Projects should notify their Project Specialist as soon as they know they will be submitting a grant proposal to a funder and before starting to work on the grant application. 

All proposals must meet the following requirements:

• Proposals are made in the name of the legal entity MakeWay Charitable Society. References to "(Project Name), a project of MakeWay’s shared platform" are encouraged so that both MakeWay and the Project’s name are apparent.
• Project and proposal budgets must include the MakeWay overhead allocation; in cases where administrative costs are not permitted by the funder, include the overhead as part of the budget, noting that it will be paid by other funds.
• Activities described must fall within allowable charitable activity and align with the Project’s mission as contained in the Project’s Terms of Reference.

Once a Project has notified their Project Specialist, the Support Team will review the grant requirements to ensure eligibility and set up a funder portal account if required.

Send the following proposal documents to the Project Specialist as soon as possible:

• Proposal guidelines
• Proposal narrative
• Proposal budget, if applicable
• Any Project-specific attachments, such as letters of support
• Any special submission requests

Electronic documents are preferred.

The Project Specialist and Support Team will review the proposal narrative and budget to ensure compliance. Projects must implement all compliance-related changes. In addition, the Project Specialist may suggest changes that they think could make the proposal stronger. Projects can implement these suggested changes at their discretion. 

The Support Team will also prepare any attachments required by the submission guidelines, such as financial statements, Board of Directors/Steering Committee list, and proof of charitable status. The Support Team will also respond to any special requests outlined by the funder, such as setting up an account on an online funding portal.

In most cases, MakeWay will submit the proposal to the funder via email, mail, or through an online funding portal. 

If the Project wishes to submit, please inform the Support Team. 

When a proposal is successful, MakeWay will accept and process the agreement. 

The Project Specialist reviews any grant agreements and informs the Project of the important details. If a funder sends the grant agreement directly to the Project, forward the agreement to the Project Specialist. If the terms of the grant have changed in any way, the Project Specialist will contact the Project Director before accepting. 

An award is not considered confirmed until an award letter or fully signed award agreement has been received by MakeWay. MakeWay’s review, approval, and authorized signature (if applicable) are required for all grant agreements.

Projects will be automatically notified by email of receipt of award funds at MakeWay. Projects should review the revenue coding in this email and notify their Finance Specialist of any errors.

Project Directors must understand and comply with the funder's requirements for:

• Use of the funds
• Interim and final reporting

The Project Specialist will share all relevant terms with the Project Director when the grant agreement is received. The Support Team tracks reporting requirements and deadlines for all awards. Project Directors are sent calendar reminders regarding reports due on awards received between 1 to 2 months before the deadline. Automated reminders are set for 1 week prior to the deadline, although this functionality is built in Microsoft Outlook and may not work in all calendars.