How to follow up with a program officer
Should I follow up with a program officer after submitting a grant, and how?
Yes, once, and only after the published decision date has passed. Send a short email with your application number and one clear question: whether a decision has been made, or when one is expected. Program officers can tell you about timing and process. They cannot tell you how your application is scoring, so do not ask. After a decision, write again to ask for reviewer comments, whichever way it went.
Last reviewed October 12, 2026.
When to write
After the date the funder said it would decide. If it never gave one, wait about six months for a federal grant. Typical waits by kind of funder.
There are two other good times. One is when something big changes in your project, like a new lead person or a lost partner. The other is right after a decision, to ask for the reviewer comments.
What to put in the email
A subject line they can file
Your application or tracking number and the program name. Program officers manage hundreds of applications at a time, and an email they can match to a record in seconds is the one that gets answered first.
One question
Ask whether a decision has been made or when one is expected. One question gets an answer. Three get a reply about none of them.
Nothing to argue
Do not resend the proposal. Do not add new material either. The review works from what you submitted.
A thank-you
Keep it short. This is the person who may help you on the next application too.
An email you can adapt
Subject: Application [number], [program name]
Dear Dr. [Name], I submitted application [number] to [program] for the [date] deadline. The announcement listed decisions by [date]. Could you tell me whether a decision has been made, or when one is expected? Thank you for your time. [Your name, organization, phone]
What a program officer can and cannot tell you
They can tell you where the application is in the process, when the panel or council meets, and how to read your summary statement once it arrives. Many will talk through the reviewer comments with you after a decision, which is the most useful conversation you can have about a resubmission.
While review is under way, they will not speculate on your odds. No one can change a score. How to ask for a debrief after a decline.
Keep the next deadline moving
A follow-up takes five minutes, and after it there is nothing more you can do about this application until the funder decides. The rest of the wait is better spent on the next application. Quillify searches 4,300+ open grants and drafts from your own documents, including the proposal you already submitted. What else to do while you wait.
Who asks this most
The answer above is the same whoever you are. What Quillify does about it is not.
Related
- How long until you hear backHow long does it take to hear back after submitting a grant application?
- What to do while you wait on a grant decisionWhat should I do while waiting to hear back on a grant application?
- Ask for the reviewer commentsCan I find out why my grant application was rejected?
- What your Grants.gov and eRA Commons statuses meanWhat do the application statuses in Grants.gov and eRA Commons mean?
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