Tip #1: Start work on your grant early – Read the guidelines and make sure your organization meets the eligibility criteria. Also, look at the amount of funding to see how many grants will be awarded. That information usually is in the first several pages of the guidelines (RFA) document. Review all parts of the RFA to determine how much work will be involved for this grant and the deadline(s). If there is a letter of intent to apply that needs to be submitted, this will ensure you don’t miss that deadline. Also, create a list of submission items so you don’t have any surprises on deadline day. Also, this is when you will find out where the application is and the submission process.

   Tip #2: Determine if your organization is a good candidate for this grant – There are specific sections in the RFA that will mention priorities (extra points) as well as what needs are supposed to be met by the grant funding. This can include percentages of low-income students to be targeted, served, or in your school or organization. Determine if your school will qualify for these priority points (also could be for small, rural schools, or schools in certain areas of the state not currently funded by the agency). If there is a webinar or conference for the grant, attend it. You are guaranteed to learn something and potentially answer this question. You also may be able to find out how many other schools are interested in this grant. But don’t get deterred if there are a lot who are on the conference/webinar too.

   Tip #3: Start meeting with your key staff members to discuss your program needs – Writing a grant for after school programming involves depth and teamwork. This should not be done alone. Hold meetings to discuss your school needs assessment as well as what type of program you want to create. That includes times, days of the week, number of hours, what types of activities will be held, a tentative schedule for each day, what staff will be involved in the program, and more. Select one person to write the grant (piecemeal grants written by several people are obvious to the readers) and lead the process. But make sure you hold multiple meetings to make sure everyone is in the same page. When the grant is awarded, staff will have to follow the grant objectives, deliverables and budget.

   Tip #4: Research for best practices – Often, included on the website where you find the RFA, there will be lists of sites and links to information for best practices and research-based programming. However, going beyond that can be beneficial and set your application apart from others. Use Google Scholar to search for peer reviewed research on your specific program. For example, look up STEAM program impacts on grade school children, if you are intending to utilize STEAM activities in your after-school program (something I highly suggest). Also, look to include academic interventions such as high quality tutoring using high quality materials. Find research-based articles that fit your program goals.

   Tip #5: Review, review, and review – Because you are involving your key staff, make sure they read and analyze the grant prior to submission. Use the scoring rubric (usually at the back of the RFA) to determine if the narrative answers the questions fully. Also, compare to the guidelines (RFA) to make sure all the requirements (number of days, hours, weeks and more) are being met and are aligned with programming in your narrative. Make sure your fellow staff also review all attachments to double check for anything missing. Funding agencies aren’t lenient. If you are missing a document, it is likely your grant will not be awarded.