Writing a solid funding submission with a better chance of getting across the line is an artform in itself. In fact I recommend that my clients are cautious when making funding a major part of their financial model. Funding is not money for nothing, it is a highly competitive process, you need to fit the criteria perfectly and in order to legally fulfill your responsibilities you need to colour inbetween the lines both creatively and in your operation. That said if you have weighed up your return on investment or the perfect funding round turns up for your particular project then here are some tips to sure up a better chance of success.
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Make sure you read the criteria and fit into it
Your submission won’t even make it out of the gates if you don’t fit the selection criteria. Be sure that your project fits exactly within the funding priorities and provide a compelling and clear argument as to how you will be achieving this. People are sometimes tempted to submit their project for funding everywhere and bend and morph what they are doing to fit the particular funding program. This risks weakening your application which will bump it down the list if there are other applicants who are a perfect fit. Know your project and its outcomes and then hunt for the funding program that best fits what you are trying to achieve. It’s always a great idea to ring the funding body and discuss your project before you start to double check.
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Make sure your application is complete
Near enough is never good enough in the competitive world of submissions. Make sure you have ticked all the boxes for what needs to be included in your submission. Regardless of the merit of your project, ommissions won’t be overlooked, the process is way too selective and there will be just as worthy applicants with complete applications to fill your spot.
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Make the application really easy to read
Selection committees are busy people with a giant pile of submissions and support materials to wade through. Many people on selection committees are there on a voluntary basis as stakeholders or peer reviewers slotting in their assessing in their spare time (late at night, kids underfoot, in between meetings, on their lunch breaks), make their job easy. Make sure your application is laid out clearly and is very easy to digest for speed readers or panel members who are brain fried. Bullet points, paragraph breaks, making bold or underlining titles – format your application so it is super readable. If your application is a visual mess, has giant blocks of rolling text and is hard to extract the relevant information from, you will put yourself at a disadvantage.
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Get really solid support letters from all stakeholders
A selection panel will be looking for evidence that you can deliver what you say you will and that the people you plan to involve/serve are totally on board. Support letters are a must. If you have a social outcome to your project make sure those who you claim will benefit write you letters to confirm the likelihood of this being the case, peak bodies, potential participants and high profile advocats for your project need to write you a letter, on letterhead and signed. If you are an expert, experienced in what you’re doing or have special skills, have letters from people who can confirm this. If you have recruited certain people to work on your project, make sure they write a letter to confirm their commitment. You can make this process very easy for people by writing a template with some of the core details included for them to edit and tweak. The more solid and compelling letters you have the better. The panel won’t just take your word for it, you need evidence of all of the people you say support your proposal or are involved.
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Be thorough, factual and professional
Applications are the time to put in clear, relevant details. An application isn’t prose, fluffy language and wordy sentiments wont strengthen your cause. You need to stay on point. Writing space is limited in an application so make sure all your information is relevant to the selection criteria and the section you are addressing. If you are applying for something that is a part of a larger project or process, keep focused on the exact part you are applying for and how it fits the criteria and how you will deliver it. If you are cutting and pasting from other submissions or core documents to populate your submission form, edit carefully so that the information is relevant to this specific project.
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Put in good relevant detail
Make sure you have included all the details that are relevant to your project. Give the assessment panel all the details that will reassure them that you are across the criteria and are able to deliver the project. The more thorough and focused the process is the more reassuring it will be that granting you the funds will be money well spent. Don’t include after thoughts or fluffy outcomes. Reassure the panel at all stages that you can deliver and that your project is well thought out. Money is tight and funders are looking to get the most bang for their buck, a project that fails due to lack of attention to detail is not a happy outcome for anyone.
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Spell it out
Remembering that panel members are generally time poor, hand them the important information on a platter. Make it a no brainer for the panel to see how your project ticks all the boxes. Make sure that it’s easy to understand what your project actually is. It’s great to have an outside eye go through your application to make sure it makes sense. You may know your project inside and out but the panel don’t and your application is the time to make it absolutely clear what you’re planning to do.
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Do a proper budget
A wishy washy, vague budget does not instill confidence in funders that you are financially across what you’re doing. If you include volunteer and in kind dollars qualify them. It’s important to include alternative income streams but including a bank of unspecified volunteer hours or vague in kind contributions can come across as a an unsubstantiated attempt to boost the budget. Itemise each expense clearly so that it’s obvious how you calculated that amount and that it wasn’t a figure pulled out of thin air. A good budget suggests that if you get funded not only will it be enough to get you across the line but that you’ll also have the ability to account for those funds come acquital time.
Funding can be a real gift to certain creatives, organisations and projects but it is a process that needs to be approached with a good knowledge of how the system works and a confidence that what you’re proposing ticks the boxes.
For those of you with a good social following why not try Crowdfunding as an alternative to government funding? Read my blog here for tips on how to run a successful crowdfunding campaign.
