All Requests for Proposals (RFPs) have a deadline. Foundations, which most often provide guidelines rather than issue RFPs, frequently have deadlines as well. Sometimes the deadline for an RFP is months away, but more often you'll find that it's approximately thirty days after you hear of an RFP to its final deadline.

Short deadlines are deliberately designed as a sort of “natural selection” process. If the applying organization has not already planned for a project that responds to the focus of the RFP, they won't have time to plan, convene meetings of key partners, write the proposal, complete the forms, and send off a strong proposal in thirty days.

Develop your schedule by putting down a “ship by” deadline — not the actual due date. Then work backward. If you plan overnight shipping with next-day delivery, your ship deadline will be the day before the actual due date. If you plan to use the post office, shorten your deadline by three to five days. If you can hand-deliver grants to local foundations or drive to the final destination, you may be able to work closer to the actual due date. But be absolutely certain you'll be able to meet the deadline.

Remember, you have to allow enough time for first and second drafts, final tweaks to the narrative, completing forms, having forms signed, and developing and justifying budgets. It is also critically important to leave enough time for planning the project and identifying and securing commitments from community-partner agencies.

Some RFPs indicate that they will accept a postmark date for the dead-line. Be sure to read the instructions carefully and note whether it states “must arrive by” the date or “must be postmarked by” the date. If the project must be postmarked by a predetermined date, you must use the U.S. Postal Service for the postmark. Marks made by other delivery providers often will not fulfill this requirement.

Following is the schedule for a typical grant-writing project. Let's say that it is due March 10, four weeks after you've received it.