Win the Grant: A practical step-by-step guide to writing a winning grant

By Natalie Bramble

INCLUDES ONLINE KIT AND TEMPLATES

Did you know 54% of grant applications never get submitted, and just over 30% don't make it through the first assessment stage?

And you might think winning a grant seems impossible.

But what if you could somehow defy the odds, and ti

• Language: English
• Publisher: Natalie Bramble
• Release date: Jun 26, 2023
• ISBN: 9781923007277

Natalie Bramble

Natalie believes everyone should be able to access the tools and insights to win grants and improve their businesses and community organisations. It's why Natalie has written this book, sharing her proven system she's developed and used to win over $70+ million. The system that's helped many others win successful grants. Natalie is an experienced writer, assessor, panel chair and consultant to funders.

Book preview

‘After being unsuccessful in nine consecutive applications, we had a few mentoring sessions with Natalie, and we secured over $100,000! Thank you, Natalie.’

Val Watson

Home Start National

‘I’ve been writing successful grants for more than 20 years. This is a resource that I wish I’d had before I wrote my very first grant, but it’s also a resource I recommend to experienced grant writers in the spirit of sharpening the saw. The system covers all the essential elements of successful grant writing, including project development, logic models and language.’

Megan Dixon

CEO

Regional Development Australia Orana

‘I attended a half-day workshop. Natalie’s presentation was excellent. I am pleased to say that I wrote an application for a small grant and was successful – I am 100% positive that if I had not attended the workshop the result would have been different – I learnt so much and would recommend this system to anyone wanting to gain or improve grant writing skills.’

Trish Evans

Training participant

‘The hundreds of tips and tools Natalie has provided in her grant writing sessions have now been consolidated into this book about The Grant Writing System. These have assisted me to win over $5.3 million of funding over the last five years for local community groups focused on aged care, seniors, veterans, and the vulnerable in our community; as well as local chapters of service clubs and charities, various festivals and events, museums, sporting clubs, showgrounds, community halls, meeting spaces and our local business chamber.’

Nicholas Pyers

Grants Officer

Junee Community Network

‘As a Grant Coordinator working to increase regional investment, I can honestly say this Grant Writing System is a game changer for helping businesses and community groups to succeed. After many years of experience, Natalie has developed a system and used it as a best practice benchmark to upskill grant writers and develop a network of professional grant and tender service providers for our region, so we know it works! This system has even won an innovation award. I love it, and you will too.’

Cindy Baker

Grants Coordinator

GW3, Greater Whitsundays

‘I harnessed Natalie’s tips and wrote a proposal for a research grant for an internal funding application at a university. I did it for practice and you might already have guessed the result … YES, we were awarded the grant, and I was offered a post-doctoral position to manage the project. It’s a short-term intensive project, but the School will be using the funds very wisely to secure longer term projects.’

Dr Karyne Ang

‘Natalie has written the golden formula to accessing capital, grants, and investments for Not for Profits. Understanding your organisation’s Why and doing the project planning is key to being able to articulate your investment’s impact. The Grant Writing System breaks down the components of developing your proposal, practically demonstrating how to craft and answer the questions. Natalie’s system ensures you understand your outcomes and how these align to the grant’s selection criteria so that you are competitive through the assessment process. A critical tool for Not for Profits to add to their toolkit, especially those wanting to win that grant!’

Allison Mudford

Former Grant Program Manager

‘After attending a few of Natalie’s grant writing workshops, I received my first grant – after many unsuccessful applications. Natalie’s presentations and tools are always clear, coherent, and logical. This system gave me all the information I needed to make a good application.’

Val Clark

Author, writer and festival organiser

‘I was lucky enough to secure a place on the Grant and Tender Writing Business Program. Natalie used The Grant Writing System throughout this program. Having previously submitted grant applications with no particular system, the framework provided is outstanding, providing a very clear path, with a host of tools to help including the Grant Application Tool and Grant Answer Map. Having the tools brings clarity to guidelines and outcomes all in one place and shows areas which are lacking.’

