Staying on Top of Federal Trends

Julie Assel

A version of this blog was originally published at AsselGrantServices.com in January, 2020.

Receiving federal grant funding isn’t something that happens overnight - especially if you are just starting out. In order to be successful in your pursuit of federal funding and make the most of your time and resources - you need to do your homework. This includes keeping up with the constantly evolving federal government trends. Here is a helpful list of important trends to monitor and recommendations on how to keep current with each of the federal departments you feel are relevant to your organization.

1. Strategic Trends

Read the department’s strategic plan. This is how career department staff interpret presidential priorities. On each department’s website, find the ABOUT page. A link to their strategic plan can be found there.
Read the original and most recent legislation for the grant. This is how local legislators and society trends influence federal programs.

2. Appropriation Trends

Determine if the department, division, and grant appropriation has gone up or down under the current administration.
Has the president’s budget recommended an increase or decrease?
What was the legislature’s response?

3. State Trends

What grants have been funded in your state from the department or division?
When, if ever, has an award been made in your community? In your region of the state? In your state? In your region of the U.S.?
Have you ever made your federal legislators aware of your program? Invite them for a tour. Provide a one-page bullet point summary to their staffer.

4. Grant Trends

Conduct an overall review of grants available (over the last three years, if you have the time.)
- What grants are most similar to your services or population served?
- What kind of evaluations are expected? Internal or external evaluators?
- How do aligned grants fit into the department’s strategic plan and appropriation?

5. Program Trends

What data does the department require in the proposal’s NEEDS section?
What programs have other awardees proposed in their abstracts?
What is the evidence base for these services?

If you are looking to learn more about federal grants and what it takes to apply, watch Julie’s recent webinar: Pursuing Federal Grants.
This blog is aligned to the Grant Professionals Certification Institute’s (GPCI) list of required competencies for the GPC (Grant Professional Certified) credential.

Competency #1: Knowledge of how to research, identify, and match funding resources to meet specific needs.
- Skill 1.1. Identify major trends in public funding and public policy.
- Skill 1.4. Identify techniques to learn about specific funders.

About the Author

Julie has written awarded grants totaling more than $100 million since 2003, writing both federal and foundation grants for non-profit organizations, healthcare organizations, universities, and school districts. She currently serves as Board President for the national Grant Professional Certification Institute and holds a Fundraising Certificate from the Midwest Center for Nonprofit Leadership and a Bachelor's Degree in Education from Luther College. Her organization, Assel Grant Services <https://www.asselgrantservices.com/> , takes the mystery out of the grant process, including research <https://www.asselgrantservices.com/index.php/solutions/grant-research> , proposal creation, and application <https://www.asselgrantservices.com/index.php/solutions/grant-writing> process. Assel Grant Services is a GPCI Accepted Provider and Julie Assel is one of 10 GPA Approved Trainers who is also a credentialed grant professional (GPC).
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