Grant strategy

If you run a growing business and grants keep landing in the "too hard" pile, or the "nice bonus one day" pile, this one's for you. In about six minutes you'll see the three ways most owners look at grants the wrong way round, and the opportunity hiding inside each one.

Most business owners look at grants the wrong way round

Here's how it usually goes. Someone hears a grant is open. There's a deadline in a week. Everyone scrambles, the application gets written at night after the real work is done, and the business tries to bend its plans to fit the program.

After years of doing this work, I see the same three problems again and again. The good news? Each one is also an opportunity.

Problem 1. Treating grants like admin

A lot of owners see a grant as a piece of admin. Fill in a few forms, say the right words, and you're in the running. It's just a numbers game.

And it often gets left to the last minute, like a school assignment written the night before it's due.

There's some truth in the numbers game. But while the average success rate for a competitive grant is only around 17%, ours is close to 50%. The difference isn't luck, and it isn't better forms. It's the thinking behind the submission. Strategy precedes success.

The opportunity: treat every application as strategy work

Eligibility is only the entry ticket. Ticking a few bullet points tells you that you can apply, not whether you should. The better questions are:

• What is this funder really trying to achieve?
• What are the goals, objectives and intended outcomes of the fund?
• What's the strategy that sits behind the program altogether?
• Are we genuinely a good match for a partnership with this funder?

If you are, your job is to show it. Build the narrative, the pitch, around what you do, and speak directly to the funder's goals, objectives and intended outcomes. When your project moves their outcome forward, you both win.

That's where our results come from, and it comes down to two simple things. We identify the right grants, not just the ones you're eligible for, but the ones where you're well matched to the funder's goals and a genuine win-win partnership is possible. And we work out how to stack them, so you're applying for the right things at the right time.

Problem 2. Going too big, too soon

Many business owners come out of the gate with a startup and expect to be in the running for a grant of $150,000 or more.

Let's face it. Grant funding is taxpayers' dollars, redistributed. Funders need to see that you can administer public money and deliver what you said you would.

I'm sure your business is great. But most of us think our businesses are the best thing since sliced bread. As taxpayers though, we want our money going into things with a high chance of return and real public benefit. Would you hand your tax dollars to the next person with a good idea and no track record?

The opportunity: start small and scale

If you've never had a grant, you haven't been doing this kind of work for long, or you're working on something new where you haven't yet shown capability, start small. A smaller grant, delivered well, becomes your evidence. It shows you can manage public funds, hit milestones and report on outcomes. That makes the next application stronger, and the one after that stronger again.

Stack grants one after the other, and your track record grows along with the size of the grants you're competitive for.

Problem 3. Missing grants as a growth strategy

The biggest miss of all is not recognising what grants really are. Grants are a growth strategy. Used well, they help you make the most of opportunity and scale much faster than you could on your own.

But like any other growth strategy, they take time and effort. They're not an overnight win, and they need a level of strategic intelligence.

The opportunity: build grants into your growth plan

The owners who win consistently look ahead. They start with their own strategic plan, then ask a much better question:

Which grants might help us with that over the next 12 to 18 months?

Depending on where you're heading, there are grants for a cash injection to grow across lots of different industries and activity types. Here are a few examples:

• Equipment
• Automating and digitising
• Expanding your team
• Research and development
• Innovation and commercialisation
• Export

Stacked and sequenced in the right order, grants compound. Every program has its own rules, so the detail always comes from the official guidelines.

When you start with your growth plan, the question changes. Instead of "what can we apply for?", it becomes "what are we building next, and who funds that?"

Here's the thing. Grants are the lever but growth is the goal.

Put the three opportunities together and you get a very different approach to grants:

1. Strategy before submissions. Know what the funder is trying to achieve, and whether you're the right partner for it.
2. Start small, then stack and sequence. Each grant builds the evidence and capability for the next.
3. Plan 12 to 18 months ahead. Fund the steps you were already planning, without taking on debt or giving away equity.

Grants aren't a lucky win. Strategy precedes success.

Frequently asked questions

Why do so many grant applications miss out?

Often because they're treated as admin and written at the last minute. Competitive grants are assessed on how well your project delivers the outcome the funder is trying to achieve, backed by evidence. That takes strategy, not just forms.

Can a startup win a big grant?

It's possible, but rare. Funders are investing public money, so they look for a track record of delivery. Most new businesses do better starting with smaller grants, delivering well, and building up to larger ones.

Are grants a good growth strategy for a small business?

They can be, when they fund steps already in your growth plan. Grants work best as a strategic lever over 12 to 18 months, not as a one off application chased because a deadline popped up.

When should I start planning for a grant?

Before the round opens. Start with your growth plan, then look for programs that match it. Many grants won't fund work you've already started, so planning early protects your options.

Can I apply for more than one grant?

Often, yes. Smaller grants stacked and sequenced over time can build the evidence for bigger ones. Check each program's rules on double funding the same costs.

If this changed how you're thinking about grants, share it with another business owner who's planning their next big step, or tell me in the comments what you're building next.

Kim Yabsley, Founder, Growology

This article is general information, not financial, tax or legal advice. Grant outcomes are never guaranteed.