Grant Program Application Tips
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This document provides tips for applying for grant funding from the Tennessee Energy Education Initiative. It advises applicants to determine eligibility, understand the goals of the grant and grant administrator, understand their own project and how it meets the grant's goals, commit necessary resources, and secure additional support like financing partners and letters of commitment. Key steps include checking eligibility, reviewing the scoring criteria to understand what the grant prioritizes, clearly articulating the project and its impacts in terms of energy savings, jobs, and other benefits, and making the application easy for reviewers to evaluate.
Grant Program Application Tips
- 1. Grant Program Application Tips Tennessee Energy Education Initiative
- 2. ARiES ENERGY Alternative, Renewable, innovative, Economic Solutions for Energy Turnkey Energy Solutions • Energy Business Plans • Renewable Energy Design & Installation • Grant Writing • Service and Maintenance • Reporting
- 3. Help your clients go from…..
- 4. $1.65 …… To this. Over $1.65 Million received in grant funding for clean energy investments since 2009.
- 5. Grant 101 • Determine Eligibility • Understand the Goals of the Grant /Grant Administrator • Understand your Project • How does your Project Meet the Goals of the Grant?
- 6. Commitment • If you are working with a client, get an upfront commitment – Financial deposit – Three years of financial statements – Feasibility study – Access to an internal person that is dedicated to the project
- 7. Determine Eligibility • Before beginning any work, make sure that you are eligible for the grant • Eligibility is often determined by: – Geography – Type of Entity (non-profit, municipality, business, etc.) – Organization/Business Size • Annual Revenue • # of Employees • Do not hesitate to contact the grant administrator to confirm eligibility
- 8. Understand the Goals of the Grant and Grant Administrator • If you don’t understand the goals of the grant, your chances for success are slim – Examples: • Clean Energy • Economic Development • Education • If the goals are not readily apparent to you: Work Backwards – Find or request the grant scoring sheet • Determine all of the ways your project achieves the goals of the grant based on the scoring criteria – Make a checklist
- 9. Make a Checklist based on the Scoring Criteria • Include all of the Paperwork • Evaluate your grant proposal before submitting – Include all of the information the grant administrator needs to make an informed decision • Energy offset, financial estimate, size, cost, certification
- 10. Understand your Project • Clearly articulate what you are doing – a picture is worth a thousand words • Do not assume the grant administrator knows what your project is (technology, process, etc.) • ONLY include relevant details – Refer to scoring criteria and goals of grant • Think bigger picture. How is your project significant? – Technology – Costs – Location / who and what you are impacting – Benefits of project
- 11. • The paper work is half the battle • Understand your project & be able to communicate it to others – Build confidence • Be prepared and ready to submit your application when programs open! • One of the keys to your success is: Readiness Understand your Project
- 12. How does your Project Meet the Goals of the Grant? • Make it easy for your grant administrator to determine why grant funding invested in your project will have positive results • $$$ invested here = what • Quantify as much as possible – $$$$ – kWhs saved – kWhs clean energy produced – Emissions reduced – # of jobs created
- 13. How does your Project Meet the Goals of the Grant? • Think bigger picture • Will the project/investment provide indirect benefits to the community? – Are matching funds federal and/or state dollars that you are bringing into your community? – Other Expenditures? • Local permitting costs • Hiring local labor • Supporting local hotels & restaurants – Visible application of your technology? – Is your project replicable, is the impact long-term?
- 14. Additional Support Secure a Financing Partner – Financing Partners / Matching Funds significantly strengthen your application Over $210,000 awarded in grant funding since 2010
- 15. Additional Support Letters of Commitment / Support – Build confidence with third-party support. – If other credible individuals/entities understand the value of your project and want to do business with you, why wouldn’t the grant administrator?
- 16. Make it easy. • Grants are competitive. • Follow Directions. • Answer the questions. • Be Clear & Concise. • See Results. Take care of the paperwork.
- 17. Thank You! Alternative, Renewable, innovative, Economic Solutions for Energy (first name)@ARiESEnergy.com www.ARiESEnergy.com 865-309-4NRG • Mary Shaffer Gill • Harvey Abouelata • Patrick West • Stefan Partin • Brandt Womack