Who doesn’t love a grant calendar?

I don’t know about you, but I’m definitely a fan of calendars. I put even the smallest things on my calendar as I’m planning out my day, month, or year. If it’s not on my calendar then it *probably* won’t happen. That’s why I think developing a grant calendar is so important. Whether you are an organization with multiple people involved in the planning and execution process of grants and fundraising or a one-person grant-seeking shop. Grant calendars help to map out one aspect of your organization’s funding strategy.

To be clear, a grant calendar is not a strategy. It’s a visual guide to help you implement your strategy. By creating a calendar, you can keep track of each grant opportunity for advance planning. This is especially important when you have competing priorities — which is literally every nonprofit, right? You want your grant calendar to be a document you can lay side by side with your fundraising calendar, program calendar, and perhaps even your content calendar so you have a clear picture of everything your organization has going on. Even if you have separate departments and staff working on each aspect, there should be alignment between these activities just as they should all align with your strategic plan.

So, how do you develop a grant calendar that can help you map out your goals and activities for the year?

And how do you develop one in alignment with every other aspect of your organization? 

Let’s start with some items that I include in grant calendars I develop for clients:

✔️ the name of the grant program, especially if the grantmaker offers more than one opportunity

✔️ the name of the grantmaker

✔️ details about the funding priorities, such as this grant only funds in a specific geographic area like Greater Boston or it only funds a specific type of program within your cause area (i.e. an education grant that prioritizes STEM or early childhood programming)

✔️ details about the application process including whether a letter of inquiry is required and if there’s an info session scheduled 

✔️ deadlines

✔️ contact information and links to their website, email,  and application portal

✔️ other valuable information such as whether your organization has applied previously, been awarded, has connections to the grantmaker, or if any organizations similar to yours have been funded previously

Start by reviewing the grants your nonprofit received this fiscal year or in past years. These are the grantmakers you’ve already begun establishing a relationship with, which will increase your chances of being funded. Unless your organization’s programs or their funding priorities shift significantly, you know you’re a great fit! Can you reapply for any of these grants? Some grantmakers' guidelines allow for renewals while others may ask that your organization wait a year or two before reapplying. Include deadlines for grant reports as well.

Revisit grant opportunities where your organization applied, but were declined. Hopefully, you've arranged a conversation with the funder to understand why your proposal wasn't funded. Revisit that feedback, the guidelines, and any updates to your program to see if you have a stronger case for support.

I recommend prioritizing grants with fixed deadlines and weaving in the grant opportunities with rolling deadlines. But, it’s always a good idea to research whether there’s an ideal timeframe to submit each rolling grant. Some organizations award funding until they’ve spent down their annual allocation for each priority area, so if you wait until the end of their fiscal year, you may find the opportunity closed until the next year.

Remember to account for as much of the pre-award phase as possible. Record a self-imposed deadline for reaching out to the grantmaker to make an initial connection. Record or link to any notes from conversations. Record or link to the FAQs or info session recordings for reference when you begin to apply. 

And of course, if you have already secured funding, be sure to include any reporting deadlines as this will require dedicated time as well.

The greatest challenge, I think, is creating a calendar that includes only grants that *actually* align with your organization’s mission and the programs and services you offer. Try to avoid “long shot” grant opportunities. If they are taking up space in your calendar, then they may prevent you from pursuing opportunities in greater alignment or working on other aspects of your organization that have a greater return on investment.

Make a point to update your calendar periodically, as deadlines and priorities change. The beauty of having your grant calendar developed is minimizing the stress that comes from last-minute applications. I start the pre-award process for foundation grants at least four weeks out, for instance. The typical recommendation for federal grants is six weeks out or as soon as the award is announced since they are typically posted 60 days ahead of the deadline. Developing a well-structured and compelling proposal takes time, and nonprofits are perpetually busy. Having a clear roadmap of best-fit grants and their deadlines within the frame of other grants you seek is vital for avoiding burnout and missing funding opportunities.