5 Grants to Kick-Start Your Grant Search in 2022

Before you dive straight back into searching, have you taken the opportunity to reflect, reset, and consider how to plan for a successful year of grants?

The Grants Hub Founder, Jessie Ballantyne, recently shared this insightful article by Kerryn Vaughn, Be a Consistent Tortoise. Jessie likened the fable of the hare and the tortoise to applying for grants and I couldn’t agree more: “It can feel like all we are is hare, racing from one deadline to the next. But, the consistency shown by the tortoise is key.”

With extensive experience both as a fundraiser and as a grantmaker at a national level, I’ve seen first-hand many grant seekers being more like the hare. Setting too fast a pace almost always results in disappointment. Lost time and energy invested in the wrong grants cannot be recouped; likewise, applying for the right grants without taking enough time or consistency can be just as detrimental. Usually, not pursuing these grants in the first place would have left these grant seekers better off.

Searching and applying for grants can be rushed for many reasons including stretched resources, capacity and capability of applicants, fear of missing out, and managing stakeholders who can have high but unsupported expectations (e.g. boards, management, and project teams who mightn’t understand how much time grants actually need). These are challenging circumstances to mitigate - and the grants system is inherently challenging to begin with.

So, when I hear from organisations that they want to submit for more grants my advice is that simply aiming for ‘more’ won’t help you get funding any quicker. For example, one grants coordinator at a well-known health charity recently told me they are directly responsible for submitting around 50 grant applications annually! It’s no wonder that grant fundraiser positions can experience high turnover. Being the hare is likely to cause burnout before the goal is reached.

How to get ahead with grants (like the tortoise)

The below strategies will ensure you aim for consistency and quality over quantity placing you at the front of the herd:

1. Take time to reflect on grants you shortlisted in the last 12 months and consider themes – what made you successful, what held you back, and where is there opportunity to improve?

2. Use these observations to determine guiding principles that help you decide what characteristics grants MUST have before you pursue them (and red flags for when to pass, even if you’re eligible)

3. Apply these principles to the grants in your pipeline currently and cull any that don’t align

4. Continue to practice patience in waiting for the right grants, not just any grants

Use tools like The Grants Hub to make sure you’re tuned into the latest grant news, announcements, and time-saving features.

Grants to check out in the new year

Here are 5 grants to apply your principles to as you search for grants in 2022:

1.   Mental health grants that aim to address one of the biggest issues and impacts of COVID-19 on the Australian community

2.   Community grants that support grassroots initiatives and community groups including in regional and rural areas

3.   Digital and information technology grants that assist organisations with connectivity, capacity to offer online support, and flexibility for staff and volunteers

4.   Environment grants that aim to address climate change, conservation, and community natural disaster resilience and recovery

5.   Business, event and tourism grants that support businesses and organisations to recover from the economic impacts of COVID-19 by bringing communities together.

As you search - remember, slow and steady wins the race! Be the wise and consistent tortoise and you WILL find the right grants, at the right time.

Happy new year and happy grant seeking!