‘Winning’ Capital Grant Applications

Well we are six months into this venture now and we are beginning to see confirmation around the things that set us apart from other development consulting firms and the groups in the market that we can best service.  We’ll be sharing more on this in the coming months…

We have just recently completed the project, educational and costing components of capital funding applications for six Christian Schools.  The cost of these projects ranged in size from a few hundred thousand dollars to a few million.  We have also recently been engaged by a community group to prepare a grant application for a major piece of sporting infrastructure to be added to their existing offering.  These projects are wonderful to be involved with because they seek funding for facilities that directly benefit people in critical social areas, in these cases, in education and recreation.  So what are the critical factors in preparing a good capital funding application?  Here are my top three tips…

1. Ensure that your project meets the purpose and objectives of the grant.  Sounds simple enough, but you would be surprised how many grant applications don’t actually do this or don’t do it very well.  This is the first filter that your grant application must get through so you must do it well.
2. Spend the time and money to prepare an excellent application.  The capital grants that are available for various institutions and community groups are into the millions of dollars.  The Committees that review grant applications are thus looking for well-researched, well-considered and well-presented proposals that stand out from the pack.  You simply cannot produce a high quality application at the last minute.  So set aside the time and for large applications in particular, expect to engage an external consultant to assist you.
3. Ensure that you have an achievable plan to implement the project.  For most grant applications you will be required to provide an implementation or project management plan upfront.  The reason is that the body offering the grant has a vested interest in ensuring that your organisation is able to deliver the project on time and on budget.  Once again, if you do not have the expertise on staff, you should expect to engage an external consultant to manage the project for you.

‘Winning’ capital grant applications do not just fall out of the sky.  They are achieved through a deliberate strategy that is appropriately resourced.  If you would like to talk through your next capital funding application don’t hesitate to Contact Us

Call Andrew 0438 761 619