Grant Writing – Case Study 1

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Grant writing can be a complex process which is not just about writing a grant. The experienced and skilled grant writer will do far more than just write a grant. The grant writer who is worth their weight in gold will write a great grant submission. Quality grant writers will also assist the organisation to develop the best project concept, they will identify the best possible funding opportunity which will be relevant to the project requiring funding and then yes they will prepare a fantastic grant submission. At Red Tape Busters we are continually challenged by difficult projects and asked to chase funding for that project. 

In one such situation I was approached by a rural Golf Club seeking funding to pay for a new financial management accounting software system. Their old system was outdated and they needed to upgrade to keep pace with technology and software changes. Now generally financial management software and such an upgrade of a system would be deemed as an operational need and an operational expenditure and therefore would not be a fundable item. So the request posed some significant problems in being able to win funding. 

Initially I decided to assess the project and identify if I could change the project from the purchase of financial management software to a broader project which was significantly more attractive to potential funders. I pondered on their requirement and also pondered on the club – what it did, what regional area the club was located in, pondered on the issues which might be affecting that area and the people that lived there and also pondered on what project would be really attractive to funders which might address the needs of the club and also the local area. 

The project I came up with was to essentially have the financial management software as an “after thought” and a by-product or requirement of the bigger project. I suggested to the club that we implement a project where the club would partner with the local TAFE and work closely with the students from the Business Administration course. The club could offer the TAFE and the students work experience in the club while studying/completing their studies and learn how to use the cash registers and learn the financial management system. 

Once the students had finished their course and undertaken work experience with the club, the club would arrange potential jobs with key employers across the region – businesses and organisations who had links with the club or whose members were key personnel within those organisations or businesses. In this way the project was focused on addressing youth unemployment in the area, giving them on the job experience to support their studies and then working with potential employers to get these young people a job. The only requirement the club had was to find a funder who would fund the upgraded software and system seeing this would be integral to the training. Effectively the project had changed from a plain issue of being standard operational expenditure required to fund the purchase of financial management software to an employment program addressing the chronic unemployment issues for local youth in a drought affected area. A much more exciting and fundable project. We then identified the best program to pursue and with our quality grant writers prepare a great submission. The result being that the club received $35k to purchase the software and system purely as a result of our strategic grant writing processes.   

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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