Casting a wide net: 3 must know tips to help you find grants
By Ryan May, Tender and Grant Specialist (Perth)
Grant finding can be devilishly difficult. The quantity and quality of grants ebbs and flows with each month – sometimes you will be flooded with opportunities, and others you may feel lucky to have stumbled upon even one. The ability to cast a wide net is made all the more important by these sudden bouts of scarcity, but how do you go about it? Fret not - in this blog I’ll provide you with my top three tips on casting that net to find the grants you need.
Be multifaceted
Consider more than just your project or organisation in isolation. If your organisation assists people with disability find employment, and your project is focussed on the development of a café for people with disability to work in, you open yourself to more than just generalised grants supporting those with disability.
You may be eligible for grants that help startup businesses, which could then help to start up your cafe
You may be eligible for grants that support the purchase of vehicles to help transport employees to and from this café
You may be eligible for grants that support the training of staff, disabled or not, that you can then utilise to train those people with disability who will be working at the café.
By expanding your scope to grants that are related to an aspect of your project, you open yourself to greater funding opportunities and increase your chances of encountering and winning viable grants.
Don’t ignore closed opportunities
Just because a grant is no longer on offer does not mean it will not rear its head again in the future. Some grants go through multiple rounds and will be available two or three times in a year. Others may occur annually or biannually. Keep an eye on opportunities sitting on the horizon, and you will place yourself in a better position to act on them when they swim within reach.
Look locally
It can be easy to be blinded by the allure of larger grants and forget about local opportunities. These opportunities may only provide small sums, but when you’re struggling to find anything, these small amounts can make all the difference. Typically, these grant opportunities are locally exclusive, meaning that competition can be less intense, though they usually focus on local improvements and will limit funding to this scope. Don’t discount them because of this – if your organisation has a local project eligible for funding then this can provide a good opportunity to save money that can be used elsewhere.
Patience is key
Sometimes, no matter how wide you cast your net, you will catch nothing. In these scenarios, patience is key. Don’t be discouraged – keep throwing that net, and in the meantime, consider other ways of raising the funds you need. Grants are fantastic when you secure them, but they can be hard to find and fiercely competitive. Ensuring you have other methods of generating income, such as fundraising events, will help to keep your projects running while you wait for the larger fund injections that a successful grant application delivers.
Need a hand casting your net, or perhaps need help applying for a grant opportunity you’ve already caught? Purpose Plus offers professional grant finding and grant support services and can assist with grant strategy, grant management, grant writing and more. Get in touch! We’d love to hear from you and are always looking forward to developing your next high-quality grant application.