rda illawarra: grant writing workshop presentation 7-9 july 2015
TRANSCRIPT
Introduction/background• Who am I• Grants/funding experience spans 12 years• Specialist since 2009 • Approx $15m for projects valued at well over
$50m (exclusive of advice and coaching that has led to funding success)
• Illawarra based• Independent of funding bodies
RDA ILLAWARRA | GRANTS WORKSHOPS JULY 2015
Who are you?
RDA ILLAWARRA | GRANTS WORKSHOPS JULY 2015
• Great cross-section of the Illawarra community• NFPs, business, council, tourism, arts, charities• Industry representatives
When you think about grants..
RDA ILLAWARRA | GRANTS WORKSHOPS JULY 2015
Do you feel like this? Or maybe this?
When you think about grants..
RDA ILLAWARRA | GRANTS WORKSHOPS JULY 2015
This will hopefully be you by the end of this workshop!
Session Overview• Industry overview – Australia/NSW• Navigating the grants landscape – planning
vs ‘scattergun’ (grants research tips)• Eligibility – a common oversight• Policy and Political influence• Funding proposal planning for success• Funding agreements & post-reporting• Q & A
RDA ILLAWARRA | GRANTS WORKSHOPS JULY 2015
Grants & Funding in Australia• Currently approx $50bn available (market size)• Over 900 grants (conservative)• Government grants, tenders, community
foundations, philanthropic trusts• Others such as crowdfunding, venture capital,
angel investors (not a focus of this session)
RDA ILLAWARRA | GRANTS WORKSHOPS JULY 2015
The Grant seeker market ‘pie’
RDA ILLAWARRA | GRANTS WORKSHOPS JULY 2015
Grant seekers
Grant makers
Support agencies (eg
RDA)
Project supporters
Project investors
Funding Program managers
Government policy & politics
©2015 Waples Marketing
Grants & Funding in Australia• Hundreds of grants are announced each day• Some recent examples:
– NSW Community Building Partnership program– $6.4m for nurses to deliver health care (rural and
remote communities) – Dept of Health– $6.3m Southern Cross Renewable Energy Fund
(battery storage)– $100m for pest and weed management (Dept of
agriculture)– $200m biosecurity funding– NSW Footy Facilities Fund
RDA ILLAWARRA | GRANTS WORKSHOPS JULY 2015
Where to start?• Grants/funding landscape can be a daunting and
overwhelming place
• So many opportunities – how to find the right one/ensure we don’t miss out?!
• Importance of researching, planning, understanding your project
RDA ILLAWARRA | GRANTS WORKSHOPS JULY 2015
Where to start (internal process)?
• Know very clearly and precisely what you want funding for…
• …and how much $$ you want/need to deliver your projects’ objectives
RDA ILLAWARRA | GRANTS WORKSHOPS JULY 2015
Where to start (program ID)?• you then need to find the grant (we will provide
some tips for this in a moment)
• make sure you are eligible…and review formal guidelines and any other published material (egmedia releases, info/fact sheets, FAQs, past successful applicants lists)
RDA ILLAWARRA | GRANTS WORKSHOPS JULY 2015
Where to start?
• AWARENESS & knowing where to look is one of the most important keys to effective ‘grantsmanship’
• Lets have a look at some examples……..
RDA ILLAWARRA | GRANTS WORKSHOPS JULY 2015
Government’s ‘GrantFinder’
RDA ILLAWARRA | GRANTS WORKSHOPS JULY 2015
• www.business.gov.au (‘Grants & Assistance’)
• Australian Government’s official grant search database
• User-friendly
NSW Govt - Innovate NSW
RDA ILLAWARRA | GRANTS WORKSHOPS JULY 2015
• www.trade.nsw.gov.au/innovatensw
• Connecting technology development SMEs, researchers, major corporations and business end users
Our Community
RDA ILLAWARRA | GRANTS WORKSHOPS JULY 2015
• www.ourcommunity.com.au
• ‘Australia's Centre for Excellence for the nation's 600,000 not-for-profits & schools, providing advice, tools, resources and training’
• The Funding Centre – great resource
Our Community
RDA ILLAWARRA | GRANTS WORKSHOPS JULY 2015
“A foundation grant isn't merely a grant; it's an invitation to share a mission.”
