Grant Myth Monday is a weekly series that addresses common misconceptions about farm grants and offers practical guidance to help producers navigate the funding process with confidence.

Grant Myth: “There’s no way to know if I’m competitive or not for this farm grant.”

When it comes to farm grants, many producers assume the only way to find out whether they are competitive is to apply and hope for the best. This belief usually leads to one of two results:

1. Hesitation that prevents them from applying
   
   

2. Rushed applications driven by guesswork instead of strategy
   
   

The reality is much more encouraging. In this post, we break down the simple steps that reveal how well your project aligns with a grant program’s priorities. These insights will help you make an informed decision about where to focus your efforts and which grants are truly worth pursuing.

Reality: “While you cannot know for sure, two quick checks can reveal how competitive you are in under an hour!”

Understanding why competitiveness is assessable

Competitiveness may feel hard to judge, but grant programs often provide more direction than people expect. Most programs offer clear markers about what they value and how they score applicants.

By carefully reviewing these materials and reflecting on how your project fits their criteria, you can quickly determine whether your project aligns with the program’s priorities. Having early clarity helps you decide if pursuing the application is worth your time and energy.

Reviewing these details helps set realistic expectations for the application process, so you are not caught off guard by the level of detail or documentation reviewers expect. It can also give you a clearer sense of what the program prioritizes, which may shape how you design future projects or plan improvements on your farm.

Checking the scoring rubric to estimate your alignment

Most agricultural grants include a scoring rubric or set of evaluation criteria that explains how reviewers assign points. Reviewing this rubric early and spending 20 to 30 minutes estimating how your project might score can help move you beyond basic eligibility and toward a realistic assessment of competitiveness.

This exercise often clarifies whether a proposal is strong enough for the current funding cycle or would benefit from additional preparation. In our work reviewing applications for Washington State Department of Agriculture (WSDA) grant programs, we have seen how carefully examining the rubric helps applicants set appropriate expectations.

In one case, we estimated that an applicant’s project would score approximately 40 to 42 out of a possible 51 points based on the published criteria. A heavily weighted section focused on market research and supporting evidence, materials the applicant had not been able to assemble before the deadline. In a program where fewer than 10 percent of projects are historically funded, we recommended waiting for a future cycle and using the additional time to strengthen that component.

Looking beyond a single application can further refine this assessment. Some agencies publish the score ranges of applications that were funded and not funded in previous cycles. Comparing your estimated score to these ranges helps clarify whether your project is already well-positioned or whether there are specific gaps you should address before applying.

Contacting the agency for direct guidance

Another effective way to assess competitiveness is to speak directly with the funding agency. A brief phone call or email can clarify what types of projects, applicants, or outcomes the program prioritizes.

Many agencies are willing to explain whether they tend to favor certain farm sizes, technologies, timelines, or project scopes. This quick outreach can save you hours of work and provide insights that are not always obvious in the written guidelines.

Are you interested in understanding whether you are a great fit for a grant, strengthening your application, and increasing your chances of success? Lasso has a 90% success rate for a reason! Visit app.joinlasso.com to learn more.

Do you want to stay updated on practical grant tips, funding opportunities, and ways to strengthen your farm’s competitiveness in the application process? Follow us on our Lasso social media pages.

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