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Gauging Competitiveness: The Secret to Increasing Your Chance of Winning Grants

Writer's picture: Bria  ArlineBria Arline

In our post, Winning Grants, a Step-by-Step Guide, we talked about narrowing down hundreds of grant opportunities to the grants with the highest success rates and which your organization is best positioned to win. This process will save you thousands of dollars in wasted staff time while drastically increasing your grant win rate.


To evaluate a grant’s competitiveness, you’ll want to research key success metrics, funder priorities and previously funded awardees.  


Know the Metrics


There are a couple of metrics you’ll want to review when gauging competitiveness. 


  1. How many applicants are awarded versus how many applied?


For instance, for the USDA SBIR grant program, the overall rate for funded applications is approximately 15%


Typically, you want this rate to be 20%.


  1. How many new applicants are awarded each year? 


In general, you want this number to be 30%.


These metrics are not always easily available, but finding them can give you a good indication of whether a grant is worth your time. 


Know the Priorities


Many federal agencies have previously funded proposals listed on their websites. If not, you can use the Freedom of Information Act to request these awarded applications. 


Reviewing past proposals can provide a gold mine of insights into the funder’s priorities and give you an idea of what a competitive project looks like. 


For instance, you can note:


  • Geography of funded projects

  • Scope of work (e.g., the number of service areas or persons served)

  • Types of partners (e.g., large collaborations or less formal relationships with community organizations)


Based on this information, you can see how well your project aligns with the funder’s objectives. 


Know the Competition


Another benefit of reviewing past proposals is that they give a better idea of your competition.


For instance, looking at past awardees can help you gauge if your organization’s resources, network and community impact align with those of the organizations that have been funded by the program.


Knowing whether you are a community-based organization competing against coalitions of city governments and county agencies is also incredibly helpful prior to investing hours into a proposal.

 

Conclusion

 

While thoroughly researching competition and opportunities can feel like a waste of time, it can actually help you focus your efforts on the grants that are best tailored to fuel your mission—drastically increasing your rate of return on grant seeking. 


Ready to ignite your impact? Follow us for more funding insights and tips on Facebook, LinkedIn and Instagram.


Do you need support with grants? Reach out to us today for a free consultation.

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