The Funding Centre
GRANTassist
RDA ILLAWARRA | GRANTS WORKSHOPS JULY 2015
• SA Govt
• A great tool as provides free search database for community/individual as well as business/industry
• Targets SA organisations but can be seen as benchmark for other databases
GrantReady (non-govt)
RDA ILLAWARRA | GRANTS WORKSHOPS JULY 2015
• www.grantready.com.au
• ‘GrantGuru’ resource
• Free to a certain level then fee for service
Other resource examples
RDA ILLAWARRA | GRANTS WORKSHOPS JULY 2015
• Ministry for the Arts (Arts & Culture)• Destination NSW (Tourism)• Entrepreneurs Infrastructure Program
(Industry)• iAccelerate (technology startups)• Dept of Health• IRT Foundation (Research/Community)• NSW Footy Facilities Fund
A word of caution…
RDA ILLAWARRA | GRANTS WORKSHOPS JULY 2015
• Beware cold callers offering ‘free money’ and claiming to be the Australian Government
• Government search databases are free, use them as a first reference tool
• Customised databases and grants calendars can be helpful
A word of caution…ACCC
RDA ILLAWARRA | GRANTS WORKSHOPS JULY 2015
http://www.accc.gov.au/update/don’t‐pay‐for‐free‐grants‐informationSept 2014
What to do once you identify a suitable grant
RDA ILLAWARRA | GRANTS WORKSHOPS JULY 2015
• Funding readiness• Eligibility!!! Might sound obvious but you would
be surprised • Consult the publicly available information first
(eg media releases, guidelines, application form, policy documentation)
• Contact the funding body (even if only an email has been provided) to discuss your project
Are you ‘funding ready’?
RDA ILLAWARRA | GRANTS WORKSHOPS JULY 2015
Simple Assessment – do you have:• Strategic Plan/Business Plan?• Project Plan and Budget?• Organisational capacity to undertake the project?• Sustainability post‐grant?• Capacity to at least match funding received?• Appropriate legal structure for eligibility requirements (eg incorporation, ABN, DGR registration etc)?
Funding readiness for NSRF
RDA ILLAWARRA | GRANTS WORKSHOPS JULY 2015
Evidence of Incorporation Project Management Plan Business Case Risk Management Plan Procurement Management PlanWritten confirmation of all partner funding (cash &
in-kind) Asset Management Plan Audited Financial Statements Evidence demonstrating applicant experience
Are you an eligible applicant?
RDA ILLAWARRA | GRANTS WORKSHOPS JULY 2015
• One of the most obvious but important questions to ask before considering making an application
• Seen many cases where both application and project strong and worthy BUT ‘disqualified’ before key internal personnel got chance to read about it
• Ie Worth taking the time to clarify with funding body!
NSRF Eligibility - recap
RDA ILLAWARRA | GRANTS WORKSHOPS JULY 2015
• Legal entity with ABN
AND either• A Local Government body including ACT Govt,
or• A Not-for-profit organisation, either in own right
or on behalf of consortium (that is not owned by state or territory govt)
NSRF Ineligibility - recap
RDA ILLAWARRA | GRANTS WORKSHOPS JULY 2015
× NSW, VIC, QLD, WA, SA, TAS & NT governments× State and territory government-owned entities× State and territory government-owned NFPs× Universities, technical colleges, schools and hospitals× RDA committees× For-profit organisations
Of the applications received from LGAs
RDA ILLAWARRA | GRANTS WORKSHOPS JULY 2015
…….26% were ineligible
Of the applications received from NFPs
RDA ILLAWARRA | GRANTS WORKSHOPS JULY 2015
…….46%were ineligible!
So it is obviously still an area that needs attention!
Session summary so far..
RDA ILLAWARRA | GRANTS WORKSHOPS JULY 2015
Check against eligibility criteria
Know the guidelines inside out
Review all publicly available information
Do you have a genuine project lined up?
Are you prepared/can you wait for funds?
In addition do you have the TIME and RESOURCES to complete the application??
Lets talk about Funding Proposals
RDA ILLAWARRA | GRANTS WORKSHOPS JULY 2015
1. Basic Housekeeping first:– Know the deadline and PLAN your submission!– Get your team involved early (particularly anyone
who will be involved in implementation)– Complete the application in its entirety (may seem
obvious but evidence shows otherwise)– No gaping holes (ie just because you don’t like
numbers doesn’t mean you leave out the budget!)– MANDATORY means precisely that– Apply an ‘Evidenced Based Mantra’
Some ‘must-tick’ boxes for success
RDA ILLAWARRA | GRANTS WORKSHOPS JULY 2015
1. Showing experience in the area that the grant covers
2. Link this back to the grant’s objectives3. Demonstrate your capabilities including
resources and staff and your methodologies4. Show that you are already part of the
community in which the funds from the grant (show you understand the issues)
