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Tool 2: Funding Announcement First Read Checklist

Supports Habit 5 of Ten Habits of Great Grant Writers.

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A fillable version of this tool works right in your browser: open the interactive version. Add your own rows, columns, and items, then download, copy, or print your work. Nothing leaves your device.

Read the entire announcement first. Then complete this checklist with page numbers.

Eligibility

  • Who may apply (organization type, geography, size): page ___
  • Who may lead (PI or leadership requirements, required expertise, required publications): page ___
  • Anything that disqualifies us as written: ___

Responsiveness (rejected before review)

  • Required topics, aims, populations, or approaches: page ___
  • Required documents and attachments: page ___
  • Formatting rules (page limits, fonts, margins, file types): page ___
  • The exact sentence describing rejection before review, copied here: ___

Review rubric

  • Scoring criteria and point values: page ___
  • Reviewer questions, copied into our outline: ___

Money and restrictions

  • Award amount and budget caps: page ___
  • Match or cost sharing requirements: page ___
  • Subaward, contractor, or vendor limits (percentage caps): page ___
  • Allowed and disallowed costs: page ___

Clocks

  • Letter of intent due (and is it required or gatekeeping?): ___
  • Applicant call or webinar date (attend regardless): ___
  • Registration lead times (portal accounts, SAM.gov, agency IDs): ___
  • Internal deadlines (our grants office, partners' grants offices): ___
  • Final deadline, and our own deadline set before it: ___

People

  • Program officer or contact listed: ___
  • Our question for them, if any: ___

The verdict (Habits 1 and 2)

  • Which of our programs does this fund? ___
  • Is the type of work funded the type of work we do? ___
  • Apply / decline, and why, in one sentence: ___