CLUBMAP's Top Five Tips to Get Your Club 'Grant Ready'
CLUBMAP's Top Five Tips to Get Your Club 'Grant Ready'
November 12, 2024
Through our work with community clubs over the years, we’ve seen too many clubs that aren't set up to succeed with grants, so we've asked our partners at CLUBMAP to share their top five tips to get your club ready to apply for grants.
1. Appoint a Dedicated Grants Coordinator
Find someone who can commit to the Grants Coordinator role, ideally not someone already overloaded with work, like the President or Secretary. It doesn’t necessarily have to be a committee member; it could be a parent, a past member, or anyone who can dedicate an hour or two per week. It is a great entry-level volunteering role that can be done remotely. Larger clubs could even form a small team to share the workload and help collate information.
2. Add Grants to the Agenda for Your Committee Meetings
At your next meeting, discuss and develop your club’s grants wish list. As a committee, identify the year's top five funding priorities, projects, or programs. Assign your Grants Coordinator to monitor grant opportunities that align with your wish list. If any of your projects could benefit another club or community group along with yours, start building relationships and discussing partnerships. Funding bodies are supportive of collaborative projects with broad community benefits.
3. Register on Websites to Receive Grant Notifications
The biggest grant providers are at the various government levels: local, state, and federal. Other entities, like statutory bodies, philanthropic trusts, foundations, and large organisations with corporate social responsibility programs, also offer grants. Check out the ASF's Ultimate Guide to Sports Grants in Australia for ones to keep an eye on.
Through the websites of all of these relevant entities, you'll be able to register for notifications of grant openings or sign up for free grant writing workshops. Attending workshops helps you understand the funder’s objectives and guidelines, and learn how to address questions about your club’s proposed projects. In many cases, speaking to a grants officer before applying is a requirement.
4. Create a 'Grants Folder' in an Online Shared Drive
Set up a dedicated Grants Folder on a club Google Drive, Dropbox, or TidyHQ. This ensures all relevant documents are stored in an easy-to-find place for any committee member. Gather important documents like the Incorporation Certificate, Certificate of Currency (Public Liability Insurance), recent financial statements, and other valuable information such as membership demographic data or participation statistics.
5. Start Small
You have to be in it to win it. After your next committee meeting, have the Grants Coordinator check if your local council or state government has any open grants that align with projects on your wish list. Start small, pick a grant of $1,000 to $2,000 for equipment, uniforms, or volunteer training. Use the language from the guidelines, this will make it easy for the funder to see how your project aligns with their objectives. By starting small and building experience, you’ll be better equipped to move on to larger grants.
If you are unsuccessful, don’t despair; most grants are oversubscribed. Seek feedback, revise your application, and resubmit in the next round or look for another suitable opportunity.
Remember, you’re not alone. Our partners at CLUBMAP can provide grant support. For more information, visit clubmap.com.au.
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