Questions to ask of yourself
RDA ILLAWARRA | GRANTS WORKSHOPS JULY 2015
1. Am I writing more about my project or my organisation? (very important)
2. Am I being specific about the features of my project and the outcomes my project will generate?
3. Am I answering each question completely? (treat it like a uni assignment and break it into chunks)
Importance of evidence
RDA ILLAWARRA | GRANTS WORKSHOPS JULY 2015
1. Spoke briefly about evidence earlier2. Some examples of evidence? Economic data (such as employment,
unemployment, population, LGA characteristics) Qualitative/Quantitative research (internal or
external) Statistics/data to back up your project objectives Academic evidence/published credible sources that
reinforce the value of your project
‘Economic benefit’ of your project – NSRF example
RDA ILLAWARRA | GRANTS WORKSHOPS JULY 2015
“Economic benefit relates to those benefits generated by new or improved infrastructure, and can be described in terms of the ability to generate additional income through more efficient use of resources and improved trade opportunities” (NSRF Guidelines pg13)
REMPLAN online tool
RDA ILLAWARRA | GRANTS WORKSHOPS JULY 2015
“REMPLAN provides access to detailed demographic data for 1991 to 2011 Census years, economic data and maps for up to 114 industry sectors as well as population and employment forecasts”
http://www.remplan.com.au/
For the tourism sector
RDA ILLAWARRA | GRANTS WORKSHOPS JULY 2015
Sites such as www.tra.gov.au can be useful
For the tourism sector
RDA ILLAWARRA | GRANTS WORKSHOPS JULY 2015
Sites such as www.tra.gov.au can be useful
Project Budget considerations
RDA ILLAWARRA | GRANTS WORKSHOPS JULY 2015
• Requirements can vary dependent on submission size and complexity
• Important to clearly outline the amount of funding requested for each activity (ie salaries, travel, construction, rent, insurances, equipment, labour, technology etc)
• Don’t forget about matching funds if applicable• MOST IMPORTANT – cross‐check all project expenditure against the ELIGIBLE COSTS listing in the program guidelines!
‘Collaboration’ – what does it mean and how can you use it to
enhance your proposal?
RDA ILLAWARRA | GRANTS WORKSHOPS JULY 2015
“the action of working with someone to produce something”
RDA ILLAWARRA | GRANTS WORKSHOPS JULY 2015
Oxford dictionary
The purpose of the program is to foster collaboration between industry partners toward delivering a compelling, new-to-market
solution. This consortia model of Lead Company, Pilot Organisation, and Partner is specifically designed to build
relationships that deliver a solution with a strong opportunity for commercial success.
RDA ILLAWARRA | GRANTS WORKSHOPS JULY 2015
Collaborative Solutions funding program (Innovate NSW)
Program example –Collaborative Solutions
‘Policy’ vs ‘Politics’
RDA ILLAWARRA | GRANTS WORKSHOPS JULY 2015
Two quite different but interrelated factors that can have a huge impact on your funding proposal – and both out of the control of the applicant
Another important consideration…
RDA ILLAWARRA | GRANTS WORKSHOPS JULY 2015
Are you prepared/can you afford to wait for the funds????
5 month timeframe5 month timeframe
Wise words..
RDA ILLAWARRA | GRANTS WORKSHOPS JULY 2015
“It’s important to view grants from a business perspective. If you think about it in terms of helping to solve a problem for government, that will change the way you apply for funding”
Extract from Company Director article June 2015
Session summary take 2..
RDA ILLAWARRA | GRANTS WORKSHOPS JULY 2015
Funding Proposal components
Importance of evidence‐based information, finding data and stats
Budget considerations
Importance of policy & politics
What does a successful project look like?
In addition do you have the TIME and RESOURCES to complete the application??
You are successful in obtaining the grant! - the next steps
RDA ILLAWARRA | GRANTS WORKSHOPS JULY 2015
You are successful in obtaining the grant! - the next steps
RDA ILLAWARRA | GRANTS WORKSHOPS JULY 2015
1. Formal Acceptance of grant offer
You are successful in obtaining the grant! - the next steps
RDA ILLAWARRA | GRANTS WORKSHOPS JULY 2015
2. Signing funding agreement & terms (can involve some back and forth between agency and applicant)
You are successful in obtaining the grant! - the next steps
RDA ILLAWARRA | GRANTS WORKSHOPS JULY 2015
3. Receiving grant monies (oftentimes in instalments across life of grant following project milestones being reached)
You are successful in obtaining the grant! - the next steps
RDA ILLAWARRA | GRANTS WORKSHOPS JULY 2015
4. Completing project reporting documentation (quarterly is common)
RDA ILLAWARRA | GRANTS WORKSHOPS JULY 2015
Further questionsTehla BowerSenior Consultant – Funding & StrategyWaples Marketing Group
Ph: (02) 4221 1300M: 0412 738 752E: [email protected]
www.linkedin.com/in/tehlabowerwww.twitter.com/tehlabowerwww.waples.com.au