The nine rules to follow when trying to win grants

Grants are usually more hotly contested than a mob of seagulls striving to secure that elusive hot chip. Many organisations that take the time to apply end up bitterly disappointed when they receive notification reading “on this occasion, you have been unsuccessful”.

Most grant submissions fail due to two major shortcomings:

1. They aren’t eligible in the first place, and/or,
2. They aren’t prepared and ready to submit their response.

In this cheat sheet, we have brought together the rules and the absolute must dos to make your application stand out from the inevitable crowd.

The rules

1. Be choosy

   Don’t pick the first grant you come across. Look around for the best grants to suit your project. Shortlist two or three, then determine which grant is the best for you.

2. Be aware of how many grants are available

   If the funding is only being allocated to 10 grants, your chance of being successful is relatively low.

3. Learn from the past

   If possible, investigate what types of organisations and projects have been successful in winning that grant. This can help you determine if that grant is for you.

4. Don’t be greedy

   If the maximum amount funded is $50,000, don’t ask for more.

5. Emphasise your capabilities

   Do you have experience managing a budget? Completing projects successfully, and on time? Highlight your experience in your application.

6. Write it yourself

   Try to write the application yourself — at least a first draft. You know your organisation better than anyone else and you can always get a professional to review what you have written.

7. Be prepared

   Be prepared to start your grant project if you’re successful. Many grants have a deadlines attached to funding.

8. Partner up

   Consider partnering with some other businesses or not-for-profits to better your chances of a successful outcome.

9. Ask for help

   Consider contacting your local member and make them aware of what you’re trying to achieve with your grant application. If it benefits the local community, then getting involved with politics can help push your application.

Prepare or perish

Don’t try to do everything at once. Break up your submission into small chunks and spread it out. Organisations that begin their submission a day or so out from the due date are at a huge disadvantage, and your effort is likely to end in tears.

Some grant programs make it even easier for small businesses by providing a draft application form — make sure you use it.

Don’t leave the application to your accountant and expect them to have everything in order. Not only will this cost you in terms of dollars, but it probably won’t reflect your business. You know your business better than anyone.

Keep it simple

Sometimes, hundreds of organisations will be applying for the same grant. And guess what? A small army of grant assessors will be going through and critiquing every one of them.

Brevity is the soul of wit. Brevity is also the soul of grant submissions. Keep them simple, succinct, and answer the questions without fanfare or embellishments.

Grant assessors love nothing more than concise submissions that address the questions.

Do the math

Say your grant project submission is going to cost $10,715, but it must be 30% co-funded. Can you contribute $3,215, or 30% of the project cost, yourself? If not, don’t waste your time on a submission and move on.

Note that many grants have co-contribution rules!

Get Help

It takes a village to raise a child, and the same principle applies to grant submissions.

Seek out one or two people you trust, and politely ask them to read your submission. Ask them to give you candid feedback, and to be as brutal and blunt as possible. Take any feedback on board and apply changes that you agree with.

Give It Love!

There are usually one or two sections of a grant application that should form the epicentre of your submission. Nail this part by giving said sections the love and care they need, and your chances of securing the grant will skyrocket. If you treat these sections as ‘just a few more questions to answer ’, you’ll blow it.

Include how much impact your project will have once its completed — in particular the environmental, social and community impact. If you can really show the value of your project and relate it to these areas, you increase your chances of success.

1. Answer ALL the questions. (It may seem obvious, but you would be surprised how many applications are received with information missing).

2. Choose a descriptive name for your project — preferably a name that addresses one of the outcomes the grant is looking to achieve.

3. All the selection criteria are equally important; make sure to address them all.

4. Demonstrate that you have really thought through what your grant project is. It can’t be vague. “Build A Wind Farm” won’t cut it!

5. Make sure your project is credible. You may be asked to justify the assumptions you have made about your project.

6. Make sure your suppliers are credible (and even better choose small businesses). You will have to supply some information about them so make sure they check out.

7. Make every word count, and provide a description of the proposed project activities. 

   Answer the following questions: How will the project advance improvements in the environment? How will the project really help the environment and community?

8. Check, check, re-check and then check your application again. Have someone who has never seen the application before look over it for spelling and grammar mistakes too. 

   Typically, you will not be able to change your application once it has been submitted. 

    

9. Make sure your application is complete before you submit. You are usually unable to add any additional or missing documents later.

10. Explain how your project will meet the outcomes they are looking for in the grant application form. 

11. If your website is a bit out of date, give it a touch-up. You have to provide your website URL, so it will be looked at, and your website is your shopfront when it comes to grants.

12. If you, or your supplier(s) are from a regional area; in a priority industry; or embrace diversity in ethnicity, culture, people with disability, gender and age, make sure to emphasise this in your application.

13. Read the proposed contract from your supplier. Make sure you are very clear on what you are potentially buying when you buy goods and services for your project.