MS&E Capstone Project: Grant Application Process Optimization

Executive Summary: We undertook this project to help streamline the grant application process at [the client]. Having previously lost lost funding of at least $50,000 due to a missed e-mail, the [client] team is concerned about the possibility of missing an important deadline or grant requirement. This is because they do not currently have standard protocols across the organization to manage the multiple grants they receive from different sources every year. Upon further investigation, we found that [client] is also at risk of losing its institutional records in the event of turnover in their leadership. Furthermore, their lack of standardized protocols for record keeping and approaching the grant application process leads to avoidable inefficiencies and frustrations within the team. The key people involved in the grants process have different comfort levels with technical tools, but are eager for a solution that simplifies their work. With these findings in mind, we recommend that [the client] harness their existing technical platforms to create a system for safeguarding institutional records and enabling collaboration within the team. Moreover, we recommend that they incorporate Asana into their grant application process to help keep track of the requirements of the different grants they receive. Lastly, we recommend that [the client] standardize their processes beyond just grant writing, including the periodic review of their protocols for record keeping and grant writing.