Writing a Successful Funding Application

This short course provides a beginner’s guide to how to write a successful funding application, using the National Lottery Community Fund’s Awards For All online application form as an example. It is designed for people who haven’t written a funding application before, or want a refresher on the fundamentals of writing a successful application in a competitive funding landscape.

What you’ll get from this course:

• The chance to go through a successful funding application and understand how you can emulate it
• Advice on key elements such as writing project outcomes, evidencing co-production and creating an accurate budget
• Time to start sketching out your own application, ask questions and get expert advice
• The chance to step back and decide what you need to do next to lay the foundations for a strong application for your project

We’ll be covering:

• Why Awards For All, and what do they look for in an application?
• Walking through all the main answers from a successful Awards For All application
• Describing your project activities, outcomes and impact
• Demonstrating consultation & co-design (a key feature that funders look for)
• Writing clearly and concisely when faced with a tight word count
• Developing a budget that funders understand and that reflects the true costs of your project
• Identifying gaps in your application and how to address them

Who should attend

Writing a Successful Funding Application is an introductory course aimed at people who would like to learn some of the core principles for writing successful grant and funding applications.

You may have started a social enterprise and be trying to attract new income, or you may be part of a fundraising or development team within a charity and looking to boost your skills.

This course is open to anyone.

Timings

The course runs from 10am to 1pm (including breaks).

Location

This workshop takes place live online via Zoom. Joining details will be emailed to you in the run up to the workshop.

Course facilitators

Mike Zywina has 15 years’ experience in the sector as a fundraiser, consultant, senior manager and trustee. He runs strategic planning workshops and training courses for charities and social enterprises, and designs major funding bids, with a particular track record in securing Lottery funding. As a strategy specialist, Mike brings together groups of people to make better strategic decisions, prioritise the right opportunities and develop a more sustainable funding base, by asking the right questions to bring structure to their planning and draw out the best aspects of their work.

Ally Rea is a marketing and fundraising professional with over 15 years’ experience for charities large and small. She has broad experience in bid writing, communications, strategic and operational roles across the arts, heritage, disability, health and media sectors. Ally has also spent time sitting on the other side of the desk assessing funding applications for Arts Council England, and brings this insight into her trusts fundraising work and training.

Price

For this workshop plus all course materials you pay:

Organisational turnover less than £50,000 or individuals unattached to an organisation - £89

Organisational turnover £50,000 – £99,999 - £129

Organisational turnover £100,000 – £499,999 - £169

Organisational turnover £500,000 – £1m - £189

Organisational turnover £1m +- £199