Heather Batrick

Business Solutions

‘Grant research and writing will never be the same again. The Grant Writing System is *a must* if you want to deliver a successful grant submission.’

Michael Tame

Community and business grant writer

‘The mentoring and guidance that Natalie has provided around the grant writing process and approach to grant writing has been invaluable. There have been many light bulb moments and I’ve seen an increase in successfully winning grants since implementing Natalie’s grant writing concepts and approach.’

Jordana Morrison

Grants writer

First published in 2023 by Natalie Bramble

© Natalie Bramble 2023

The moral rights of the author have been asserted.

All rights reserved. Except as permitted under the Australian Copyright Act 1968 (for example, a fair dealing for the purposes of study, research, criticism or review), no part of this book may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, communicated or transmitted in any form or by any means without prior written permission.

All enquiries should be made to the author.

A catalogue entry for this book is available from the National Library of Australia.

Project management and text design by Publish Central

Cover design by Pipeline Design, Jishan Design and Danny Media

Disclaimer

The material in this publication is of the nature of general comment only, and does not represent professional advice. It is not intended to provide specific guidance for particular circumstances and it should not be relied on as the basis for any decision to take action or not take action on any matter which it covers. Readers should obtain professional advice where appropriate, before making any such decision. To the maximum extent permitted by law, the author and associated entities and publisher disclaim all responsibility and liability to any person, arising directly or indirectly from any person taking or not taking action based on the information in this publication.

Contents

Acknowledgements

Preface

Overview of grants

Stage 1: Plan

Step 1a: Get yourself and your organisation grant ready

Step 1b: Get your idea grant ready

Step 1c: Get your project grant ready

Stage 2: Find

Step 2a: Search, pitch and attract funds

Step 2b: Decide if it’s the right grant to apply for

Stage 3: Align

Step 3a: Understand the funder

Step 3b: Think like an assessor

Step 3c: Analyse the application documents

Stage 4: Write

Step 4a: Understand the question

Step 4b: Communicate strategically

Step 4c: Refine your answer

Stage 5: Submit

Step 5a: Review and edit

Step 5b: Avoid submission mistakes

Stage 6: Manage

Step 6a: Manage the project

Step 6b: Monitor and evaluate outcomes

Stage 7: Report

Step 7a: Share good news and manage challenges

Step 7b: Use reports and outcomes as marketing tools

Conclusion: What’s next?

And that’s a wrap!

Appendix: Troubleshooting common grant mistakes

Glossary

Acknowledgements

I acknowledge and extend my respect to Elders past, present and emerging across Australia and express my deep thanks for Elders and Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people who I have worked with, and those I work with today. Thank you for generously sharing your lived experience, knowledge and cultural intelligence with me. Yindyamarra (Respect).

I live on the lands of the traditional owners, the Tubba-Gah and Wilay peoples of the Wiradjuri Nation in Dubbo NSW.

When I started in business, one of my first contracts was the secretariat for the Dubbo Aboriginal Community Working Party. The experience was life-changing for me. The resilience, knowledge and wisdom shared with me by the Elders and working party members helped me understand what authentic community engagement and self-determination is. I learnt firsthand how important it was to support people when they were ready, not to do it for them. I also developed a deep appreciation for how critical it is to involve the people who will be affected by a project in its development. I learnt how vital it was to understand the environment, opportunities and constraints for those engaged in projects, and how to design inclusion into everything, from language to physical assets.

My time with the secretariat raised my level of knowledge on the barriers and constraints some people face, why it’s so important to understand systems and processes, and how understanding helps us to work around, under and over these barriers. I’ve embedded these lessons in the way I work and train every single day. I thank them deeply for sharing their cultural and lived experience with me. They have had a significant impact across the communities I work with, as I share these same lessons with others and work with communities across Australia and the Pacific. Mandaang Guwu (Thank you).

I also want to acknowledge and thank all the wonderful volunteers and community-minded people who strive to build better communities.

Every day I work with amazing people who are doing wonderful things in our communities, and I’m forever grateful for those I’ve spent time with and the passion and motivation they’ve shared with me that makes our world a better place.

