RDA Illawarra: Grant Writing Workshop Presentation 7-9 July 2015

RDA ILLAWARRA GRANT WRITING WORKSHOPS (JULY 2015)

Tehla BowerSenior Consultant – Funding & Strategy

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?


• Great cross-section of the Illawarra community• NFPs, business, council, tourism, arts, charities• Industry representatives

When you think about grants..


Do you feel like this? Or maybe this?



Or in extreme cases…!



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


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)


Grants & Funding in Australia


The Grant seeker market ‘pie’


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


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


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


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)


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……..


Government’s ‘GrantFinder’


• www.business.gov.au (‘Grants & Assistance’)

• Australian Government’s official grant search database

• User-friendly

Government’s ‘GrantFinder’


NSW Govt - Innovate NSW


• www.trade.nsw.gov.au/innovatensw

• Connecting technology development SMEs, researchers, major corporations and business end users

Our Community


• 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


Our Community


“A foundation grant isn't merely a grant; it's an invitation to share a mission.”

The Funding Centre

GRANTassist


• 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)


• www.grantready.com.au

• ‘GrantGuru’ resource

• Free to a certain level then fee for service

GrantReady (non-govt)


Other resource examples


• 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…


• 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


http://www.accc.gov.au/update/don’t‐pay‐for‐free‐grants‐informationSept 2014

What to do once you identify a suitable grant


• 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’?


Are you ‘funding ready’?


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


Funding readiness for NSRF


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

Also referred to as..


..Having all your ducks in a row!

Are you an eligible applicant?


• 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


• 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


× 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

Seems pretty straightforward?


Of the applications received from LGAs


…….26% were ineligible

Of the applications received from NFPs


…….46%were ineligible!

So it is obviously still an area that needs attention!

Session summary so far..


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


Lets talk about Funding Proposals


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


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


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


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


“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


“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/

REMPLAN online tool


Wollongong employment data (REMPLAN)


For the tourism sector


Sites such as www.tra.gov.au can be useful

Project Budget considerations


• 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!

Project Budget example (simple)


Project Budget (complex)


‘Collaboration’ – what does it mean and how can you use it to

enhance your proposal?


“the action of working with someone to produce something”


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.


Collaborative Solutions funding program (Innovate NSW)

Program example –Collaborative Solutions

‘Policy’ vs ‘Politics’


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…


Are you prepared/can you afford to wait for the funds????

5 month timeframe5 month timeframe

What does a successful project look like??



NSRF Round 1 - sample


Accelerating Commercialisation

Wise words..


“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..


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




1. Formal Acceptance of grant offer



2. Signing funding agreement & terms (can involve some back and forth between agency and applicant)



3. Receiving grant monies (oftentimes in instalments across life of grant following project milestones being reached)



4. Completing project reporting documentation (quarterly is common)


Questions??


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

RDA Illawarra: Grant Writing Workshop Presentation 7-9 July 2015

Government & Nonprofit

Transcript of RDA Illawarra: Grant Writing Workshop Presentation 7-9 July 2015