Three Grant Writing Tips to Maximize Your Infra­struc­ture Upgrades 

Escalating costs and ever-increasing demands for infra­struc­ture capacity and mobility options are forcing communities to be creative in their pursuit of federal funding. Find out the three keys to tapping into diverse funding streams so you can complete multiple infra­struc­ture goals in a more efficient and streamlined manner.  

We stand at a moment of unprece­dented funding opportunity. With the enaction of the Bipartisan Infra­struc­ture Law (BIL), a total of $1.2 trillion has been authorized across an array of infra­struc­ture programs that both prioritize a state of good repair and boost community-focused initiatives like climate resilience and envi­ron­men­tal justice.  

Key notice of funding oppor­tu­ni­ties (NOFOs) are published on USDOT’s website and provide program-specific information as well as any evaluation criteria that USDOT will be using when it considers appli­ca­tions. USDOT provides excellent resources to help applicants navigate these funding programs: a grants lookahead calendar, searchable database of each competitive grant program, and other useful materials. For some smaller grant programs, the department may only require applicants to complete pre-populated worksheets, project scope summaries and budget spec­i­fi­ca­tions. For larger programs, more detailed materials are typically required: a grant application narrative, benefit cost analysis, detailed calcu­la­tions workbooks, and required docu­men­ta­tion like disclosure of lobbying activities or letters of support from partner agencies and elected officials.  

As you prepare your orga­ni­za­tion for the application process, you’ll need to tap into expertise from those familiar with all the ins and outs. Here are three tips for grant writing success from CDM Smith's experts.

Leverage a core technical team, both on the consultant side and the client side.  

Assign a lead planner or engineer to be the quarterback. This should be someone who understands the require­ments of the NOFO, has extensive knowledge of the project, and can success­fully articulate why that project would be a good fit for the federal grant program.  

As the quarterback, that individual is responsible for coor­di­nat­ing resources, technical analyses, production of materials, and providing quality assurance of all the appropriate NOFO require­ments. He or she may also need to identify and secure unique technical services like economists, traffic engineers, GIS analysts, or graphic designers to help produce final materials.  

PRO TIP: It can also be helpful to assign a primary technical writer to help ensure a consistent voice across materials. 

Plan for close coor­di­na­tion and quick turnaround time. 

Grant writing can be a fluid and dynamic process, and a federal grant application due date makes for a hard deadline. So it's important to keep everything moving forward to get that application over the finish line.  

NOFOs typically operate within a six-to-eight-week period. With that sprint-like schedule, it’s critical to maintain momentum. You might consider breaking up that period into one- or two-week increments and identify goals for materials that need to be assembled for each of those sprints.  

You’ll find it helpful to assemble a master checklist and schedule that helps to bring all the materials together on time. This will help to confirm which materials are the client’s respon­si­bil­ity to provide (for example, letters of support, budget estimates, a demon­stra­tion of a local match commitment) and which items are on the consultant team to assemble and distribute.  

PRO TIP: Don’t forget to identify and establish key house­keep­ing elements like file-sharing methods and review or approval procedures. This will help you to keep track of deliv­er­ables and save critical time as your due date approaches. 

Allow for adequate schedule.  

In some cases, the consultant team may be well-acquainted with the client and the project. They may even have all the necessary project materials in hand and be eager to get started. In others, everyone's learning as they go and it might take several weeks to nail down technical development, client coor­di­na­tion and the multi-faceted approvals process.  

Either way, it's important to make sure that you have ample time to gather the appropriate materials and build a captivating narrative.  

PRO TIP: Keep an eye on shared calendars so everyone can proactively engage in advance of a NOFO announce­ment. The more inter­ac­tions you can facilitate, especially before you get down to crunch time, the better.