Grantor Tools & Tips

Training Resources and Tips for Grantors

From user guides to FAQs and pro tips, the following resources will help you master Grants.gov as a grantor:

• Grants.gov Online User Guide – contains instructions for posting opportunity synopses, creating and modifying application templates, downloading submitted applications, and more.
   
• Standard Language Describing the Grants.gov Application Process – customizable copy for internal and external communications about Grants.gov
   
• Grantor FAQs – answers to grantors' most common questions

• Grants.gov Presentation Request Form- If you would like to request brochures or a complimentary Grants.gov presentation on the Find and Apply process, please fill out this form and submit it to support@grants.gov.

Featured Video

Introducing Grants.gov Forecast - For Federal Grant-Making Agencies

A grant forecast is a projection of a funding opportunity that is likely to come later in the year. Grantors may publish Forecasts on Grants.gov to aid their applicants' planning and application process.

How to Ensure a Smooth Application Submission Process

The following practices will help to ensure that your agency's application submission process runs as smoothly as possible:

1. Encourage your applicants to register with Grants.gov.

A primary reason application submissions are rejected is that the person submitting the application has not completed the Grants.gov registration process.  It is recommended that grantors provide applicants with an overview of the process in the announcement instructions. For customizable copy about the registration process, please see "Standard Language Describing the Grants.gov Application Process."

2. Accurately estimate the expected number of applications.

When indicating the Expected Number of Applications, agencies should strive to be as accurate as possible.

3. Provide an Agency Contact for electronic access problems and questions.

Some agencies are incorrectly inserting "Grants.gov Help Desk" as the Agency Contact when posting an announcement. The intent of these fields is to connect the applicant to someone within your program office who can assist them when they have questions about your specific announcement. Here is how the following fields should be used: 

• Agency Contact: This field is pre-populated by the system and contains the name of the person who is currently logged into the system and trying to publish an opportunity. This information can be overwritten as needed.
   
• Email Address:  This is also pre-populated by the system and can be overwritten. Enter the email address of someone – within your agency – who can assist applicants with specific inquiries.
   
• Email Description: Enter text that will be used as a hyperlink to the email address provided. For example, if you entered "Agency Help Desk," then when the synopsis is published and someone clicks on "Agency Help Desk" an email will open with the agency contact's email address pre-populated in the "To" field.

Contacts

• Grants.gov Program Advisors – Your PMO contact who can assist in the effective use of Grants.gov
• Grantor Point of Contact (POC) – Your colleague who serves as your agency's liaison with the Grants.gov PMO

Additional Resources

• The Grants.gov Community Blog - Subscribe to posts from the Grants.gov Community Blog and connect with other grant-making agencies and their applicants.
• The Official Grants.gov Blog - Check our blog for the latest information about system updates and maintenance periods.
• Grants.gov Logo – Right-click on the Grants.gov logo, save it to your computer, and use it in your agency's training materials.