Creating a Successful Grants Management Plan

The key to creating a successful grants management plan is making the best possible use of funds to set a program up for long-term success. Research is extremely important during this stage—and there are a few key things to remember:  

1. Grant funding isn’t immediate.  
2. Make explicit note of deadlines and timelines, because coordinating an application is typically more work than anticipated.  
3. There are more funding opportunities beyond federal education grants. 

When developing a grants management plan for a program, we strongly encourage:  

• Being proactive and planning to build sustainability can help ensure future success for an after-school program 
• Thinking about grant lifecycles can help prepare for the inevitability of funding “running out” 
• Utilizing performance data optimizes an after-school program and can illuminate a path for continuous improvements over time 

It’s essential to think about how the program will operate when a grant ends. Well organized management teams with a proactive approach and diverse sources of funding that are secured well in advance of shortages have a much better chance of keeping the lights on when their grant comes to an end. 

For additional steps to creating a successful grants management plan for your after-school program read our ebook which includes a bonus “Grant Management Checklist.”  

AfterSchool21 is a flexible, easy-to-use online program management software solution. It is used by state departments of education and programs across the country to support clean, accurate data for their Annual Performance Reports, year-over-year reporting for their donors and grants, as well as fee management for their parent-pay features.  

Schedule a demo to see why AfterSchool21 is the best choice to support your grants management plan for your after-school program.