You inspire me. You’re amazing – please keep doing great work!

Thanks to a crew of supporters who helped to bring this book to life. Thanks to Cindy Baker, Megan Dixon and Lisa Griffiths for highlighting the uniqueness of the system I’d created! Thanks to Cindy and Megan for being my critical friends, assisting me to shape The Grant Writing System. Cindy, an extra special shout-out to you. You gals rock x. Lisa, your interpretations, learning design and critical feedback are on point. I just know what I do. Your eye to spot and interpret the process or framework I use has been magic! Love your work.

Thanks to Kellie Jennar for always keeping me grounded, acting as my sounding board to name and refine tools, and for being a research goddess. You’re a gem. Thanks to the wonderful Andrew Griffiths for his sound advice on bringing this book to life and to Michael Hanrahan for his endless patience with me over four years! And thanks to Charlotte, for your wise editing work. A big thanks to my wonderful beta readers who gave me such valuable feedback.

The most important acknowledgement I’ve left until last, and it would take reams of paper to truly recognise the deep appreciation I have for my husband, my partner in business and life, Glen Dunkley. Glen, you’ve believed in me from day one, never wavering in your absolute support of everything I do. You’ve travelled the sometimes-bumpy road of business with me, supported my risks and backed me 200%. You help me to slow down and remember to take care of myself when I’m working to the bone and supporting others. You lighten my life with your humour and quick wit and are my compass and rock. I’m so thankful I get to do life and work with you.

Preface

The stillness for a split second when my heart stopped. I’d just received exciting news. As I took a deep breath and my brain processed what I’d just heard, my heart started beating double time, and I felt giddy. The overall reaction was clear, I’m sure, from the growing grin on my face.

I had won the first grant I applied for. In fact, it was the first grant our youth group, Rotaract, had ever applied for. Thanks to the Foundation for Young Australians and the advice of then Dubbo City Council Grants Officer Damien Duffy, we had received the green light to start a project to support youth in the community. The grant was for a professional development program, which included workshops on personal finance, credit management, understanding employment contracts, career development and learning job-ready and leadership skills.

Our club was pleased. We received amazing press and media support for the program, and it increased our profile as a club that got things done. The biggest satisfaction, though, was for the people who took part in the program (and I was one of them). The skills we learnt at these workshops set us up for our jobs and helped us avoid common financial mistakes – such as signing our life away because we didn’t understand the fine print on contracts!

I’ve experienced the same euphoria over the years, winning grants for community organisations and businesses, and hearing success stories of those I’ve trained. These grants have gone towards building new houses for people who are displaced, giving them shelter, food and, above all, safety and somewhere to call home. Businesses have been able to grow their workforce and deliver services to communities who had previously missed out. They’ve developed innovative new products and been able to get them to market and grow their products and services. Communities have been able to implement hygiene and food programs, supporting families and getting children ready to learn. People who are in vulnerable and at-risk situations have been able to remove themselves from the situation and access support to lead the life they choose. Pre-schoolers can now read, thanks to volunteer in-home reading programs. People have finished their weekends with unforgettable memories of events and festivals. Communities have improved medical services, and developed new tourism products and recreational facilities that have brought more money to the community, supporting more local businesses and organisations, and created more jobs.

This is the magic grants offer communities. They provide opportunities for community organisations and businesses to apply for funds that can change businesses, lives and communities for the better.

This impact drives me every day to improve people’s skills and knowledge so they can Win the Grant they’re applying for. I want you to achieve the same, so I’m open with what I’ve learnt. That’s why I’m here to share my system and tools to guide you on your journey to Win the Grant.

About me

I have a success rate of over 80% (some years it’s around 82%, others 100%). I’ve raised millions of dollars directly and I’ve raised even more through the grants I’ve written, which clients have re-used in other applications. I’ve trained thousands of people over the years, many succeeding soon after the training, and they’ve gone on to win millions of dollars for their organisations and communities. People have developed skills and knowledge to improve their careers and their income, some even launching their own successful grant writing businesses.

