Mark GreenTasmanian

Community Fundwww. tascomfund.org

Fundamentals of Grant Writing Fundamentals of Grant Writing WorkshopWorkshop

What’s in Store… Tips for grant writing in general, as opposed to a particular grant

program Identifying potential grant sources Importance of project planning What to do if you are successful/unsuccessful

Rebecca SmithTasmanian Early Years

Foundationwww.earlyyears.org.a

u

Project Planning

Writing an application for a well planned project is much easier than seeking funding for a project with incomplete planning.

What? Why? Who? How? When? Where?

Failing to Plan is Planning to Fail

Before we dive in to project planning,

let’s take a quick look at where we can find grants…

Potential Grant Sources

WHO PROVIDES GRANTS? Government (Commonwealth,

State, Local) Community organisations Private sector –Telstra (Grants vs

Sponsorship) Philanthropic foundations -Myer Tasmanian Community Fund Tasmanian Early Years Foundation Potential to seek multiple grants for

the one project; speak with grant providers.

WHERE CAN I FIND GRANTS? Community Newsletters, Daily

Newspapers Websites (Free):

www.grantslink.gov.au - www.tas.gov.au www.business.gov.auwww.earlyyears.org.au

Websites (For a Fee): www.grantsearch.com.au www.ourcommunity.com.au

State Government Agencies Local Councils

Important

Your application is not all about you!

It’s about your grant provider!

When choosing which grant to apply for, remember to think in the shoes of the grant provider:

What is the priority of that organisation/agency? How does your project fit with those priorities? What are some examples of projects they have previously funded? Does that provider prefer ‘soft’ or ‘hard’ project outputs? Is the amount you are asking for within the realm of the provider? -

Upper & lower limits, percentage of project cost. Target and tailor your application accordingly. Never ever just change the names of the grant providers when

applying for multiple grants simultaneously.

PLANNING PROCESS

Step 1: Define the project

Step 2: Identify the need

Step 3: Identify the people

Step 4: Define the process

Step 5: Develop timelines

Step 6: Add meaning to ‘place’

What?

• What is the scope of the project? (Outputs)

• What will the project contribute to our community? (Outcomes)

• What is the purpose of the project (Bigger Picture), e.g. community benefit, tourism development, business development, employment creation, social or environmental benefit?

• What are the improved outcomes for children and families e.g. literacy and numeracy, supporting young parents?

RISKS

• What are the risks associated with the project? (Likelihood)

• Is there anything that will prevent the project from coming to fruition? (Financial, Social)

• What are the mitigation strategies for overcoming these risks?

Government jargon… made simple

Words like Output, Outcome, and Objective are commonly used by grant providers.

Only use jargon if you understand what the term means and can apply it in the correct context.

Objective Issue or problem you

want to overcome / what you wish project to achieve

Output What the money will be

spent on Outcome

The result, impact or benefits of the project (SMART)

EXAMPLE

Mobile Community Toy Library

Current Situation: Disadvantaged area. Many families are

isolated from other services.

Children presenting to health professionals with injuries from unsafe toys.

Objective: To provide access to low-cost, safe toys for

isolated, low-income familiesOutput: Purchase of toys, games and a vehicleOutcome: 50% reduction in incidence of injuries due

to unsafe toys in first year 20 families sign-up initially, with 5 more

each month for the first year; 10 more families each year thereafter

By the end of the first year, 75% of toys on loan at any one time

PLANNING PROCESS

Step 1: Define the project

Step 2: Identify the need

Step 3: Identify the people

Step 4: Define the process

Step 5: Develop timelines

Step 6: Add meaning to ‘place’

Why?

• Why does the organisation need this project?

• Is the project a want or a need?

• Is there evidence of community support?

• What is the challenge the organisation is trying to overcome? Why is the organisation trying to overcome this challenge? What benefits are to be achieved?

• Why is it important in the context of the area? (eg. economic dependency, population decline, insufficient employment opportunity and difficult socio-economic conditions, etc).

• Is your organisation best placed to address this problem? Or are there others who are better placed?

PLANNING PROCESS

Step 1: Define the project

Step 2: Identify the need

Step 3: Identify the people

Step 4: Define the process

Step 5: Develop timelines

Step 6: Add meaning to ‘place’

Who?

• Who will be the key driver/s? (Succession Planning)

• Who is the project for and who are the beneficiaries? (Target Groups)

• Who are the major stakeholders and partners and what is their capacity to help with the project.

• Is anyone else doing something similar in your community or even elsewhere?

• Can you strengthen your application by partnering with another organisation?

• Who is on your governing body? Do they have the right skills and experience? Is your organisation an incorporated body, or do you need to be sponsored by another body

• Who are your staff? What happens when they are no longer around? How will you attract new staff or volunteers?

PLANNING PROCESS

Step 1: Define the project

Step 2: Identify the need

Step 3: Identify the people

Step 4: Define the process

Step 5: Develop timelines

Step 6: Add meaning to ‘place’

How?

• How will we start and how will we finish the project? (Project staging, availability)

• Is it a one-off project, or do we really need ongoing funding?

• How will it be implemented and/or operated (e.g. steering committees and management structures / internal or external)?

• Are there any special skills or resources needed?

• How will we ensure accountability for the project? (Define roles & responsibilities)

• How will you know when you have achieved what you set out to do and how will you measure/evaluate the

outcomes of the project?

How Much?

• How much will the project cost?

• How much cash and in-kind resources are available? (committed vs expected)

• How much funding is needed? (No retrospective)

• Have you thought of everything? (Insurance, Auditing, On-costs for wages)

• Are your costs realistic? Too high? Too low? (Contingency?)

• When do you need the money? Do you need a lump-sum payment or could the payments be spread over time?

• Does the project represent good value for the grant provider??

PLANNING PROCESS

Step 1: Define the project

Step 2: Identify the need

Step 3: Identify the people

Step 4: Define the process

Step 5: Develop timelines

Step 6: Add meaning to ‘place’

When?

• When will the project start?

• When will the project finish?

• How long will the project take to complete?

• Are there any seasonal issues with your project?

• If voluntary labour is used – how much time are volunteers actually able to give?

• If specialist skills are needed – are those skills available during the expected project timeframe?

• Have you factored in time to establish funding?

PLANNING PROCESS

Step 1: Define the project

Step 2: Identify the need

Step 3: Identify the people

Step 4: Define the process

Step 5: Develop timelines

Step 6: Add meaning to ‘place’

Where?

• Where will the project be located? Include local municipality, town and site, and be reasonably exact.

• Will the project’s outcomes extend nationally, state-wide, regionally or remain within the municipality and local area?

• Are there any specific local demographics that make your project particularly relevant to the area? (Target of provider?)

• What do you know about the area? What information can you find to justify that your project meets local needs? (Council / Committee documents etc.)

CONGRATULATIONSYOU DID IT!

Make sure you undertake the project as described in the application How will you manage the funds? How will you be accountable for the

funds? (Systems in place) Do you understand what reporting is required? Do you need to get

audited? How will you measure and evaluate your project? (Review outcome

indicators) Are there any other requirements of the funding body? (eg reporting,

media acknowledgement and launches, signage etc.) If your application is unsuccessful, make a follow-up call to the

grant provider so that you can learn ‘what went wrong’ and increase your chances of funding success in the future.

But no matter what…

TALK TO YOUR FUNDING BODY

Before, During & After!