How to apply for a community grant

Community grants provide organisations with access to vital funds to help support and deliver projects and initiatives that directly benefit the local community.

For RSL Queensland Sub Branches, being awarded a community grant could provide the opportunity to see a project like the Wandoan Avenue of Honourlife come to [1] (which was made possible thanks to a COVID-19 local Council grant), or be involved the industry-leading RSL Employment Program, which was made possible thanks to a Federal Government grant.

Receiving a grant can have community-wide benefits, but the process of getting your ducks in a row and submitting the application can often be a confusing and time-consuming process.

That’s why we’ve put together this handy guide to walk you through some of the most common questions around finding, assessing and applying for community grants.

It pays to be prepared

Before applying for a grant, having key pieces of information at hand will make the process a lot easier.

Generally speaking, it pays to have the following information already gathered and ready to go:

• The details of your project and how it will benefit the community – what will it take to complete?

• Who is your target audience?

• Why is the project or item important to the community?

• What is the project timeline?

• If successful, how will it be implemented?

• What is your organisation’s legal status – do you have an ABN, ACN or are you a registered charity?

• Funding details - for example, will the grant match your contribution or will it need to fund the project entirely?

• Financial viability – will you need to include documents such as bank statements and quotes for the project in your application?

Find the right grant

Community grants are offered by local councils and state and federal governments. In Queensland, you can use the State Government’s grant finder to see which grants are current or upcoming and relevant to your organisation. 

Likewise, you can also find grant opportunities with:

• Arts Queensland for projects engaging artistic and cultural initiatives

• The Office of Liquor and Gaming Regulation

• Brisbane City Council

Private organisations like the Big 4 banks, Aurizon, Optus and others also offer grants for projects supporting and benefiting local communities.

Confirm your eligibility

Most grants have eligibility criteria. The criteria will typically include requirements around:

• Where the project/business is to be located

• The type of organisation i.e., not-for-profit, sole-trader, commercial entity

• The type of project requiring funding

• The status of the business i.e., charity, ABN registered, operating for less than 12 months

• Turnover i.e., less than $1million turnover

Reading and understanding the eligibility criteria fully before starting your application will save you spending hours on the application process only to realise you’re not eligible.

Address the selection criteria

Grant funding is a highly competitive space and successfully addressing any selection or assessment criteria is vital to give your application the best chance of success. In addition to ensuring your application is written in a clear and consistent manner, you will need to adequately answer the key criteria to help communicate how you meet the grant’s requirements.

This is where having your project or grant information gathered and prepared before you begin your application can save you time. Similar to recruitment selection criteria, it’s important to tailor your answers to be relevant to the specific grant you’re applying for.

Be sure to provide:

• A clear ‘why’ you are seeking funding

• A concise explanation that demonstrates your ability to deliver the project/service or initiative

• Examples of how the project will be rolled out

• Examples of how the project will support the community

The Australian Government’s Community Grants Hub has a helpful resource for giving you extra insight into the selection criteria process.

Check, check and check again

Before hitting ‘Submit’ on your grant application, it pays to take extra time to make sure you’ve crossed all your t’s and dotted all your i’s.

Double check that you have:

• Prepared the application and any supporting documents in the required format and file size (some platforms will request only Word docs or PDFs)

• That you have attached all your supporting documents if applying via an online platform

• That you have answered all questions in the application process

What to do if your application was denied

It can be disappointing to not be granted funding after putting in the effort to apply. But don’t despair! A lot of community grants run on an annual or even quarterly schedule, so it pays to mark their opening and closing dates in your calendar to try again.

Where possible, ask for feedback on any information or supporting documentation included with your application. You may be able to use this for your next application opportunity.