Welcome to the Innovator’s Labyrinth
Welcome to the first edition of the Innovator’s Labyrinth, where I’ll be offering actionable info and insights to the startup and small business community. In each edition, I’ll share current funding opportunities, lessons learned from my experience as a grant writer and commercialization strategist, services available from Labyrinth Consulting, and other resources for founders. I’m looking forward to helping you find your way!
Featured Grant
Funding opportunity from the Cartier Women’s Initiative Science & Technology Pioneer Award for early stage, woman-owned or -led, for-profit businesses developing new technology contributing to the UN Sustainable Development Goals.
Lessons Learned
Start validating your application well before the grant deadline.
Before you can submit a grant application to the US Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) program, you’ll need to register your company on SAM.gov, Grants.gov, and SBA.gov. (Be sure to allow at least six weeks to complete this process!) If you seek funding from the National Institutes of Health, you also need to register on eRA Commons. You’ll use this portal to fill out the forms and upload the documents that make up your proposal package. Before submitting, however, you’ll need to validate your application and fix any errors detected by the system. This can take some time—particularly if any of your registrations are out of date. Validating your application, even before it’s finished, can help you find and correct errors well before the deadline. Don’t find yourself scrambling at the last minute or worse—missing the deadline and losing weeks, if not months, of work.
Service Highlight
Are you struggling to understand the grant-funding landscape? Labyrinth Consulting offers grant-research services tailored to your company’s needs. Packages include an introductory conversation, a spreadsheet summarizing relevant funding opportunities, and a follow-up call. We also offer research subscriptions that bring monthly opportunity updates to your inbox.
Resources
Check out my fully accessible presentation for the National Disability Institute on Understanding and Preparing Grant Applications: Effective Grant-Writing and Application Tips.
Let’s Talk!
Program officers are being flooded with low-quality AI-generated grant applications. Distinguish your proposal by working with a professional who will help you strategize your approach, craft your narrative, and navigate the application process. Schedule a free consultation to discuss your funding strategy.