Do program officers not reply to your emails?

Unfortunately, it’s very common for funding agency representatives to not reply to PI emails. This is especially frustrating when you consider that during almost every webinar or info session held by a funding organization, the speaker suggests that you ‘ask a program officer’ for guidance. When you hear that, you are likely thinking ‘but I did’.

Having been a program manager, I can say with certainty that they do respond to emails; sometimes it seemed like I was responding to emails all day. So what about an email makes it more likely to get a reply? An email is more likely to get a reply when the sender makes it easy to reply!

Here are some things that you want to avoid in emails to program officers:

• Writing an email longer than one short paragraph

• Asking for a meeting within a few days (their calendar is already full)

• Sending an attachment, unless you have been instructed to send a whitepaper or similar as an attachment

• Describing your background or work you have done in the past (funding is for work you will do in the future)

Here are things you should do instead:

• Ask just one question per email, perhaps for a meeting

• Ask for the meeting 2-3 weeks out when they likely have some availability

• Mention something specific about their program or their research to indicate that you know something about them. This feels more personal.

• Consider a DM on LinkedIn if they use LinkedIn. That’s even quicker to reply to than an email.

Follow up every two weeks, and if you still don’t hear anything, email another point of contact in a related program and politely ask if they can help you reach the person you need to reach.

Keep in mind, the above is general guidance. Always follow the specific instructions you receive from a funder, even when it contradicts the above. What you want to ask yourself before you hit send is: Did I make this email as quick and easy to reply to as possible? Think about the email from the receiver’s perspective. If it’s a lot of work to reply, meaning that the receiver has to open an attachment, read and possibly re-read a few paragraphs, consider your questions, and formulate a multipart reply, it’s human nature to set that aside for later, and then it gets buried.

Don’t forget that you can pick up the phone. If a government employee has their phone number published in an official government document, that means it’s fine to call them. They may pick up and be thankful for a break from their inbox!

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