Grant writing vs. grant management: what happens before and after an award?
Winning a grant is the halfway point. Grant writing gets you the award; grant management keeps the money, meets the terms and protects your eligibility for the next round. Here's what each involves and where organizations most often get caught out.
Before the award: grant writing
Pre-award work turns a project into a competitive application:
- Finding and screening opportunities, and deciding whether to apply.
- Confirming eligibility and registrations, such as SAM.gov and Grants.gov.
- Writing the narrative to the scoring criteria, building the budget and documenting match.
- Gathering letters of support and attachments, and submitting on time.
After the award: grant management
Once an award is made, the terms and conditions become obligations. For federal awards, many of them come from the Uniform Guidance in 2 CFR Part 200 plus the agency's own terms.
- Award acceptance: reviewing the agreement, special conditions, budget and period of performance before signing.
- Financial management: tracking costs by award, charging only allowable costs, and requesting reimbursement or drawdowns.
- Procurement: buying goods and services under the procurement standards that apply to the award.
- Reporting: regular financial and performance reports on the funder's schedule.
- Changes: getting approval before changing scope, key personnel or significant budget categories when the terms require it.
- Subrecipient monitoring: overseeing any partners who receive part of the funds.
- Audit and records: Single Audit if spending crosses the threshold, and keeping records for the required retention period.
- Closeout: final reports and reconciliation after the period of performance ends.
Side-by-side comparison
| Grant writing | Grant management | |
|---|---|---|
| Goal | Win a competitive award | Deliver the project and meet the award terms |
| Timing | Weeks to months before the deadline | The full period of performance, often years, plus closeout |
| Main people | Writers, project leads, finance for the budget | Finance, procurement, project managers, auditors |
| Key risk | Ineligible or uncompetitive application | Disallowed costs, late reports, audit findings |
Where post-award problems usually start
Most compliance trouble is set up before the award: a budget that doesn't match how the organization actually buys and accounts, a match source that isn't approved, or a schedule that can't meet spending deadlines. That's why the people writing the application should understand what managing it will require.
When to get outside help
- It's your first award from that agency, or your first federal award.
- The award is large relative to your usual budget, or brings you near the Single Audit threshold.
- Staff who wrote the application aren't the ones who will manage it.
- Prior audits or monitoring visits produced findings.
Goodwin Ross supports both stages for businesses and local governments. Some clients use us only for the application; others keep us on through reporting and closeout.
Frequently asked questions
What is the difference between grant writing and grant management?
Grant writing is the pre-award work of finding opportunities and preparing a competitive application. Grant management is the post-award work of spending, reporting and documenting the award in line with its terms through closeout.
What rules apply to federal grant management?
For most federal awards, the Uniform Guidance in 2 CFR Part 200 sets cost, procurement, reporting, audit and closeout requirements, alongside the agency's own terms and conditions.
Do we need a Single Audit if we win a federal grant?
Only if your organization spends $1,000,000 or more in federal awards in a fiscal year beginning on or after October 1, 2024 ($750,000 for earlier fiscal years). Confirm against the current regulation.
Can the same consultant do both?
Yes, and continuity helps: the team that wrote the budget and scope understands what the award commits you to. Make sure post-award work is in a separate, clearly defined scope.
Sources
Planning an application, or managing an award?
Tell us where you are. We'll tell you what support makes sense, before any paid work begins.