As a seasoned grant specialist with over 15 years of experience, I can tell you that meeting all donor requirements is one of the most important aspects of proposal creation. Unfortunately, we’ve all seen proposals miss the mark over the years because of simple omissions. Often we are putting these documents together under serious time constraints with limited resources. It can seem chaotic and let’s just say not conducive to accurate or high quality work. 

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In order to not skip any deal breakers when laying out the project in your proposal, a critical best practice in this process is using a compliance matrix. A compliance matrix lays out every requirement from the donor’s appeal or solicitation — and shows where it is addressed in your proposal. However, even using an existing template does not eliminate human error, and creating a compliance matrix manually involves several labor-intensive steps:

1. Thoroughly Read and Understand the Solicitation
   • Task:Carefully read the entire solicitation document to identify all compliance requirements.
     • This step involves going through each page of the solicitation document, which could be hundreds of pages long. It requires a meticulous eye to ensure that no detail is overlooked. The goal is to fully understand the donor's expectations and requirements.
     • Estimated Time: 3-5 hours, depending on the complexity and length of the document. Longer and more detailed solicitations can significantly extend this time.
2. Identify Compliance Requirements
   • Task: Extract and list all requirements from sections such as eligibility, program description, application instructions, and evaluation criteria.
     • This step involves highlighting or noting specific requirements mentioned throughout the document. It requires understanding which details are crucial for compliance and which are merely informational.
     • Estimated Time: 2-3 hours.
3. Organize Requirements into Categories
   • Task: Categorize the extracted requirements into sections like technical, financial, and administrative.
     • Once requirements are identified, they need to be organized logically. This categorization helps in systematically addressing each type of requirement in the proposal.
     • Estimated Time: 1-2 hours.
4. Create the Compliance Matrix Template
   • Task: Design a matrix template in a spreadsheet or word processor, including sections like requirement description, solicitation reference, proposal section, and status.
     • Designing a template involves setting up a structured format that allows easy input and tracking of compliance requirements. This might include creating columns and rows that capture all necessary details.
     • Estimated Time: 1-2 hours.
5. Populate the Compliance Matrix
   • Task: Fill in the matrix with all identified requirements and their respective proposal sections.
     • This involves inputting all the extracted requirements into the matrix, ensuring each requirement is matched with the correct proposal section. It’s a detailed task that requires attention to ensure nothing is missed.
     • Estimated Time: 2-4 hours.
6. Review and Verification
   • Task: Review the matrix to ensure all requirements are captured and correctly referenced.
     • A final review is crucial to catch any missed requirements or errors in referencing. This step ensures that the proposal aligns perfectly with the solicitation requirements.
     • Estimated Time: 1-2 hours.

Total Estimated Time: 10-18 hours (roughly 1-2 business days)

Want to see Grant Assistant in action for yourself? Book a call with the team.

Grant Assistant revolutionizes this process by automating the creation of a compliance matrix, making it faster, more accurate, and less burdensome. Here’s how:

1. Automatic Generation
   • Task: Grant Assistant extracts requirements directly from the RFP and maps them to the proposal sections.
     • The tool uses advanced AI to scan the solicitation document, identify key requirements, and automatically generate a compliance matrix. This eliminates the need for manual reading and extraction.
     • Time: Instantaneous.
2. Real-time Updates
   • Task: The system provides real-time updates to ensure the matrix is always up-to-date with the latest requirements.
     • As new information or updates are received, Grant Assistant can seamlessly integrate these changes into the compliance matrix, ensuring that your proposal is always aligned with the latest requirements.
     • Time: Ongoing.
3. Custom Templates and Compliance Checks
   • Task: Utilize custom templates and built-in compliance checks to ensure every requirement is addressed.
     • The tool allows users to create custom templates tailored to specific needs and includes automated compliance checks that verify all requirements are met.
     • Time: Automated.

Key Benefits:

• Ensures Compliance: By automating the matrix creation, Grant Assistant ensures no requirement is overlooked, significantly increasing the chances of a successful proposal.
• Saves Time: Automating the compliance matrix creation saves your team countless hours, allowing them to focus on crafting a compelling narrative and strategy.
• Reduces Errors and Omissions: The automation minimizes human error, providing a more accurate and reliable compliance matrix.

I wish I had the resources of something like Grant Assistant when I was responsible for overseeing 30 different proposals and reports a year for a UN agency! On a basic level, Grant Assistant is a time saver. It allows your proposal to get off the ground and into a working draft in a fraction of the time it would normally take. Specialized sections of your proposal, like the technical approach or problem statement, can be collaboratively developed and supercharged with AI technology. 

By leveraging Grant Assistant’s advanced features, your organization can streamline the proposal development process, creating compelling draft language while effortlessly ensuring compliance with donor requirements effortlessly. This innovative tool not only enhances efficiency but also boosts the likelihood of securing funding by enhancing accuracy in your proposals.

Experience the future of proposal compliance with Grant Assistant and see how it can transform your proposal development process. 

Book a call with my team members to get a personalized demo of Grant Assistant

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Charles Fromm is the Director of Proposal Strategy at Grant Assistant. He is a seasoned writer and editor working in the international development and humanitarian aid sector for over 15 years. Charles has served as a partnerships officer, communication specialist, and reporting officer for several UN agencies and NGOs. He holds a Masters in International Affairs from the New School University. 

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