What I Learned at INVENTURE$
- Finally, I spoke to a grant judge!!!
- Learn what he told me, so YOU CAN WIN GRANTS!
- Join Grant Writing Seminar list here: https://albertabusinessgrants.ca/grant-writing/
Last week I spent a couple days at Alberta Innovate’s annual conference: INVENTURE$.
Mark your calendars now for next year’s event: June 5-7, 2019.
Download Now! Five Grant Gotchas
There is grant money waiting for YOU! BUT if you step in a “grant trap,” your application is a NO! Learn the FIVE most common errors to AVOID in government grants! Get the 5 Grant Gotchas now to save you countless hours.
BACKGROUND
According to Alberta Innovates, here were the event highlights:
• 150 High profile speakers
• 80 Sessions
• 16 Tracks of programming, allowing you to choose from up to 6 sessions running at any point in time
• 32 Startup finalists pitching their ideas to celebrity judges
• 16 Connect events designed for creative collisions and deal making
• 2 Experiential events happening in and around INVENTURE$
Now I’ll give you my highlights:
1. ACCESSBILITY
When I started writing grants back in 2012, grants felt like – I’m not saying they were – a massive mystery. I’m not sure if grant agencies changed or I changed (for the record, I for sure have changed in the last five years in a good way I hope!).
Figuring out how to win a grant or get a meeting with them was relatively unknown.
That era seems to be coming to an end (if it was an era at all; I’m just going by memory). With Emission Reduction Alberta’s big conference last year and Alberta Innovate’s event this year, I’m amazed how open and transparent the organizations are becoming.
The star CEO at Alberta Innovates, Laura Kilcrease, is wildly accessible at all the events and receptions. I can only image if the leader of the organization is that transparent, it will trickle throughout the organization.
Speaking of accessibility, the hard-working Minister of Economic and Development and Trade was there and wildly accessible also. I had the privilege of speaking briefly with each of them, and it was great to see a cross section of collaboration taking place.
2. FINALLY!
But that accessibility wasn’t nearly the best part. My job is to win grants for Alberta entrepreneurs, and did I strike GOLD at this conference.
So I’m hanging out in the lobby area, trying to avoid the massive table of chocolate sweets.
I’m addicted to chocolate and it was just staring – umm screaming at me – to come over and eat.
While I’m standing there another guy, mid-fifties, and I strike up a conversation and then this happens. I’ll give you the play back.
Me: “How are you enjoying the grant conference?”
Him: “It’s great blah, blah, blah.”
Me: “What’s your connection to this place?
DRUM ROLL! REALLY LOUD DRUM ROLL
Him: “I’m on the board of XX grant agency.”
My eyes start to bulge.
Me: “Really? What do you do?”
Him: “Well we volunteer, and we grade applications.”
At this point I just about spit my coffee out, run over to the chocolate sweet table and start to binge eat brownies.
Me: “Okay, I’ve always wanted to ask people who grade applications some questions, may I?”
Him: “Shoot.”
Okay at this point I’m starting to think, I think the $500 and a couple days off work to attend this conference are worth it for this conversation alone.
Me: “Does the writing quality even matter?”
Him: “IT’S HUGE” or “absolutely,” I can’t remember his exact word, but it was major.
Golly, I knew it. But what a great thing to hear from the horse’s mouth.
Him: “What usually happens is we’ll read a dozen or so, and a clearly written application will make it to the next pile (for further consideration). Now having said that, the content (i.e. the technology needs to be great as well. But you have to understand something. We’re all busy volunteers. We want the application easy to understand.”
He also taught me that some people will reapply and not change what they told them to change. Ouch.
Talk about frustrating for everyone involved.
Anyway, I think it all comes back to point one: accessibility.
At the end of the day, these volunteers are handing out taxpayer money, so it was really great to have access to them and ask questions.
Unfortunately, not everyone can pay to have a pro write their grant applications. I get it.
Even sitting down to hammer out a grant application can be an enormous pain.
That is why I am putting on a LIVE GRANT WRITING SEMINAR! You can join the waitlist here: https://albertabusinessgrants.ca/grant-writing/
Have a great week!
David Kincade
Phone: 780.297.6177
Email: davidk@albertabusinessgrants.ca
Download Now! Five Grant Gotchas
There is grant money waiting for YOU! BUT if you step in a “grant trap,” your application is a NO! Learn the FIVE most common errors to AVOID in government grants! Get the 5 Grant Gotchas now to save you countless hours.