The system and tools I provide through this book, do work. And you can start using them straightaway.

The knowledge in this book is a culmination of my work as a grant and tender writer, chair of assessment and judging panels, trainer, and consultant to funders planning their funding programs, guidelines and application forms. I’m curious about how others decide, so I’m always seeking to understand what decision-makers are thinking, and what led assessors and funders to decide the outcome for an applicant, win or lose.

Of course, I haven’t always had such a high grant writing success rate. This deep curiosity to understand the world of grants began when I lost my first grant, the fourth one I had applied for. I couldn’t believe it. The crushing disappointment hit first and then, of course, the blame – as we all often do when something goes wrong. We internalise things and self-blame: ‘What did I do wrong?’, ‘Why didn’t they like what I’d written?’, ‘Why didn’t they like the project?’ Next came the anger: ‘Well, they don’t know what they’re doing, do they?!’

When I settled down, I asked myself a more useful question: ‘How can I improve to Win the Grant?’ This question led me to research the whole process more deeply, and ask everyone I could about grants. Unfortunately, this was before the days of the online information age. (Well, for most people, anyway. The only people I knew who were online were in government, in business, and in chat rooms.) Library research and talking to people were the only ways I could find out information about grants. No workshops or training options were offered in the region, and a trip to the city with accommodation added to the workshop fees was out of my budget. So, most of what I learnt was by trial and error. I had to filter out the relevant information in the books I was reading and work out how to implement the many tips I learned.

My question ‘How can I improve to Win the Grant?’ created a questioning, curious mindset. I wanted to learn everything I could. I knew I would make mistakes – I’d already lost out on one grant. Importantly, I wanted to learn from those mistakes. So, for every grant, regardless of whether it won or lost, I analysed the guidelines, the funders and grant applications a few months after I’d submitted them. I analysed the applications to understand what I thought worked and what didn’t. I asked every funder for feedback (most provided feedback back then!) and guidance on where I could improve in future submissions. Because I was doing this for each grant, I started noticing changes and trends coming through in funder guidelines and grant applications.

The information I would have shared with you 10 years ago differs from the information I am sharing with you now. Over the years, I’ve developed training to respond to trends influencing the world of grant writing. Many of the things I’m sharing here, I would once have only talked about in the advanced workshops. What was once expected of larger grants of above $100,000 is now expected of smaller grants. Even smaller grants from local councils are nowadays more strategic. Heck, their plans align with the United Nations’ Sustainable Development Goals, and guess what? The projects you want funded by your local council assist them to report on these UN goals. So, they invest in things to achieve this (international) strategy, aligned with their community strategic plans and other government strategies and plans.

You need to work out if the grant you’re reviewing is worth the time and energy you’ll need to give it. Some organisations won’t look at any grants under a certain limit – for example, $10,000. For them, they don’t feel the work is worth the potential return. Sometimes you’ll feel like you’re asked to do a lot of work for only a small amount of money, and then you have additional reporting obligations to meet if you’re successful. When I sat on the other side of the table as an assessor and advisor on grant programs, I began to understand why they ask so many questions, particularly for larger grants. Funders and program managers know how difficult it is to manage organisations and how easy it is for projects to fail if something is missed. They can have staff and volunteer turnover and conflicts; financial concerns and other situations can put them in varying positions of risk. They can appear to be solid, and then 12 months later can have changed so much that now getting involved with these organisations is a major risk.

So, over my years of experience, I have learnt there are things we can change, things we can advocate for, and things we choose to accept. For now, we must accept grant application processes are just that, a process – similar to a job application process. So, while we can advocate for simpler application processes, doing your groundwork is essential to guide organisational project plans. These plans deliver the impacts of the projects we’re seeking funding for – and that’s what this book is all about.

Who this book is for

This book is for anyone who wants to improve their grant writing skills and success rate, no matter their level of experience. However, it’s not a 101-grant writing book – there’s a free download on www.winthegrant.com if you’d like that. It’s for people who have tried in the past and not been successful, and those who have had some success but want to improve their knowledge. Even experts have taken away insights and adopted tools into their business and approach to grant writing. I share stories of business and community organisations, from interest-based projects to business-development programs through to services and infrastructure. Each project requires different components. It doesn’t matter what type of organisation you are. It’s what you want to achieve and what the outcomes (benefits) are that can change the approach you take. I share those approaches as we progress through the book.

