Coaching and Advising Packages

Expert support from a team with experience on both sides of the grant table.

The Challenge: Navigating the Complex Grant Landscape

Developing a successful grant proposal is a multi-faceted challenge. It requires more than just an excellent project idea; it demands strategic alignment, compelling articulation of impact, and a deep understanding of funder expectations.

Teams typically struggle across three areas:

  • Conceptual Alignment: Translating a great R&D idea into a funder-specific program concept.
  • Funder Strategy: Understanding the implicit priorities and requirements of specific funding opportunities.
  • Proposal Narrative: Structuring a document that is both technically sound and persuasive to reviewers and program officers.

Our Expert Approach: Experience from Both Sides of the Table

Align R&D's core team has managed hundreds of education research and development (R&D) grants, representing a combined total of over $350 million in funding, within the federal government and philanthropy, and has led R&D projects and funding strategy in the learning sciences, ed tech and AI, and education practice and policy.

We bring two types of expertise to every engagement:

  • Proposal Development Expertise: Decades of experience with both government and philanthropic funders.
  • Program Officer Insights: Extensive experience as former program officers, giving us an insider's view of what constitutes a successful project.

This dual perspective allows us to advise your team not just on writing the proposal, but on designing a project that is fundable and executable.

Our Grant Proposal Advising Packages

Our coaching packages are flexible and tailored to your team's specific needs, focused on maximizing the strength and alignment of your grant submission.

Package Description Included Services
Strategic Conceptualization Ideal for teams in the early stages, focusing on matching R&D ideas to the right funding calls.
  • Initial idea deep-dive and opportunity analysis
  • 1–2 advising sessions to define the project and ensure alignment to funding opportunities
Proposal Refinement For teams with a draft in progress, focusing on clarity, persuasiveness, and responsiveness to the request for proposals (RFP).
  • In-depth review of full proposal draft
  • Reviewer feedback simulation
  • Specific feedback on weakness areas
Comprehensive Proposal Support Full-cycle guidance from initial concept through final submission readiness.
  • Combination of services from above packages
  • Scheduled check-ins for accountability and milestone management
  • Review of all required supplementary documents

Our Program-level and Organization-wide Packages

We offer packages for funders who want applicants to their programs to have access to technical assistance to improve the quality of the proposals received. We also offer packages for organizations and institutions looking to build the capacity to compete for funding.

Package Description Example Services
Program-level Technical Assistance for Funders Provide support to applicants for a particular funding opportunity.
  • Webinars & workshops
  • In depth one-on-one conversations with applicants
  • Option to review applicants' materials
Organization-wide Capacity Building Build capacity to compete for R&D funding for members of your organization or institution, customized to your needs.
  • Webinars and workshops
  • Capacity building & coaching calls
  • Resource development
  • Option to review members' materials for alignment and competitive strength

Take the Next Step

Investing in expert coaching accelerates your path to funding success. We look forward to discussing how Align R&D can empower your team.

Reach out to us here or at contact@align-rd.org.