I recently caught up with Helen at Joseph Rowntree Foundation and asked her for some hints and tips when applying for funding. Here are her Top 5 tips for attracting / applying for funding:
- Call us!
We understand this may often be a daunting thought to applicants but we genuinely want to support you in any way that we can. Funders are always really happy to listen to your ideas, it’s a really helpful way of bringing your work to life and will help both you as the applicant and the funder to identify whether the aims of your work align with the funder’s aims. A top tip would be to make sure you’ve read the guidelines before calling and make a note of any questions you’d like to ask the funder. - Celebrate your unique selling point!
This is helpful for any funder to see what sets you apart from other groups that might be doing similar work. - Assume ignorance
Assume that the funder knows nothing about your organisation or about the work you are planning on doing. When drafting an application it may be worth (where possible) asking someone outside of the organisation, i.e. a friend or family member, to read through the application to do a sense check. - Choose a clear and concise title
This helps to bring your project to life, make it accessible and hopefully self-explanatory! - Recommendations!
Ask us for recommendations on other suitable funders to apply to. Usually funders have connections with other funders and should be able to signpost you to these in the event that they are not the right funder for you.
So there you have it! Get calling and applying!
Grants: https://www.jrf.org.uk/our-work/research-opportunity-and-funding/york-committee
