Why Female Founders need to stop using external grant writers.  

At a time when female founders are commonly among the most undervalued and underfunded in business today, it is critical they step into their own power to bridge the funding gap. 

This may or may not surprise you, but applications prepared by grant writers are easy for assessors to spot. Of the recent (40+) applications I assessed for the Ignite Ideas Fund, the same grant writer completed at least 3, which showed.  

Is that a bad thing?

Well… Yes and No. But mostly, Yes. 

I’ve helped 100+ Australian startups with their grant applications. Some were successful. Others not. Most of the time the applications that were successful had exceptional fundamentals. What do I mean by that? Well, the startup applying for the funding was an incredibly strong, commercially savvy, enterprise at the start of their commercialisation pathway. It had the substance to support a strong application that often resulted in funding. 

Did I contribute to a successful application? Yes, but…. 

My contribution probably equated to maybe 10 or 20% of their application success. Most of my value came from editing and review. I pushed applicants to clarify intentions and key points, to think about questions being asked, and to restructure responses so they were more powerful. I encouraged founders to think about assessors as professionals who are experienced entrepreneurs themselves, often with in-depth domain knowledge. An application is a female founder's opportunity to take assessors on a journey and inspire them to become advocates. 

Let’s get real for a moment. Assessors are usually incredibly well connected in the VC arena and will always find a way to stay informed of their favourite (most promising) founder applications. Your grant application can easily become your first pitch for venture capital. 

So, why do I discourage the use of grant writers? Let me explain further.

External grant writers will never know your business as you do. They just can’t. They will not have boots-on-the-ground knowledge of your business, your industry, or your commercialisation process, therefore the time you spend teaching them about your business could be time spent preparing the application yourself. Especially when you’re struggling at the 11th hour to prepare a submission via an online platform that literally shuts down. It’s a disaster waiting to happen.

Returning to the 3 applications prepared by the same grant writer, their lack of in-depth business knowledge was glaringly obvious. Simple things like using correct terminology and omitting specific evidence measures such as research conducted and performance outcomes. Don’t get me started on their ability (or lack thereof) to effectively articulate the market and growth opportunities. 

External writers will not share your passion for your business, which will show in their responses. Applications prepared externally will lack your unique cocktail of energy, experience, and insight.

Consider for a moment what you’re up against when submitting an application.

Take the Queensland Government Ignite Ideas Fund. Each round receives over 500 applications for approximately $1.8m in available funds. Of the 500 applications, roughly 2% will be funded. High demand equals strong competition, which translates into the need for outstanding applications. Not good applications. Not great applications. Outstanding applications.

I can tell you that preparing and submitting a winning application in the world of Ignite requires up to 100 hours of effort/time. Now, I acknowledge that with the new EOI system, less time is required. Even so, it is critical that applicants allocate time to crafting exceptional responses to every question. 

Using a grant writer who is completing multiple applications on behalf of multiple applicants immediately reduces your likelihood of success. They simply don’t have the bandwidth to get to know you or your business in enough depth to successfully mine for nuggets of gold on your behalf. 

This brings me to… if you are a female founder and are farming out application writing, then you are missing a golden opportunity to hone your pitch and ability to succinctly articulate key aspects of your business. If you seek capital through external investment, completing your grant applications is mandatory. Without exception.

Sure… ask someone with experience to review it and help to refine the message but that’s it. 

Please… Please…. Please…. Stop using the excuse that you don’t have the time. If you want a cool $100k or more, then it is appropriate for you to put in the effort. Completing your own grant applications is a golden opportunity to learn how to communicate effectively, to refine the story of your business/innovation, so that it inspires others to want to join you on your journey. 

When women believe they can, the most amazing things happen. 

Are you ready to start the hunt for external funding?

We are inviting purpose-driven female founders to download the GrantReady Checklist. 

If you are a Female Founder:

• With a business ready for growth
• And you want to know if you're ready to secure $100,000 or more in Grant funding 

Then we invite you to Download the >> GrantReady Checklist <<

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Author Bio

Hi... my name is Lisa Erhart. I am an Author and the Founder of Funding4Growth. I help women entrepreneurs secure $100,000 or more in external capital to accelerate their business growth and magnify their impact.