Frequently Asked Questions
Why should I sign an annual contract?
An annual contract makes J. O’Connell & Associates your grants consulting firm. You will receive notices for state and federal grants for which you are eligible, a funding forecast to help you prepare for grant announcements, and funding searches for unique requests. We can also help you with project or program development, find appropriate funding sources, and, of course, write and submit the grant application.
As communication is key to successful grant funding, we have found that the optimum working arrangement is a two year contract agreement allowing time to build more trust, understanding, and the ability to work towards successful funding of larger, more complex projects in the second and subsequent years. In addition, grant awards are not always announced within the time frame of the initial year of your contract with us, and you may not clearly see how significant the return on your investment is until partway through your second year. Signing a two-year contract is even more advantageous as the price you are quoted for the first year of the contract remains the same for the second year of the contract.
If I have an annual contract, how many grants will you write for me?
We will only write grants for which you meet eligibility criteria, and where you work to provide us with the necessary information to complete your application. Unless specified in the contract, there are no limits on the number of grants we will write.
How many of the grants you write get funded?
The total success of a grants consulting firm cannot be measured solely by the number or percentage of grants funded, nor on the amount of funding gained for clients. However, those metrics do provide some insight into the ability to successfully match projects and funders and subsequently build a compelling case for funding each project. Once we have helped you submit the best possible application, the decision is left up to the funder. As grant programs become increasingly complex and more applicants seek grants, even the highest quality proposals can be denied. Many state and federal programs are currently funding fewer than 30% of applications. However, during a five-year span from 2015 to 2019, 51% of the grants written by J. O’Connell & Associates were funded with a total of over $56 million in grant funds awarded – an average of $11.3 million each year!
How much money will my organization receive in grant funds?
There is no simple answer to this question. It depends on the availability of funding for projects matching your needs, how much you need to complete your project, and how many grants are awarded by the targeted funders. What is clear is that J. O’Connell clients regularly receive grant funding that more than reimburses the cost of an annual contract.