What funders want you to know
- Christina Poulton
- May 18
- 5 min read
How do funders assess grant applications?
What are funders looking for?
The headlines
When you submit a funding application it can feel like it disappears into another dimension where shadowy figures do some kind of secret ritual and then send a message back saying yes or no.
Luckily, Sue Hennessey offered to do a guest workshop for members of Sticky-note Squad (my monthly email support) to give us all the inside scoop on what really happens when a funder assesses your application.
Sue has a wealth of knowledge when it comes to how funders and grant makers work. She shared her tips from years of experience delivering grant programmes, assessing grant applications, developing bids and working for funders including the National Lottery, Trusts and Foundations and community grant makers.
You can find out more about Sue and get in touch with her here. She offers critical friend support for project development, fundraising and bid writing, as well as change management, facilitation and lots of other lovely things.
My top 7 takeaways from Sue’s workshop
Make sure the shoe fits
Funders are all different and each will work in different ways and be interested in supporting different things. Don’t just invent a project or force an existing project into the funder’s criteria to try and get the cash- funders can spot this a mile off! Find the funders where it’s a good fit for your work, rather than an uncomfortable squeeze.
Do your research Understand what the funder is interested in and the type of work they support. Do they like starting new projects or funding organisation’s with a track record? Their website will often tell you their criteria and give example grants but you can go deeper. Many funders are charities themselves and you can look them up on the Charity Commission website. (There’s info on how to do this in my Finding Funders training). Or have a nose on 360Giving.
Focus on the essentials Sue highlighted that whatever the questions that are asked in an application, funders want to know three key things:
Is this organisation one we want to support?
Is the proposal sensible?
Will it make a difference?
Make sure your application addresses all three of these directly. If you want support on what to write and how to do this, my instant access training on How to Write Funding Bids is here.
Make sure you pass due diligence checks This was a great insight from Sue. One of the first things a funder often does is called ‘due diligence’. They basically look your organisation up to make sure you’re running properly and would be a safe bet for them to support. Things you can do which helps reassure them include:
Making sure all the details are up to date on your Companies House or Charity Commission record. The number of directors/ trustees, your registered address etc should match what you’ve put in the funding application
Make sure your annual accounts and reporting are up to date
Your website should accurately reflect your organisation’s work, your community, staff team and board, and show that you have the right policies in place for the work you do e.g. if you work with vulnerable adults your safeguarding policy should reflect this and be really robust in this area
Check your digital presence shows the benefits and impact of your work and that previous funders are acknowledged
Get your community involved Make sure the people your work is for (your beneficiaries) are involved in the project and it’s clear to the funder that they want it to happen. Show the support for your work. This is becoming more important in the decision making process. If you want some ideas, there’s a how-to guide here for creating projects with communities.
Sue’s tip was to focus on the needs of your community, not the needs of your organisation in your application. This should be reflected in the language you use e.g. not saying “I think…” “we need…” etc
Weave your application together with a golden thread There should be a ‘golden thread’ that runs through your application so it all fits together in a logical and persuasive way. The activity you are planning to offer should be in direct response to what your community need and to the problem the work will address e.g.
“This is the need for our work….and therefore this is the activity we will be delivering because it meets that need in X, Y, Z ways…and will result in these outcomes (positive changes) for our community…” You should also indicate how this contributes towards the impact the funder is looking for.
Check, check and check again Sue shared lots of examples of the high number of bids that fail to meet basic criteria. Things like not being in the geographic area that the funder covered, having an annual income above the threshold for that funder, or applying for an activity that the funder didn’t cover.
Check the funder criteria carefully before you start writing and then proof read thoroughly (and/or get someone else to) before you submit.
One of Sue’s gems- which you’d only know if you’d been in the shoes of the funder- is that often they’re assessing your application on some kind of software which means they only see your answer in a 'box' which doesn't have the original question and may not be in the same order as the application form.
So don’t write “see above” because for the person reading it, there is no above! Make sure you answer every question, use the word counts as a guide of how much information they’re looking for, don’t use jargon and explain any acronyms if you have to use them.
The upside to this, is that if you make sure your funding bids have got all the basics right, and you pass due diligence, then you’re already on the right track and looking at a higher chance of success.
What next?
If you’re looking for consultancy support with your project development, bid writing, or someone to facilitate away days or training for your organisation then here’s the low down on Sue.
If you want some instant help with writing your funding bids, I have online training here. And if you want to get all your ducks in a row and identify that golden thread, then Sticky-note Strategy will help make your work easier to manage and fund.
Sue’s workshop was free for members of Sticky-note Squad, (my free monthly email support for small organisations) and for members of the Fundraising for CICs Facebook group.
You can sign up for Sticky-note Squad here to get sent info about what else is coming up.
