WRITING GRANT APPLICATIONS

Avoiding the waste paper basketA practical guide

Details Matter

Use the correct name and address of the organisation and indivudual you are applying to

Sign the letter!

Be clear

LASA, LVBS, LABS, GLAAS – Means? State how much money you need Describe the project and it’s cost Give numbers! How many people use

your service? Don’t give a shopping list of needs which

the trust has to choose from. If necessary a phone call would be better.

Emotional Appeals

Tugging at the heartstrings does not make your application more effective. They are not assessed according to the number of tears they produce!

Emergency or urgent appeals may seem powerful, but assessment is more difficult and timetables too tight.

Length

A good proposal can be made in two or at most three sides of A4.

Exciting applications come in short sharp packages.

Too many words and the aims can become unclear.

Guidelines

Read the section which lists what will not be funded

Deadlines are deadlines Putting in applications at the last minute,

take into consideration prior meetings and assessment.

Don’t assume trust won’t fund things! Read the guidelines carefully.

Phrases to Avoid

Unique (how do you know?) We work in a deprived are (this says

nothing about the quality of the charities work)

You will, I’m sure, be familiar with the problems of homelessness. (Lazy, use evidence)

Any help you can give us, however small would be appreciated (would $100 from a company giving out $5 million be really appreciated?)

The final stage

Have someone critically evaluate the application

Which are the most interesting and positive aspects?

Bad wording and missing the closing date? need not apply

Keep the trust informed of any changes after your application; any success with other funders, termination of leases, resignation of directors.

When the application is successful

Do not jeopardise a new relationship Meet the acknowledgement deadline Give accounts and annual reports when

requested Acknowledge a trust’s grant in your

annual report.

Do Know why you are applying Read guidelines Check the name and

address Name of trust corresponds

with the name in the letter Check you are within the

trust’s priorities and area of benefit

Sign the letter Have a system for knowing

who has written to which trusts

Enclose necessary documents

2 sides of A4 Meet the deadline Be specific, how much

money is required? Be specific about your

activities and who uses them

Proof read your application Have a clear organisational

policy on writing to trusts If in doubt, phone the trust

to check

Don’t

Make emotional appeals Ask vaguely for assistance Present shopping lists of needs Write a brief letter referring to other

papers Use initials of organisations Lose the files referring to the applications Write over long applications then

apologise

Example A structure

Total sum required: $6,878 in each of three years

$20,634 in allWhat is the organisation and what does

it do? When was it founded, what does it do, give

numbers! How many people work for it, how much

money does it have and pay out A review of its work, reports of its service

The name of the project to be funded What the money will fund and how this

will develop within the organisation. Why apply to this trust?

What partnerships exist? What other funding has been received? What will happen if the bid for funding is

successful? Will you employ anyone?

How will this benefit the users? What is the problem, how is this

organisation doing anything different? What are the finer details of the

programme?

The costA breakdown of the costs involved

Example B structure

Brief introduction and why you’re writing Who we areLegal structure, aim, current staff, association and affiliation What we doHow long in operation, details of work and users, other activities What our project is

The smaller details – e.g. Medical centre, education centre,What this does for the user: how useful is it? How it is fundedAny other means of funding? Why are you asking this

organisation? How much it will costWhen are you looking to do this by? Enclose plans/bills etc. Thank the organisation