to government funding trends. If you are interested in receiving grants from foreign governments, you need to monitor their political climates and funding trends.
Preparing for a Funding Opportunity before It Is Released
Federal funding opportunities can have long incubation periods. For complex, high-dollar funding opportunities, it can take the government agency several months—sometimes even a year or more—to gather the information needed to prepare the opportunity announcement. The agency may fund a program in stages, first releasing a funding opportunity announcement (FOA) to gather background information on an issue, and then releasing an FOA for a project based on that information. The agency may also hold public forums to gather information from experts in the area of interest.
Federally funded projects often build off of one another (i.e., “follow-on” projects). When a large, federally funded initiative is about to end, often it’s a sign that the government is on the verge of releasing an FOA for a follow-on project.
To prepare for federally sponsored funding opportunities before they come out, some things you can do include:
Researching opportunities in their last year, to a year-and-a-half of funding to learn about the current grant holders and how the grantees are performing (if a grantee is performing well, they'll have a good chance of winning any follow-on opportunities).
Following budget trends at the appropriate government level (national, state, agency) to see what kinds of projects are being funded and what the most common funding mechanism is (e.g., 5-year grants? 3-year contracts?).
Monitoring publications and news releases of relevant government agencies to see what topics, trends, and issues they are focusing on.
Tracking key staff at the government agencies of interest, especially staff in senior-level positions who may be involved in setting the agency's funding agenda. If an agency starts hiring people with a particular type of training or subject-matter expertise, that could be a sign the agency is moving in a new direction. For example, if an agency begins requiring its staff to receive formal project management training, it could signal that grants released in the future may focus more on prospective grantees' project management capabilities.
Pass Up Opportunities if You Can't Produce a Competitive Application
Responding to a government grant opportunity requires significant effort. It also takes an experienced team, both on the technical (programmatic) side and on the financial side. If you do not have experience with the government funding mechanism in question, you will struggle to prepare a competitive application.
When you see a gap between what an application requires and the resources you have to respond, you may need to walk away from an opportunity.
That said, you might not have to walk away entirely.
A compromise is to see if you can partner with a more experienced organization. The experienced organization can take the lead (i.e., serve as the "prime" or the primary applicant), and your organization can be a "sub" (subgrantee or subcontractor). Serving as a sub is an ideal scenario for a less-experienced organization. First, you'll learn about the federal funding process by working with a more experienced organization. Second, as a sub, you can focus more on project implementation and less on project administration. Finally, by having a role on a federally funded project, you'll have an opportunity to meet staff members at the sponsoring federal agency, connections that may help your future grant seeking.
If you're uncertain whether you can prepare a competitive application, you're better off preserving your financial and human resources for an opportunity that gives you a better chance of success. While you wait for that opportunity, serving as a sub gives you experience you can leverage in your next application.
Additional Reading
For more information on tracking and applying to federal opportunities, check out our post Discover Funding Trends through a Landscape Analysis.