Opportunities feel fewer, timelines feel tighter, and every new solicitation seems to come with a fresh new ‘twist’, from new mechanisms, new requirements, new “must-have” attachments that definitely were not a thing last year. Sometimes you even get a dreaded two-week turnaround for what somehow still ends up being a 100-page application.

So, the moment a new grant drops, the pressure kicks in.
Should we apply?
Can we make the deadline?
Are we even a fit?
And of course, the silent panic button: “Well we really need the funding. Maybe we should just go for it.”

 This is where things get messy. Jumping into a brand new solicitation usually means redirecting your team, sending frantic emails to collaborators apologetically begging for that letter of support, and completely derailing your carefully planned Q4 goals. All for a shot at that sweet, sweet nondilutive funding glory.

And yes, as a founder you are used to switching gears at high speed. That is not the issue. The real question you are trying to answer is simple. 

Is this actually worth it?

Acting out of desperation almost always leads to wasted time, scattered effort, and proposals that never had a real shot. Not because your science is not strong, but because the solicitation did not truly match what you can deliver on the timeline and resources you have.

The good news is you do not have to treat every new solicitation like it is your only lifeline. You also do not need to react to every opportunity that lands in your inbox. What you do need is a simple, clear way to assess a brand-new solicitation without overwhelming yourself so you can focus on the opportunities that are actually winnable.

This article gives you a step-by-step method to scan a new grant, decide whether it deserves your time, and avoid spiraling into the “two weeks, no sleep, maybe we can pull this off” trap that almost never works the way you hope.

When a new solicitation drops, the worst thing you can do is open the PDF and start reading from page 1 like a novel. This ain’t no beach read. That is how you end up 60 minutes deep with seven tabs open and absolutely no idea what the funder actually wants.

The goal of Step 1 is simple. Get oriented.

Start with the big picture. Read the title, the summary, and the purpose section first. These three pieces tell you almost everything you need to know about whether the grant is even in your universe. You are looking for clues about:

This is the “Do we belong here?” filter.

Next, check eligibility.

It sounds obvious, but you would be shocked how many teams fall in love with their perfect grant only to discover they cannot apply. Before you think about aims, budget, or timelines, answer these basics:

If the big picture and eligibility do not match your reality, that is your sign to step away early and save yourself weeks of pain.

By the end of Step 1 all you need to know is if this solicitation is aligned enough to keep reading or safe to let go.

Once you understand the big picture, it is time for a fit check. Not the kind where you stand in front of the mirror wondering if cowboy boots still work in your office culture. I’m talking a quick, honest assessment of whether this opportunity fits with your organization’s goals and deserves more of your limited time and energy.

Ask yourself three quick questions:

1. Does this align with our work and roadmap?

If the solicitation is asking for something that feels adjacent rather than central to your work, tread carefully. Grants outside your lane tend to produce proposals that feel stretched or forced.

And quite frankly, once you are in square-peg round-hole territory, it is hard to write a narrative that feels clean and convincing.

Seriously…reviewers notice that energy immediately! 

2. Is the budget and timeline realistic for us?

A perfect topic alignment does not matter if the budget cap is too low or if the award timeline does not line up with your organization’s actual needs. Some grants take months or even a full year to award and release funds. Others deliver funding in stages that may not match your project pace or cash flow realities.

Before you get excited about the opportunity, make sure the dollar amount and the timing of those dollars support your scientific roadmap. A grant that arrives too late or spreads funding too thin can create more strain than momentum.

3. Do we have at least 70 percent of what they are asking for?

Most strong applications are built on existing momentum. Ask yourself:

If you are at 20 percent readiness, this is not the moment to sprint. If you are at 70 percent, you can realistically close the gap.

The goal of this fit check is not to eliminate opportunities. It is to avoid falling into “we could maybe force this if we tried hard enough” territory. That is the danger zone where founders spend weeks writing proposals that were never going to be competitive.

A strong yes on one or more of these criteria? Move to Step 3.
A soft “no” across the board? Save your energy and stay the course on something winnable.

Now that the opportunity looks promising enough to explore, your next move is to map the structure of the FOA. Think of this as your orientation lap. You are not reading deeply yet. You are simply figuring out what exists, where it lives, and what is going to matter later.

Start by identifying the major sections you will need to complete

Most solicitations include these core pieces:

Scroll through the PDF and jot down each section you see. This quick mini-checklist becomes your anchor and gives you a clear picture of the work ahead.

