If you’re a not-for-profit, or really any organisation that might rely, even in part, on grants to get projects off the ground, they are probably a hot topic. Maybe even a source of constant frustration, depending on where you stand. I talk to lots of people about grants, and they are always eager to supercharge their grant writing efforts. But recently I’ve been surprised by the number of people who are really interested in the idea of being ‘grant-ready’.
It made me realise that so much time is spent talking about getting grants (with a focus on writing the actual application) but not so much about being grant ready. The secret to maximising your chances at winning a grant is being PREPARED.
How to become grant ready
There are four key areas you should be focusing on to be grant ready for a project:
- Consult with your stakeholders – Understand their ideas and issues, along with what they could bring to the project.
- Deep-dive your project concept – Define the issue your project is responding to (go deeper than just what you are going to do – really explore the why). Then ask yourself, what is the link between the issue and your solution. Is it strong? How could it be stronger? Is this problem already addressed in some way? How is your project different/better?
- Prepare your plan – Whether it’s a business plan, a project plan or a business case, you need to have a robust piece of work that shows you’ve thought through how the idea will work in practice and have managed any issues. If you wait until you hear of a grant opportunity to develop this material, it will likely be too late.
- Gather your documentation – Prepare a file with the documents typically required by grant applications so you’re not scrambling to find copies of resumes, financials, incorporation certificates and the like.
In addition to improving your chances of winning a grant by being prepared, if you’re looking to engage a grant writer, you’ll likely find working with them much easier (and possibly cheaper) if you’re grant ready, instead of needing them to magic up a lot of content.
Want to know more about being grant ready? We’re happy to help. If you’d like a complimentary chat about steps you can take, or if you’d like to talk to us about helping you become grant ready (from compiling generic material through to preparing your planning documents), just fire back an email and we’ll tee-up a time to talk.
Need a grant writer?
Grab our free info pack that includes:
- Comprehensive Pre-Application Checklist (so you know you’re ready to apply).
- Case studies of some of our grant writing clients.
- Grant Writing FAQ.
- Price Guide for grant writing services.