How To Apply 101

Applying for energy grants, rebates and tax incentives can be a tedious task, and you don’t want to waste your time and energy either applying for something you don’t need or qualify for. Make sure that your application or grant proposal counts – don’t start the process without reading our tips below.

  1. Make sure you or your organization really does want this particular grant. It might be tempting to just apply for everything and anything you run across, but over-extending your efforts will water-down your results. Furthermore, there are requirements for each program that you may not be ready to implement.  
  2. Go over the qualifications carefully and be assured that you meet them. If you have any doubt, call the contact and ask for their input. Do not go to the effort of applying for something with any doubt in your mind as to your qualifications. 
  3. Do not submit “cookie cutter” grant proposals or requests. Prepare each application with care and attention to the recipient.  
  4. Consider applying to more than one program. You could qualify for many different incentives and grants, so analyze each one and take advantage of every incentive that you could utilize. 
  5. Follow the technical guidelines set by each funding source. There are time considerations, submission deadlines, requirements for proposal length, specific content to include, and so on. Ensure that you are following each guideline and within the required timeframe for submission. 
  6. Write clearly, simply and be concise with your words. Do not try to inject “big words” into your application in order to impress.  
  7. Only send what is requested. Sending in extras like videos, pictures, references, etc. could muck up your chances of getting approved, or at best, just annoy the recipient.

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