Grants: where your focus needs to be in 2024

Written by Zoe Dark, Principal Advisor and Manager, Grant Office – Peak Services

2024 is well underway and proving to be a significant year for funding opportunities!

While many of us were celebrating the new year, Peak’s grants team was hard at work preparing for the first round of Growing Regions detailed applications. The team collectively completed business cases, project plans, cost-benefit analyses, and selection criteria for approximately $100 million worth of projects that closed in mid-January.

With all eyes now firmly focused on disaster preparedness and resilience, the next surge of submissions is well underway for the Queensland Reconstruction Authority-led funding submissions to the National Emergency Management Agency due next month.

Looking further forward, we anticipate the opening of the Local Government Grants and Subsidies Program (LGGSP) soon. While we don’t have confirmation of another round of Building Our Regions (BoR) this year, based on previous experience we are reasonably confident of another round being announced. LGGSP and BoR are two of the largest infrastructure funds available to Queensland councils.

In the previous round of these funds, Peak’s grants team achieved a 100% success rate through BoR, securing almost $16 million, and a 75% success rate in LGGSP, securing a further $11.5 million for Queensland councils.

A key trend we are hearing from funders is to make sure you have your priority projects well-planned of funding announcements. Lead times to engage specialists are getting longer, and application windows are shrinking. Councils aiming to be competitive must have advanced their projects to an investment ready stage. Our advice is to get your project plans completed now.

Early engagement with specialists such as cost estimators, town planners, architects, economists, project planners and grant writers will be essential. Having your scope clearly defined and approved, as well as project supported with a robust budget will minimise revisions, reduce consultant fees and importantly reduce errors in your submission and help you get to the

In your planning efforts be sure to consider how your project could support the government's broader agendas such as net-zero emissions, equal opportunity, and Closing the Gap targets. As well how your project aligns with your local and regional priorities with documented evidence in relevant strategies and plans.  

To find out more about our Grant Program Office contact Zoe Dark