Highlight the non-negotiables

These are the instructions that can quietly tank an otherwise strong proposal:

Anything labeled “must,” “required,” or “applicants are expected to” goes straight onto your radar.

Pro tip: Use ChatGPT (or any LLM) to speed up this step

To avoid hallucinations, always paste the exact FOA text you want analyzed. Then ask: “Create a checklist of required sections and components based only on the text I provided. Do not add anything that is not explicitly stated.” This gives you an accurate, grounded summary that saves time and prevents missed requirements.

Avoid diving into the detailed instructions for now. You will get there, but right now your job is to understand the architecture of the solicitation.

This is the part most teams skim, even though it tells you exactly how reviewers are going to evaluate your proposal. This is literally the cheat sheet.

Start by pulling every review criterion into one place

You will typically see sections like:

Turn the criteria into a checklist for your proposal

This becomes your internal compass for writing and self-editing.
For each criterion, create a few bullets like:

This checklist is what keeps your draft aligned with what reviewers will be scoring.

If you want ChatGPT or other LLM to help here

Paste the exact review criteria section and ask:
“Summarize these criteria in plain language and create a checklist based only on this text. Do not add anything that is not explicitly stated.”

This gives you a clean, faithful, hallucination-free interpretation.

This step is SO crucial because I have seen many solicitations that hide completely different expectations in the review criteria than in the instructions.

Every solicitation has the obvious requirements you expect, and then it has the other stuff. The side quests. The pieces that do not look hard until you are five days from the deadline wondering why you did this to yourself.

Your goal in this step is to identify the hidden work. No plot twists for you.

Look for anything that requires external input or coordination

These items always take longer than you think and should be flagged immediately:

These items do not seem difficult until you’re under pressure. Spot them early, list them clearly, and assign ownership before you write a single paragraph.

Check for unusual formatting or multi-step submission requirements

These often hide in the fine print:

Missing one of these is an instant rejection. And an administrative rejection after all that work on the core grant is just painful. Death by a thousand paper cuts.

And yes, you can use an LLM to extract these requirements

Paste the required components and submission instructions sections and ask:
“Make a list of all items that require external coordination, special templates, or multi-step processes. Only use information from the text provided.”

Surprise deliverables can derail strong proposals. Let’s be kind to your collaborators, research admin, your team, and yourself and stay clear on the real level of work involved in this application.

At this point, you have enough information about the solicitation to either proceed or step away. Still going to go for it? Move on to Step 6. Don’t think this is a good use of your time and resources…skip to Step 7.

If you’re moving forward, the next step is to create a simple, lightweight plan that keeps the proposal grounded and prevents last-minute chaos.

This is not a full project plan. It is just enough structure to keep everyone aligned. 

Assign roles so the whole team isn’t reading the same PDF

You do not need your entire team combing through every section. Split responsibilities so each person owns their lane:

This makes the process faster and reduces the “I thought you were doing that” confusion that shows up right before deadlines.

Identify the key deadlines and work backward

At minimum, track:

This takes 10–15 minutes and saves you days of stress later.

Here is the part that most founders struggle with, even though it is the most liberating. Not every new solicitation deserves your time. Not every opportunity is a fit. And not every tight-deadline, high-drama FOA is worth derailing your team for.

Repeat after me: You are allowed to say no. 

A strategic “no” is not a missed opportunity. It is a decision to focus your limited time, energy, and data on the grants where you can actually be competitive. Because a rushed, misaligned proposal rarely scores well, and it takes valuable bandwidth away from the ones you could win.
You cannot be evaluating grants from a place of scarcity. You must be evaluating them from a place of alignment.

Ask yourself:

If the answer is no, close the tab guilt-free. You made the right call.

And when you do encounter the right opportunity, you’ll have the clarity, space, and structure to pursue it without panic.

Sometimes the smartest move in grant strategy is restraint.

New grants will keep dropping. Timelines will stay tight. Requirements will keep evolving. But reducing the level of overwhelm should be a priority for you and your team. Where is your time best spent right now?

Once you know how to scan a solicitation, map the structure, spot the hidden work, and judge fit with clarity, everything gets easier. You stop reacting out of panic and start choosing opportunities that actually move your work forward. And you get back your most valuable resource, your team’s time.

If you want a second set of eyes on a new solicitation, help deciding whether an opportunity is worth the effort, or support building a clear, fundable proposal, I’ve got you.

I help biotech, life science, and health focused teams:

If you have a grant in your inbox right now and you’re not sure what to do with it, let’s talk. We’ll figure out the smartest path forward so you’re chasing wins, not deadlines.