Welcome to Day 23 of the 30-Day Grant Readiness Challenge!
Yesterday, we focused on collaborative editing. Today, we take that process a step further with the Grant Mock Review.
If you are applying for a large government grant or a foundation that utilizes a strict scoring rubric, a mock review is exactly what you need. It allows you to see your proposal through the funder’s eyes before you click submit.
Phase 1: How to Set Up Your Mock Review
- Create the Scoring Sheet: Build a matrix based exactly on the RFP/NOFO requirements. If the funder gives 20 points for “Need,” make sure your reviewers have a clear way to score that section.
- Select Your Reviewers: Pick three colleagues who were not involved in writing the narrative. You need fresh eyes that won’t overlook missing details due to tunnel vision.
- Set a Tight Deadline: Give your reviewers 2 to 3 days to score the proposal and provide comments.
Phase 2: Utilizing the Feedback
After the scores are in, don’t just look at the total. Use the feedback to strengthen your case:
- Calculate the Average: If your mock reviewers are scoring your proposal lower than 90%, you likely have work to do.
- Identify Clarification Gaps: If all three reviewers were confused by your Evaluation section, the real funder will be, too. Fix it now.
- Be Strategic: You don’t have to follow every single comment, but if you see a pattern, pay attention.
Tools for a More Competitive Proposal
Use these resources to make your mock review as realistic as possible:
- Download: Free Mock Review Toolkit – This guide contains everything you need to set up your internal scoring matrix.
- Watch: Benefits of Serving as a Grant Reviewer – Serving as a grant reviewer for a foundation, state, or federal agency will bring a huge benefit to your own work. You can reflect on what stood out and what made the most sense.
- Assess: Does your organization routinely use mock reviews? See how this affects your readiness score with the GRASP Tool.
Join the Discussion
We want to hear from you! Have you ever performed a mock review and found a major error or missing component before the final deadline? How did it change your final submission?
Leave a note in the comments below and share your mock review experiences!