Managing multiple grants at the same time can feel like trying to juggle multiple balls, each with its own timeline, budget, reporting requirements and program goals. Many evidence-based program (EBP) providers have faced these challenges and found practical ways to stay organized, maintain program quality and meet grant expectations.

This guide highlights lessons learned, best practices and real-world tips, featuring Texas A&M University, a CDSME provider, as an example of effective multiple-grant management.

Common challenges

When you are responsible for managing multiple grants at the same time, some challenges can arise that make it difficult to keep track of each grant's specific requirements. Some of these obstacles include:

• Managing timelines and deliverables: Coordinating and tracking multiple grant activities across multiple grants, including scheduling classes, conducting follow-ups, and facilitating planning and partner meetings, which can overlap.
• Managing budgets: Ensuring funds are allocated and managed correctly to meet funder and federal, state and local requirements, while achieving program goals.
• Collecting information and creating reports: Assessing and tracking program information to monitor progress, capture results and identify opportunities for improvement to inform changes needed and ensure program success.
• Managing and supporting staff: Coordinating staff across multiple sites and programs, ensuring that they have the training/certifications and support needed to effectively implement and administer evidence-based programs.
• Maintaining sufficient technology infrastructure: Managing and maintaining IT platforms necessary to administer and track grant activities, including enabling participants to easily find and register for classes, track participation and generate required grant reports.

Strategies used to stay organized

Using different organization strategies can help streamline grant management and ease your daily stress while monitoring each grant. Some of these strategies include:

Centralize project management

• Maintain a master calendar for all grants with reporting deadlines, program start/end dates and site visits.
• Track budgets, milestones and deliverables in one place to reduce duplication and missed tasks.
• Maintain a centralized tracker for participant targets and enrollment goals across grants to monitor progress and anticipate gaps early.

Standardize data collection and reporting

• When possible, use consistent survey tools and process and outcome measures across programs. This establishes a baseline from which to assess progress over time and reduces administrative burden, allowing for easier comparison across activities and grants.
• Regularly train staff on best practices to accurately and consistently collect and track program information. This ensures data quality and reporting reliability.

Communicate regularly

• Schedule recurring check-ins with staff, EBP providers and partner sites.
• Share successes and challenges early to prevent small issues from becoming larger problems.
• Leverage Technical Assistance (TA)
• Participate in TA webinars, workgroups and peer learning sessions for guidance on sustainability, program delivery and grant management.
• Seek support for challenges such as leader retention, marketing, technology barriers or data management.

Invest in staff growth

• Cross-train staff to support multiple grants or roles, reducing disruption when staffing changes occur.
• Build in time and resources for ongoing training, certification maintenance and professional development to support staff capacity and retention.
• Develop clear onboarding materials and role expectations to ensure continuity across multiple grants.

Plan for flexibility

• Anticipate program or staffing changes and prepare contingency plans.
• Be ready to adjust delivery methods or staffing models as needed.

Document lessons learned

• Keep a running record of what works and what doesn’t across grants.
• Share insights via tip sheets, webinars or peer networks to support continuous improvement.

Spotlight: Insights from Texas A&M University

Texas A&M manages multiple federal and state grants by running one coordinated operating system rather than separate projects. They standardize core processes while customizing only what funders and sites require. Key practices include:

• Single Source for Deadlines: A master grant calendar consolidates deadlines, milestones and meetings; weekly staff meetings track progress and anticipate conflicts.
• Centralized Coordination, Local Delivery: A hub tracks timelines and compliance while partner sites lead day-to-day implementation. Decision rights are clarified upfront to prevent delays.
• Standardized Evaluation: Pre- and post-program surveys and reporting inputs are harmonized across grants, reducing burden and improving data quality.
• Lean Coordination: A single project coordinator oversees multiple grants using standardized tools and predictable communication, supported by templated updates and check-ins.
• Community of Practice: Structured peer learning and expert guidance delivered through webinars and topical workgroups, complemented by best-practice dissemination via an expanded statewide Learning Collaborative.
• Planned Flexibility: Contingency plans address staff turnover, site readiness or participant barriers.
• Documented Lessons Learned: Insights and feedback are captured using templates and incorporated in onboarding practices, supporting continuity and improvement.

By centralizing processes, planning carefully and using TA effectively, Texas A&M expanded program reach, maintains quality and successfully manages multiple grants at once.

Resources

• CDSME Resource Center
• Guide to Using the Program Sustainability Assessment Tool (PSAT) for Evidence-Based Programs
• Data Collection Tools for Chronic Disease Self-Management Education
• Tips for Finding and Pursuing Potential Funding Sources