If you have a project that you need funding for, or if you are an organisation that wants to make a difference then you need to know when grant funding becomes available. The only thing worse than seeing the perfect grant for your project a day before it is due is seeing it the day after!
There are a number of different ways you can find grant information, which I have broken down for you below.
Local/Sector Organisation Mailing Lists
In every location or sector, there are a number of organisations that include information on available grants in their newsletters. For example, if you are in a regional area your local Development Commission and your local Regional Development Australia organisation will send out newsletters advising people of open grants.
Check your professional memberships and see whether any of the organisations in your area or in your business sector have mailing lists you could be added to. These emails can be an invaluable source of grant information as they only tell you about the grants specific to your location/sector. This can be a big plus when you are tired of scrolling through the endless number of grants that don’t apply to you.
Professional Grant Writing Companies
The most important thing you need to know about this one is – DO NOT pay for information on what grants are available. There are companies who will charge to provide you details on open grant rounds. This information is all freely available; you’re paying for the company to take this free information and email it to you. Most professional grant writers will do this for free. Find a grant writer you know or who has been recommended, tell them what you are looking for and they will tell you what is available. You do not have to then use their services; you can still write the grant yourself.
As a grant writer, I can tell you, we do not mind doing this. We have the information easily at hand and our aim is to get our brand known – you may use us at a later date or recommend us to someone who then uses our services.
A lot of grant writing companies also have a mailing list you can be added to, where they send out information regularly with the details of upcoming or open grants. Whitney Consulting has a free monthly grants information newsletter just waiting for you!
Government Websites
Funding opportunities offered through State and Federal Governments are all easily available online. For Federal Government Grants, you can access all grants through GrantConnect on https://www.grants.gov.au GrantConnect offers the ability to email you notification of any new grants that match the profile/keywords you choose. It is well worth spending the time to set up your profile in GrantConnect to ensure you are emailed every time a grant matching it is released. GrantConnect includes every grant offered by the Federal Government.
State Governments vary in regards to their grant websites. The Western Australian State Government, unfortunately, does not have a one-stop-shop like the Federal Government’s GrantConnect, so you need to access each Department’s site separately, depending on your project area. A few of the examples are:
The Department of Planning, Lands and Heritage provides an overview of available grants at https://www.daa.wa.gov.au/community-development/grants-and-sponsorship/grants-directory/
WA communities and Local Governments seeking funding can also find it in the Grants Directory at https://www.dlgc.wa.gov.au/AdviceSupport/Pages/LG-Grants-Directory.aspx
Sports and Recreation projects can find information at https://www.dsr.wa.gov.au/funding
Department of Culture and the Arts funding information is available at http://www.dca.wa.gov.au/funding/
Again, if there is a particular sector you are seeking funding in, such as Sport and Recreation, you can ask to be added to that Department’s mailing list, if they have one.
Social Media
All organisations that offer grant funding, from government through to private business, will have Facebook and/or Twitter accounts where they will post news about grants. Especially if the organisation doesn’t have a newsletter mailing list, make sure you like and follow their pages to keep informed.
Whitney Consulting has a Facebook page that we use to post about open grants, especially when the closing date falls in between a newsletter. Other grant writers may also do the same.
My advice – take the time up front to get on the right mailing lists, speak to a grant writer, set up your profile in GrantConnect and like those pages on your social media accounts. This will save you regret at missing out on the right grant and/or hours of scrolling through lists of grants.
