• Funding Opportunity Assessment Tool

  • A new grant or contract can be vital to funding your organization's programs, but it brings responsibilities and risks as well. This tool will help you evaluate whether a funding opportunity makes strategic sense and is feasible for your organization.

     

    How Results Are Calculated

    The tool focuses on three areas: Can you deliver the program? What financial impact will it have on your organization? And, can you manage the contract? 

    After answering the questions in each section, you will see how good of a "match" the opportunity is for your organization, along with points to consider in making a decision about what to do. The degree of fit is illustrated by colors: green for close, yellow for possible, and red for questionable match.

    The tool is best used in a group—so consider inviting your colleagues to join you. It can be used to guide a discussion that includes the Executive Director/CEO, Finance Director/CFO, Development Director, and the director or manager in charge of a program considering the grant. Discussing these questions together will help you best evaluate the opportunity.

    Disclaimer: This tool is meant for internal planning and assessment purposes only and is in no way meant to assess or predict whether your organization will be awarded any particular grant or contract, nor should its results be cited or referred to in a grant or contract application.

    BDO thanks the Wallace Foundation for their support in the development of this tool.

  • Part 1 of 3: Program Delivery Capacity

    Evaluate your capacity to deliver the program or service and assess how it relates to your mission.

  • Part 1 Results

    You have completed Part 1 of the assessment. A summary of your results will be available at the end.
  •    

    Your answers indicate that your organization possesses the capacity to deliver this program.

    The program/service is central or related to your organization’s mission, and not widely available in your community. You have access to the space, personnel and/or expertise necessary to deliver the program effectively.
  •    

    Your responses indicate that you should carefully consider whether this program or service fits within your programmatic goals and capabilities.

    Does it fit within the mission of your organization? Will it enhance or compete with programs you are already providing? If another organization is already providing the service, how do you compare competitively? Are you prepared to find a new space or make your existing physical space available for the program? Are you prepared to make any necessary personnel enhancements by training your existing staff or hiring new staff?
  •    

    Your responses indicate that the opportunity may not be feasible or strategically appropriate for your organization.

    The proposed program or service may stretch beyond the organization's mission, stress its resources, and/or be redundant or inappropriate for the community you serve. You should honestly evaluate each of these criteria when deciding whether to proceed with the opportunity.

  • Please take note of the following issue in particular:

    Your responses indicated that this opportunity is outside your organization's current mission focus.

    An organization that decides to add a new program outside of its stated mission should consider the costs and benefits of doing so. Which organizational goals will the program support? Will the program divert resources from more mission-aligned programs? Will it confuse or alienate your core supporters? Consider these questions carefully in evaluating the appropriateness of this opportunity.

  • Part 2 of 3: Financial Impact

    Consider whether the program or service will be financially feasible for your organization.

  • Part 2 Results

    You have completed Part 2 of the assessment. A summary of your results will be available at the end.
  •    

    Your responses indicate that this opportunity is likely to be financially feasible for your organization.

    The contract is projected to cover most of all of the program's direct and indirect costs and does not pose insurmountable start up costs or match requirements.
  •    

    Your responses indicate that you should carefully consider whether this program or service fits within your financial goals and capabilities.

    Are direct and indirect costs adequately covered by the contract? Are startup costs manageable? Does your organization have a strategy for funding costs not covered by the contact? How will this affect your other programs?
  •    

    Your responses indicate that the opportunity may not be financially feasible for your organization.

    The proposed contract may become a financial burden rather than a financial boon. This could affect the health of other programs and of the organization overall. You should carefully evaluate the expected financial impact of this contract when deciding whether to proceed with the funding application.

  • Please take note of the following issue in particular:

    Your responses indicated the contract will cover less than 70% of direct costs to deliver this program.

    An organization that applies for a new contract that covers such a low proportion of the direct costs of the program should carefully consider the implications. Have you already raised funds to cover the remaining costs? If not, is there a strong likelihood that additional funding can be raised or that unrestricted revenue will be available to cover the difference?

  • Please take note of the following issue in particular:

    Your responses indicated the contract will cover less than 25% of indirect costs.

    An organization that applies for a new contract covering such a low proportion of the program's indirect costs should carefully consider the implications. Has your organization already raised funds to cover the remaining indirect costs? If not, is there a strong likelihood that additional funding can be raised or that unrestricted revenue will be available to cover the difference?

  • Part 3 of 3: Contract Administration

    Assess your administrative capability to manage and report on the contract.

  • Part 3 Results

    You have completed Part 3 of the assessment. A summary of your results will be available at the end.
  •    

    Your responses indicate that this opportunity is likely to be administratively feasible for your organization.

    You have (or have had in the past) similar funding, have systems capable of tracking and reporting necessary data, and are accustomed to reporting requirements.
  •    

    Your responses indicate that you should review whether your current administrative capabilities are adequate to meet the reporting and compliance requirements of this funding opportunity.

    In the event that you secure this funding opportunity, you may need to invest in additional personnel, training, and/or systems to manage and comply with the administrative terms of the contract successfully.

