HOW TO SUCCESSFULLY APPLY FOR BUSINESS GRANTS: GRANT CONSULTANTS AND ADVISORS
The first point that you will want to realize is that when you apply for public money it is your company and your project that is going to be under the microscope. There can be no better ambassador for your cause than you and/or your friends. Knowing this, common sense says that you are better off if you do it yourself.
However, there are occasions where help can be useful and they can be found in:
a) Identifying Schemes
This is the most difficult aspect of everything that you have to deal with without help, since it is necessary to devote a good deal of time and resource to researching schemes.
It is smart for you to use others to help in the identification process because in order to subscribe to a reputable information service which is easy to find on an on-going basis so you can always check on the current and up to date situation as and when different potential projects arise in your business.
b) Applying for Grants
If you are applying for a very large grant and the awarding body is particularly rare and bureaucratic, or the information required needs a technical expertise you do not have, then it can help to appoint a consultant. In most circumstances, however, the cost of consultancy will probably outweigh its usefulness.
The history of grants consultancy is not a good one in general. Many so-called experts have proved to be nothing more than opportunists who make false promises just so that they take fees from clients who have been ultimately left with nothing but a failed grant application.
If you do decide to appoint consultants or advisers check their track record and verify their claims before you make a binding commitment with them.
