• Exceptional Grants and Proposals

    Exceptional Grants take Exceptional Skills

  • Do You Want to Do More Good?

    Get Grants, Do Good! Tips an tools for Grant Professionals, Nonprofits, Government Programs and Consultants.

  • Blueprints for Grants with Smartegrants

    Grant seeker and consultant training.

Rip It Apart!

Rip It Apart!

5 Steps to Start Your Grant Application The grant opportunity has been announced. You have prepared for this! You have a project plan, you have partners lined up, you have all of your registrations and policies and procedures in place – you are grant ready.  What is your next step in the grant application process? We all have our own rituals and processes to get started on the first draft of the grant application. Here is what has worked for me on my federal grants. Read & Rip Read! Download and read everything you can – ALL of the guidelines,…read more →

Why Grant Makers Want Mobile-Friendly Sites

Why Grant Makers Want Mobile-Friendly Sites

Why  Grant Makers Want You to Have a Mobile-Friendly Website Why would your funders care if your website is a mobile-friendly site? For that matter, what is a mobile-friendly website?   Responsive design websites are mobile-friendly, in other words, they adapt to all screen sizes, no matter what type of the device the user uses to access the website. In 2015, Google announced that more searches are done on mobile devices than on desktops. Health, social services and other grant funded  programs provide users with access to information 24 hours a day, 7 days a week through effective websites. How clients, clinics and…read more →

Grant Ready Organization

Grant Ready Organization

EXCITING NEWS! Our training section, Smartegrants, has partnered up with Udemy to help you get your organization on ‘board’  with grant readiness.  We’ve developed an infographic to help guide you on your path to being a Grant Ready Organization. Smartegrants is our training and coaching arm. Our mission at Smartegrants is to cultivate leaders in the world of grants. Grant Readiness is an essential part of grants. So, it is a topic we come back to time and again. In fact, we have a few other Grant Readiness posts here and here and here and a grant readiness assessment here. KEYS…read more →

8 Steps to the DATA Act

8 Steps to the DATA Act

8 Steps to Implementing the DATA Act The DATA Act  aims at making federal spending data accessible, searchable, and reliable. The DATA Act isn’t just about federal reform, it also provides an opportunity to have open, public dialogue on how federal dollars are spent. This information will serve as a tool to inform management decision-making, improve oversight, and give key insights that can lead to innovation both inside and outside of the government. Progress for the DATA Act Recently, on the OMB blog, the Fiscal Assistant Secretary of the Treasury Dave Lebryk and OMB Controller Dave Mader announced the roll out of 57…read more →

What Your Competitors Do With A Denied Grant Application

What Your Competitors Do With A Denied Grant Application

WHAT YOUR COMPETITORS DO WITH THEIR DENIED GRANT APPLICATION You’ve just received word that your grant application has been denied. After long hours dedicated to strategy, budgets, narratives, charts, tables, partners, and more, receiving a grant denial may leave you  feeling like you never, ever, ever want to apply for another grant – ever – again. You may want to forget about your ideas, your project and your hopes. But that isn’t what your competitors are going to do!  What are your competitors going to do with their denial? They are going to seize it for all its worth! They…read more →

How to Thank a Funder on Social Media

How to Thank a Funder on Social Media

Thank a Funder on Social Media Grant stewardship is all about establishing and maintaining relationships. Grant makers, including government agencies, foundations and corporations, have Facebook pages and Twitter handles to provide more information about their mission, accomplishments, grantees and investments. As a grantee or potential grantee, you have an opportunity to support grant makers in their mission. One way to support a grant maker is by showing your gratitude (or ‘Grantitude’™ ). Should I thank a funder on social media if they are not on social media? The quick answer – yes. First, check to see if your funder or potential…read more →

HUD Grant Milestones

HUD Grant Milestones

Guess who is turning 50? The U. S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) is celebrating the big ‘five-oh’ this year (and so is yours truly).  I have a long history with HUD, their grant programs, their policies and their staff. I believe our greatest impact on economic development, childhood health and wellness, life-long health and wellness, workforce stability and growth, energy efficiency, and so much more – starts at home and with homes. The quality, safety and accessibility of housing, especially within our poorest communities, has a profound effect on our public systems – schools, the judicial system, medical system. I…read more →