Helpful Hints

Make every word work for you – you have limited space to get your message across and the attention span of the reader will be short.

Ask for a specific amount of money – it will give funders a better idea of how to gauge the size of grant to give.

Do your research !! The more you know about the trust and how your project or proposal meets its criteria, the more likely you are to succeed.

Try to accentuate the positive and not dwell on the negative things that could happen if the project isn’t funded.

Submit a well-justified budget that includes income as well as expenditure. But be realistic and don’t under-bid. You need to have precise quotes of costs of everything you are asking for.

Use headed paper. It should be clear, informative and quote your charity registration number.

Follow the application procedure and always honour the funder’s preference with respect to phone or written enquiries.

Avoid using buzzwords and jargon.

Instead of telling a funder what they want to fund, tell them what you plan to do, how and why – present a clear picture of what will happen, how you plan to proceed and how you’ll measure success.

The contact person named in the letter should know everything about the application.

Don’t think of a letter to a trust as a ‘begging letter’ – the money in a trust has to be spent on charitable work so you are giving them the opportunity to spend it.

Write in short sentences, using shorter rather than longer words. Keep it short and simple but make sure you get your points across clearly and logically.

Ask someone outside your organisation to read your application.

Explain how you hope to fund your project after the current grant period.

Say thank you and keep in touch – if a funder knows what you are up to, they’re more likely to fund you again.

Provide hard evidence (facts and figures) in support of your application.

If a trust gives a phone number, use it to find out if they have guidelines available, what elements they usually or rarely consider and when the next deadline for applications is.

Re-read your application carefully before posting it, to make sure you haven’t left anything out or made any mistakes, as this damages your credibility – even better get someone else to do it.

Always endeavour to find the name of the Trust Secretary or person to whom you are applying. It looks more personal than “To whom it may concern”.

You need to think about how you will measure your success – how will you report this back to your funders?

Remember the funder is primarily interested in the need for what you are doing, not in your continuing existence

Plan properly before you contact funders. You need to be clear about what you want to do and plan your activities a year or two in advance to allow you time to raise money.