Many federal programs will not be a good fit for your community or project, so it is optimal to focus on programs that align most closely with your project priorities, eligibility, and organizational capacity. The most strategic approach would be to develop a shortlist of 2–4 federal programs to monitor and prepare for as part of your broader project planning. Local governments should then evaluate past deadlines for recurring programs so you can anticipate program cycles and integrate them into your project timeline, not just track application due dates. Based on that shortlist, you can then look to state and other philanthropy funding to complement your project priorities. This will help bolster your case and funding need, demonstrating the range of resources you aim to leverage, and help you better prioritize the sequence of funding requests.

Check out our page, What to Expect When You’re Expecting (to Apply), for key questions to consider when deciding whether to shortlist or prioritize a program.