How Clear Expectations will Establish a Successful Grants Program
Rob Trader, Corner Alliance Consultant
Washington, D.C.
Download our free Guiding Principles for Grants Management Cheat Sheet
Federal grants are critical to supporting some of the nation’s most important initiatives and research that provide public service. Throughout a program’s lifecycle, the managing team must strategically plan, execute, and constantly monitor to ensure objectives are being met in a timely and cost effective manner. Expectations are the key to establishing a program that provides clarity for both the granting agency and the applicants.
The benefits of setting clear expectations are that they:
Enhance and encourage open and consistent communication;
Establish a baseline of measurement for performance during the program lifecycle;
Empower employees to act more freely and take responsibility because they have documented operating guidelines and structure;
Create a reference point when expectations and deadlines are not met; and
Provide a way to hold employees accountable
One of the most important steps is to document and incorporate how you set your expectations into your grants management standard operating procedure (SOP). By using proven and consistent procedures to effectively establish expectations during the planning phase, federal grant programs will continue to successfully accomplish their goals and mission.
Communicating Clear Expectations
Before a grant program can award any funding, the management teams should set expectations during the design and development phase of the program. To form a clear foundation, grant programs need to clearly state the expectations for the internal program team. By clearly documenting these objectives, deadlines and requirements can be generated to ensure the program can be effectively executed. Establishing a shared understanding of each member's roles and responsibilities will ensure everyone is working towards the same end goal. Whether your grants are managed by a single person or a team, day to day, finance, and legal responsibilities must be understood. If there are multiple departments involved, consistent cadence and open lines of communication should be established. An agency can help their program managers by providing annual training to make sure the grants they award reflect the agency's overall administrative and programmatic goals.
Whether grant applicants are experienced or new with the application process, grantees will rely heavily on the guidance and expectations of the awarding agency. Corner Alliance has helped numerous clients effectively communicate the program’s mission and pre-award screening process to ensure that applicants know exactly what they are applying for, and what the granting agency is requesting. Corner Alliance has also developed additional ways for agencies to increase communication with their grantees through the use of blogs, forums, and instruction guides on the application website. Providing new educational material in which program managers discuss frequently asked questions and problem areas grantees experience would ensure all applicants have equal knowledge of the process. As a result, the granting agency will be more likely to select the applicants who best meet the solicitation requirements and have the highest chance for success.
Corner Alliance understands that when expectations are not clearly stated or identified, participants both internally and externally will naturally have different interpretations of the desired outcomes. A number of issues will quickly present themselves and potentially cause great harm to the program. Confusion, frustration, missed deadlines, and a breakdown in communication can all result and lead to lost opportunities in achieving a program’s objectives. Whether it is during the design, application, award, or delivery phase, clear expectations for all stakeholders and participants will ensure all efforts go towards achieving a common goal.
Effective Performance Metrics and Managing Risk
Many times the most difficult challenge to establish an effective grant program is the implementation of the correct performance metrics, monitoring tools, and risk management. With established program objectives in place, managers can begin to decide which performance metrics are best to effectively track the status and success of the program. These statements of outcome indicators will ensure each participant is in agreement of what will constitute as achieving the overall objectives. Whether it is participation, percentage of populations served, or a certain number of people trained, Corner Alliance understands that each program is different and performance metrics must be strategically planned to ensure program activities can be accurately captured. This will avoid implementing any meaningless or misleading metrics that could inaccurately influence the program outcomes.
Implementing effective reporting tools that allow constant monitoring of the program is vital. Having regular weekly or bi-weekly cadence between the agency team and with the grantee can be used to discuss updates, specific tasks, and to answer questions or concerns. Using tools such as status reports, project quad charts, kanban boards, or compliance monitoring plans are all ways to consistently document the program from start to finish. This information will be important for records keeping, program evaluation, and discussing lessons learned upon completion of the program.
For any grants program, the number one priority for any program manager is to always manage the risk. During a program’s lifecycle risk can and will present itself. Discussing potential challenges is never easy, however being proactive instead of reactive will ensure that risk is addressed the moment it is identified. One of the first steps while planning a grants program is to create a detailed mitigation plan. This document will outline the specific steps that the program team and grantees will execute whenever any issue or risk is identified. To be proactive it is imperative to establish a culture of openness, and to encourage open communication of all risk by both the program team and the grantee. If each participant feels comfortable identifying these potential hurdles early on, solutions can be put in place before it becomes a threat to the overall program objectives.
Corner Alliance can help Manage Grant Programs from Implementation to Closeout
In order to have a successful grant program, the awarding agency must be willing to take the time to communicate consistently both internally and externally. Through open communication and sharing the program’s expectations, participants will be able to manage risk through the use of effective reporting tools and strategic performance metrics, ensuring that all effort is pointed towards achieving one cohesive mission.
Corner Alliance aims to empower our clients to reach new heights and achieve their goals. By understanding our recipient’s current state, we help our clients establish clear objectives and a customized approach to measure impact. What can often be a complicated process to complete funding packages, Corner Alliance follows the most current and up to date detailed processes, procedures, and requirements to guarantee these packages are submitted correctly and on time. We leverage our extensive experience in the rigorous day-to-day management that a grant program requires, ensuring that our clients can have the utmost confidence that their programs will succeed. Corner Alliance promises to always have our clients back and to present creative solutions to address their most challenging needs.
Our guiding principles for grants management are:
Accurate understanding of recipient’s current state
Clear objectives and a way to measure impact
Complete funding packages with detailed processes, procedures, and requirements
Rigorous day-to-day management and oversight
Author
Rob Trader, Consultant to DHS S&T, strives to provide strategic and creative solutions for the public safety community to achieve their goals. Before joining Corner Alliance, he worked as an engineer in software automation and robotics systems.
Read More Grants Management Insights
The key to success for agencies that support federal funding opportunities like grants and cooperative agreements is understanding the grants management process.