A Checklist for Getting Canadian Government Grants
August 9th, 2009It is not too difficult to secure Canadian government grants. As long as you submit a strong proposal to the right government agency, getting grants from the government would be easy. However, be prepared also to get numerous rejections especially if you are applying for a program where you have lots of competitors. In such cases, you can apply for government loans which are also abundant or you can try to submit another grant proposal to other agencies of the Canadian government. In order to minimize rejections, you have to prepare a checklist for grant seeking. This checklist will be your strategic tool in seeking more government grants in the future.
Your grant seeker checklist should not be too complicated. If you do not know how to make one, then you can find non-profit organizations that provide a template checklist. However, it is always best to create your own checklist so you can align the objectives of your company to the Canadian government grants or loans that you want to get. When creating your checklist, make sure that you can divide it into three major parts. The first part is the pre application stage. The second part should be project proposal writing while the last part is your assessment and evaluation stage.
Objective setting should be on top of your checklist. You have to clarify and determine the things that you want to accomplish in seeking Canadian government grants and loans. Setting your strategic grant seeking objective is important so you can organize your effort. You can make 1-year, 2-year, or even 5-year plans so you will have a clear vision about the things you want to accomplish in seeking grants. Next on your checklist should be research. There are two approaches to grant research. First, you have to thoroughly scout for available funding and agencies that have regular grant programs. It is not enough to browse government websites when doing your research. You can seek help from independent research institutions like the Small Business Finance Centre of Canada.
Research on your competition is also important if you want to get Canadian government grants. You have to gather information about companies or small business owners who successfully acquired loans and grants from the government. Look for small businesses that have projects similar to your own. You can learn valuable insights from these successful grant seekers. Next on your checklist is project proposal writing. This task will take up at least 50 percent of your time. That is because you have to carefully prepare your proposal in order to get the nod of funding agencies.
Last on your list should be assessment and evaluation. If you succeeded in your first application, then you have to assess it, learn lessons from the process, and replicate your success for your future grant seeking. If you fail in your bid to get government grants, you also have to evaluate the process, learn lessons from your mistakes and improve your methods for the next grant application.
Do you want to know how to get Canadian government grants? Visit our website today and learn how you can effectively apply for grants and loans from the Canadian government.
