Meet Kristine, our Fabulous Grants Researcher

Today we're taking a look at life for our Grants Researcher, Kristine and her work at The Grants Hub. Justin took a moment to ask Kristine a few questions about how she ensures our members are on the end of all of the latest funding opportunities across Australia. Kristine also shares tips on searching for funding and how our members can tap into her extensive knowledge of grant funding.

Justin: Kristine, can you tell us about your role with The Grants Hub and what a typical day looks like for you?

Kristine: I'm a Grants Researcher and am tasked primarily with ensuring our members have access to all the grants available around Australia. I came onboard and joined The Grants Hub team in October 2017. A typical day will usually start with me scouring the Internet with news of new open grant rounds, updating our Grants Directory accordingly, liaising with grant providers, researching available grants against the needs of organisations who seek out our Grants Research services, responding to enquiries through our messaging in-app platform, and creating and sending out our popular Grant Alerts for members. Of course, no day would be complete without the odd online banter and chuckle with Jessie and Justin, or me rubbing-it-in-their-face with a selfie while sipping coffee in the sun by the sea here in Scarborough, Queensland, where I live.  

Justin: Yes, we’re definitely envious of your warm weather up in QLD! What about the types of funding listed on The Grants Hub - how do you make sure grants are relevant to such a wide range of our members?

Kristine: We have a wide range of funding opportunities in our Directory for organisations and individuals, from government, corporate, and philanthropic providers. Many grants on offer around Australia are for not-for-profit organisations, however saying that, the grants we do list for business or local council applicants for example, do generally offer greater amounts of funding per grant than a not-for-profit grant. I am constantly amazed the diversity of grants available. Last month, a Grant Alert I sent out contained open funds from a wide variety of fields including arts, sports, indigenous, environment, LGBTQI, regional infrastructure, community, start-ups, travel, disability, and professional development.

Justin: How can our members at The Grants Hub use your expertise to help find grants?

Kristine: If anyone has any questions around how to search for grants or would like me to develop a tailored grant calendar specific to their needs, I would encourage everyone to get in touch using our online chat support (the little chat box on the bottom right of our website) so we can get the conversation started. Alternatively, feel free just to say ‘hi’ using the chat app – we love hearing from members and receiving feedback.

Justin: From your experience in working with grant providers, what’s one thing that totally puts them off a grant application?

Kristine: The main turn off at the grant provider’s end is receiving an application that is completely out of their scope of funding requirements (i.e. the applicant has not read the guidelines). Grant providers have their own set of aims and objectives for their funding and are seeking to align themselves with applicant projects that mirror those aims and objectives. Read the funding guidelines to ensure you are both on the same page as each other.

Justin: And last of all, if members are searching through our directory just can’t seem to find a grant relevant to their needs, what would you suggest they do?

Kristine: Firstly, before feeling too dejected, I would suggest examining the search parameters one is using when searching our Directory for grants. Try to avoid narrow keyword terms such as ‘first-aid kit’, but rather, use broad terms such as ‘equipment’ or ‘capital’. Secondly, failing the above, new grants are constantly appearing on the landscape. With a bit of patience, the right grant opportunity may come your way soon and you will hear about it first here. Lastly, and if urgently seeking funds, consider diversifying your income streams though such methods as crowd-funding, sponsorship, or fundraising.