Grant Writing - Myths

Our grant writer Brisbane is very experienced in debunking the myths of grant writing for non profit organisations. There are many myths around that really need to be addressed to set those running non profits straight and to reinforce that a good quality grant writer is worth their weight in gold.

Myth 1 – Government cuts mean there are no grant opportunities available

Plain wrong – yes Government cuts have been savage recently at both the State and Federal Government levels and yes loads of organisations have had their recurrent funding cut and yes some funding programs have been cancelled or disbanded but there still are Government funding opportunities at a Local, State or Federal level, there still are opportunities through commercial entities and there certainly are opportunities available through Trusts and Foundations.

Myth 2 – Competition is too fierce for the available funding so why bother

Wrong again – competition is fierce BUT if you develop great projects that attract the attention of funders then funding is very achievable.

Myth 3 – Only large non profits are successful in winning grant funding

Large non profits generally are likely to have more success with larger funding amounts but this is purely because generally they have more larger projects which need funding. Small non profits should certainly consider small, medium and large funding opportunities – any opportunities at all. If your organisation and project tick ALL the boxes as outlined in the grant guidelines then an application should certainly be considered.

Myth 4 – no programs fund wages or cover operational costs

The number of funding programs that fund wages or ongoing is certainly not extensive but there are opportunities to include “administration” costs in some grant opportunities and this is where you can include wages/operational costs.

Myth 5 – Winning grant funding will ensure our organisation will survive

This is clearly the thought process of some organisations. Grant funding is generally tied to a project and must be spent on that project and nothing else. So normally winning funding wontbe the panacea for a struggling organisation.

Myth 6 – grant writing is too hard

Grant writing is not easy but it isn’t rocket science either. There are courses available that can assist to train the inexperienced but the one real secret of grant writing is read the guidelines, read the guidelines and then read the guidelines.

Myth 7 – we never know when grants are closing

This is very easy to debunk. An hour of research will identify a heap of potential funding opportunities you can access and if you plot these on a calendar giving you a month’s notice before closing date – problem solved. Also there are lots of grant databases out there you can sign up to which have information about all sorts of grants. This can be a very cost effective way of finding out about what grants are available and when the grant programs close.

Myth 8 – you need to know someone in the know to win grants

While this is a myth – it obviously can help your case if you do know someone with influence. But thousands of organisations every month with grant funding across Australia and have no inside help.

Myth 9 – once you receive grant funding you can spend the money on something else if you want

WRONG! If you receive grant funding it MUST be spent exactly as you outlined in your grant application. If you identify that you need to change and purchase something different you must identify this in writing to the relevant funding program and get approval back in writing BEFORE you spend money on the new item.

Myth 10 – grant writers are too expensive

Wrong – quality grant writers can give a great return on investment. Our grant writer Brisbane is highly skilled and we can develop a cost structure to meet the budget of any organisation no matter how small they are.

Contact us at Red Tape Busters - http://www.redtapebusters.com/ should you require more information about this article or if you require specialist grant or tender writing experience to help your organisation or business win grant funding or achieve successes with tenders.

We are specialists in providing the following services:-

·         Lobbying;

·         Tender Writing;

·         Grant Writing;

·         Resumes/Job Applications;

·         Organisational/Business Development.

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