How to Win the Perpetual Impact Grant: An Expert's Guide

Unlocking the Perpetual Grant: Tips, Traps and Triumphs

Author: Barbara Brangan - Grantful

With a whopping $120 million up for grabs annually, the Perpetual Impact grant can supercharge your mission. In 2022, Perpetual received nearly 1,400 applications, with approximately 26% securing funding. 

I specialise in social impact grant funding and have helped organisations win Perpetual grants for the first time and others to win after years of failure. I've witnessed firsthand what works. It's not just about writing an application; it's about strategic thinking and having KPIs to prove you're already making an impact. With the right approach and expertise, you can join the ranks of successful grant recipients and take your mission to new heights!

Measuring What Matters - Prove Your KPI Mojo

Perpetual loves charities whose strategies are in sync with their mission. Show them you've got a game plan, and you're keeping score on how it's driving your mission forward. Share your organisation's top goals and how they tie into your mission. Think about reach, sustainability, and impact, and measure targets and actuals to demonstrate active mission alignment.

Perpetual seek organisations with track records of intelligent resource management. To impress them, you've got to show you're all about using your resources wisely and keeping tabs on them. Lay out clear targets reflecting the best use of all your resources – money, people, time, tech etc. 

Love it or hate it, Perpetual is all about KPIs as evidence that you are actively tracking mission alignment and resource management. These KPIs should be like signposts on the highway to show you're on the right track. Don't worry; they don't need to be all shiny good news stories; it's OK not to achieve your desired KPI. Perpetual is more interested to know that you are actively tracking it and the reasons behind the numbers.

Some Example KPI's Include

• Keeping your staff happy can be measured through your team sticking around (retention), which reduces the cost of recruitment and training and supports client retention.
• An engaged and skilled Board leading the organisation can be measured by meeting attendance and goal achievement (governance and strategy).
• Making the most of your fundraising efforts can be measured through ROI for fundraising costs.
• Holding onto your volunteers can be measured through repeat volunteers, which reduces training time and costs.
• Operation and technology projects can demonstrate reducing the per-client cost of the program/services.
• Measuring client goals achieved and satisfaction levels supports mission advancements.
• Expanding reach and number of locations to demonstrate reaching more clients.
• Lower the clients' age participating in your program/services and indicate earlier intervention (if this aligns with your mission and cohort).

The Biggest Mistake: Leaving the Application to Chance

How you approach the Perpetual grant often reflects how you approach your strategic planning and mission focus. One of the most common pitfalls is organisations leaving project selection and KPI definition to the in-house grant writer. Those who win Perpetual grants demonstrate robust strategic thinking and already measure KPIs for efficiency and effectiveness. So, before starting your application, ensure your organisation is aligned and primed for success.

How the Perpetual Process Works

Perpetual manage philanthropic funds for high net-worth individuals, family trusts, and organisations. They guide these clients to navigate Australia's intricate philanthropy world and contribute to charity projects that align with their individual goals. Grant-making is one part of Perpetual's services; they also offer fund establishment, investment management and impact assessment. 

Applications for Perpetual Impact grants open on the 30th of October and close on the 8th of December 2023 for projects between July 2024 and June 2025. The average grant size is $75k, and your organisation may qualify to submit more than one.

Perpetual's grant journey is a two-stage process. First, you must meet the criteria for all questions related to your organisation's strategy, mission, and governance. If you fail this stage, you'll receive a notification in March, which is heartbreaking.  

Assuming you meet the initial criteria, your project will be closely examined by Perpetual for strength and its ability to demonstrate measurable outcomes. Perpetual will then recommend your project to their clients. Successful grant recipients will learn of their success during the final two weeks of June, with funds hitting your account by the end of that month. Sadly not all projects receive funding. 

Some Parting Words

Winning the Perpetual Impact grant is like completing a challenging puzzle. It takes more than words; it takes strategy and understanding of how to demonstrate your impact and the ability to communicate that persuasively in the application. Nail this and you will give yourself the best chance of success.

 

 

Barbara Brangan is an independent grant writer who specialises in reducing stress and amplifying success for social impact organisations through exceptional grant and tender submissions. She has successfully secured over $14 million in funding for a diverse range of projects.