I Started Spying on Grant Applications (Legally) and Here's What I
Discovered
You know what? Let me tell you about the time I felt like a complete
idiot.
It was March 2024. I'd just gotten my third grant rejection in a row. Each
time, I'd waited for the RFP to drop, scrambled to put together an
application, and then... crickets.
Meanwhile, my friend Derek somehow seemed to know about opportunities
months before they were even announced. "How do you do it?" I finally asked
him over coffee.
He grinned and said, "Sun Tzu, man. I spy on them before they spy on
me."
I thought he was joking. Turns out he wasn't.
What Derek taught me next completely changed how I approach grant
applications. And honestly? It should be illegal how much of an advantage
this gives you.
The Uncomfortable Truth About Grant Success
Here's what nobody tells you about winning grants: the game is over before
most people even know it's started.
While you're sitting there waiting for RFPs to get posted on grants.gov,
the smart money is already three moves ahead. They know what's coming, who's
deciding, and exactly what reviewers want to hear.
The numbers don't lie. A recent study found that 61% of successful
applicants did "pre-RFP intelligence gathering." Only 19% of rejected
applicants bothered.
That's not a coincidence. That's a system.
And once Derek showed me how it works, I realized I'd been playing checkers
while everyone else was playing 4D chess.
What Sun Tzu Actually Teaches About Information Warfare
"All warfare is based on deception." - Sun Tzu
Now before you get worried, I'm not talking about anything shady or
unethical here.
Sun Tzu's "deception" isn't about lying - it's about knowing things your
competition doesn't. It's about seeing patterns others miss. It's about
being prepared when they're still figuring out what game they're
playing.
In the grant world, this means:
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Tracking language changes in past RFPs to predict future priorities
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Following program officers on LinkedIn (yes, really)
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Attending every single webinar and "listening session" agencies
host
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Building relationships before you need them
My friend Lisa started doing this after her startup got rejected for SBIR
funding two years in a row. Third time around, she spent months tracking NSF
communications, joined every relevant Slack group, and even showed up to
virtual Q&A sessions just to listen.
When the RFP finally dropped, she already knew exactly what they wanted.
Her application was basically pre-approved.
Result? $1.2M Phase I award. Same company, same technology, completely
different approach.
The Five Types of Grant Intelligence (Yes, Sun Tzu Had a System)
"Use spies for every kind of business." - Sun Tzu
Sun Tzu identified five types of spies, and honestly, his 2,500-year-old
framework is perfect for modern grant hunting.
1. Open Source Intelligence
This is your bread and butter. Federal databases, past winner
announcements, agency newsletters. Most people stop here. Don't be most
people.
2. Human Intelligence
The good stuff. Conversations with program officers at conferences. Coffee
chats with previous winners. Networking events where people actually say
what they're thinking.
3. Technical Intelligence
Patent filings, regulatory changes, tech roadmaps buried in agency
presentations. This is where you spot trends before they become
obvious.
4. Peer Networks
LinkedIn groups, Slack channels, alumni networks. The "whisper network"
where people share what they're hearing.
5. Competitive Intelligence
Who won last year? What did their applications look like? What partnerships
did they form? What gaps can you exploit?
Pro tip: Never rely on just one source. The magic
happens when you start connecting dots across multiple channels. That's when
you see the patterns nobody else notices.
Know Your Enemy (And Yourself)
"Know the enemy and know yourself." - Sun Tzu
This part is brutal, but necessary.
Remember how I mentioned getting three rejections in a row? The problem
wasn't my technology or my team. The problem was that I had no idea who I
was competing against.
So I started mapping the ecosystem. Every winner from the past three years.
Their strengths, their partnerships, their unique angles. What they did that
I didn't.
Turns out, I'd been positioning my AI startup as "general purpose
artificial intelligence" while everyone who won focused on specific
verticals like healthcare AI or manufacturing AI.
Ugh, such an obvious mistake in hindsight.
My buddy Carlos learned this lesson the expensive way too. His first SBIR
application positioned his company against "all cybersecurity solutions."
His second application positioned against "legacy firewall systems for
mid-market manufacturing."
Guess which one won?
The narrow positioning made it crystal clear why he deserved funding. The
broad positioning made him sound like everyone else.
Timing Is Everything (When NOT to Fight)
"He who knows when he can fight and when he cannot, will be victorious." -
Sun Tzu
Here's something nobody talks about: sometimes the best strategy is not
applying at all.
I know, I know. That sounds crazy when you need funding. But hear me
out.
Smart grant strategists track budget cycles, political priorities, and
agency focus areas. They know when conditions are perfect for their type of
solution, and when they're not.
Take my friend Rachel. She spent months preparing an application for DOE
clean energy grants in early 2024. But her intelligence network kept warning
her that the focus was shifting toward grid infrastructure, not her battery
technology.
Instead of forcing it, she waited. Six months later, DOE announced a new
battery-specific program. She was ready on day one.
Result? Not only did she win funding, but she got invited to join the
advisory committee for future rounds.
Sometimes patience is the most aggressive strategy you can deploy.
Real Example: How QuantumPath Cracked the Code
Let me tell you about QuantumPath, a quantum computing startup from New
York that mastered this approach.
After getting rejected in 2024, they built what they called their
"intelligence team." Three people, three different focuses: one tracked
NSF webinars, another joined every SBIR LinkedIn group, and the third
monitored patent filings in quantum computing.
