Fundraising can be hard work, but below are some suggestions to help you write a good application to a grant funder. 

• Put a short summary of what the funder wants at the top of your page, so if you get lost you can remind yourself to stay targeted. 

• Use plain language. 

• Don’t assume the funder will know anything about your organisation or work – explain acronyms, for example. 

• Draft your answers in as few words as possible, then add any necessary extras. 

• If the application form is online, draft the answers in a Word document first, then cut-and-paste into the online form. 

• Use bullet-points wherever possible. 

• Write your bullet-points, then check that the most important one – that best matches the funders aims – comes first. 

• Start drafting your answer by repeating the question. If you need to save words/characters you can delete it at the end, but it can help to start you off in the right direction. For example: 

Question: “How do you know your work is necessary?” 

Answer: “We know our work is necessary because…” 

• If the question is long or complicated, break it down into the separate parts to make sure you answer each part. For example: 

Question: “Use the box below to tell us about your group. How long have you existed, how did you start, what are your key achievements to date and what are your plans for the future?”  

Answer: “We started in……” 

“We were started because….” 

“To date, we’ve run 12 courses for a total of 56 people….” 

“We’re aiming to recruit more volunteers and start offering women-only courses” 

• Don’t be afraid to repeat the same information in different answers, if necessary. 

Disclaimer

We make every effort to ensure that our information is correct at the time of publication. 

This is only intended as a brief summary of relevant issues and information. Legal advice should be sought where appropriate. The inclusion of other organisations in this information does not imply any endorsement of independent bodies, they are just for signposting purposes.

Voscur is unable to accept liability for any loss or damage or inconvenience arising as a consequence of the use of this information.