Understanding and Developing Grant Readiness
Readiness is perhaps one of the most misunderstood concepts we discuss with our clients. Many think being grant ready simply means writing and submitting an application, but this is only a small piece of the puzzle. In fact, readiness is primarily about your organisation’s relevant capabilities and how convincingly you can demonstrate them within a business case.
In this article, we will uncover:
Read on to discover more about grant readiness, how to develop it, and ultimately improve your chances of winning.
What does it mean to be grant ready?
Being grant ready means your organisation is sufficiently prepared to tackle the necessary project planning and coordination and financial management that a grant entails. You have considered all the activities and responsibilities that will result from getting a grant and confirmed your ability to undertake them, and you are able to demonstrate this with relevant evidence. Check out our article on how to get a grant to explore grant preparations in further detail.
Key activities for developing readiness
1/8 Review grant guidelines and confirm your eligibility
The first step in developing your readiness is to thoroughly review and understand the grant materials including guidelines and eligibility criteria. Have some probing questions ready to help you get clarity on the opportunity and your suitability. Ask yourself:
- Am I certain that I meet all eligibility criteria?
- Can I free up 40+ hours of time to tackle the application?
- Will I need help from a grant specialist?
- What are the objectives of the grant, and do I have a project idea that helps to achieve them?
- Is my project idea competitive enough to win a merit-based grant?
- What financial, administrative and operational burdens may result from my organisation winning this grant, and do I want to take them on?
GrantHelper Pro Tip 
| At GrantHelper, we perform a collaborative review with our clients at the beginning of an engagement. We help you quickly understand the guidelines, confirm if your organisation is eligible, and break down the jargon to clearly explain what the grantors desire. |
2/8 Firm-up your project idea and alignment
Most grants have a beginning and an end and are awarded to projects that clearly help to achieve specific outcomes within a timeframe. A useful exercise to confirm your idea is sound is to interrogate it with a series of frank questions. Ask yourself:
- What specific objectives does the project seek to achieve?
- Is the project realistically able to be delivered with the funding offered by the grant?
- Does the project create new jobs or contribute to economic growth?
- Could the project be self-sustainable after grant funding is exhausted?
- What evidence do I have that demonstrates how the project will achieve its objectives?
3/8 Assess your capacity to deliver
It’s easy to underestimate the costs, resources, time and effort needed to win a grant, so we suggest being conservative when estimating your capacity. This will help you avoid committing to a project you may be under-resourced for. Consider any new responsibilities you may be up for if you win a grant, including across financial management, taxation and reporting.
4/8 Collate documentation, do costings and create a budget
Grantors are looking for numbers and hard facts that solidify your business case — this is why creating a detailed budget with costings is key to being grant ready. Other important evidence can include letters of support, feasibility studies, financial statements and projections, risk analyses, CVs of project stakeholders, and quotes from third parties.
5/8 Engage a grant consultant/writer
If you’re applying for a large grant opportunity, you will likely require assistance from a grant writer or consultant to help your organisation maximise its chances of success. A small grant application doesn’t warrant this investment, but as the size and complexity of the opportunity grows, the additional expertise, resources and expedience that a good consultant brings can make all the difference.
6/8 Analyse previous winners
If possible, research previous winners of the grant you are interested in. What patterns can you identify in previous winners, what are their key capabilities, what were the outcomes of the projects they won with? Doing this can help you identify any misalignments in your project and get a clear picture of the type of projects that are investible.
7/8 Write a compelling application
Your write-up is the cornerstone of your application, and it needs to be built upon a foundation of clear and compelling writing. There’s more to good grant writing than just tidy spelling and grammar, though they are important — it’s also critical to craft a narrative that draws the reader in, takes them through all the key details in a structured and engaging manner, and convinces them that the business case you’re presenting accords with the grant’s objectives.
8/8 Seek feedback
Getting feedback on your submission may be daunting, but this can be a powerful source of insights and rapidly improve your end product. Ask a third party to review your submission to help you refine your submission content to get an objective view and identify any gaps or weaknesses to be addressed. GrantHelper performs a thorough review of all client submissions as part of our Winning Grants Process.
How do I know when I’m grant ready?
We have outlined 8 key activities for developing grant readiness here. If you’ve read through the readiness activities and can confidently say you have them all in hand, congratulations, you are likely in a strong position to apply for a grant. And if you’re still unsure, you shouldn’t feel discouraged — some uncertainty is natural and it is very rare to feel 100% confident with grant applications — even if your preparation has been outstanding, it’s a competition with an uncertain outcome.
Want to check your grant readiness?
Use our Grant Readiness Quiz
This carefully crafted questionnaire lets you self-asses your organisation’s suitability for a grant and better understand what it means to be grant-ready — this could save you hours of wasted time on unsuitable applications. Try it now and ensure you are abreast of all the critical details and activities you’ll need to coordinate, plan for, and gather as part of creating a successful grant submission.
Whenever You’re Ready, Here Are 4 Ways We Can Help You
- Grant Funding Readiness
Assess your business’s current position, identify gaps, and ensure your project is properly aligned to pursue competitive government grant funding — so you can pursue funding with confidence. - Grant Strategy Session
Identify the right grant opportunities, evaluate your project against funding priorities, and map out a clear path to securing government funding — so you can target the best funding opportunities. - Grant Funding Accelerator
A tailored program where we prepare the key components of a compelling grant application — so you can stay focused on running your business while we build your submission step-by-step. - Grant Application Writing
Our expert GrantHelper develops clear, persuasive responses that present your project clearly and persuasively — so your application has the best chance of success.
Ready to get started?
Not Ready to Enquire Yet?
We understand that winning grants takes time—something many business owners and directors don’t have. That’s why we’re here to guide you every step of the way.
Our Insights showcase some of the grant-winning methods we employ at GrantHelper, and they will help you create a stronger grant application.
Explore additional Insights, or our Podcasts page, where you’ll find expert advice, actionable tips, and time-saving strategies to help you get grant-ready.
Alternatively, check out some of the Clients we’ve helped and what they had to say about us.
