Lessons Learned - 4 Common Grant Mistakes to Avoid
A few weeks ago the Luce Indigenous Knowledge Fellowship closed, and with it came the stress of writing a perfect grant, using the online portal, chasing letters of recommendations, and just generally worrying about everything that could go wrong. And go wrong they did. But don’t worry, we collected all the mistakes and lessons learned so you don’t have to.
Lessons Learned
The deadline is not the due date
The deadline is the deadline is the deadline is the deadline. The deadline when the portal closes forever. With most foundations there is no wiggle room. If you think you’re suave clicking submit at 4:59 PM for a 5:00 PM deadline, think again. 700 other candidates have the same idea and they’ve swamped the system. Your due date should be a full 24 hours before the deadline so that you have the chance to deal with any errors that pop up: and there are many. Your references may not have come in, your budget might be the wrong file format, your photo may be too big. The chance of you getting kicked out of the portal, ending up with a system error, or mysteriously falling into an internet void is roughly 1000%. Which brings us to the next point:
Online grant portals are the worst websites on the internet
Raise your hand if this sounds familiar: you’ve spent roughly 4 hours drafting the most beautiful, compelling, grammatically correct response to the essay prompt. You review one final time, then click save. Up pops an error window, “You’ve been logged out due to inactivity.” You’ve lost everything. Draft everything in a word or google doc, even the short answers. Copy and pasting 4 times beats writing out your mission statement over and over. And half of all grant portals won’t let you see what you’ve written after you submit. You need to know your application inside and out for interviews, reports, and deliverables later on.
Here’s another scenario: you click submit and receive the error that all fields must be completed. This is an 18-page grant, it does not tell you which page or field is absent. Or your document met the character limit in word, but now each section is too big. Or your budget request can’t include a dollar sign.
Our advice? Trust nothing. Assume you will encounter every single error and budget your time accordingly.
Get everything out of your control done first
If there are any external requirements, get them done first. This could include transcripts, recommendations, or confirmation from a host site, affiliate, or partnerships. As a rule, these things always take time, and usually, there will be a problem with at least one. You can always assume Murphey’s Law when dealing with external attachments, so get them done first, and provide as much assistance as you can.
Give your references a hand
Identifying your references should be your first action. By contacting them early, you give them plenty of time to draft a strong character recommendation. When requesting letters of recommendation reach out to more references than you need, inevitably one will be too busy. Do not include a reference who hasn’t confirmed their participation! Yes, you are on a deadline, but it will reflect poorly on your application if their recommendation is late, or worse yet if it includes any of the following: “I didn’t know [the applicant] listed me as a reference,” “I don’t know anything about this opportunity” “I can’t speak to [the applicant’s] professional skills or abilities.” All things I have seen in recommendations!
It is common practice to provide information on the opportunity to which you are applying as well as addressing a specific skill set you would like them to vouch for. Some references request a template. Recognize that the people you’ve identified as references have busy lives, give them as much assistance and time as you can.
Did we miss something? Let us know in the comments