Finding Money in Unexpected Places: A Freelancer’s Guide to Grants
In March 2025, the Canadian Freelance Guild gathered three grant writing experts to talk about Finding and Getting Grants. Michelle Muir (Proposal Specialist), Virginia McGowan, PhD (Writer/Researcher/Entrepreneur) and Kelly Henderson (Grant Writer) did a wonderful job of sharing how to make the most of this opportunity.
Below is a summary of the webinar. If you would like to view the webinar, you can access it here.
Don’t let the complex world of grants intimidate you—two expert grant writers reveal insider secrets to securing funding for your creative projects
Picture this: Free money. No, not the kind that comes with sketchy phone calls from overseas “princes,” but legitimate funding from reputable sources that could help launch your creative project, grow your freelance business, or simply keep you afloat while you complete that book you’ve been dreaming about.
The mystical realm of grants—government, foundation, and private—remains largely untapped by many freelancers who assume the process is too complex, too competitive, or simply not meant for them. But as the Canadian Freelance Guild’s expert panel on “Finding and Getting Grants” revealed, there’s funding hiding in plain sight for those who know where to look.
“There are a lot of grants out there, so it takes time to sift through the information and find the best fit,” explained Michelle Muir, a grant and proposal specialist with more than 20 years of experience who has successfully secured highly competitive grants including the Ontario Trillium Foundation Grant and numerous private foundation grants.
Fellow panelist Kelly Henderson, who has written six and seven-figure competitive funding proposals totalling $115 million, emphasized that finding the right fit is crucial: “A lot of people sort of skip that step, and then find themselves doing a lot of work for no good reason.”
Know What You Need Before You Look for Money
When moderator George Butters asked the ultimate beginner’s question—”Where do I start?”—both experts zeroed in on a common mistake many first-time grant seekers make: looking for grants before determining exactly what they need.
“You need to figure out the kind of funding you’re looking for first,” Henderson advised. “Is it seed funding? Are you just trying to figure something out? Is it startup? Is it sustain? Or is it sort of continuing on funding?”
Rather than diving into grant databases without direction, Henderson recommends first answering some fundamental questions: “What is your project? What’s your budget? Sketch it out…What are the outcomes that you want to achieve?”
The amount you’re seeking should guide your search. “I say to people, ‘How much are you looking for?’ And they’re like, ‘We don’t know.’ And I’m like, ‘Well, is it $50,000 or $50 million?’ Because those are different funders,” Henderson explained with the weary wisdom of someone who’s had this conversation many times.
For creative professionals specifically, Muir suggested an additional layer of self-reflection: “You need to look at your business and what you do and say, is this for a project? Is this for an arts project? I want to get off a book, a play, a script, anything like that. Or is this for the workings of my business and things that I need as a creative business?”
This distinction matters because it determines which funding streams you should target. Business-oriented needs like hiring might qualify for different grants than creative projects.
The Fatal Mistake: Bending Your Business to Fit a Grant
When Butters asked about the temptation to bend one’s business to fit available funding—something many desperate freelancers have considered—both experts delivered a resounding “no.”
“The likelihood of you actually being successful in that grant application is very slim because they will spot that you’re bending to fit,” Muir warned. “90% of the time it’s crystal clear even to grant, those of us in the grant writing industry, when a client comes and they’ve taken, ‘I want to apply for this grant’ and they built the project around that grant.”
Henderson added that funders are far more sophisticated than many applicants realize: “The funders are savvy… This is one thing I want everybody to get. Like they know, they just know what they want to fund, they know what things cost, they’ve done a ton of research.”
Instead of warping your business to match funding criteria, both experts emphasized finding grants that naturally align with your work and goals. As Muir noted, “The funder needs to want to fund your business or your creative project that you’re working on. They need to be in the same space and appreciate that.”
No Grant History? No Problem (Usually)
Many first-time applicants worry that their lack of previous grant success will count against them. Henderson dismisses this concern with refreshing directness: “It doesn’t matter. It doesn’t matter.”
