Help Cards

Hopefully you’ve already read the Plan Big “Finding Grants” Help Card, so now it’s time to get started.

When it comes to accessing a grant from Government, especially your Local Government, the best place to start is by having a chat to the relevant people within that Department/Area.

Ensuring that you correctly match yourself to the grant guidelines is vital as Government tend to have relatively strict guidelines as to eligibility, grant type, limits on how much they will give and requirements for co-contributions, etc. Yep, sounds complex, but by having that up-front chat you can ensure that you aren’t wasting your own time and that of the Government employees – more goodwill all around!

When it comes to State or Federal Government, grants tend to be very specific and aligned with the relevant Department who is providing the grant. Once again, starting with a phone call or by setting up an appointment is best as you can make sure that your project aligns with their required outcomes.

Another benefit of meeting the representatives face-to-face is to help give them a fuller understanding of your project and what it will do for your community. When it comes time to sort through the applications and prioritise them, it will also mean they are more likely to give a more thorough consideration to yours.

Most of the time they will also help walk you through the application too, for those who have never faced the paperwork side of things that is a huge advantage.

When you lodge your grant application, make sure you have included all the information requested, if you miss anything then your chances of success are greatly reduced, no matter how good your project is.

And finally, once you’ve been successful, follow up on the acquittal process – make sure you send pictures, receipts etc. so that they know their money has been well spent and will provide benefits for many years to come.

Good luck and Happy Grant writing!