How to Apply for a Federal Funding Opportunity on Grants.gov

First-time applicants can understandably feel daunted by the task of applying for a federal funding opportunity on Grants.gov. Here, we explain, at a high level, the key steps in the application process, providing a roadmap that will help applicants feel more confident about the journey ahead.

User Story: Where In the World Is My Federal Grant Application?

All grant applicant journeys must eventually come to an end – ideally, with news of an award.

You may remember, in our last installment, our fearless applicants Susan, April, and Leo submitted their federal grant applications. In this post, we close out their stories with one final article about what happened after their applications were submitted.

User Story: Checking the Application and Submitting in Grants.gov

That sense of relief is almost here for Susan, Leo, and April. From their different circumstances and team sizes, they have all reached a similar point—the grant application is done and they are ready to submit. Before sending it in to the agency, though, they would also like to review the application to make sure it is ready. This review involves their team internally reviewing the accuracy and quality of the application, but it also includes validating it in Grants.gov.

User Story: A State Agency’s Annual Grant Application

April knows the grant program her state agency applies for each year. She’s familiar with the process and requirements, and this year’s iteration of the grant has hardly changed from last year. So, April would like to be able to re-use last year’s work to save time.

For some of the new work in this year’s application, April needs to add two fellow staff members to the team in Grants.gov, but they cannot have access to any of the budget information.

Time-Savers: Reusing Forms & Copying a Past Workspace

Video Playlist: Watch the Latest Tutorials in the Learning Workspace Video Series

Get your popcorn ready, everyone. The recently refreshed Learning Workspace Video Series provides step-by-step instructions for organization applicants using Grants.gov workspace.

Now We’re Ready to Apply—Continuing Susan’s User Story

Now that Susan has been in her position for some time and has searched through grant opportunities, her university has targeted a specific grant to apply for. To do this well, and quickly, Susan needs to be able to ensure a faculty member, several Office of Sponsored Research (OSR) staff members, and two outside consultants can help with completing the application.

Diet Soda or Regular? Orange Juice or Apple? Webforms or PDFs?

You are at a crossroads. Your workspace has been created. You have logged in and clicked over to the Forms tab. And now you face a decision point: Do you use webforms or PDF forms (or both)?

This decision – admittedly – is a bit more complicated than choosing between, say, two types of soda pop or fruit juice.

When applicants are set to begin work on application forms, they have to decide whether to fill out any given form in a web browser or in Adobe Reader/Acrobat. This training video – recently updated – explains the how-to of each approach to forms.

In this post, we lay out the reasoning and upsides for each option. If, by the end of this post, you still don’t know what to do, we have some good news for you, too.

Infographic and Video of the Application Workflow for Organizations

Applying for a federal grant can feel daunting – even for a seasoned veteran. The average federal grant application involves a multitude of decisions, from filling in form fields to communicating with collaborators.

The following graphic and its accompanying video break this complicated endeavor into four high-level phases.

Release Preview: Applying Made More Clear in R16.2

Based on community feedback, we are making it easier to start your grant application. After the release goes live April 23^rd, you will find a red Apply button on the View Grant Opportunity page regardless of which tab of the funding opportunity announcement you are in.

If you are not logged in to Grants.gov, the Apply button will first direct you to log in to Grants.gov, then you can quickly create a workspace to begin your grant application.

Before Release 16.2 goes live, to start your grant application you need to navigate to the View Grant Opportunity page, access the Package tab, click the Apply link in the tab, then click the Create Workspace button. So, this change saves you a couple clicks and some time.

Relax, Applying with Workspace Is Easier Than You Think

As of late, the question we receive most often here at the Community Blog goes something like this:

As of December 31, we need to begin applying for federal grants using Grants.gov Workspace. What do I need to do in order to transition my organization to the new application method?

You might be surprised to learn that the answer to this question for most is quite simple: Nothing.

There is no special action you need to take – or magic button you need to click – in order to transition your organization to Grants.gov’s Workspace method of applying for a federal grant.