By March 2025, they spotted a pattern. Program officers kept mentioning
"quantum-safe cybersecurity" in casual conversations. Not in official
documents - just offhand comments in Q&A sessions.
QuantumPath pivoted their entire application strategy. They brought on a
cybersecurity partner, retooled their technical approach, and started
having informal conversations with program officers months before the RFP
dropped.
When the official solicitation came out? Their application looked like it
was written specifically for the program. Because in a way, it was.
Final result: $1.1M Phase I award. All because they learned to listen
before they learned to speak.
Building Your Own Intelligence Network (The Practical Stuff)
Alright, enough theory. Let's talk about how you actually do this.
Week 1: Historical Analysis
Go back three years in your target programs. Who won? What did their press
releases say? What patterns do you see in the language, the focus areas, the
award amounts?
Build a spreadsheet. Yes, it's boring. Do it anyway.
Week 2: Network Infiltration
Sign up for everything. Agency newsletters, webinar alerts, LinkedIn
groups. Follow program officers on social media. Join Slack
communities.
Pro tip: Don't just lurk. Engage. Ask thoughtful questions. Be helpful to
others. Build actual relationships.
Week 3: Team Assembly
You can't track everything yourself. Recruit your co-founders, advisors,
even friendly competitors to help monitor different channels.
Assign territories: Sarah watches NSF, Mike tracks SBA updates, Lisa
monitors the LinkedIn chatter.
Week 4: Pattern Recognition
Start connecting dots. What themes keep coming up? Which technologies are
getting buzz? Where do you see language shifting?
This is where the magic happens - when you start seeing things others
miss.
Important: Everything I'm describing here is
completely legal and ethical. We're talking about public information,
professional networking, and smart research. No hacking, no insider trading,
no sketchy behavior. Just good old-fashioned intelligence gathering.
The Dark Side of Pre-RFP Intelligence
Look, I need to be honest with you about something.
This approach works. Really, really well. But it also creates an unfair
advantage for people who know how to work the system.
The more I've gotten into this world, the more I've realized that grant
funding isn't just about having the best technology or the strongest team.
It's about knowing how to play a game that most people don't even realize
exists.
That bothers me sometimes. The best solutions should win, not the best
grant writers or the most connected founders.
But here's the thing: complaining about the system doesn't change it. And
if you don't learn to play the game, someone else will - and they'll get the
funding that could have gone to your groundbreaking solution.
So yeah, use these tactics. Master them. But also remember that with great
power comes great responsibility. When you start winning grants, help other
founders learn the game too.
Your 30-Day Action Plan
Ready to build your own intelligence operation? Here's your roadmap:
Days 1-7: Intelligence Audit
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Map your target funding programs and their historical patterns
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Identify your main competitors from past winner lists
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Set up Google alerts for key agencies and program officers
Days 8-14: Network Building
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Join relevant LinkedIn and Slack groups
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Sign up for every agency newsletter and webinar
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Start following and engaging with program officers on social media
Days 15-21: Team Assembly
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Recruit your intelligence team from advisors and co-founders
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Assign each person specific agencies or channels to monitor
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Set up weekly intel briefings to share what you're learning
Days 22-30: Pattern Analysis
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Start connecting dots across your different intelligence sources
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Identify emerging themes and priority shifts
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Begin positioning your company for upcoming opportunities
Trust me, by day 30, you'll be seeing opportunities that 90% of your
competition will miss entirely.
The Questions Everyone Asks
Q: Isn't this just stalking program officers?
A: Nope. It's professional networking and public information research.
Think of it like sales prospecting, but for grants.
Q: How early should I start this intelligence gathering?
A: At least 2-3 months before you expect RFPs to drop. But honestly, this
should be an ongoing process if you're serious about grant funding.
Q: What if I'm a solo founder without a team to help?
A: Borrow your network. Ask advisors, mentors, even friendly competitors to
help monitor different channels. Most people are willing to share
intelligence if you share back.
Q: Do all agencies reward early movers?
A: Not all, but most do. SBA, SBIR, NSF, and most state programs definitely
favor applicants who engage early and often.
Q: How do I know if my intelligence is accurate?
A: Cross-reference everything. One source might be wrong, but if you're
hearing the same thing from multiple channels, it's probably real.
The Bottom Line
Here's what I wish someone had told me three rejections ago:
Grant funding isn't a fair fight. It never was. The winners aren't
necessarily the best companies or the smartest founders. They're the ones
who understand the game and play it better than everyone else.
You can either complain about that reality, or you can use it to your
advantage.
Sun Tzu figured this out 2,500 years ago on actual battlefields where the
stakes were life and death. The principles haven't changed, just the
battlefield.
If you want to win grants in 2025, you need to think like a strategist, not
just an entrepreneur. You need to gather intelligence, map the competition,
and position yourself before the fight even begins.
Derek was right. Sometimes you need to spy on them before they spy on
you.
The question is: are you ready to stop playing fair and start playing
smart?
What's your experience with pre-RFP intelligence gathering? Have you tried any of these tactics, or are you still waiting for
RFPs to magically appear? Share your war stories in the comments - I'd love
to hear what's working (or not working) for other founders out there.
If this opened your eyes to how the grant game really works, share it
with another founder who's struggling with applications. We're stronger
when we all understand the rules.
