Securing sustainable funding for Australian for-purpose organisations
I’m Barbara – and yes you can absolutely call me Barb.
I’m a social impact enthusiast and expert grant and tender writer winner. I do this work because I’m passionate about making a difference and because I’m really good at it.
Over the past 8 years, I’ve become a go-to person for Australian-based charities, social enterprises, and mission-driven businesses looking to secure funding to scale their innovative programs for impact. With a talent for persuasive writing and a strong background in partnerships, I’ve built my client list purely through word-of-mouth referrals. I win clients, by winning grants and tenders.
Meet Barbara,
Your grant and tender writer and winner
Fuelled by my love for social impact and a deep understanding of my personal Human Design profile, I took a leap of faith and became a Freelance Grant & Tender Writer in 2018. Since then, I’ve secured over $55 million in funding for various projects, including national youth suicide prevention, services for mental health, reducing recidivism, preventing domestic violence, learn and earn programs for refugees and at-risk groups seeking employment, as well as aged care tenders in NSW, QLD and Australia-wide.
When I’m not crafting compelling funding proposals, I enjoy engaging in thought-provoking conversations with purpose-driven people, on tackling big cosmic, social or health challenges. It’s important to me that I ‘walk my talk’ as an everyday philanthropist and am a current member of a brilliant grassroots movement for change, called Impact100 Sydney.
My approach to life and work is heavily influenced by my professional training in Dr Gabor Mate's Compassionate Inquiry approach, which emphasises empathy and understanding and applies a trauma-informed lens to communication and mentoring.
If you're looking to scale the difference you make and need funding to do it, my incredible team and I would be honoured to help you get there.
Member of Benefolk - Australia’s Specialist Social Impact Community
Grantful is proud to be a member of Benefolk, a national community of senior social sector specialists dedicated to strengthening charities, not-for-profits and impact organisations. Benefolk connects organisations with high quality expertise, tools and peer support that help them deliver lasting impact without compromise.
Being part of Benefolk means I have been vetted and accepted into a community that upholds high standards of professionalism and deep sector understanding. It also means my work is reinforced by ongoing access to insights, sector frameworks and collaborative expertise that benefit every client I support.
This membership is not a decorative badge. It signals credibility, alignment to sector best practice and a commitment to sustainable impact outcomes. It gives your organisation confidence that the advice, strategies and submissions you receive from Grantful are grounded in recognised standards and connected to a broader ecosystem of experienced practitioners.
Grantful’s participation in Benefolk keeps us connected to evolving best practice and sector dialogue. It also means our work is informed by broad and current perspectives on what drives sustainable impact.
The Only Way to Book Me by the Hour
For short, focused advisory support, Benefolk’s Expert Bar is the only way to book time with me.
Through the Expert Bar, organisations can book either a 60-minute or 90-minute session for strategic advice, problem-solving or second-opinion guidance on grants, tenders, funding strategy or readiness.
I do not offer ad-hoc hourly consulting outside this pathway. The Expert Bar ensures sessions are structured, high-value and accessible to organisations that need expert input without committing to a full engagement.
Impact highlights of grant and tender wins
$7m
Towards scaling suicide prevention initiatives and improving mental health literacy
$6m
Towards Medicare Mental Health community based mental health services
Towards disability inclusion and social participation initiatives
$3m
Towards domestic and family violence prevention programs
$5m
$12m
Towards supporting vulnerable + socially isolated older Australians
$4m
Towards supporting housing and homeless support programs for vulnerable Australians
$3m
Towards pathways to employment for vulnerable populations including refugees
$1.5m
Towards social prescribing programs across frailty and chronic diseases prevention and management
Grant Writing Services
Are you ready to leverage your program's successful outcomes and launch it into new areas?
With a proven track record of supporting emerging and grassroots organisations, we’re passionate about helping teams like yours achieve funding success.
Quick links to services
Grant Submissions to Scale Programs
Are you ready to leverage your program's successful outcomes and keen to scale it into new areas? With a proven track record of supporting emerging and grassroots charities, we are passionate about helping organizations like yours achieve funding success.
