Writing a great grant application is vital for winning new funding for your business, non-profit or local council — but where do you begin if you haven’t been doing this for 15+ years? In this guide, we will cover the basics, some lesser-known facts, and real tips from grant writers who do this daily.
Step 1: Know Your ‘Why’ (and Make Sure You Have a Project)
Establishing a clear purpose for applying for a grant is the most important before you get too far into the application process.
A lot of organisations and businesses make the mistake of looking for grants to get a cash injection and to use as business-as-usual funds, but they don’t have a real project that requires funding. Grants are awarded to fund projects that align with the grantmaker’s objectives, and before you get too far into looking for grants, you need a project worth funding.
Ensure You Have a Solid Case for Funding
Grantmakers want to support projects with a clear purpose and demonstrable potential for impact in the areas they set out to target with the grant program. Your entire grant application strategy must be guided by your ‘why’ and the project that you’re seeking funding for needs to align with that reasoning, align with the grantmaker’s goals, and be well-researched and prepared before you start shortlisting grants and writing an application.
Before proceeding with an application, do an honest evaluation of your proposition:
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- Identify the specific need or problem your project addresses
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- Evaluate how your approach is unique or innovative
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- Outline the potential outcomes and benefits to your target community
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- Consider how your project aligns with broader industry or grantmaking trends
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- Find evidence of community support (many funders will want to know others support your work)
“People new to grants will try to apply for one without actually having a project. If you’re just asking for free money to run your business, that’s not going to work. Funders are looking for a specific project or purpose to fund. For example, it could be to run a cultural event or to create street art that encourages community engagement.”
Tara Whitney, CEO of Whitney Consulting | Grants, Tenders, Business Cases
Target the Right Grants for Your Organisation
Not all grants are created equal, and not every opportunity will align with your core mission. Spend time researching and identifying grants that match your objectives, and make sure you don’t get distracted by programs that offer more money that you end up compromising your ‘why’.
Consider factors such as:
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- Funding amount and duration
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- Geographic focus
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- Project type (e.g., research, community development, arts)
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- The funder’s priorities and values
If it’s the first time your organisation or business is applying for a grant, consider starting small and going for smaller grants to build up your reputation. Funders want to see that you can be trusted with grant money and have a demonstrated track record of success. It also helps you build up confidence in applying for bigger grants.
By carefully selecting the right-sized grants, you’ll increase your chances of success and avoid wasting time on ill-fitting applications.
“Misalignment between the funding opportunity and the project submitted is where a lot of people trip up. Because it’s their project, they don’t see when it doesn’t fit the grant and only focus on how much funding is available or the guidelines they have to meet. In the case of a grant that calls for innovative projects, if your project isn’t very innovative, you won’t stand a chance. Being honest about project fit is the most important, but often missed, step in targeting the right grants.”
Prue Saxby, Grant Master and Founder of Indigo Gold and Grant Writing Academy
To find grant opportunities, the best place to search will be on one of the many grant-seeking directories, such as:
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- Grant Connect (for government grants)
- The Grants Hub
- GrantGuru
Decide Whether You Have Capacity or Whether You Need External Help
Before you get too far in the process, think about whether you or your team has the capacity or skill set to take the grant application to the end. Writing grant applications is a specialised skill and can be very time-consuming, so if you recognise early that you do not have the scope for this task, consider outsourcing your application to a freelancer who is an expert at grant writing. Use this guide to help you understand how much work you would potentially need to put into a grant application to make it successful.
“Often, people come to us after attempting to apply on their own and not winning the grant. Many organisations also recognise that it is more effective and more efficient to outsource grant writing to experts who do it day in and day out because they cannot commit this much staff time to applying for grants when an opportunity comes up.”
Tara Whitney, CEO of Whitney Consulting | Grants, Tenders, Business Cases
Step 2: Do Your Research
Now that you’ve shortlisted some grant programs that fit your project, it’s time to do research and form the foundation of a strong grant application.
