Grant Project Timeline · Ten Habits of Great Grant Writers

This application

Funder & program

Window length

Real deadline

Our deadline (before it)

Tick each step as you complete it. The order is what matters: anything depending on other people starts on day one.

Read the announcement cover to cover with notes

Complete the First Read Checklist; decide apply or decline

Set up shared folder, announcement link, Team Table of Contents

Request letters of support (with draft and aims attached)

Request subaward budgets; ask partners their internal deadlines

Ask our own grants office for their internal deadline

Start portal registrations (SAM.gov, agency IDs)

Outline the narrative against the review rubric

Assign sections to the team

Confirm all registrations are progressing

Draft narrative and budget in parallel

Collect biosketches from the prepared folder

Check in on every external dependency weekly

Full internal draft two to three weeks out

Compliance check against requirements

All letters and subaward documents in hand (their deadline)

Portal upload test one week out

Submit three or more days early, never on the final day