What matters far more is understanding your project, your needs, and finding the right fit. “It’s not about not having the grant history. It’s about really understanding why you need the money, why you need it now, what you need it for, what you’re going to do with it and making that case,” Henderson explained.
However, Muir added an important caveat: some larger funding bodies do have minimum requirements regarding how long an organization has been in existence or certain financial thresholds. “If you’re brand new, it is important to look at what their requirements are because if they’re a government funder, they won’t change those requirements.”
For those just starting out, she recommends looking to “something in the private sector or something for small businesses that is more open where you can talk to the funder and ask them questions.”
Both experts stressed the importance of starting small and working your way up. “If it’s just you on your own, it’s okay to, like, you don’t always have to get millions of dollars. It’s okay to be like, ‘I got a $5,000 grant. That’s amazing,'” Henderson noted with enthusiasm. “Somebody believed in you enough to give you money. That’s amazing. And then that five can turn into 25, can turn into 250.”
The Not-So-Secret Canada Summer Jobs Program
For freelancers looking for that first “win” in the grant world, Muir highlighted a surprisingly accessible opportunity that many overlook: the Canada Summer Jobs Program.
“You go online, you fill out the application, you put some key words in there and you answer all of their questions… And if there’s enough funding in your area, you get that funding,” she explained. While competition can be stiffer in major urban centers, “most of the people I know that apply, if they have a solid opportunity for the person to gain valid work experience, they win that funding.”
This program not only provides funding to hire summer help—potentially freeing you up to focus on other aspects of your business or even take a vacation—but also gives you that valuable first grant success to list on future applications.
“That’s $5,000 I didn’t have to spend,” Muir pointed out, noting that freelancers can use this program to hire someone to handle websites, content development, or other specialized tasks.
The Reality of Grant Payments (Spoiler: No Up-Front Checks)
Perhaps one of the most important reality checks both experts offered concerned the timing of grant payments—something that trips up many first-time recipients.
“If you win, they do not come back and say, ‘Congratulations, here’s your check for the project,'” Muir emphasized. “They come back with a contract based on the timeline for the project you submitted.”
Payment structures vary widely, with some grants disbursing funds based on completed milestones, others paying quarterly or twice yearly, and some only releasing money at the project’s end. “That’s why you need to look at your budget because you need to know that you can cover all of those expenses while you wait for that cash,” she added.
Henderson reinforced this point: “There’s no miracle funder that’s gonna give you a million upfront and now you don’t have to worry for the next two years.” She and Muir shared a laugh at this common fantasy: “Then Michelle and I could retire, right? Never have to work again.”
Finding the Right Grant: Start at the Library?
When attendee Jerry asked the deceptively simple question—”How do you start the process of finding a grant that is the right fit?”—Muir offered a surprisingly old-school but effective approach: “Go to your local library.”
She explained that many public libraries maintain electronic databases of grants that patrons can search. “You can sit down and surf through the database to see where you might be a fit.”
The downside? “It lists everything under the sun and then your job is to find out if that funder or foundation still exists and still has money to spend.” This can mean considerable legwork that a professional grant writer might help you avoid.
For business-specific grants, Muir suggested checking Industry Canada’s website, which has a searchable database of government grants, though she cautioned it’s “very business oriented, so you won’t get all of the arts grants.”
Henderson emphasized the importance of research and preparation: “I would do prep work. Like what’s your project? What’s your budget? Sketch it out… Just so that you know, okay. And add 10, 15, 20%, because you’re always below. And then search within there and figure, okay, who’s paying for that stuff right now?”
Her logic? “Funders just keep on funding usually the same things.” Identifying who’s already funding projects similar to yours provides valuable clues about potential sources for your own work.
Writer-Specific Funding: The Dream and the Reality
When Leslie Taylor asked about finding grants for individual writers from private sources in Canada, Henderson couldn’t suppress a laugh. “I’m not laughing at the question, but I’m like, this is a dream, a dream.”
