Getting a Grant isn’t that hard, but there are ways to improve your chances of success. By Jo Stewart
Writing a grant application for your Yoga Business can be daunting – but don’t let that put you off applying and getting the support you need for your yoga business. Through successfully applying for two business resilience grants through our local council, we were able to build an online video library for our studio Garden of Yoga and launch Thrive Northside – a new website created to celebrate and support local businesses. I had a lot of questions along the way though – grant writing isn’t usually part of Yoga Teacher Training! With this in mind, I interviewed digital marketing strategist, business development and communications consultant Donna Gross on how to beat the overwhelm and write a successful grant application.
Getting Started
As yoga teachers and studio owners, this is all new and it can feel intimidating – especially the first time you apply.
How do we navigate these feelings of “I don’t know how to do this. I’ve never written a grant before.”
“Where to begin?”
Donna: I don’t know if that feeling will ever go away. But there are definitely some things that you can do to just get right on with it and not let the feeling get in the way.
The things that I would do when you’re first looking at a grant and feeling that sense of overwhelm…is firstly, read the eligibility criteria and then read it again and then read it again.
Instead of having in your mind, “My idea is amazing and it totally fits,” have in your mind, “What is the eligibility criteria saying, and does it really fit?”
Don’t be afraid to Ask
If you have questions about your eligibility, or another application question give them a call!
Donna: People are really hesitant to ring up because they think, “I don’t want them to think I don’t know what I’m doing…But actually, if you flip that, the people who ring up are the people whose names that they already know that when the grant comes in there, it’s familiar. You’ve had a chance to talk to them about your project.
You’re actually helping everyone by asking a question.
I would say, don’t be shy in ringing up at all. I know with large federal government tenders…I used to ring up all of the time. What would often happen is their answer to my question would become an addendum to the tender, and then everyone would receive that response. You’re actually helping everyone by asking a question.
Language
Keep your language clear and concise. The assessor will appreciate your clarity.
Donna ‘Just be authentic and believe in your project and articulate it the best you can.’
How to find out which Grants are available
Check your local council website, Business Victoria (or equivalent state) and follow their social media to stay current. Try googling small+business+grants “Small business Grants” and “business resiliency grant”.
Donna: Another little trick is to look for “funded by” or “thanks to” kind of words because what that will tell is where other people have found money, then you can see if there’s any more available.
Read the rest of our conversation or watch the video at:
https://thrivenorthside.com/tips/grant-writing-tips-and-strategies
We cover questions of insurance, sustainability, budgeting and how to organise your application.
Donna Gross
Business Strategy, Business Development & Communications, Marketing & Consultant. For more information on Donna head to http://www.dgconsultive.com/
Jo Stewart
Yoga, Pilates, Aerial Yoga and Accessible Yoga teacher. Founder of Garden of Yoga. Cohost of The Flow Artists Podcast and content manager for Thrive Northside.
Jo has been teaching yoga for over 15 years and is passionate about sharing this practices in a way that is accessible to all. For more info head to https://thrivenorthside.com/tips/grant-writing-tips-and-strategies
Photo by Danielle Lara Woolley https://www.instagram.com/this.wild.soul/
