Getting business grants
I have seen every grant writing mistake you can imagine! Before becoming a professional grant writer, I spent 8 years assessing over 1 billion dollars’ worth of grants for WA’s largest grant funding program. To help you avoid some of the more common mistakes, I have...
Moving House
Studies have shown that moving house is one of life’s most stressful events; more so than divorce. I can’t say I agree with that and my inner-nerd wants to know how that study was conducted, what constitutes ‘more stressful’ and whether all respondents had, in-fact...
An Accidental Entrepreneur??
The reason I started my company was because I was forced to. I mean, no-one actually forced me but I didn’t feel I had any other option. We had to move to the country for my husband’s job and I wasn’t able to continue in my State Government role. There were no jobs...
What to consider when hiring a tender writer
Writing tenders can be daunting as they can take a lot of time and effort. This is especially the case when you are not familiar with the process. However, the outcome of a successful tender is worth the effort - it can provide guaranteed income for a defined...
What is a Business Case?
Have you heard the term ‘business case’ and wondered what it is – perhaps whether it is the same as a business plan? Well, nope, it is completely different! Every organisation should have a business plan but not everyone needs a business case. A business plan sets...
What is a Cost Benefit Analysis?
A cost benefit analysis (CBA) is an important tool that many organisations, such as large-scale enterprises and governments use to help make investment decisions. A CBA compares the costs of doing something against the value of the benefits. If the benefits are...
Lessons from a State Government Job
During my career I have worked for Federal, State and Local Government. I spent the longest time in State Government, which is why this article is focused on State, but many of these lessons apply to all levels of government, to varying degrees. As with all jobs and...
Why country volunteers are awesome … but not at everything.
I am a country girl. I grew up in the country and after a small stint in the city for university, I reluctantly moved straight back to the country for a 2-year work contract. Eight and a half years later, I am still here and don’t look to be moving any time soon....
Explaining Risk Management Plans for Funding Submissions
A risk management plan helps you to identify potential risks, put in place actions to prevent them from occurring and reduce their impact on your project should they eventuate. The intent of a risk management plan is to ensure the project remains on track and meets...
You NEED to do this in grant applications!
One of the key areas in all grants is demonstrating the need or demand for your project. If assessors are not convinced that your project is sorely needed, then they will not be able to see the benefits it will deliver. Without significant benefits, you can’t possibly...
What I’ve Learnt from Moving to a Small Country Town
2 years ago, my family and I moved to Pingelly in the Wheatbelt region of Western Australia. Pingelly is definitely a small town, with just over 1000 people and 150km from Perth. Moving to Pingelly wasn’t one of my life goals! In fact, I only had 4 weeks’ notice, in...
Insights from a Grants Assessor
For 8 years I was a senior assessor in the Infrastructure team for the Department of Regional Development. My role was to assess business cases and funding applications for Western Australia’s largest grant program, Royalties for Regions. It was also to establish and...