SmartySearch Grantseeker FAQs

SmartySearch is an online grants search tool powered by the Funding Centre’s comprehensive grants database. The tool makes finding grants easy for members of the community, with free access to an unlimited number of grant searches.

The Funding Centre is Australia’s smartest grants database and fundraising capacity building website. It includes Australia's most comprehensive grants database, grant application management tools, and help sheets and tools to help not-for-profit organisations become more successful fundraisers.

The Funding Centre is an enterprise of Our Community. Learn more here.

The SmartySearch grants database is a tailored version of the Funding Centre’s grants database embedded in the website of a local council or other organisation to allow members of their community to browse grants for free.

The Funding Centre is a subscription-based service. See here for information on pricing.

Refine your search by entering keywords, filtering by provider (grantmaker/funder), location, category, eligibility, and funding amounts. Click the “Search” button to see results. You can also leave all fields blank and click the “Search” button to see all grants currently open.

This video provides step-by-step instructions on how to conduct a grant search.

Click the “Clear” button in the search box to remove some of the categories you have selected in your initial search, as they might not match the categories assigned to the grant you are searching for.

You can search for a grant being offered by a specific funding provider by selecting from the drop-down “Provider” menu on the grant search page. Depending on the search parameters that are included in the SmartySearch page, you can also search by keyword, and filter by the following:

• The region that the grant is being offered
• The categories that the grant belongs to
• The activities that are funded
• The applicant eligibility requirements

You can refine your search using the search filters. You can sort those grant results by the following:

• Grants most relevant to you
• Amount being offered
• Grant name
• Grants with application dates closing soon
• Grants most recently updated in the database

You may find that searching for grants within your local government area (LGA) returns zero grant results. This may be because there are currently no open grants within your LGA. If the search filter has an “Include closed grants” toggle, turn it on to see closed grants.

If there are still no grants in your search results, widen your search by searching for grants across the state you are in, or those available nationwide.

Activity categories are intended to be used in addition to grant categories. To get the most accurate grant results in your search, select at least one grant category. You can opt to also add a minimum of one activity categories to your grant search.

Not all grants listed have an activity category assigned. Try removing activity categories from the filters if you aren’t getting many grants in your search results.

No, tracking and managing grants is a feature exclusive to Funding Centre subscribers. Learn more about the Funding Centre’s tools here.

SmartySearch does not accept applications on behalf of the funder. To apply for a grant listed on a SmartySearch page, click on the links listed at the bottom of the grant information page or the “Apply” button. You will be taken to the funder’s website for more information and to apply.

No, the EasyGrants newsletter is a monthly grants newsletter that Funding Centre subscribers receive, which includes tailored information about grants that match their preferences.

SmartySearch is an online grant search tool on embedded in the website of a local council or other organisation, and powered by the Funding Centre grants database.

No, only Funding Centre subscribers receive the monthly EasyGrants newsletter. Learn more about memberships here.