I’ve spoken to a number of not-for-profit organisations who feel that grant funding is an avenue that they’re missing out on.
They may have no idea where to start. Or they’ve been invited to apply for one specific grant, and now want to see what else is out there.
If any of these scenarios feel familiar, read on…
I should add that I’m in the UK, so the funders mentioned will be less relevant elsewhere in the world. But if you’re outside of the UK, search for #grantwriting on Instagram for tips and funds to look into. I also focus on not-for-profits, but in certain circumstances there is some funding available to commercial organisations.
The most important thing to remember:
Grant funding is a wonderful resource. But competition can be fierce, and funding is not guaranteed. You may not receive any funding, even if you meet all the eligibility criteria, and submit a really compelling application.
Like most things, however, you won’t know unless you try.
Don’t rush it!
Grant funding is not a quick fix solution:
- It takes time to find the right opportunity, and put the application together
- Many funders are also charities in their own right, and their committee (often a group of trustees) will only meet monthly or quarterly to discuss applications and decide where to award funding. So it’s not unusual to have a long wait before you find out if you’re successful. I’ll go into timings a bit more in a future post.
As soon as you start looking, you’ll be amazed how many potential opportunities are out there.
There are around 10,000 funders in the UK, and around 8,000 active at any one time and ready to give money to good causes.
There’s the ones everyone has heard of – e.g. The National Lottery, People’s Postcode Lottery, Comic Relief – but there are many, many individual trusts and grant makers focused on individual communities and causes.
A lot of funders require you to apply online, so you’ll need a reliable internet connection!
Where to look:
Individual funders
I recommend you ease yourself into it by searching the big ones first:
The National Lottery has quite a large range of individual grant ‘pots’.
So, usually, does Comic Relief. Funds are currently closed at time of writing but are possibly reopening later in 2022.
The People’s Postcode Trust and its network of regional organisations supports good causes working in several different areas. It’s funded by the People’s Postcode Lottery (PPL) and you’ll have probably either seen the TV adverts or had a leaflet through the door).
PPL also works with fundraising site Local Giving to award Magic Little Grants, and the great thing is that almost any small (or new) organisation can apply.
If your beneficiaries include children and/or young people, then search for BBC Children in Need (the website isn’t working today).
Now try a database
By now, you’ll be starting to get your head around what is out there. If you want to conduct a deeper search, then the Charity Excellence Framework is a brilliant resource. It’s currently free and run by volunteers. I think there are plans to introduce a small fee, but it will still be brilliant value for money. As well as lots of great resources, there’s a Funding Finder. This is a big, searchable, and regularly updated database. Filter your search results and see what you find.
When I search for potential grants for clients, I start with a longlist. This is all the grants that might be a good fit based on a quick glance at the website (and database results, where I’ve found them that way).
Tip: look and listen out for opportunities. Sometimes local newspapers might carry stories of funders announcing that new money is available. Here in Maidenhead, our local paper itself is owned by a charitable trust which offers grant funding.
Check and double-check eligibility
To turn my longlist into a shortlist, I then look into each funder. It makes sense to only apply when the grant, and the funder, is a good fit. While this is often fairly clear on the website, you may need to check FAQs, or download a guide to applying. I did say you can’t rush this process… but it’s time well spent. You avoid wasting time on applications where you will be immediately disqualified, and therefore can concentrate your resources on applications where you have a real chance.
Read these example scenarios and decide if they’re worth applying for:
- You’re a community interest company (CIC) and the funding is only open to relevant charities / charitable incorporated organisations (CIOs)
- You work with a local community in Inverness, Scotland, but the funder is only supporting organisations in Cardiff, Wales
- You need funding for a salary but the criteria states they won’t fund staffing costs.
Well done if you said no. Funding is never guaranteed, but you won’t be awarded funds if you don’t meet the criteria.
Less clear-cut, but no less important is the ethos of the funder. To find this out, do your research. Read the information on the funder’s website (if they have one). Annual reports are goldmines of information and will often tell you the charities they’ve supported, and how much each has been awarded. Look them up on the charity commission website – searching by number or name – and check the overview and governing document, particularly.
You’ve followed these steps and you’ve found a good fit. Brilliant news.
In part two, I’ll talk about how to start to structure and write your application.
No time or in-house resources? I find suitable funds and create compelling applications for organisations. If you’d like to discuss how I can help you, let’s arrange a no-obligation chat.
Photo by Dan Cristian Pădureț on Unsplash
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