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Grant fundraising


ACCESS DENIED


Bid-writing expert Rachel Gordon on the most common reasons why grant applications get turned down – and how to avoid it happening to you


N


obody wants to receive a rejection letter. You often only get one shot with a grant application, so it is


important to adopt a ‘right fi rst time’ approach to give yourself the best chance of securing funding. So, how can you attract the attention of the reviewer? How can you save your application going into the rejection pile? Here are some common mistakes to avoid in order to be on the path to fundraising success.


Failing on eligibility criteria Every grant programme has its own eligibility criteria. It is essential that you read the guidance notes


provided to confi rm whether your organisation and your project is eligible. Too often, people do not read the information provided and proceed with an application that has little or no chance of being successful. It is important to note that not all funders will give grants to schools, even if they declare an interest in education and helping children and young people.


Key criteria to watch out for include: ■ Organisation type – if schools are not supported, could a PTA lead the application instead? This might not always be possible, but it is


worth investigating. ■ Geographical reach – some funders will only fund organisations


or projects located in certain areas. ■ The nature of your project –


some funders will not support anything related to core school


costs or curriculum provision. ■ Funding priorities – does your project meet at least one of the


stated funding priorities? ■ Total project cost – some grant programmes will not support projects that are considered too


small or too big. ■ A realistic budget – can you deliver what you plan to do with


the budget stated? ■ Timescales – the project might have to be started and completed within a specifi ed timeframe, so


is this going to work? ■ Community involvement – you may have to guarantee a certain level of community access and involvement (this is becoming increasingly common with grant programmes open to schools). If you’re in any doubt about your


FundEd SPRING 2019 33


IMAGES: SIBERIAN PHOTOGRAPHER; STEPHANIE ZIEBER/ISTOCKOHOTO.COM


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