Have you ever wondered what happens after you hit the submit button? As an applicant, the review process can seem mysterious. Step behind the scenes of the federal grant review process with Decoding the Grant Review, the final session in Assel Grant Services’ Federal Bootcamp. Led by experienced grant reviewer, Tracey Diefenbach, this 60-minute training demystifies how federal agencies score, rank, and select proposals. Learn how to interpret rubrics, avoid common weaknesses, analyze reviewer feedback, and factor in non-scoring considerations that influence funding decisions. Whether you are new to federal grants or looking to sharpen your competitive edge, you will walk away with insider strategies to strengthen future applications and boost your chances of success.

What you will learn:

  • Federal grant review process 
  • How reviewers assess applications using scoring systems and rubrics 
  • How to avoid common weaknesses
  • Importance of non-competitive factors


Presented by:
Tracey Diefenbach, MA, GPC

Course curriculum

    1. Welcome: Let's Get Started

    2. Video: Federal Grant Development - Becoming a Federal Grant Reviewer

    3. Post-Presentation Assessment/Quiz - Decoding the Grant Review

    4. Course Evaluation Form

    5. Instructor Evaluation Form

About this course

  • $50.00
  • 5 lessons
  • 1 hour of video content

The trainers for these sessions are all credentialed grant professionals (GPCs) through the Grant Professional Certification Institute, Approved Trainers with the Grant Professionals Association, and/or credentialed Certified Grant Management Specialists (CGMS) through the National Grant Management Association. All of the trainings in this series align with the CGMS exam classification system and the Grant Professionals Certification Institute’s competencies and skills, and are approved for Continuing Education Units (CEU) by GPCI and CFRE International.