18 September 2014 Federal Member for Newcastle, Sharon Claydon is hosting a workshop today for local community groups on how to secure public and private funding grants. More than 35 community organisations and not-for-profit groups will attend the workshop that will focus on how to best prepare and write successful grant applications.Our local service providers make tremendous contributions every day, but they rely on the goodwill of the community, countless hours of volunteer work and any grants they can secure to keep doing their good work, Ms Claydon said. Tendering for grants can be a tricky, time consuming and expensive business and many organisations have told me that they cannot afford the cost of having applications prepared on their behalf or simply dont have the expertise to complete grant applications themselves. Unfortunately, it often means they miss out on funding altogether. The Newcastle community deeply values and benefits from the great work our community organisations do and I want make sure they can access any funding that is available. That's why I'm hosting this workshop today Today is about better preparing the volunteer workers, board members and staff of not-for-profits to secure grants that can greatly benefit their organisations and the valuable community service they provide. The Community Grants Workshop hosted by Ms Claydon will be run by Keith Whelan, also known as The Grants Guy. Mr Whelan hosts grants workshops and consults with public and private organisations on how to write winning grant applications, fundraise and secure sponsorship.