This means more than just reading the grant guidelines; great grant writers do a deep dive into the grantmaker’s background, priorities, and past recipients.
There are several things to consider for each grant program, so take the time to comb through them, so you can eliminate any that don’t fit with your project.
Research the Grantmaker and Past Recipients
To craft a compelling application, you need to understand the organisation you’re asking for money from. You will severely hurt your chances of winning a grant if you do not align your project with their goals and demonstrate your fit with their larger mission, which is spelled out in the grant guidelines all applicants are provided.
Start by thoroughly researching the grantmaker’s mission, values, and priorities — you can learn this information from their website, press releases, any media they’ve been in, and social media.
Many grantmakers also provide lists or case studies of projects they’ve supported in the past. This information is invaluable as it gives you insight into:
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- The outcomes and impacts that they value
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- The types of projects they tend to support
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- The scale of funding typically awarded
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- The past recipients of funding
“We find the most helpful information is in the grantmaker’s annual report or news on their website, through the ACNC (if they are a registered charity), and other resources both on and offline. Based on the grant guidelines, it might look like an organisation is a likely candidate. But if the funder has a consistent track record that demonstrates otherwise, this is an important consideration.”
Kate Wilson, National Grants & Funding Specialist at Purpose Plus
Confirm Your Organisation’s Eligibility
Before investing significant time in an application, ensure your organisation meets all eligibility criteria. Pay close attention to:
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- Geographic restrictions
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- Organisation type (e.g., non-profit, educational institution)
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- Project focus areas
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- Funding limits
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- Any specific exclusions or preferences stated by the funder
If you’re unsure about your eligibility, don’t hesitate to contact the grantmaker directly for clarification. It’s better to ask questions early than to waste time on an application that doesn’t meet basic requirements.
Read the Grant Guidelines in Full
Grant guidelines are your roadmap to success. They provide crucial information about what the funder is looking for and how they want the information presented.
Important information you should note from the grant guidelines:
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- Application deadlines and submission requirements
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- Required documentation and formats
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- Evaluation criteria and scoring rubrics
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- Reporting and compliance requirements
Remember, adherence to guidelines is often the first test of your application. Grantmakers may use compliance with their instructions as an initial screening tool. By following the guidelines, you demonstrate your ability to follow directions and your organisation’s attention to detail.
Understand Application Submission Requirements
Thoroughly review the program website information and documents to understand how the application process works, and what format the grantmaker is requesting your submission in.
Most of the time, you will need to submit your application through an online portal or download and complete a Word document they provide. This ensures you’re aware of how the data points, information, and assets you compile can be received — for instance, if the application needs to be submitted on a Word template, you know ahead of time not to go preparing your budget in Excel.
Step 3: Prepare Your Project Plan and Budget
Don’t make the mistake of jumping head-first into filling out a grant application form, without thinking about your project plan and budget — many people get halfway and then realise they have to submit project plans and budgets that they haven’t prepared ahead of time.
A solid project plan and a realistic budget are essential components for most grant applications, especially if there’s a significant amount of money involved. Your project plan and your budget demonstrate the level of thought put into how the funds are managed if awarded, and what resources you have to deliver on proposed outcomes effectively.
Creating a Project Plan and Defining Your Project Team
Your project plan should provide a clear roadmap for how you’ll achieve your stated goals. Include:
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- Hypothesis and research to support why your approach makes sense
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- Specific, measurable objectives and how you’ll measure them
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- Estimated timeline of activities and milestones
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- Roles and responsibilities of team members and partners
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- Risk assessment and mitigation strategies
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- Evaluation plan to review outcomes and impact
When it comes to outlining your project team and their roles, the key roles you should cover off include:
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- Project manager
- Finance specialist or administrator
- Marketing and communications
- HR and operations
- Quality and safety
“If your project is a reasonable size you’ll need to show a schedule to demonstrate that everything’s been planned well and your project team’s roles and responsibilities are well-defined. Often people applying for grants haven’t thought through what expertise each team member is bringing, and they also make the mistake of then listing every single person on the team, thinking people will get upset if they’re not mentioned, when in fact only four or five people are relevant to the project. You’ve got to put your funder’s hat on and think about ‘What is the funder looking for?’”
