Top Tips for Applying to Grant-Making Trusts and Foundations

By Tom Traynor, Research Project Manager, Directory of Social Change

As funding to the voluntary sector from central government and local authorities is cut, many charities are focusing more of their attention on seeking funding from grant-making trusts and foundations.

These funders are increasingly feeling the pressure and many trusts and foundations may not be able to consider funding new organisations – instead, they may be continuing to provide funding to charities with which they have an existing relationship.

It is also the case that most trusts and foundations are over-subscribed; however grant-making trusts and foundations have always received many more good applications and proposals than they are able to fund.

Although many may be receiving more applications than ever before, many of them are still keen to give all the support they can to the right organisations and the right projects. The key is to ensure that you ask the right funders for the right amount in the right way.

If you are able to demonstrate that funding your organisation or your project represents the best use of their charitable funds, then you are half way there!

Based on DSC’s in-depth research into grant-making trusts and foundations over many years, for publications such as the Directory of Grant-Making Trusts and the Guide to the Major Trusts, and online resources such as www.trustfunding.org.uk, here are some top tips to help you make the ask:

• Read the guidelines!
• Read the guidelines again!
• Do you meet the funder’s eligibility criteria? If not, move on and find one where you do.
• If the funder does not have specific guidelines then try to ensure that you are at least familiar with any geographical preference the trust may have and note organisations that have been funded in the past – is their work similar to yours?
• If the trust or foundation states that they are willing to offer help and advice before an application is made then contact them to discuss your proposal beforehand – an initial telephone call could save both of you a lot of time and effort in the long run if your proposal is unsuitable or they are currently over-subscribed. Please remember that many trusts and foundations don’t have paid staff and rely on volunteers or trustees to deal with applications.
• If the funder uses an application form, make sure that you complete it as fully as you can – incomplete application forms are likely to be the first ones to be filtered out.
• If the trust has an online application form, prepare your proposal beforehand as some online forms cannot be saved to return to later.
• Where no application form is used – be concise in your written letter of application and include your latest annual report and accounts. Don’t enclose any unnecessary materials at this stage – most trusts don’t have time to read them and if they are interested in your proposal they will request this material at a later stage.
• Application letters should be no more than four sides of A4 – brevity is the key to getting your application read!
• Don’t use jargon or specialist language that a lay-person may not understand. Initially, you must be able to communicate what you want to achieve using straightforward language and concepts. (However, a more specialist funder, for example one that funds medical research, may require a more specialist explanation – although the principle of being concise still applies.)
• The proposal should be written by someone who has a thorough understanding of your organisation and the project that you are requesting funds for – this person should be the named contact should a potential funder require further information.
• You must be able to demonstrate a need for the funding and be able to directly relate this to how it will help you serve your beneficiaries.
• Be realistic about how much you are asking for.
• Don’t rely on a positive response from a single trust or foundation – apply to as many relevant funders as you can to maximise your chances.
• Be patient, and be prepared to never receive a reply! Some funders acknowledge receipt of every application they receive, but most only contact successful applicants or those that they are interested in.

Tom Traynor has been researching grant-making trusts and foundations for almost 10 years, and is the author of The Guide to the Major Trusts Volume 1.

You can also learn more about raising money from trusts from one of our three Fundraising Training courses: Increasing Support from Trusts, Maximise the Effectiveness of your Trust Programme, and ‘How to’ Raise Money from Trusts.