Grantseeker resources
Have all your grant-related questions answered and find all the know-how on grantseeking and funding. You can also sign up to our monthly eNews which contains Community Tips and all the latest updates on our grant programs. You can also check our FAQs if you have a question about the grantseeking process with FRRR.
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Community needs
Identifying what your community needs is an important first step in planning a project.
These one minute clips outline successful strategies used by community groups:
Project Planning
Finding and applying for grants:
Four key stages of applying for a grant:
A great place to start when you are planning to apply for a grant is with these four animated clips:
If you are new to grant-seeking, we’ve developed this handy Insights and Tips on the Four Grant-seeker Stages.
Use our simple Project Planning Tool (PDF) to record information
Fill out a template of standard information you will need at hand when applying for grants – This template from Our Community (PDF)
Money matters
Understand the funding requirements:
Set yourself up for financial success:
Applying with FRRR
When you are ready to start your application to an FRRR grant program, the Applying page will walk you through the things you need to check off.
Each FRRR grant program has its own specific application form, which all applicants must complete and submit via FRRR’s online grants administration system called Grants Gateway.
Every application needs to be made by, or have the support of, an organisation that holds either an ABN or Incorporation Certificate. If your organisation doesn’t have an ABN or Incorporation Certificate, FRRR may still fund the project (with your organisation as the delivery organisation) but you need another organisation’s support, which we refer to as the ‘legal organisation’.
Even though your delivery organisation may complete the application (and will be doing the work), it’s the overarching legal organisation’s legal and financial information that needs to be provided. They also need to provide a Letter from the Legal Entity, confirming they are willing to play this role, with a template available here for your convenience.
The financial documentation may be the latest Annual Report financial pages usually available on the overarching legal organisation’s website. This situation often occurs when the organisation delivering the activity or project is a branch of an overarching organisation – such as a local fire agency like Country Fire Authority or SES branches.
If the funds you are applying for will be used to carry out works on property that is not owned by your organisation, you must provide a letter signed by the property owner to show that they are aware of the application and give approval for the intended project to be carried out. Evidence of permission from the property owner can be based on the template available here for your convenience.
FRRR strongly recommends that you provide supporting materials such as letters of support, community , community plans, survey results, photographs, media clips and research reports that can show broad community support and partnerships involved in the project. Large documents should be referenced and explained in the application. Letters of support for the organisation or project can be based on the template outlined here.
For more information on the online application process:
Grants Gateway How-To Guide (PDF)
Grants Gateway FAQs
FRRR’s Assessment Considerations (PDF) – a comprehensive explanation of what information we need from you in your application, and why. Please consult the individual grant pages for specific information and supporting documents.
FRRR requires grant recipients to provide a Final Report that includes information on the completed project including full acquittal of funds expenditure and photos. Learn more about this on the Reporting page.
Measuring Success
Evaluating the success of your project should not be a last-minute thought. Planning how to measure your impact should happen before you even start your project.
Ways to evaluate success:
When your group applies for a grant from FRRR or any other funding body, you will be asked how you plan to measure your project’s success. Here are some tips on some of the simple but effective methods of measuring the success of your project:
- Clearly identify what you want to achieve/ change and ensure there is broad support for this aspiration from those to benefit and be involved.
- Consider and identify what the Inputs, Outputs and Outcomes will be:
- Inputs are the things that will go into the project to make it happen: money, people/skills, time, equipment etc.
- Outputs are the things that happen or are done as a result of the inputs: a course run with 10 participants, 50 volunteers plant 500 trees, website created, etc.
- Outcomes are the things that improved or changed as a result of the project – these link back to your goals and objectives: participants more confident in the use of computers, increased level of community participation in volunteering, local businesses reported an increase in revenue during a festival or shop-local campaign.
- Record and track your project’s inputs, outputs and outcomes. It is best to determine how you are going to do this before starting your project so that you can collect information as you go and save time in the long run. Some ways of recording and tracking your project’s success include:
- Recording quantifiable results, e.g. number of participants, trees planted, cakes baked, etc.