Prue Saxby, Grant Master and Founder of Indigo Gold and Grant Writing Academy
Be sure to explain how your project plan aligns with the program’s objectives (which should be explained in the guidelines) and showcase your organisation’s capability and expertise in the field.
Create a Detailed and Realistic Budget
Not having a budget or delivering a poorly built budget is a common mistake first-time grant applicants make. It can make or break your application.
Budgets are a great tool for justifying expenses and demonstrating why funding is needed, but be sure to make them realistic. Don’t underquote your expenses or you’ll run the risk of winning the grant and not being able to deliver the project. Setting a budget that’s too high is also going to raise red flags.
If you’re not confident in handling this part of the process yourself, it’s worth considering hiring a grant writer or consultant to help you the first time.
Things to keep in mind when drafting your budget:
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- Get real quotes for every significant component of the proposed project
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- Avoid inflating costs in hopes of being awarded more money — this will come back to bite you
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- Include sufficient line items to demonstrate thorough planning (ie., don’t submit a budget with only 5 line items for a $2M project)
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- Account for in-kind contributions (eg., IT equipment, office space, volunteers, project management support)
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- Include cash contributions and overheads
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- Ensure your budget narrative clearly explains any unusual or large expenses
“Having reviewed hundreds of applications, I can confidently say that the budget is the most common area where applicants make mistakes. Numbers count. Be sure to double-check your figures and make sure the total income matches the total expenditure. Grantmakers want to ensure that you have the financial capability to manage the grant, and this starts with your proposed budget. Working with a grant writer can help you present a realistic and competitive budget including the right amount of detail and language to give the grantmaker that assurance.”
Kate Wilson, National Grants & Funding Specialist at Purpose Plus
Make Sure You Get Real Quotes
If you submit a budget that’s all clean, even amounts of $5,000 or $10,000 — it’s a sign to the grantmaker that you are plucking numbers out of thin air. To avoid getting knocked back on your budget, it’s important to get actual quotes so you can back your numbers up.
Often, application forms or portals ask for things like labour and material costs to be separated out, so make sure you ask vendors for quotes that give detailed information about how that cost is split. In order to make sure you are comparing apples to apples, it is best to list out exactly what services or components you need quoted and provide that to vendors. This way, you ensure nothing is left out when you receive a quote.
Ask for an Appropriate Amount of Funding
A grant program usually has one pool of total funding available that must be divided up among recipients, or sometimes over several years. A mistake that new applicants make is to ask for way too much money, even if it’s not necessary, resulting in them missing out entirely because they don’t realise that the grantmaker needs to divide that money among several projects.
“Be realistic about what you really, really need. Don’t get greedy because you could miss out totally, and not get any funding. Often you are competing with other applicants also asking for significant amounts of funding — it’s very common and we see applicants making this mistake all the time.”
Prue Saxby, Grant Master and Founder of Indigo Gold and Grant Writing Academy
Consider Additional Funding Sources
Many funders appreciate when organisations have secured or are seeking additional support. This demonstrates broader community buy-in and can increase the sustainability of your project.
Consider including information about:
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- Other government grants
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- Local council grants
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- Philanthropic organisations
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- Corporate sponsorships
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- Community fundraising efforts
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- In-kind support from partners
Explain how these additional resources will complement the requested grant funding and enhance your project’s impact.
Step 4: Write the Application
Before you start writing the actual grant application, it’s good to take a moment to go through the grant guidelines again with a fine-tooth comb. This is a common pitfall where applications don’t follow all guidelines or miss that they haven’t met the eligibility criteria.
Once you’re ready, it’s time to start filling out the application by following the format provided by the grantmaker.
