Clarify your priorities
Start with your organization's mission, programs, and funding goals. A readiness conversation helps clarify what you want to fund before spending time on applications.
Organizational capacity building
Grant readiness assessment
Prepare your organization before pursuing its next funding opportunity.
A stronger starting point
Grant readiness means considering whether your priorities, materials, and planning support the applications you want to pursue. Zeeta Grants includes readiness assessment within its organizational capacity-building support, tailored to where your organization is today.
Organize your materials
Review the core documents and reusable program information your team has available. Identify gaps to address as you prepare for a specific funder's requirements.
Plan the next steps
Consider funding calendars, proposal timelines, and the systems that support your team's work. Use the discussion to identify practical capacity-building priorities.
Federal grants checklist
Before you apply for a federal grant
Tony Ayuninjam, our Founder and CEO, spent more than 16 years in federal and contractor grants management supporting HHS, the Department of State, USAID, and the FBI — reviewing applications, analyzing budgets, and monitoring compliance. This checklist reflects what federal reviewers commonly look for before an award.
Registration requirements change. Always confirm current steps on SAM.gov and Grants.gov and in each funding notice.
- 1
Confirm your legal status and EIN
Make sure your organization's legal name, address, and Employer Identification Number match IRS records exactly. Mismatches are a common cause of registration delays.
- 2
Register in SAM.gov and get your UEI
Federal applicants must have an active SAM.gov registration, which assigns your Unique Entity ID. Start early — registration can take weeks — and renew it every year.
- 3
Set up your Grants.gov account
Create a Grants.gov account linked to your UEI and assign roles, such as an Authorized Organization Representative who can submit applications.
- 4
Read the funding notice closely
Check eligibility, deadlines, page limits, required forms, cost-sharing rules, and the scoring criteria reviewers will use.
- 5
Gather core documents
Have your mission statement, board list, recent financial statements or audit, organizational chart, and key staff résumés ready.
- 6
Build a realistic, allowable budget
Prepare a detailed budget and justification that follow federal cost principles, and confirm your indirect cost approach.
- 7
Check financial and compliance systems
Confirm you can track grant funds separately, document expenses, and meet federal reporting and audit requirements after an award.
- 8
Plan your timeline and reviewers
Work backward from the deadline, assign writers, and leave time for internal review and early submission to avoid system issues.
What to discuss at your consultation
- Your mission, current programs, and funding priorities.
- Any grant opportunities or deadlines you are already considering.
- The documents and program information your team has organized.
- Where you need help with research, proposal planning, or internal systems.
Requirements vary by funder and opportunity. A readiness assessment is not a certification of eligibility or a guarantee of funding.
Funding decisions are made solely by funders. Zeeta Grants does not guarantee grant awards.
Ready to talk about your funding goals?
Start with a conversation. We'll listen first.