She clarified that while such funding exists, it’s “slim pickings” and requires diligent research: “If you’re looking for family foundation or anything like that, it’s thin on the ground. It’s not impossible.”
Muir added an important tip: “Don’t focus entirely just on grants… There’s a lot of funding out there that’s under the guise of awards or a contest. There’s not a lot of difference between that and a grant, except that you’re applying in advance.”
She also encouraged persistence and follow-up: “If you submit an application and it’s well-written and it’s well done for a grant and you just aren’t awarded the grant, follow up with them and ask… Ask them for what we call a debrief, ask them why.”
These debriefs can provide valuable insights for future applications, potentially revealing minor issues that can be addressed without changing your core project. However, Henderson noted that sometimes you’ll simply hear “no debrief” and need to move on.
“Don’t forget to reuse that proposal,” she advised. “If it got refused, that doesn’t mean that your project is garbage. It just means that’s not its home… Just put it aside and go to the next funder. Do not take it personally.”
Budget Your Time as Well as Your Project
When considering whether to pursue a particular grant, Muir emphasized the importance of evaluating the time investment required against the potential reward. “I’ve seen five to $10,000 grants where the application process was so cumbersome. I sent clients the other way and said, ‘Don’t, it’s going to cost you more in time and energy to do this than you’re going to win.'”
Henderson was even more direct about her own professional boundaries: “I will not write for less than 25 grand, and I’ll say to my nonprofits, five grand is like, I say, don’t bother because you spent 25 grand in staff time.”
For freelancers considering whether to attempt a grant application themselves or hire professional help, these insights suggest a pragmatic approach: for smaller grants with straightforward applications, do it yourself; for larger, more complex funding opportunities, consider bringing in expertise.
Positive Changes in the Grant World
When asked about recent changes in the grant landscape, both experts noted some welcome improvements. “Funders are getting better at not asking you for a 45-page proposal for $10,000,” Henderson observed with evident relief.
“They’re getting better at understanding it takes a lot of effort to write these things. Some of the things they’re asking for is very onerous… After a while it’s like, everybody’s exhausted. Please stop asking us for like a zillion things.”
Muir highlighted shifts in the types of projects receiving funding, particularly in creative industries: “It used to be very difficult if you were a creative that was using new technology, that people didn’t understand, you couldn’t get funding. Even though you had a beautiful project, you couldn’t get the funding because the funders didn’t understand how that technology worked.”
She also noted increased emphasis on diversity and inclusivity: “Now I tell people, do not be afraid if you are non-white or non-Christian or a woman, don’t be afraid to tell them that because part of their funding is reliant on being able to identify those statistics. And there is grant funding out there that is tronched just for those specific groups.”
Henderson added that many foundations are increasingly focusing on reconciliation and community-level funding: “It doesn’t mean they’re not gonna give you money. It’s just, there’s a recognition, at least within certain sectors that you actually have to put the money to the people, to the communities.”
The Bottom Line: Yes, It’s Work—But Worth It
Throughout the session, both experts acknowledged the effort required to secure grants while maintaining that the potential rewards justify the investment. As Henderson put it, “I wouldn’t get too bogged down in the anxiety that a lot of people have around money… They have to give away the money and that’s kind of it.”
This perspective—that funders actively want to distribute their money to worthy recipients—offers a refreshing counter to the scarcity mindset many freelancers bring to the grant process. The key is matching your needs with the right funding sources and presenting your case effectively.
For creative professionals navigating the often-precarious financial realities of freelance life, grants represent not just potential income but validation and opportunity. While not every application will succeed, and the process requires diligence and persistence, the panel’s expertise revealed a world of possibilities for those willing to learn the system.
As Muir summarized in her advice for first-time applicants: “Don’t be afraid to apply, just know what the expectation is before you apply.” With the right preparation, research, and realistic expectations, freelancers might just find that elusive “free money” isn’t quite so elusive after all.