  • Please take note of the following issue in particular:

    Your responses indicated that this opportunity would represent the organization's first government contract.

    There are many administrative intricacies related to such agreements. If this is your first government contract, you should be sure that your organization understands the administrative time, effort, and systems required to comply with all aspects of the agreement.

  • Please take note of the following issue in particular:

    Your responses indicated that this opportunity would subject the organization to Single Audit requirements.

    A Single Audit requires a level of compliance and control beyond that of a standard financial statement audit. It includes an examination of an organization's financial records and statements, federal award transactions, the general management of operations, and internal control systems. If this contract would require your first Single Audit, you should be sure that you understand and implement the standards of reporting, operations and controls expected as part of such an audit.

  • Summary of Results

  • Congratulations! You have completed all parts of the assessment. We recommend saving a copy of this page for your records.

    Please note: BDO does not endorse or in any way claim to predict the outcome of your grant or contract proposal. These results should not be cited or referenced in a grant or contract application.

  • Program Delivery Capacity

  •    

    Your answers indicate that your organization possesses the capacity to deliver this program.

    The program/service is central or related to your organization’s mission, and not widely available in your community. You have access to the space, personnel or and expertise necessary to deliver the program effectively.
  •    

    Your responses indicate that you should carefully consider whether this program or service fits within your programmatic goals and capabilities.

    Does it fit within the mission of your organization? Will it enhance or compete with programs you are already providing? If another organization is already providing the service, how do you compare competitively? Are you prepared to find a new space or make your existing physical space available for the program? Are you prepared to make any necessary personnel enhancements by training your existing staff or hiring new staff?
  •    

    Your responses indicate that the opportunity may not be feasible or strategically appropriate for your organization.

    The proposed program or service may stretch beyond the organization's mission, stress its resources, and/or be redundant or inappropriate for the community you serve. You should honestly evaluate each of these criteria when deciding whether to proceed with the opportunity.

  • Please take note of the following issue in particular:

    Your responses indicated that this opportunity is outside your organization's current mission focus.

    An organization that decides to add a new program outside of its stated mission should consider the costs and benefits of doing so. Which organizational goals will the program support? Will the program divert resources from more mission-aligned programs? Will it confuse or alienate your core supporters? Consider these questions carefully in evaluating the appropriateness of this opportunity.

  • Financial Impact

  •    

    Your responses indicate that this opportunity is likely to be financially feasible for your organization.

    The contract is projected to cover most of all of the program's direct and indirect costs and does not pose insurmountable start up costs or match requirements.
  •    

    Your responses indicate that you should carefully consider whether this program or service fits within your financial goals and capabilities.

    Are direct and indirect costs adequately covered by the contract? Are startup costs manageable? Does your organization have a strategy for funding costs not covered by the contact? How will this affect your other programs?
  •    

    Your responses indicate that the opportunity may not be financially feasible for your organization.

    The proposed contract may become a financial burden rather than a financial boon. This could affect the health of other programs and of the organization overall. You should carefully evaluate the expected financial impact of this contract when deciding whether to proceed with the funding application.

  • Please take note of the following issue in particular:

    Your responses indicated the contract will cover less than 70% of direct costs to deliver this program.

    An organization that applies for a new contract that covers such a low proportion of the direct costs of the program should carefully consider the implications. Have you already raised funds to cover the remaining costs? If not, is there a strong likelihood that additional funding can be raised or that unrestricted revenue will be available to cover the difference?

  • Please take note of the following issue in particular:

    Your responses indicated the contract will cover less than 25% of indirect costs.

    An organization that applies for a new contract covering such a low proportion of the program's indirect costs should carefully consider the implications. Has your organization already raised funds to cover the remaining indirect costs? If not, is there a strong likelihood that additional funding can be raised or that unrestricted revenue will be available to cover the difference?

  • Contract Administration

  •    

    Your responses indicate that this opportunity is likely to be administratively feasible for your organization.

    You have (or have had in the past) similar funding, have systems capable of tracking and reporting necessary data, and are accustomed to reporting requirements.
  •    

    Your responses indicate that you should review whether your current administrative capabilities are adequate to meet the reporting and compliance requirements of this funding opportunity.

    In the event that you secure this funding opportunity, you may need to invest in additional personnel, training, and/or systems to manage and comply with the administrative terms of the contract successfully.

  • Please take note of the following issue in particular:

    Your responses indicated that this opportunity would represent the organization's first government contract.

    There are many administrative intricacies related to such agreements. If this is your first government contract, you should be sure that your organization understands the administrative time, effort, and systems required to comply with all aspects of the agreement.

  • Please take note of the following issue in particular:

    Your responses indicated that this opportunity would subject the organization to Single Audit requirements.

    A Single Audit requires a level of compliance and control beyond that of a standard financial statement audit. It includes an examination of an organization's financial records and statements, federal award transactions, the general management of operations, and internal control systems. If this contract would require your first Single Audit, you should be sure that you understand and implement the standards of reporting, operations and controls expected as part of such an audit.

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