Sustainability Planning for Federal Grants: From Closeout to Continuity

Sustainability planning for federal grants is a disciplined process. It ensures a project’s goals, principles, and activities endure after the award period ends. Federal funders increasingly prioritize long-term impact. Proposals and performance reports should demonstrate a credible plan for lasting success. In this article, I will share guidance on sustainability planning to support your federal grant.

Start Early

Treat sustainability as a design constraint from day one. Don’t wait until the final quarter to address it. Build time, roles, and budget for sustainability work into your management plan. Revisit this plan at every reporting cycle to ensure you stay on track.

Use a Sustainability Assessment

At Shaffer Evaluation Group, we guide clients using the Program Sustainability Assessment Tool (PSAT). The PSAT helps teams score and prioritize capacity across eight domains: Environmental Support, Funding Stability, Partnerships, Organizational Capacity, Program Evaluation, Program Adaptation, Communications, and Strategic Planning. Conducting a quick PSAT baseline early in Year 1, a midpoint check, and a final assessment creates a clear trajectory of capacity-building for your organization. This also provides evidence of progress for funders.

Build a Sustainability Plan

Your sustainability plan should be developed early in your grant term. Here are the core components a sustainability plan for a federally funded project should include, distilled from cross-agency best practices:

• Purpose & Outcomes: A concise statement of your project's value proposition, intended outcomes, and beneficiaries, aligned with a logic model you will continue to monitor and adjust post-award.

• Core Program Model & Operating Protocols: A description of your core program model and what must be maintained (including workflows) so the project can persist with quality after grant closeout.

• Governance & Ownership: Named post-award owner(s) and ongoing “champions” to anchor the work.

• Funding Strategy (Braided Financing): A targeted mix of reallocated (internal) funding and external sources, with milestones, responsible leads, and cultivation plans (e.g., philanthropy, fee-for-service).

• Partnerships & MOUs: Roles, cost-shares, and data-sharing agreements with agencies, nonprofits, and community partners that are essential to sustain activities.

• Workforce Continuity & Knowledge Transfer: Staffing map, cross-training to avoid single points of failure, onboarding materials, and a schedule for refresher trainings.

• Communications & Stakeholder Engagement: A plan to keep sponsors, end-users, and other stakeholders informed and invested.

• Data, Evaluation & Learning: Post-grant metrics, feedback loops, and routines for using evidence in decisions.

• Policy & Institutionalization: The specific policies, procedures, and standards that will embed the work into normal operations.

• Risk & Scenario Planning: Anticipated risks (funding gaps, turnover, vendor change), trigger points, contingencies, and “minimum viable operations” to protect continuity.

• Technology & Infrastructure: Post-award requirements for platforms, equipment, licensing, accessibility/privacy, and support so services can run at a steady state.

  
  

Operationalize It

Translate the plan into a 12–24 month roadmap. Include owners, milestones, and a lightweight dashboard. Budget explicitly for sustainability tasks, such as grant writing time, partnership stewardship, and training refreshers.

How We Help

Shaffer Evaluation Group uses the PSAT to run a rapid diagnostic. We co-facilitate strategy sessions with leadership and partners. Together, we co-develop a sustainability roadmap that balances quick wins (policy changes, SOPs, cross-training) with longer-horizon plays (braided funding, institutionalization). A thoughtful sustainability plan signals stewardship, strengthens proposals, and, most importantly, keeps effective work alive for the communities it was designed to serve.

For more information, contact us today at seg@shafferevaluation.com.