5 - Submittal Process - Acquiring Public Grants

Submittal Process

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Agencies will provide guidance as to how proposals are to be packaged, the number of copies to be provided, and other details in the RFP or RFA. Allow plenty of time to package the grant application—at least a half-day—since you must be sure that every detail is complete. Work with your team to ensure that you have followed the required format and provided complete responses to the questions and criteria in the RFP or RFA. And always double check, using your outline and application work plan, to make sure nothing has been missed.

Use a checklist to double check that the proposal contains all of the required elements.

Many of the required forms will have to be inserted into your narrative or other sections. Take care that these items are in the right place and numbered appropriately. Create your table of contents after you have completed and checked your page numbering for the entire package.

RFPs and RFAs may contain checklists for complete applications—use them to be certain that you have included everything and to ensure that you have not exceeded the maximum page requirement for your proposal and attachments. Remember, deadlines are not negotiable, so anticipate delays in your schedule and plan for technical and other difficulties.

Take the time to complete this proposal checklist.

Use this checklist to ensure you’ve included all of the required attachments.

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Allow a 72-hour buffer prior to the deadline when submitting your proposal on Grants.gov.

Once an organization is registered, they can use Grants.gov to submit their application. Like the registration process, the application process can sometimes involve delays, and it is recommended that organizations submit their applications at least 72 hours in advance of the application due date. Once you have submitted your application, you will receive notification that you have successfully uploaded your application and a confirmation screen will appear highlighting a tracking number and time/date stamp. Be sure to keep the tracking number on file in case you run into any issues and need to contact Grants.gov for technical support.