Grant Application Tips
Excerpted from the Iowa Mississippi River Parkway Commission (MRPC) NewsletterVOLUME 11, JUNE 2007
National Scenic Byway Grants - Some thoughts
The 2007 National Scenic Byway grant cycle has drawn to a close with recommendations for ranking sent to the Federal Highway Administration (FHWA). This year’s application process was challenging in that FHWA modified the process to utilize the federal grants.gov system. Unfortunately, the transition to the new process was not complete by the time the application process was to start, thus, a combination of the previous system and new system was used. In spite of the challenges, the application process was completed and all applications submitted were considered, ranked and forwarded to FHWA for consideration. The results of the grant cycle are yet to be determined, but recipients will be contacted immediately when results are available.
This most recent application cycle, as have past grant cycles, made it very clear Iowa consistently has far more projects submitted than can be funded. This makes the application process very competitive, and perhaps, ultimately, assures those applications make the most compelling case for the project. When preparing a convincing grant application remember to:
- Start early - Don’t wait until the last minute to prepare your application materials. Start well in advance of the grant cycle announcement, this will allow time to prepare a compelling application.
- Communicate with your Iowa MRPC county commissioner early in the process so they are aware of your project and can give you advice on your application.
- Remember, this is a National Scenic Byway Grant Program. The most important question you can ask yourself in considering a project is, "Does this project directly benefit the byway traveler and how so?" While many projects submitted are good projects, only those projects that directly benefit the byway traveler will rank high. Remember, there are other grant programs that can be used for projects that are not ideal candidates for the National Scenic Byway Grants Program.
- Present your application material in a clear, complete and concise manner. Remember that FHWA will be processing hundreds of applications. Applications that are well presented, but not overly verbose, will fare better.
- Include supplemental materials that strengthen your case for the proposed project.
- Make a strong case for how this project supports the Scenic Byway’s Corridor Management Plan. This is essential.
- Review the scoring criteria so you know what the people scoring the application are looking for in the application. This will be available online on the Iowa’s Byways Web site.
- Follow the directions for submitting the application. Nothing undermines the confidence in a local public agency’s ability to successfully implement a federal-aid grant than the inability to correctly and successfully complete the grant application process.
- Carefully review the current year's grant program guidance on the National Scenic Byways Resource Center Web site bywaysonline.org under the grants section. This will provide the most current guidance and answer many application questions.
- Call. If you have a question about any part of the application process, please feel free to call your county MRPC commissioner or the Iowa's Byways coordinator at 515-239-1369 or send an E-mail to troy.siefert@dot.iowa.gov.