Here's what we can help you with:
Program Design - Together, we'll develop a program that can be easily scaled and replicated across various funding opportunities, including grants from Federal and State governments, local councils, and trusts and foundations. We'll prepare a well-thought-out program logic that captures it all, aiming to getting you some big ‘bang’ for your grant-writing ‘buck’.
Grant Applications – Utilising the program logic, we’ll create a grant submission library that includes powerful responses to common grant questions (with matching word counts!), making it easy for your team to use many times over for future funding success. Our aim is to tool you up to submit applications with little or no outside input needed, keeping costs down and freeing up valuable hours.
Training – We offer ongoing mentorship and customised training to help your team improve their grant writing skills. This includes building knowledge of Trusts & Foundations and Corporate Partners who align well with your approach, impact and mission.
Who is it for?
Founder/CEOs, new CEOs or Partnerships/Philanthropy Directors who want to raise their profile, increase their win rate and reduce their fundraising overheads.
How does it work?
As every flagship program is unique, we take a tailored approach. We will work together to document all key criteria, and then develop persuasive and well-written responses to common questions. This will include things like why the program matters, how it works, how you measure success, and how much it will cost. This works best when we use a real funding submission to guide the drafting and editing process - which usually takes 2 to 3 days, over a period of 6 to 8 weeks.
What's included:
We will tailor a package to include all the support, documentation and implementation needed, to achieve your growth goals – now and into the future. Reach out to get started today.
Let me help you get to where you want to go. To ensure Grantful is the right fit for you let me know which of these options best describes your organisation and need.
Let’s ensure we are a good fit
Grant & Tender Writing
Speaking of flagship programs, this is ours. It’s where it began and it’s the heart of what we do.
Truly great grant and tender applications are a work of art.
We are the artists.
Our team will work closely with you to ensure that any reader can’t help but fall in love with your submission. From the service model and program descriptions to celebrating your organisation's capabilities and capacity to deliver, as well as articulating the value for money impact – we will ensure that it hits the mark on every level.
Who is it for?
Program Directors and CEOs who are eager to secure funding but don’t have the time available that tender-writing demands. You bring your subject matter expertise, and we will write a compelling tender or grant submission that you can feel proud of.
How does it work?
At Grantful, we understand that each application for funding is unique and warrants time and attention to ensure a persuasive and succinct submission.
To help you achieve the best results, we recommend engaging us for 2 to 3 days over a 6-week period.
We will review the tender documents, and then elicit from you all the information needed. This will likely include an overview of the project, your organisation's expertise and past successes, as well as the evidence that informs it.
Next, we’ll do our magic and present you with a document that includes well-crafted responses that meet all the criteria.
We will work with you to ensure you are over-the-moon thrilled with the final product, and ensure it is submitted well ahead of the deadline.
What's included:
You get full access to our team while we prioritise your project. We are there to support you and tool you up. Your package will include everything you need to feel confident in the grant and tender submission process.
Your success is our success.
Grant Readiness Mentoring
Introducing the Grant & Tender Mentoring service.
This is the solution when you need an expert eye on your grant proposal to maximise its impact. Our founder, Barbara, will work with you to ensure that your submission meets all requirements, giving you the best chance at success.
Who is it for?
Grant & Tender Mentoring is perfect for Founders/CEOs in the early stages of grant success who want a grant winner in their corner, or Partnerships and Fundraising Managers seeking to improve their grant win rate and meet their targets.
How does it work?
We begin with an initial 90-minute session, designed to scope out your project idea and evaluate its suitability for the funding opportunity. Barbara will share her wealth of expertise and provide you with mentoring on how to approach your grant submission for maximum chances of success.
Before the follow-up 90-minute session Barbara will review your draft submission and provide strategies to strengthen it prior to submission.
What's included:
You'll receive a 90-minute (virtual) session and a 30 minute follow up sessions, as well as a comprehensive How to Win Grants Guide (PDF) to ensure that you're fully prepared to succeed in your grant application.
