In this three part series we look at what is Strategic Grants’ grant research process?

Our Research and Administration Officer, Alissa, will provide valuable insight into how the team at Strategic Grants maintain and update our grants data.

It’s how we keep our unique online grants management system, GEMS (Grants Expertise Management System) up to date.

Grants Research Blog Series #1

Grants research takes a lot of time. Time that a lot of grant-seekers don’t have. It’s an arduous task. Trawling the depths of the internet to locate grant opportunities, decipher funding guidelines, track closing dates and work out whether the opportunity is even relevant for the organisation.

In 2012, Strategic Grants identified the need for an online grants management system. A system that provided a customised list of just the grants that are relevant to your individual organisation and funding needs. It resulted in the development of GEMS (Grant Expertise Management Systems).

GEMS is maintained and updated by our very own team of research analysts. We affectionately know them as #TeamResearch.

Introducing … #TeamResearch

Team Research are the people who work tirelessly behind the scenes, at least 80 hours per week, to ensure that the information in the GEMS database is up to date and accurate.

While the team are spread across Australia, New Zealand and Europe, distance does not prevent them from staying connected to always finding new ways to streamline internal research processes, ensuring our nonprofit partners are receiving the most accurate, up to date grants data through the regular alerts and their customised, always up to date 12 month Grants Calendar.

Why our Grants Research is of the highest quality

Our Research Analysts are in the GEM Portal system, doing specialised grants research over 80 hours every week. While the human resource aspect of #TeamResearch and the time we are able to spend immersed in data is a huge benefit to GEM subscribers, another strength the team brings to your nonprofit is their in-depth understanding and knowledge of the Australian and New Zealand grants landscape, knowing exactly what to look for when researching and speaking directly with the funders.

Eligibility requirements, guidelines, funding arrangements, average grant amounts and information on past recipients is presented differently by each funding body. Working solely in the grants research space (in between undergraduate and post graduate studies), our team have built an informed understanding of grant-related language and jargon. Our goal is to ensure our nonprofit partners have access to the most current and relevant grant and funder information. The data we collate, analyse and enter presents the key details so grant-seekers have all their most relevant prospects’ details at their fingertips, in GEMS.

Team Research are an awesome team of expert grant researchers who are passionate about nonprofits and most importantly, accurate and timely grants research.

What is Strategic Grants’ grant research process?

The Grants Research Blog Series

Throughout the series, we will outline Strategic Grants’ rigorous research process, including:

  • Our data sources and how we ensure its currency and accuracy (funder websites don’t always contain the most up to date information);
  • The importance of research – why the diamonds are in the details (and how our Research Analysts ensure they don’t miss them);
  • How the Grant-Matching Process works.

You can read the second installment here: Data Sources – how we maintain our grants data to ensure accuracy.