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By Julie Assel, GPC, CGMS
Grants can be a powerful part of your organization’s funding strategy. Whether you are expanding your programs, deepening your community impact, or simply trying to diversify your revenue, grants, especially from government sources, offer real opportunity.
Unlocking that opportunity requires more than just submitting a strong proposal. To fully benefit from grant funding, organizations also need the internal capacity to manage the award well: to track spending accurately, meet deadlines, comply with regulations, and report on performance.
Managing grants is not just the responsibility of your finance team or program leads. It’s a shared, organization-wide effort that touches human resources, leadership, data, compliance, and operations. The more complex the grant, especially from government funders, the more you need clearly defined systems, roles, and internal controls. The good news?
You don’t need to have it all figured out up front. But you do need to build toward it. By investing in your post-award capacity now, you are not just avoiding problems down the road, you are making your organization stronger, more agile, and more competitive for future funding.
These foundational steps will help your organization take on more complex grants with confidence and control:
- Review and reinforce internal controls. Make sure your procurement, cost allocation, travel, and timekeeping policies are documented, up to date, and consistently followed.
- Clarify who owns what. Post-award responsibilities often fall between departments. Define clear roles for reporting, reimbursement, compliance, and funder communication.
- Train your team. Human resources, finance, and program staff all need a shared understanding of grant requirements. Regular training goes a long way toward building confidence and consistency.
- Evaluate your systems. Can your current finance and program tools track expenses and deliverables by grant? If not, what upgrades or adjustments are needed?
- Bring in support when needed. External consultants can help you assess risk, build processes, and train staff. They can serve as both short- and long-term support for accelerating your internal growth.
Strong Management Expands Opportunity
When you manage your grants well, it provides you more than just compliance. It provides you with credibility. Funders look for organizations where staff can manage complex awards effectively and transparently. When you build the systems to support that, you increase your chances of renewal, readiness for larger grants, and long-term financial resilience.
With the right investment in post-award capacity — staffing, systems, training, and support — you position your organization not just to manage grants, but to grow with them.
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Julie Assel, GPC, CGMS is president and CEO of Assel Grant Services in Lees Summit, Missouri. Her email is Julie.Assel@AsselGrantServices.com
