Funding is competitive. Your application needs to be better than good.
Tender writing and grant writing for Northern Rivers, Yamba, Grafton, the Clarence Valley and human services organisations across Australia.
Human services organisations do not win tenders through words alone. Successful submissions require a clear understanding of government priorities, commissioning intent, service models, evidence, outcomes and implementation capability.
Most organisations that miss out on funding do not lose because their work is not good enough. They lose because their application did not make their work visible to an assessor reading it for the first time.
Government funders and philanthropic trusts receive more applications than they can fund. The organisations that succeed are the ones that demonstrate three things clearly: they understand the population they are trying to reach, their model will produce the outcomes the funder has specified, and they have the governance and operational capacity to deliver.
The Planning and Practice Hub has been inside the funding system from both sides. Rachel Willis spent eleven years as a NSW Government Director of Commissioning making funding decisions across a $190 million provider portfolio. She has assessed hundreds of applications, chaired funding panels, and designed the selection criteria frameworks that organisations are now writing against. She knows what a strong application looks like from the inside out.
What this service covers.
Government Tender Writing
EOI and tender responses for state and federal government funding across NDIS, aged care, child and family, out-of-home care, homelessness, and community services commissioning streams. Written to the selection criteria, aligned to the funder's policy intent, and structured for assessor readability.
Grant Applications
Philanthropic and government grant applications for NFPs and community organisations. Includes needs analysis, program logic development, budget narrative, and outcome measurement frameworks.
Funding Strategy
Helping organisations identify the right funding opportunities, build a diversified funding base, and develop the internal capability to sustain funding over time. Includes funding landscape mapping, funder research, and pipeline planning.
Tender Review and Coaching
For organisations with internal capacity to write but needing expert review, gap analysis, and strengthening before submission. Includes selection criteria alignment check, evidence audit, and rewrite support.
Northern NSW local support
Tender and grant writing in Yamba, Grafton, the Clarence Valley and Northern Rivers.
The Planning and Practice Hub provides local and regional tender, EOI and grant writing support across Northern NSW, with particular expertise in human services and government commissioning. National support is also available remotely across Australia.
Place-based submissions can include local need, workforce, partnerships, service access, implementation readiness and community evidence where these are relevant to the procurement.
Government procurement ready
Listed on the NSW Government buy.nsw Supplier Hub.
The Planning and Practice Hub is a NSW Government listed supplier, supporting human services organisations with tender strategy, service model development, evidence, governance, implementation planning and funding submissions.
View supplier profileOrganisations at every stage of the funding journey.
Whether you are submitting your first government tender or managing a complex multi-stream funding portfolio, the fundamentals are the same. You need to understand what the funder is trying to achieve, demonstrate that your model delivers it, and present your organisation's capability in a way that builds assessor confidence.
This service is suited to:
- NFPs and community organisations applying for philanthropic grants for the first time
- Established providers responding to government EOIs and tenders across NDIS, aged care, child and family, homelessness, and community services
- Organisations that have missed out on funding and want to understand why and what to do differently
- Boards and executives building a longer term funding strategy
- Regional and rural organisations that lack access to specialist tender writing support locally
Common questions.
Funding portals and resources.
GrantConnect
The Australian Government's central grants portal. All Commonwealth grant opportunities and historical awards.
NSW Government Tenders
eTendering portal for NSW Government procurement and funded service opportunities.
DCJ Funding Opportunities
NSW Department of Communities and Justice funding streams for community and social services.
Queensland SDS Tenders
Queensland Government Specialist Disability Services and social services tender opportunities.
Explore related
Related reading
Connect funding strategy to organisational direction.
Tender and grant support for community organisations.
Specialist advisory across the human services landscape.
Evidence implementation in funded service delivery.
If you are preparing a tender or grant application, start the conversation early.
The earlier you engage, the more we can do. A conversation four weeks before a deadline produces a better outcome than a conversation four days before one.