Guide: How to prepare a funding application

Read the funds eligibility criteria or application guidelines very carefully. This is generally where they say what kind of project they do and do not fund, what their priorities are and which types of organisations the fund is aimed at.  Funds are often oversubscribed so please don’t waste your time applying if you are not eligible or if your project does not clearly link to the fund priorities. While it may seem obvious, many people only skim read the requirements and key details are often missed.

When applying for funding and funders ask about needs, they want to know what problems your community members are facing, which have led to your project being developed.  Give yourself the time to gather evidence that backs up what you say. This could be through research, through discussions in your group to gather examples and case studies (qualitative data) or perhaps you could run a survey (quantitative data). When you can clearly evidence why your project matters and how it meets the needs of your community, your application is much stronger.

Review the funder’s priorities against your project proposal and be clear in your application on what you will do and the expected benefits to your community from your project. For example, if you are a group looking to improve how people travel in your area the outcome could be ‘More people choose active and sustainable transport options, improving health and reducing emissions’. To achieve this outcome, the outputs could be ‘running guided walks, creating walking and cycling maps for the area or running bike repair and maintenance workshops’. 

Funders want you to be realistic in what your project can deliver.  Consider the time available and the resources you have to deliver the project and don’t get carried away committing yourself to a project you won’t be able to deliver because it sounds better in the application.

Funders recognise that AI tools can be of assistance in writing your funding applications.  However, AI supported applications do not tell the unique story of your community and how you want to support them. Being too generic in content may disadvantage your application.  Similarly, don’t rely on AI-suggested budgets without reviewing them. Ensure they fit your plans and meet the funders eligibility. If you choose to use AI tools to assist your application writing, please be mindful of your usage as AI has significant environmental impacts.

Take care to read each question carefully and make sure your answers include specific information that is relevant to the question. If there is a question you don't understand, reach out to the funder to clarify - they are usually more than happy to help.

Top tip! Even when an online application form is used, write your answers in a Word document or similar and make sure to save a copy. There is nothing worse than losing all your work due to a dodgy internet connection.

Once you have finished your application, we recommend sharing a copy with another team member for them to review. Your team member should also have access to the funding criteria, so they can review how your application meets the needs of the funder. This step is crucial as they will often notice aspects you may not have thought of and ensure the language used is clear and easy to understand for someone reading it for the first time. If no one else is able to review your application, leave it for at least a day and return to the application with fresh eyes. It can also be helpful to read the application out loud to make sure everything you have written make sense.