Millions in grant money go begging each year because organisations don’t know it’s there, don’t realize they are eligible, don’t know how to apply or don’t have time.
H C Maïa has extensive experience in navigating the landscape of Australian Federal, State and Local government grant and tender opportunities. We know how to design grant-winning projects, how to research appropriate funding sources, and how to write outstanding applications.
The world of government grants and tenders is a very particular one, and requires experience and understanding to navigate. We have that experience, as well as a better than 75% hit rate (see Guarantees, below) and more than $5M in successful grant and tender applications for our clients since 2019 (see Our track record, below).
What’s your situation?
There are essentially 4 kick-off points that represent slightly different projects from our point of view:
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Your project is clear, you know what grant/RFT you need to apply for and you have the information/documentation required.
All you need is someone to tie it all together and to write that winning application!
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We will find existing grants/RFTs that fit your project.
We will work with you to tailor the project as required, to assure it is a good fit to existing grant offers.
Once those ducks are aligned, we can get that winning application together for you.
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If you’re at the early planning stage, we will work with you build a project that is sure to attract the funding you need to succeed.
Then we will find the grant you need and get that winning application together.
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Maybe at this stage you just want to get a feel for what kinds of things are attracting funding.
We keep daily tabs on new grants and requests for tender from local, state and federal government, as they are released.
We will keep your business in mind, and keep you informed of any appropriate opportunities that pop up.
Our track record
Since 2019, we have helped our clients with successful grant applications to the value of
$2,678,225.00
we have also been part of tender teams that have resulted in ongoing business for our clients over the coming years to the value of
$3,185,732.00
Some things you should know…
Guarantees…
A grant writer who guarantees a successful application is frankly a liar! The key variables in funding decisions are only partially elucidated by grant guidelines. The final decisions are made by individuals who will be taking into account variables that neither you, the applicant, nor we as your grant writers are privy to. There is never any certainty possible in the world of grant and tender applications. It’s important to understand this before you decide to invest time and money in the application process. Obviously, a good grant writer will greatly increase your chances of success, but there can be no guarantees.
Win-only % commission? Not here…
Some grant writers operate on a win-only % commission basis. That means, if the grant application is unsuccessful, you don’t pay anything (or only a base service fee), but if it is successful, the grant writer takes a percentage of the total grant amount. So if we were operating on a 10% commission, and won you a grant for $1M, we would charge you $100K.
We do not operate like this (and don’t actually think this way of operating is particularly ethical, to be honest…)
Some clients like this idea, because they see that it gives the grant writer “skin in the game” as it were, and also, if they don’t get the grant, they aren’t out of pocket (too much).
Our take is that the grant amount (the “ask”) is not proportional to the amount of work we are putting in to secure it for you: a $2M grant application can take the same amount of research and time as a $100K application… And we invest that time and effort with 100% dedication every time. We always have skin in the game : our reputation!
So for us, you are paying for our time and expertise, which is invested irrespective of the outcome. The success of a grant application is dependant upon variables that are beyond our control, and as such, the added apparent “incentive” of a % commission is actually irrelevant.
Another thing to be very clear on is that the amount you pay a grant writer cannot be included in the grant budget itself (at least not for any Australian Federal or State Government grant we have ever seen). So if we score you a $1M grant on a 10% commission, our $100,000 fee comes out of your operating capital, not out of the grant sum.
This is why we believe it is more honest and transparent to charge for our time. Yes, this does mean that if the application is unsuccessful, you are out of pocket, but the risk you accept in working this way is offset in the case of a successful application, as - particularly for large projects - it will cost you significantly less than for a writer operating on commission. (Also, the “service fee” for a commission-based charge is probably commensurate with the hourly rate for the writer in any case, so in fact grant writers who operate like this are not risking anything… but you are: a much bigger bill if you win!)