Mid-Year Grant Checkup: Are You on Track?

With July just around the corner, now is the perfect time for a mid-year grant checkup. Many organizations set ambitious funding goals in January only to realize in December that they've fallen short. Let's avoid that end-of-year panic with a strategic mid-year assessment!

1. Review Your Numbers

Pull up your grant goals for the year and honestly assess where you stand:

• How many applications have you submitted compared to your goal?

• What's your current success rate?

• What percentage of your annual grant revenue goal have you secured?

• How many promising opportunities are still in the pipeline?

If you're significantly behind, don't panic—use this awareness to adjust your strategy for the second half of the year.

2. Evaluate Your Time Investment

Grant seeking requires substantial time and resources. Ask yourself:

• Are you spending too much time on low-return applications?

• Could you redirect energy toward fewer, larger opportunities?

• Have you been applying for grants that don't align with your mission? (Remember: if you find yourself doing mental gymnastics to connect the dots between your work and a funder's interests, it's probably not the right fit!)

  
  

3. Check In With Current Funders

Summer is the perfect time to send updates to foundations that have already invested in your work:

• Share an informal progress report or success story

• Invite them to any upcoming events (virtual or in-person)

• Ask if they'd like to schedule a site visit before fall

  
  

These touchpoints strengthen relationships and set the stage for renewal funding.

4. Revisit Rejected Applications

For grants that didn't get funded in the first half of the year:

• Did you request feedback from the funder? If not, reach out now

• Review the proposals objectively—what could be strengthened?

• Consider whether these funders should remain on your prospect list

  
  

Sometimes a "no" simply means "not this time"—but sometimes it signals a fundamental misalignment that won't change with resubmission.

5. Refresh Your Fall Calendar

Many major foundation deadlines cluster in the September-November period:

• Identify your priority opportunities for the fall

• Block time on your calendar NOW for those applications

• Consider what supporting materials need updating before fall submissions

• Create a realistic timeline that accounts for internal reviews and approvals

Remember, the most successful grant programs aren't necessarily the ones that started with perfect strategies—they're the ones that regularly assessed their progress and made smart adjustments along the way.