About Grants
The Grants Department supports the program staff of the Comanche Nation in all phases of grant seeking in order to secure external funding for projects that fulfill the mission of the Nation. Our office provides a variety of services ranging from researching, identifying, and distributing potential funding announcements to the appropriate departments to editing and writing/submitting proposals on behalf of the Nation. A department’s level of familiarity with grant seeking guides the work that we do; we may assist staff who are experienced grant seekers with editing and submission while those with less experience may need us to assist them with each phase of the process.
Development and submission of proposals are the most important functions of our department. We work closely with directors and their staff in creating their proposal to ensure that all guidelines and requirements are met and that the Nation’s submission is comprehensive and solid. If a proposal is unsuccessful we review the evaluation with the director to determine if it is appropriate to revise the documents and resubmit it at a later time.
We strive to educate our departments and tribal members about the grant seeking process and help them to understand that grants are not “free money”. Federal, state, and private entities may “grant” funds to the Comanche Nation in order for our departments to carry out specific tasks or projects. If these specific tasks or projects are not accomplished, there may be serious consequences for our departments and the Nation.
We also participate in meetings with potential partners on behalf of the Comanche Nation. These meetings are critical in order to strengthen our relationships with federal agencies, state entities, and private funders to ensure a broad pool of potential funding opportunities.