In the world of government and major philanthropic funding, there's one truth I've learned again and again
It's not the best services that get funded. It's the best-prepared organisations.
Winning government tenders shouldn't feel like throwing spaghetti at the wall and hoping something sticks.
In fact, it should feel aligned, strategic, and dare we say... replicable.
Here's what the funding winners are doing differently in 2025:
1. They map their strategic priorities to funding trends — not the other way around.
Instead of jumping at every opportunity, winning organisations get clear on what they need to scale their impact. Then they build a funding pipeline around that.
2. They treat grant writing like business development, not admin.
Successful tenders are not about ticking boxes — they're about telling a strategic, well-evidenced story. The same way you'd pitch to a major investor.
3. They build tender-ready libraries in advance.
That means having your proof points, partnerships, logic models, outcomes, and capability statements ready before the deadline panic hits.
4. They invest in relationships — not just submissions.
Whether it's PHNs, funders, or consortia partners, trust is built outside the tender portal. The best-prepared teams understand the power of pre-positioning.
CASE IN POINT: FOOTPRINTS COMMUNITY
Benefolk are hosting the Benefolk Income Summit in May and I'll be sharing how Footprints Community transformed their tendering approach into a structured, high-impact funding model — resulting in a 75% success rate across multi-year high value tenders in aged care, mental health, homelessness and social prescribing.
This shift didn't happen by chance.
It came from:
- Aligning bids with long-term strategy
- Creating a powerful suite of reusable content
- Measuring what funders care about most: impact, integration, and capability
- Saying "no" to bids that didn't serve their bigger goals
And of course working with expert tender writers!
If you're tired of wasting time on tenders that don't get funded…
If you know your organisation could scale with the right funding partner…
If you want clarity and confidence heading into the next funding round…
Then the Benefolk Income Summit in May is for you. Dont forget to book your ticket
Read more about Barbara Brangan