- Feedback questionnaires and interviews gather information about the impact of a project straight from those it intended to benefit.
- Photographs are a great way to tell your project’s story and are a powerful means of tracking a project over time, especially where there is physical change such as a plant-out or building restoration. Tip: make sure they are digital and of high enough quality to be printed.
- Before and after surveys with participants and stakeholders – enabling a comparison of change.
Sharing your success
Every project can benefit from some media love and attention? FRRR has developed a media tip sheet (PDF) that community groups and organisations can reference when developing media releases.
Planning to share your story on social media? Please tag FRRR as we love to see your posts! Instructions on how to tag FRRR on any major social media platform can be found here (PDF).
Share your results:
Taking better photos
It’s an old adage that a picture is worth a thousand words. It’s true too – but only if it’s a good photo.
Photos will help potential funders understand your situation – what you are trying to fix or improve – and they are also invaluable in showing donors what you did with the funding. But not everyone knows how to take a good photo.
We’ve collated a number of tips that will help you take better photos.
Fundraising beyond grants
Making a plan and devising a strategy to fundraise for your project is crucial. Find out more below about fundraising avenues beyond grants that may be available to your community group.
Identify sources of diverse funding:
Accessing tax deductible donations for community organisations
FRRR Not-for-Profit Fundraising Accounts
Do you know that all taxpayers can make tax deductible gifts or donations to organisations with deductible gift recipient (DGR) status, and keep the receipts to claim back from the ATO on their tax bills as a deduction?
This is a major incentive for giving, as donors to these groups are effectively directing where their tax money is going. Having DGR status greatly assists groups to fundraise by receiving donations from businesses and individuals in their community, and to access philanthropic funds, as Trusts and Foundations often require grantseekers to have DGR status.
By partnering with FRRR via a Not-for-Profit Fundraising Account, community organisations can leverage FRRR’s special tax status assist in achieving their fundraising goals for specific projects or activities to address a community need.
See more about Not-For-Profit fundraising accounts.
Tax deductible donations through the Australia Sports Foundation
Another group that is able to help communities fundraise is the Australian Sports Foundation (ASF). The ASF program enables tax deductible donations in support of a sport-related project – an area not normally considered charitable for philanthropic funders. The ASF works with sporting clubs, sporting organisations (regional, state and national), government and independent schools, councils, government agencies and community groups to increase opportunities for Australians to participate in sport, and/or excel in sports performance. You can find out more from their website.
Planned Giving and Bequests
Natalie Egleton, CEO FRRR, Patrick Moriarty, Director of Training and Development Our Community, and special guest Wendy Brooks, MD and Founder of Wendy Brooks Consulting discussed what is planned giving, how do you organise it, and how do you manage it?
Funding Beyond Grants – Webinar:
Nine Steps to Successful Bequest Programs (PDF)
Gifts in Wills Fundraising Strategy (PDF)
Gifts, Wills, Bequests and Endowments by Justice Connect
Crowdfunding
Crowdfunding is a great way for community organisations to raise much-needed funds. It is the practice of raising many small amounts of money from a large number of people, typically via the Internet. Pozible is an online crowdsourcing tool. It provides the platform for project creators to present their ideas to a connected audience, worldwide. Around 10,900 projects have raised more than $45m in crowdsourcing pledges on the Pozible site.
Governance
The ACNC’s Small Charities Library has a range of great resources that cover topics including Tax, DGR and other concessions; reporting; managing conflicts of interest; managing staff and volunteers, complaints handling; meetings and preparing a practical agenda; plus templates, checklists and self-assessments to help you effectively manage your small organisation.
Note: the above webinars were part of a collaboration with Our Community to demystify some of the funding options beyond grants, and to share knowledge and practical tools to help you get started.
These sessions built on the Seeking Funding – how to access the funding to turn your project into a reality webinar, run in 2014, as well as other resources like the tips from Ann Bichel on successfully seeking funding.
If you have read this information and are still unsure of something, then we are more than happy to answer your questions.
Don’t hesitate to contact the FRRR office on free call 1800 170 020 or email us.
