From headlines to funding: using media to strengthen your application

Article by Penny Farnsworth, Senior Advisor, Grant Office & Professional Advisory

At the time of writing this, we’re in the midst of the Winter Olympics and the Super Bowl, with the cricket and tennis simmering (in some cases boiling) away in the background. These sporting events remind me a little of the processes that governments often favour for distributing funds for essential services through competitive grant rounds. 

Unfortunately, councils can’t win grants simply by training, limbering up or even by performing well. They have to demonstrate that they both need and deserve the funding more than other councils, and that they can manage the funds and deliver the project better than the ‘competition’ – even when the ‘competition’ might be your very friendly neighbouring council. 

In a previous article we touched on how the media can help demonstrate the need for your project and on options for evidencing community, stakeholder and council support. In this article we expand on these subjects as they can make a significant difference in getting your application to stand out from the pack. 

It’s all about the story angle 

Stories in the media help put a human (or in some cases, animal) face on an issue and they literally bring or project the issue into people’s homes, cars and offices. Importantly, the media is actively and diligently monitored by government departments and ministerial offices – which is very good news if you want your issue to be noticed by government and funding bodies, but not always so great if you were hoping to keep something below the radar.  

However, even coverage that seems like bad news, can have a ‘silver lining’, helping to personalise and humanise the situation and making it more relatable by highlighting the need for a solution that extra funding may deliver. A recent article about a remote supermarket having to shut down its freezers due to energy costs helped the grant writing team illustrate the need for government support for an energy upgrade.  

Similarly, the extensive local media coverage of the floods and tropical cyclones that have impacted so many communities have helped us to tailor and personalise applications for disaster relief and resilience funding. Articles about families having to travel long distances for essential care, or communities facing the high costs of removing contaminated materials have also been instrumental in leveraging funding.  

Due to the power of the media to ‘sell a story’ we often search the media for any relevant stories or articles to bolster the case when preparing a grant application. We are, however, always careful to respect community and individual sensitivities and the right to privacy, and we never use stories that appear insensitive or disrespectful. 

Equally, we understand that councils cannot control the media coverage of natural disasters and during such events this is the last thing you, your staff or community members will be focusing on. When the time is right, however, think about collecting and storing media coverage for future use. 

Create and maintain media relationships 

Getting to know the local media can be mutually beneficial – helping to raise council’s profile and elevate issues of interest while also giving ‘content’ to the media. Journalists, editors and producers are often looking for stories and local material and this can work in your favour when you want to advocate for new services, infrastructure or funding for other purposes.  

Having good media contacts can also be very helpful when you need to show the success of a government supported event – photos in the local newspaper showcasing a funded festival or Australia Day event will significantly boost your chances of ongoing funding support. You may find that these odds increase exponentially if you succeed in getting a photo published that clearly shows sponsor signage or, even better, an official at a launch or ‘sod turning’. Local coverage of young sporting teams can enliven a sports grant application, even months after the event. 

Start a media library for future reference 

To boost local media coverage, in addition to getting to know and monitoring your local media, we recommend compiling a ‘story list’ relating to your community that identifies areas of need, significant events and people to interview or feature. Make a point of notifying your local media of upcoming events and invite them to attend and, where possible, suggest and promote human interest stories to them.  

Even if you can’t get, or don’t have any local media coverage, don’t forget that articles and photos in your local newsletter or social media can also be very powerful in communicating to wider audiences. Be your own local reporter, even for small events. We have found council newsletters and social media to be great sources of material for helping communities to tell their story and, hopefully, to gain additional support in the form of funding. 

Finally, don’t be deterred by the absence of local media to support your application. We often draw on national media to make the case for a project – for example we have used media reporting of a nation or state wide increase in cycling tourism or birdwatching to supplement tourism and cycling infrastructure grant applications, as well as reports of the health and social benefits of pools in remote communities to help splash park applications stand out. 

Plan for the future now 

Finding the best means of demonstrating community and stakeholder support for grant related projects is an area that is frequently overlooked or left to the last minute, with a rush to get mandatory letters of support or other eligible evidence. As you work to ‘mature’ a project, think about the stakeholders and potential supporters and beneficiaries and how you might best provide convincing evidence of their backing. 

Letters of support are always useful and can be tailored to each stakeholder but, when often rushed at the end, they are sometimes generic. In preparing drafts, think about the stakeholder’s individual needs and how the project will meet that need. Highlight partnerships and constructive working relationships, broader benefits to community, the local economy and the region. If appropriate seek written support from local and federal members of parliament and don’t forget regional representational bodies and neighbouring councils. 

Engage with the community 

Other means of meeting the demonstrated support criteria include community surveys – either regular council surveys or surveys commissioned specifically to measure support. If required, Peak can help you to design project specific surveys and to compile, analyse and report the results. 

Records of community or council meetings are also very important sources of evidence for support, so remember to keep good notes of even informal meetings when they relate to project funding or support. And even letters of complaint can be useful – like ‘bad’ media stories they can be a useful tool in proving the case for action and funding. 

This all works best when paired with solid data, clear evidence of need, and strong alignment to your council’s strategic, corporate and community plans. Bringing together community stories, media coverage, stakeholder support and hard data creates a compelling, well-rounded case that helps your project stand out in an increasingly competitive grant environment.