BUSINESS SENSE BY MARK A. LASSITER, ATLANTIC CONSULTING GROUP


Leave No Stone Unturned: Six Steps to Winning a Grant for Your Drug Testing Business


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t happened too oſten during my 10-year career at the Addiction Prevention and Recovery Administration (APR)


for the District of Columbia: a well-skilled organization lost its chances of winning a grant because it “did not qualify.” All of these organizations, including substance abuse providers, had excellent credentials in performing the grant services (like background checks and drug testing), and they submited the grant application on time, but failed to pay the extra atention necessary to prepare the application for submission. Grant preparation is key. Te paperwork,


certifications, and management strategy must be available and included in order for an application to be considered successfully completed and ready for submission. Your documentation should display the most recent Clinical Laboratory Improvement Amendments (CLIA) certification, statistics, data, results, descriptions, and other details that benefit the successful implementation and completion of the grant services. In other words, you must be ready to apply for a grant before you apply for a grant.


Below are six surefire ways to successfully


prepare your grant application to secure funding for your drug testing business: 1. Do your homework. a. Learn about the grant. Toroughly read the funding opportunity announcement (FOA) and the request for application (RFA) to identify the grant objectives, reporting details, and if your lab is eligible. For example, NIH grant PA-18-


061 is seeking eligible applicants to support existing research that examines prescription opioid, benzodiazepine, and marijuana use in adults. Tis RFA does not explicitly state the need for a CLIA-certified lab. But, in order to fulfill the grant requirements, only a certified testing lab can provide research data to support the initiative. Terefore, a CLIA-certified drug testing lab partnering with a behavioral health organization would be eligible.


b. Learn about the funder. Studying the funder’s budget reports and interests via their website is a great way to learn their mission and therefore, state how your implementation aligns with their focus. Aſter all, they want to see that you will use the funds to fulfill their mission.


Tip: While studying the funder’s website, pay close atention to the


esthetics, such as the colors on the mission and services-offered pages. Tere are reasons why these colors were chosen, and maybe those color choices are important enough that, if used on your grant application, might draw positive atention


42 datia focus


to you. Of course, keep in mind that you must comply with the grant instructions and guidelines, so check them first.


2. Follow the instructions—Tis seems intuitive, but you may be surprised to learn that a high number of applicants do not follow simple instructions like maximum page sizes or submiting before a deadline date. For example, the following


requirements are included on certain Funding Opportunity Announcements (FOAs): • Example from Centers for Disease Control FOA: “Each section should use 1.5 spacing with one-inch margins.”


• Example from Department of State FOA: “Please also atach CVs for these staff members/volunteers, which are not more than two (2) pages each and indicate the person’s relevant skills and experience.”


• Example from Department of Commerce FOA: “APPENDICES (not included in 12-page limit)”


• Example from Bureau of Justice Assistance FOA: “Applications should include a high-quality Project Abstract that summarizes the proposed project in 400 words or fewer.” Remember that grant guidelines are found in a number of locations: the RFA, the request for proposal, and the overall grant application. Be specific and thorough, and give the funder exactly what they are asking for.


Tip: Your grant application should follow the order of the requested


information in the RFA. Reviewers should summer 2018


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