The world of grants can feel complex and confusing because every funder has different goals, processes and applications. I’ve been applying for and assessing grants for over 20 years and there’s always something changing. Every funder has a different approach, and nearly every funding round has different guidelines, questions and assessors. Because of this, grants can feel complex with a variety of approaches and factors to consider.

Many people think grants are about simply writing answers to the questions in the application. But that’s not how it works. Sure, one aspect is learning how to write better answers – and I do share my tips on this through this book – but this shouldn’t be your focus. Let me share one irrefutable truth.

Grants are about strategy. They’re 80% planning and thinking and 20% writing.

The good news is you don’t need a university degree, or to study strategy. Sure, this kind of formal study helps, but we all learn to think strategically at an early age. Have you ever played a game where someone hides, and you have to search for them? That’s what thinking strategically is like. Hide and seek. When you seek, you use your brain to think strategically. Where did I last hear a noise? What’s big enough for my friend to hide behind?

You can think strategically to put your project and your organisation in the best position to Win the Grant.

So, your focus shouldn’t only be about ‘How do I answer this question?’ It’s about putting yourself in the shoes of the funder with the assessor’s hat on. The funder’s looking to see if you understand why they’re providing grants in the first place, what they want to achieve and how your project assists them. Your answers should make this clear. If you don’t understand grants, the funder and the process, you won’t give the assessor the information they want. This will drastically reduce your points at the assessment stage. For many, this means they don’t even make the short list.

If I’m going to put my time and effort into an application, I like to know there’s a bit of certainty, and I’ve done as much as I can to Win the Grant. While I was writing and assessing grants, I was also mentoring and training others. While for me it had become second nature, I knew there was a better way to teach others to learn how to be more successful with their grant applications. So, I set about developing an approach and tools to give people direction and I created a system. I call this The Grant Writing System.

About The Grant Writing System

Over the years, I’ve learnt that systems save me energy, time and stress – and I love them. I don’t enjoy reinventing the wheel. If someone has a useful approach or tool, I’ll use it and adapt it to my needs. And throughout this book, I do refer to some of these, because they work.

However, I couldn’t simply adopt an existing grant writing system – because there wasn’t one out there. Personally, I felt that made the grant world so much harder to navigate than it should have been. With food products, manufacturers use different ingredients and different amounts to create their unique offerings. To guide us, the food industry created a food labelling system to compare the same foods to make the best decision. However, understanding guidelines and preparing applications wasn’t easy – so I developed a system myself.

The Grant Writing System follows a 7-Stage Grant Writing Cycle. Each stage contains steps, and I provide a total of 12 tools. This overall system provides structure and directions to guide you, no matter what grant you’re applying for. I’ve even used some of these tools in my process when applying for things other than grants, including award applications, tenders and sponsorship, with similar success rates.

Understanding The Grant Writing System

This book outlines my Grant Writing System – a practical step-by-step guide to writing a strong application. Because there are so many variables, of course, I can’t guarantee you’ll then win any grant you’re applying for, but I can promise you, if you follow these steps, you’ll learn strategies to develop a stronger project and write a stronger grant application. I know this system works. I use this, and I’ve taught others this system and they’ve gone on to win more grants than they have before. One person attended a recent workshop and then won eight of the 10 grants they applied for, on behalf of their clients.

As a grant writer, you go through a predictable cycle – from planning to reporting, to using those reports and outcomes to market the results and developing your planning for the next grant. While this isn’t always a sequential process, understanding the stages involved can make the whole process easier. This is why The Grant Writing System is structured around The 7-Stage Grant Writing Cycle.

The seven stages in The Grant Writing System are as follows:

Plan: Plan to get grant ready!

Find: Find grants and choose the right one.

Align: Align to the funder’s goals.