With the Grant Readiness Mentoring service, you can rest assured that you're giving your grant application the best possible chance for success.
Testimonials - What Others Love About Us
“Grantful have been a trusted strategic partner, guiding and shaping our responses to complex tenders across aged care, housing and homelessness, mental health, and social prescribing.
Barb brings exceptional insight into service models, governance, and system design, alongside a deep understanding of what funders and commissioners are actually looking for. Her ability to translate our strategy into clear, credible, and competitive submissions has been critical to our success. This is not just about strong writing, but about strategic judgement, positioning, and knowing how to present Footprints as a safe, capable organisation ready to deliver at scale.
We have achieved a strong and sustained success rate across multiple strategic tenders, and Barb’s contribution has been central to that outcome. I highly recommend Barb and Grantful to any organisation seeking a strategic partner in high-stakes funding decisions.”
— Jade Cronan-Thompson, (Former) Director of Service Delivery, Footprints
“Securing funding for innovative programs is crucial to our mission. Thanks to Barb's expertise and strategic approach, we were able to successfully secure grants that will have a lasting impact for the people we support and on the communities we serve.
Barb took the time to truly understand our organisation's vision and needs, translating them into compelling, well-researched proposals that resonated with funders.”
— William (Bill) Campos, CEO, Independent Community Living Australia (ICLA)
“Barb provided many years of excellent work in our partnerships and fundraising team at Raise Foundation, and we were very lucky that she shared her fabulous skills with us. If you're looking for someone to contribute to your organisation with grant writing, fundraising and relationship management, I highly recommend Barb. She has wonderful interpersonal skills, and an infectious sense of humour, and delivers great quality work. I highly valued working with Barbara and enjoyed working together to reach our fundraising goals.
— Vicki Condon, Founder CEO, Raise Foundation
“RizeUp, a non-profit organisation dedicated to supporting families affected by family and domestic violence, found a true ally in Barbara at Grantful.
Barbara's expertise extended beyond just words on paper; she delved deep into understanding the unique challenges faced by families dealing with domestic violence, crafting grant proposals that resonated with the heart of RizeUp's mission.
RizeUp wholeheartedly recommends Barbara's services because she didn't just write grants; she became an advocate for their cause.”
— Carolyn McCall, Board Member, RizeUp
“Barbara is a consummate professional who was a critical part Rare Cancers Australia winning our first and then our second government grants. The exercise was a significant strategic piece for RCA, and Barbara delivered insights we might not have otherwise had.”
— Christine Cockburn, CEO, Rare Cancer Australia
“Working with Barb and the Grantful team was a turning point for The Man Cave. Barb played a critical role in shaping our strategic approach to grants, helping us clarify how our programs, outcomes, and organisational strengths should be positioned in a competitive funding environment.
Barb brought sharp insight into how funders assess credibility, risk, and impact, and guided us to present our work in a way that strengthened confidence in our organisation. Her contribution went well beyond writing, providing strategic judgement, structure, and clarity at moments that mattered. The funding we secured was a genuine game changer for our organisation and supported our next phase of growth.”
— James Lolicato, Former COO, The Man Cave
“Working with the Grantful team was an invaluable experience for the Sydney Community Foundation for a project with our Sydney Women's Fund.
Their approach made it easy for us to articulate and align our project vision and activities with our strategic goals. The team's dedication to every stage of the tender process—ideation, drafting, editing, and submission—was instrumental in our grant success, resulting in significant funding for a pivotal project.
We highly recommend Grantful for any organisation seeking to simplify and achieve success in complex grant or tender processes.”
— Loredana Fyffe, CEO,
Sydney Community Foundation
The work you do is important, and it deserves to be well-resourced.
We all know that funding can be a major challenge when it comes to making your programs and services sustainable. The key social, environmental and health issues that you tackle, warrant support so that you can keep doing what you do, and doing it well.
Let me help you get to where you want to go. To ensure Grantful is the right fit for you let me know which of these options best describes your organisation and need.
