Some of our members have sworn off applying for federal grants. They are heartily sick of the level of detail, the pedantry, the paternalism and the delays. But keep an open mind. It depends on your circumstances and needs, and there are 10 golden rules.
No. 1 – Decide on what you want to achieve
Your needs are probably two-fold – wanting to influence federal government policy, or wanting to maximise your access to whatever federal assistance is on offer.
The latter need is understandable given the worldwide trend to localisation in response to globalization. Federal assistance can be the big ticket items (e.g. roads or environment grants, R&D grants) or via the scores of smaller grant programs. They require different approaches.
No. 2 – Be clear and focused
The seats of power are madhouses of paper and agendas. There is extreme pressure at the higher levels of the public service and in ministerial offices. But few of these powerbrokers have any ‘sense of place’ – and they’re wary of considering issues through a local prism in case they’re accused of bias or picking winners.
And Ministers and their staffers don’t want to read a document twice. Submissions must be short and pithy – they want the what, why, where, when, who and how much. They may then read the attachments. In Australia, PM Rudd is working his Ministers hard, and their respective advisers hold enormous sway. They are mostly young, sharp, big-picture and impatient. They also speak 20 to the dozen, and are generally unworldly.
No. 3 – Look at things from the feds’ perspective
Due to the feds’ aversion to things local, in most cases your pitch should be in the context of the feds’ perspective. Canberra, Washington, Paris, London, Brasilia run on strategies, themes and acronyms. Currently it is about dealing with the GFC, ESD and CC (get my drift?), infrastructure spending to avoid a recession, social justice etc.
Federal seats of power are usually fixated with competitive neutrality issues i.e. its decisions should have a neutral effect on other players. They say it doesn’t wish to intervene in the market or pick winners – rather its role is to address market failure. This Treasury orthodoxy is not always observed e.g. in Australia, the building industry lobby has laid it on thick, and convinced someone in the Treasurer’s Office that ceiling insulation and solar water is worth a $3.9 billion punt. Incredible example of picking winners.
No. 4 – Have a vision, make it sexy and use champions
It’s difficult to get an audience with Ministers these days. First step is to get the attention of the ministerial adviser. Small groups of mayors or council CEOs can sometimes be effective.
No. 5 – Address the program criteria
With respect to grants, you MUST address the criteria. Grants these days are often assessed by teams of officials who apply a points score against each criterion. To avoid any taint of bias, the evaluation is sometimes referred to external consultants such as PWC. Just like a school exam, you must answer the question. And Ministers rarely buck the Department’s advice. When they do, there is the risk of leaks.
No. 6 – Be selective
Despite the attractive advertisements run about federal programs, some are a waste of time. The success rate for applicants to most federal tourism, water, environmental and regional programs is around 15-20%. For indigenous, community and telecoms programs the figure is perhaps 30%. And for eligibility-based programs such as export grants and R&D assistance, the success rate is around 50%. Programs involving grants of below $10k usually cater to a junior Minister’s ego, and are best left alone – they are concentrated in sports, education, health and the arts.
No. 7 – Think Partnerships
Our Cockatoo member in the US, Erik Pages (www.entreworks.net) says to approach politicians more like a partner. Same in Australia. For example, councils here have regular contact with their local federal member, and get involved when a federal minister drops in for a chat, but this not long-term partnering.
Becoming a partner involves regular, targeted interaction with certain MPs and their staffers, inviting them to meetings, asking them to tour or speak at your venues, and taking ownership. If they don’t respond, make it known that you’re not happy. And get your Senators involved too – in Australia, there are 12 per State, so there will be 2-3 whose interests coincide with yours. Senators are also less pressed for time than MHRs.
Effective partnering requires your organisation to provide something of value. As Erik Pages suggests, economic developers have access to constituents and information. So convene regular meetings between local businesses and politicians, and run regular mini-polls of your businesses or civic leaders. Thanks to web survey tools like Survey Monkey and Zoomerang, undertake surveys on topical federal issues or do a State of Region report. This brands your organization and wins attention in your federal capita.
No. 8 – Reduce the risks
Governments are risk averse. The Westminster system is built on an Opposition being there to oppose, criticise and embarrass the incumbents. Just because you think it’s a great idea, don’t assume government agencies will automatically agree. But they often come on board once the risks are seen to be covered.
It’s nicely explained by a colleague in Far North Queensland. ‘We have found if the project is sexy they come asking to help. We did not have any credibility at first and had a few closed doors (still do). But once there were runs on the board, and outcomes and contracts were changing hands, we were inundated with enthusiastic help from state and federal agencies. Build relationships first around trust and genuine friendship, get business to business meetings, and throw out the bait for government to engage.’
Next month, the remaining golden rules. In the meantime, please ring for a free chat.
