Getting Started with GrantFinder Pro

GrantFinder Pro helps Australian not-for-profits, community groups, sporting clubs, charities, social enterprises and small businesses find grants that fit them, without checking hundreds of websites every week. This guide explains how to set it up, how to read your matches and how to get the most from it.

What GrantFinder Pro does

GrantFinder Pro checks grant sources every week, including federal and state and territory government, every local council in Australia, foundations and corporate and community funders. It compares each open grant with your organisation profile and shows you the ones that look like a fit.

When new matching grants open, it emails you. That is the whole idea: you spend your limited time on applications, not on searching.

What you need before you start

The matching works best when your profile is accurate. Have these ready:

• Your state or territory. Many grants are only open in one state. If you work across the country, you can choose a national option.
• Your organisation type. For example an incorporated not-for-profit, a registered charity, a sporting club, a social enterprise or a small business. Eligibility often depends on this.
• Your location. Your town or postcode helps match council and regional grants, which are often the easiest to win.
• A short description of what you do. Two or three plain sentences about your work and who you help.
• Optional extras. Your number of staff, the year you started, annual turnover, industry and what you want funding for. Some grants have size or age limits, so these help sharpen your matches.

Step by step

Step 1: Enter your profile

Go to grantfinderpro.com.au/find and fill in the short profile. It takes a few minutes. No account is needed for this step.

Step 2: See your top matches

You will see your top matched grants straight away, free. Each one shows the grant name, the funder, a match score and a link to the official grant page.

Step 3: Start your free month for the full list

To see all your matches and get weekly email alerts, create an account. Your first month is free and no card is needed. After that, ongoing access is a one-off payment of $29 AUD. There is no subscription and nothing to cancel.

Step 4: Check the weekly email

Each week, you will get an email when new grants matching your profile open. Open it, scan the list and add anything promising to your grant calendar.

How to read your matches

Your matches are sorted by how well each grant appears to fit your profile, based on the grant's published information.

A match is a rough guide to eligibility, never a guarantee. Grant guidelines often include detail that no tool can fully assess, such as specific project requirements, previous funding rules or co-contribution conditions. Before you start any application:

1. Open the official grant page from the link.
2. Read the eligibility section and confirm you meet every requirement.
3. Check the closing date and what the grant will and will not fund.
4. If anything is unclear, contact the funder.

Our grant eligibility checklist walks through what to check.

Tips for better matches

Be specific in your description

"We help the community" gives the matching little to work with. "We run after-school homework clubs and holiday programs for primary school children in regional Queensland" gives it plenty.

Include who you help and where

Mention the groups you serve, such as young people, older people, people with disability, First Nations communities, migrants and refugees, or women and girls, and the area you serve. Many grants target specific groups and places.

Keep your profile up to date

If your focus, location or legal structure changes, update your profile so your matches and weekly emails change with it.

Do not dismiss a match too quickly

Some grants are broader than their names suggest. A grant described as arts funding may fund community cultural projects. Read the guidelines before ruling it out.

Act on closing dates

Some grants have short windows. When a strong match arrives, check the closing date straight away and put it in your calendar.

An example profile

Here is what a strong profile might look like for a small sporting club:

• State: Victoria
• Organisation type: Sporting club, incorporated association
• Location: a regional town and its postcode
• Description: "Volunteer-run community netball club with around 150 junior and senior players. We want to grow our girls' teams, run a modified program for players with disability and replace worn-out equipment."
• Funding needs: equipment, coaching courses, a come-and-try day

That profile tells the matching what the club is, where it is, who it serves and what it needs. It is far more useful than "Netball club, Victoria". The same principle applies to any organisation: name your activities, your people and your place.

If you are not sure what to write, look at your organisation's annual report, website "About us" section or your most recent grant application. The first paragraph is usually a good starting point.

Turning matches into applications

Finding a grant is the first step. Here is a simple routine:

1. Shortlist. Pick the two or three matches that fit best this month.
2. Check eligibility against the official guidelines.
3. Contact the funder if you have questions.
4. Plan the project and budget before you write.
5. Write, review and submit early.

Our step-by-step guide on how to write a grant application covers each stage.

Frequently asked questions

Do I need an account?

No. You can see your top matches without an account. An account unlocks your full list of matches and weekly email alerts.

What does it cost?

Your first month is free with no card needed. After that, ongoing access is a one-off $29 AUD. There is no subscription.

How often are grants updated?

Grant sources are checked every week, and new matching grants are emailed to you weekly.

Does a match mean I will get the grant?

No. A match is a rough guide to whether a grant may suit you. The funder decides eligibility and who receives funding. Always read the full guidelines before applying.

Can someone help me write the application?

GrantFinder Pro is built by the team behind Win With Words, an Australian grant writing agency. If you find a strong match and want an expert to write the application, they can help.

Get started

See which grants match your organisation, free, at grantfinderpro.com.au/find.