Federal grant writing becomes easier over time as you have more material and examples to borrow from to pull together your proposal. A reasonable schedule for a first-time grantee might look something like this:
- Completing the required registrations – 1 day (spread out over multiple weeks)
- Reaching out to partners and coordinating the proposal (if needed) – 1 day
- Writing the first draft of the budget – 2 days
- Collecting letters of support/Drafting the required MOUs – 2 days
- Writing first draft of the proposal – 7 days
- Reviewing the first draft against the requirements – 1 day
- Corrections and changes – 2 days
- Completing the attachments – 2 days
- Re-editing the final proposal – 2 days
- Final corrections and changes – 1 day
- Final proofing of all materials – 1 day
- Submitting the proposal – 1 day
Grants involving a larger number of partners may take longer to prepare due to the coordination required.
