The quality of a grant programme's applicant pool depends heavily on who hears about it. Without a deliberate communications strategy, grant programmes reach the organisations already in the funder's network — which tends to be well-resourced, urban, and English-speaking. A thoughtful communications strategy reaches beyond those networks to the full range of organisations the programme is meant to serve.
Information asymmetry disadvantages smaller organisations. Information about grant opportunities spreads through networks — conference conversations, sector newsletters, professional networks. Organisations outside those networks miss opportunities not because they're ineligible but because they never heard about them.
The organisations hardest to reach are often highest priority. Rural organisations, kaupapa Māori groups, Pacific community groups, and organisations working in sectors with less developed professional networks are exactly the populations many funders most want to reach — and exactly the populations most likely to miss grant opportunities due to poor communications reach.
Empty applicant pools waste capacity. Grant programmes that don't attract enough eligible applications can't make competitive funding decisions. Poor communications leads to thin applicant pools and suboptimal funding outcomes.
Before designing communications, map who you want to reach:
Who is the programme designed to serve? What types of organisations? In what sectors? What geographies? What communities?
Where do those organisations get their information? What do they read? What sector bodies represent them? What events do they attend? What social media do they use?
What are the barriers to their awareness? Are they outside the funder's existing networks? In communities with different languages or communication preferences? In sectors where awareness of the funder is low?
Who are the trusted intermediaries? Who do target organisations trust to tell them about grant opportunities? Sector bodies, peak organisations, trusted community leaders, local government — trusted intermediaries can carry messages further than the funder can reach directly.
Funder website. The primary destination for applicants — programme guidelines, eligibility information, application portal link. Should be clearly organised and easily findable from search engines. Many applicants find grant opportunities through web searches.
Email lists. Regular newsletter or targeted email to past applicants, past grantees, and sector contacts. Email remains the most reliable channel for reaching known networks.
Social media. LinkedIn for professional audiences; Facebook for community organisations and volunteer-run groups; Instagram and TikTok for youth-serving organisations. Different platforms reach different communities.
Sector body and peak organisation partnerships. Most sectors have peak bodies, umbrella organisations, and networks that communicate with their members. Building relationships with these bodies — so they carry your grant opportunity in their communications — extends your reach significantly.
Community media. Local newspapers, community radio, ethnic media, and te ao Māori media reach communities that professional network communications miss. Taonga māori media and Pacific community media are important channels for reaching Māori and Pacific applicants.
Events and hui. Attending sector events, community hui, network meetings, and professional conferences — and having programme staff available to talk about the programme — builds relationships and awareness simultaneously.
Direct outreach to priority organisations. For programmes with specific equity goals — reaching Māori organisations, rural groups, disability organisations — direct outreach to organisations in those communities is more effective than passive broadcast communications.
Sustained communications, not launch-only. Many programmes do a single communications push when applications open, then nothing until the round closes. Sustained communications — reminders as the deadline approaches, targeted outreach to communities that haven't yet engaged — produce better results.
Early-bird guidance. Reaching potential applicants well before applications open — through sector events, relationship-building, and preview of the programme — gives organisations time to prepare stronger applications.
Partnerships ahead of launch. Contacting sector bodies and key intermediaries before applications open — giving them advance notice so they can include the opportunity in their communications calendar — maximises the reach of the launch announcement.
Track application sources. Asking applicants how they heard about the programme (in the application form) gives data on which channels are working. If 90% of applicants heard through the funder's email list, the programme isn't reaching beyond the existing network.
Analyse reach equity. Is the applicant pool representative of the community the programme is meant to serve? If Māori organisations are underrepresented, the communications strategy may not be reaching Māori networks. If applications are concentrated in urban areas, rural outreach may need strengthening.
Conversations with non-applicants. Programme staff who attend community events and speak with organisations that haven't applied can surface the actual reasons — not just lack of awareness, but also eligibility barriers, capacity constraints, and programme design misalignments that communications alone can't fix.
Tahua supports programme communications with applicant portal design optimised for search engine visibility, configurable notification workflows, and applicant source tracking that tells you how your communications are working.