The first thing you should do is read the funding call carefully. You need to design your project around the fund. If you try and shoehorn an existing idea in the funding call, it’s highly likely that you’ll fail.
Start fresh, with an open mind. And see if there’s help available. For example, the awesome people at Generator that we work with have some funding to help people complete funding applications in the northeast, check to see if there’s something similar in your area.
Step 1
Check the criteria for the funding carefully so you’re not going for something that you won’t be eligible for. Do you tick all of the boxes? And we mean tick, not just ‘yeah I could nearly be this’.
Step 2
Check the deadline for submissions. Now set your deadline 3 weeks before that. The extra time lets you review and check again, which will boost your chances of getting funded.
Step 3
Check the breakdown of what they are looking to fund. You’ve probably got an idea in your head already, but don’t try and fit it into the funding. Instead look at every point they are asking and say, ‘I can satisfy that by…’. When you’ve done that, take a breath and step back.
Step 4
Now design your project exactly around those points. Consider them set in stone, do not change any of them. It’s easy to develop something and forget what the criteria is, we all do it because we get excited by the possibilities and get carried away. If you stray outside of the criteria the application will most likely fail.
Step 5
Remember! There are likely to be a lot of applications for the funding. Imagine that you’re reviewing potentially hundreds of them, and you’re checking them off against criteria that need to be satisfied. The applications that make it easy, by laying things out clearly and addressing the points your marking against, will stand out.
This doesn’t mean you have to be robotically answering. You can still get your passion and enthusiasm across but do it while making sure you hit all the right answers they’re looking for.
Key things: Stick to the word count, write clearly and concisely, follow instructions on formatting or whether to add attachments, proof read for errors, check it flows.
Step 6
Your costs need to be realistic, always benchmark them against what things actually cost and don’t ty and alter them to fit a set amount. If you need more or less, just reduce the days against something. If the fund allows you to pay yourself, follow their guidelines on rates to the letter.
Step 7
If there’s an option to get a letter of recommendation make sure you choose someone that’s highly relevant to the funding. It can be tempting to pick someone you’re most comfortable with
Step 8
Go through the requirements and note any additional documents or supporting information that has been requested. It can be easy to miss this sometimes, especially when it’s something extra you need to add.
Step 9
Review! Don’t finish and review in the same week. Get it finished in good time before the deadline, then leave a couple of weeks before you do a final review. Come back to it completely fresh, because when you’re in the middle of something you have a distorted view of it. You’ve already spent a long time engrossed in it so it’s easy to lose focus.
If you come back to it fresh, you’ll be able to look at it a lot clearer and assess the strengths. But don’t look straight away, start by looking at the criteria for the funding, then mark your application on where it addresses the key parts of the criteria.
Step 10
Go through the whole form and double check everything to make sure nothing has been missed. And then… Submit!
Step 11
Don’t be disheartened if you don’t get the funding, there are loads of people that will have applied. Ask for feedback and see what you can improve on for the next application.
If you’ve just started out, don’t worry, it gets easier with experience.