Grants for Food and Beverage Guidebook
What happens after I apply for a Food & Beverage grant?

Summary

• The time it takes for your application to be processed and approved will depend on the sort of grant you are applying for. 
• Don’t get nervous if the awarding program reaches out for clarification on your application.
• Keep in mind the start date of your project, as you may still be able to claim for expenses incurred back to this day even if the project is approved later on.

You’ve done the research, maybe attended a few webinars and subscribed to some newsletters, prepared your writeup, and submitted a food grant application. Congratulations! Completing a grant application is no small feat. But what now? 

This chapter will cover what you need to know after you’ve submitted a Food & Beverage grant application. 

Waiting Period

Food & Beverage grant programs vary greatly in scope, form, and structure, meaning the adjudication period can be unpredictable. 

In our experience, Food & Beverage hiring and training grants can take 4 – 5 weeks for an approval to come through. It’s worth noting that depending on the program and the complexity of the application, an approval can come through as soon as a week after they’re submitted. 

Food & Beverage market expansion and R&D programs are different. These programs tend to be for major projects with funding climbing into the hundreds of thousands – even millions. Given the larger scale of these projects, the adjudication process is much longer. Don’t be surprised or discouraged if months go by without a word from the program. You may be waiting 3-6+ months for a funding decision. 

Contact from the Program

For larger Food & Beverage grants that have many moving pieces, it’s not uncommon for the program to reach out for clarification post-submission. It’s routine and simply means that the program needs a few additional details before it can deliver a decision. Sometimes the program may ask you to adjust a few details and resend the application. This is good! It means that the adjudication process has begun and you’re being seriously considered as a candidate. 

Make sure you respond as quickly as possible to remain in good standing with the program. At Granted, our Food & Beverage consultants are always ready to communicate with the program and support you with all the backup information needed in the event that a program reaches out. 

Backdating

After you’ve submitted your applications, keep a note of the date that you scheduled your project to begin. In some cases – particularly with larger market expansion projects – because it takes so long to get a funding decision, your project start date may be backdated. This means that if you are approved after your project was scheduled to start, you may be able to claim for expenses incurred from your proposed start date (which may have already passed). In this case, it’s important to keep track of all expenses and receipts that are relevant to your project so you can get reimbursed.