Make funders care: three ways to make your grant applications stand out
As AI and competition reshape grant fundraising, the strongest applications will be those that combine clear, human storytelling with genuine insight into the people and communities charities serve.
A strong grant application isn’t just about having a good idea. It’s about making it easy for a funder to understand why that idea matters, what difference it could make, and why your organisation is the right one to deliver it.
But with fundraisers facing tight word counts, increasing competition and, now, the growing use of AI, how can charities make sure their applications stand out for the right reasons?
Ahead of Grants Unlocked, we asked speakers Elizabeth Marney, Trusts and Statutory Manager at Tommy’s, Sarah Watson, Head of Innovation at The National Lottery Community Fund, and Gill Jolly, DSC Associate, to share their advice on what makes grant fundraising more effective, from telling a story funders can connect with to using AI without losing your voice and focusing your time on the opportunities most likely to lead to success.
Don’t make funders work to understand your story
For Elizabeth Marney, one of the biggest mistakes charities can make is focusing on what’s important to them, rather than what the funder needs to know.
Take longevity. Being able to say your organisation has been running for 32 years is undoubtedly something to be proud of. But when space is limited, Elizabeth suggests asking whether that information is helping the funder understand the difference they could help you make now.
The same applies to the language we use.
“Sector jargon may be second nature to you,” Elizabeth says, “but if a funder has to work hard to understand what you’re saying, they’re less likely to connect with the difference you’re making.”
A phrase such as “holistic intervention” might sound perfectly familiar to someone working in the charity sector, but it doesn’t necessarily tell a funder what the organisation actually does.
By contrast, saying that you help people find a safe place to live, access counselling and manage their finances gives a much clearer picture.
The lesson is simple: don’t assume your reader knows what you mean. Make it easy for them to understand the need, the impact and the role they could play in creating change.
Quality over quantity
For Gill Jolly, DSC Associate, standing out to funders starts well before you submit an application.
She warns against what she calls the “scatter gun effect”, where charities send as many applications as possible in the hope that more applications will mean more success. While it can feel like a productive approach, it can quickly become exhausting and damaging to morale, both for fundraisers and their organisations. It could even affect a charity’s reputation with funders.
Gill’s advice is simple: quality over quantity.
That means taking the time to research whether you are genuinely a good fit for a funder. Alongside understanding what they are interested in supporting, charities should check practical eligibility criteria such as how long they have been operating, their structure or status, reserves, annual income, location and where their service users are based.
But Gill also recommends looking internally before pressing submit.
Have they funded you before? When did you last communicate with them? Do you already have a relationship with someone at the funder?
If a funder has supported your organisation in the past, don’t assume that a thank-you letter is the end of the relationship. Gill recommends thinking about stewardship as a cycle of inform, ask, thank, update. A thank-you should acknowledge both the funder’s decision to support you and the funding itself, but charities should continue the conversation by keeping funders informed about what their support has made possible.
It is another reminder that successful grant fundraising isn’t simply about sending more applications. It is about making thoughtful choices about where to invest your time, building genuine relationships and making sure there is a good reason to apply in the first place.
AI can help, but it can’t replace insight
The challenge of standing out becomes even more important as AI becomes increasingly accessible.
Sarah Watson argues that as AI-generated applications become more common, genuine insight will become even more valuable.
Funders want to see that charities understand the people and communities they serve. AI can help organise information, improve structure and save time, but it can’t create that understanding for you.
Sarah recommends that charities focus on three things.
First, ground applications in real beneficiary insight rather than AI-generated assumptions. Second, use AI to strengthen and structure your case for support, rather than relying on it to write the case itself. And third, keep human judgement at the centre of the process, particularly when deciding which outcomes matter, which challenges to acknowledge and which stories genuinely reflect your work.
Used well, AI could actually give fundraisers more time for the things that matter most: listening to communities, building partnerships and reflecting on learning.
Those are the activities that create the insight, understanding and trust that technology can’t replicate.
Your voice is your advantage
Together, these insights point to a common thread: the strongest grant applications aren’t necessarily the ones that sound the most impressive or are submitted in the greatest numbers. They’re the ones that are clear, authentic, well researched and rooted in a genuine understanding of the funder and the people the charity serves.
That means stripping away unnecessary jargon. Prioritising what the funder needs to know. Using evidence that comes from real people and communities. And making sure your application still sounds like your organisation, rather than a generic version of what you think a “good” funding application should sound like.
As Sarah puts it, the strongest bids won’t necessarily be the most polished. They’ll be the ones that demonstrate genuine understanding, honesty about challenges and a distinctive voice that could only come from the people doing the work.
That’s a useful reminder in a funding landscape where it’s becoming easier to produce polished words. The thing that can’t be automated is the experience, insight and understanding behind them.
At Grants Unlocked, we’ll be exploring how charities can build stronger relationships with funders, write proposals that people remember, use AI without losing authenticity, and develop grant strategies that work for their organisations.