Essential Questions to Address
As you complete your application, make sure you have somewhere to answer:
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- When is the project timeline? Provide a clear start and end date, as well as key milestones.
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- Where will the project be implemented? Be specific about locations and why they were chosen.
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- How will you execute the project? Outline your methodology and approach.
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- What methods will you use to measure impact? Describe your evaluation plan and key performance indicators.
“Consider a realistic timeline for your project. If the majority of your project is dependent on the grant you are applying for, check out the grantmaker’s anticipated timetable. It can take many grantmakers three months or longer to make a decision and often they will not fund retrospective costs. Your project should therefore start after you can feasibly expect to receive the funds.”
Kate Wilson, National Grants & Funding Specialist at Purpose Plus
Cite Sources for Statistics and Facts
In your application, when you need to state a statistic or a fact to make your point, ensure that you cite your sources. Don’t pull facts out of thin air and make sure that if questions arise you’re able to back your application up, and avoid funders questioning how truthful the rest of your application is.
Be Clear About Your Impact
Ultimately, the grantmaker has its own objectives and goals when giving out funding. This would’ve been uncovered in the research you did before starting the application and also outlined in the grant guidelines. Where you have an opportunity in the application to communicate the link between your project and the outcome that the grantmaker wants, make sure you do so.
“The funder will never give you money if your project doesn’t align with the outcomes and impact they want to make, no matter how good it is. Most grant application forms allow you to write about your specific outcomes. Make sure to use this opportunity to highlight what the funder is looking for. Rather than saying, “We will increase our profit by $50,000”, try, “We will increase our regional economic output by $50,000” so that the focus is on impact.”
Tara Whitney, CEO of Whitney Consulting | Grants, Tenders, Business Cases
Avoid Submitting at the Last Minute
Make sure you manage your time well and complete the application before the due date. Most applications are submitted within the last two days of closing, which leaves no room for error (or unexpected delays).
Benefits of Using Grant Management Software as a Recipient
For organisations that apply for a lot of grants, especially if it’s a major source of revenue, grant management software like SurePact can significantly enhance your grant application process and project delivery.
Here are a few ways grant management software for recipients can help:
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- Streamline the compiling of applications: Being able to set tasks helps to keep collaborators on track to submit a grant application on time, especially when dealing with complex grants in the infrastructure or government space. Team members can work efficiently on different aspects of the application, which makes it easy to then enter into the application form when submitting.
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- Post-award project delivery tracking: Generate real-time reports on project progress, funding status, expenditure, risks, and outcomes. This capability is crucial for meeting funder reporting requirements, getting acquittals done efficiently, and demonstrating your organisation’s effectiveness at managing grants to protect future funding from being compromised.
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- Run win-loss analyses to target the right grants: By analysing historical data from past applications and projects, you can identify trends and patterns in successful applications. This insight can inform what grants to target in the future and improve your success rate.
Improving Impact Reporting
One of the most significant advantages of using grant management software is the ability to capture and analyse data for impact reporting. This is increasingly important as funders seek concrete evidence of project outcomes and whether their grant money is moving the needle on the ground.
With grant management software, you can:
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- Track project milestones and outcomes in real-time
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- Easily generate visual representations of project impact
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- Provide funders with detailed, data-driven progress reports
Have a few grants under your belt and want to strengthen your post-award grant management? Book a demo for SurePact to see how our software can help.
Conclusion
Writing a great grant application requires careful planning, thorough research, and clear communication. By following these steps and leveraging technology to support your efforts, you’ll be well-positioned to create compelling applications that stand out to grantmakers.
First-time grant applications are challenging, but it’s important to make a good impression on a grantmaker, as demonstrating that you can handle a grant will lead to more in the future.
Each application is an opportunity to refine your skills and learn more about your organisation’s strengths. Even if you don’t succeed on your first attempt, the process of applying for grants can provide valuable skills that will serve you well in future projects.