Write: Write a strong application.

Submit: Submit without regret!

Manage: Manage the outcome, win or lose.

Report: Report and leverage data for more funding!

These stages are also outlined in the following figure.

The structure of this book aligns with these seven stages, with each part focusing on one stage in The Grant Writing System. In each stage, you’ll explore steps and tools to guide you through The Grant Writing System.

As mentioned, while I follow The 7-Stage Grant Writing Cycle in this book, the stages are not always sequential. You may go through different stages of The 7-Stage Grant Writing Cycle at different times. For example, if you haven’t done the planning stage when a grant’s announced, you might work on your planning at the same time as drafting your application.

In an ideal world, you’d get your project plan ready and use insights from the planning stage to write your application. Often, however, the steps outlined in stage 1 (‘Plan to get grant ready’) through to stage 4 (‘Write a strong application’) happen in a short time frame or simultaneously.

Some people even find the grant first, and then plan what they’re going to deliver. Now, I live in the real world, and I understand why this happens. I get it. The opportunity is there, so why wouldn’t you decide to apply even though you aren’t quite ready?

However, having to do the minimum you need in this process – from planning through to writing – in a short amount of time means more stress and commitment. Getting started on the stages in the process as early as possible can support you and your organisation to get grant ready – ready to convince funders you know what you’re doing and you’re an excellent investment.

Introducing the steps and tools in The Grant Writing System

The Grant Writing System breaks down The 7-Stage Grant Writing Cycle even further, outlining the separate steps within each stage and highlighting the 12 tools I’ve developed across the seven stages. These tools represent my process and guide you through the grant writing world to save you time and stress.

The figure on the opposite page shows The Grant Writing System in full.

As with any new process, working through The Grant Writing System will take focus; however, once you’re used to the system, it will become second nature and you may not need to do each of the steps, or use each of the tools every time. No matter how experienced you become (or already are), the steps and tools I provide in this book are always a good back-up – even I go back and check them from time to time to verify I’m not missing something, in the lead up to deadline.

I use the tools for different reasons and in different ways. When I’m working with a new organisation, I use The Grant Ready Checklist and The Grant Ready Kit (covered in step 1a of this book). If we’re deciding which project we should focus on to find funding, or which solution best meets a need I’ll use the The Grant RICE Score (step 1b). If we’re working to secure partnerships, persuade influencers and attract diverse areas of funding and support I’ll use The Grant NDOIS Pitch (step 1b).

If a project needs work, I use The Grant Project Plan (see step 1c). When I’m searching for grants I’ll use the The Grant Calendar (step 2a) to keep on track of announcements and closing dates. Where I’ve assessed a grant using The Grant Go/No Go Decision Checklist (step 2b) and know it’s a simple one I want to apply for, I go straight to using The Grant Answer Map (stage 4, steps 4a to 4c). For more complex grants, I’ll use The Grant Application Tool (step 3c).

I always check through The Grant Submission Checklist (step 5b) during editing and before I submit. When I receive the funding, I use The Grant Evaluation Plan (see step 6b) and if I don’t receive a template report from the funder, I’ll use The Grant Acquittal Report (step 7b).

How to use this book

I’ve written this book so you can either start from the beginning and read through, or you can choose any step that interests you most or that you’re working on right now. It’s been designed to be a resource you can dip in and out of, getting those tips and approaches to help you in your work, right now. To be this resource you need in the step you’ve chosen to read and work through, you’ll see references to other stages and steps of The Grant Writing System. I’ve done this because I don’t want you to miss information from other stages and steps that can help you Win the Grant.

But I know learning any new approach or system can be a little overwhelming. So, if you asked me what are just two things you can do right now to improve your chances to Win the Grant, I’d say it depends on the complexity of the grant. For a simple grant, use The Grant Go/No-Go Decision Checklist (step 2b) and The Grant Answer Map (stage 4, steps 4a to 4c). For more complex grants, complete The Grant Application Tool (step 3c) and The Grant Answer Map (stage 4). Then, when you’ve understood those, reflect on other stages in The Grant Writing