Unlocking grant funds – writing persuasive grant applications

Written by Zoe Dark, Grant Program Office Lead, and Kirby Barr, Senior Marketing Coordinator

Unlocking grant funds – why it’s important to write persuasive grant applications

There are numerous state and federal grants currently available to councils, NFPs, community groups, and private organisations that provide funding to support the development of roads and infrastructure, events, disaster relief, and community initiatives. Each grant stipulates its own objectives but most are focused on stimulating economic growth, building stronger communities, attracting tourists,  and increasing community resilience by safe-guarding against natural disasters.

The most important thing, and probably the most difficult thing, to do correctly when submitting a grant application is telling your story in a persuasive and succinct manner.

But before that, you need to consider your organisation’s position to apply for a grant. It’s essential that your organisation can answer ‘yes’ to the following before you start your grant application:

1. Does our organisation meet the grant eligibility requirements?
2. Does our organisation’s project meet the grant requirements?
3. Can we directly align our project’s goals with the grant fund offering?
4. Will our project planning and delivery align with the grant timelines for funding?
5. Can we achieve the project within the stipulated timeline and budget?
6. Do we have all the supporting evidence required or can we get these before the fund applications close?

So you’ve answered ‘yes’ to all of the above? Great, let’s move to the next phase.

Research! - it can be a lengthy process, but it’ll be your friend in the long run. Conducting research on previous grant recipients is a good place to start. Look at the projects they secured funds for – you may even find some examples of grant applications in the process. Look at the grant funding body too; what are their goals? Read all the information you can about the grant, and be sure to read the grant guidelines; some funding bodies even offer documents on how to write successful applications. If you need help at any stage of the process, feel free to reach out to us.

Evidence – numbers tell stories and so do testimonials. Applications with statistics, community support, and evidence of the ‘why’, have greater value in the analysis process than applications that don’t include any evidence. It may seem difficult to find this evidence, and it may be worth talking directly to the grant fund about it, or a professional grant writer, to help you draw out the value of your project and put it into your application. 

Plan and start early – quality grant applications don’t come together overnight. It’s ideal to keep an eye on what grants are released and their closing dates. You can find a list of relevant open grants here or do a simple google search for a grant in the area of your project. 

Be realistic about your goals – make them clearly defined and achievable. You’ll need to provide milestone reports along with budget updates after your funding has been secured. This is when you’ll need to be able to measure your achievements to date and ensure your project is on time and budget. Having realistic goals reduces the risk of not reaching a milestone. If you haven’t met your milestones, it can potentially affect the timing of your grant funding installments (if it’s distributed that way).

Detail the budget – use financials to demonstrate your project is researched, planned, and feasible. Include quotes, if you can, to demonstrate how funds will be used, list all sources of income (i.e. self-funded, grants, loans, sales etc.) as well as detailed project expenditure to prove your need for the funds.

Create a good story – make it relatable, interesting, and enthusiastic. Imagine being the application assessor - they’ve probably read heaps of applications by the time they’ve read yours. Pique their interest, use your passion for the project to write an interesting story with clear and concise language. Make sure everything you write aligns with the overall objectives of the grant and the benefits your project will create.

Proofread x 10! – This is essential and shouldn’t be a step that’s missed. Sometimes we get so used to seeing the words on a page we miss small errors and typos. Plus you want to make sure the story you’ve created makes sense to others, so it’s a good idea to have numerous people read your application.  

Writing a high quality grant takes a lot of time – researching, planning, developing the story, setting the budget, obtaining evidence etc. Get started early and when you can, submit you’re application ahead of time in case you encounter any technical issues when submitting.

We have a successful track record submitting grant applications on behalf of organisations, securing over $80m in grant funding to date. Read how we secured over $550,00 for Mount Isa City Council to celebrate 100 years of the mining town and how we were successful in obtaining 3 from 3 Commonwealth Government’s Regional Connectivity Program (RCP) for remote Queensland Councils.

If you need assistance with your application or you’d like a longer-term strategic approach to searching and applying for grants, please get in touch with us here at Peak’s Grant Program Office.  We’d love to see your organisation secure grant funding and benefit your local community in 2022.