Grant yourself the opportunity to succeed in 2026
Posted on 14 Jan 2026
As the holiday chatter fades and the new year begins, it’s the ideal time for organisations to plan ahead and position themselves for grant success in 2026.
Navigating the grants landscape and preparing strong funding applications can feel overwhelming. However, members of the Funding Centre have access to practical tools, data, and AI-assisted support designed to help not-for-profit organisations, community groups, councils, and schools improve their grant success rates in 2026.
Below are five key Funding Centre tools and resources that can help grantseekers research opportunities, strengthen applications, and stay organised throughout the year.
1. Statistical tools
Using accurate, up-to-date data is essential for preparing strong grant applications in 2026. Reliable statistics help organisations clearly define problems, demonstrate need, and show how their project will deliver measurable outcomes.
The Funding Centre has curated a list of trusted, web-based statistical tools and research sources that grantseekers can use when applying for funding from governments and grantmakers.
2. Drafter – your AI grant writing partner
Drafter is an AI-powered grant writing tool integrated into the Funding Centre platform. It helps grantseekers draft clearer, more structured grant application responses in less time.
By entering information about your organisation and the project you are seeking funding for, Drafter generates concise draft answers that can be reviewed, refined, and strengthened using your own expertise. When combined with human insight, AI tools like Drafter support more efficient grant writing and clearer communication of impact.
3. Answers Bank – sample grant application responses
For grantseekers who prefer a more traditional approach, the Funding Centre Answers Bank provides sample responses to common grant application questions.
These example answers are tailored to the standard question formats used in SmartyGrants (our sibling enterprise) applications. They help organisations understand what grantmakers are typically looking for and how to clearly describe their work, outcomes, and community impact.
4. Grant tracking and organisational tools
Staying organised is critical when managing multiple grant opportunities. The Funding Centre’s grant tracking tools allow users to save grants, assign project names, upload documents, track application progress, and set tasks with deadlines.
A step-by-step video tutorial shows how to manage all your grant opportunities in one consolidated grants list, helping reduce missed deadlines and last-minute stress.
5. A guide to Boolean logic for grant searches
The Funding Centre Keyword field uses Boolean logic to help users search more effectively for relevant grant opportunities. Boolean logic is commonly used in advanced search engines and allows grantseekers to refine searches using terms such as AND, OR, and NOT.
This help sheet explains how Boolean logic works and how to use it to get the most accurate and relevant grant search results from the Funding Centre database.
In 2026, successful grantseekers combine forward planning with the right tools. By using the Funding Centre’s grants database, search tools, statistical resources, Answers Bank, and AI-assisted drafting support, organisations can work more efficiently, submit stronger applications, and improve their chances of securing funding.
Can’t find the resource you’re after? Our team is always reviewing and developing new resources to support our Funding Centre community. Contact our team if you have any questions or ideas.