Don’t leave it to the last minute

Grant applications take planning, a lot of conversations, and sometimes to and fro between different parties, even within the company. Leaving an application to the last minute affects the overall quality of your submission. It may be that key stakeholders aren’t available to provide information for your application, or they feel rushed so don’t provide the detail required. So, both for your first and second application, ensure you set out a clear timeline, and make sure key stakeholders are aware of the timings as well as what is required, to get the best information for your submission.

Dedicate enough time to the application process

The second piece of advice we would give is that grant funding is not easy. So, be prepared to put in time and thought to ensure your resubmission has the best chance of success. Take on board feedback, revise your application and then double-check that you have truly addressed the points raised by assessors.

Take on board feedback

You will get 3 to 5 assessors who look at your grant application, and usually they give some really good advice. Not only is their advice valuable for this particular application, it can also be factored into future grant applications. Take each application as an opportunity to learn, as the techniques used to put together a strong grant application can also be used when fundraising or pitching your business for other opportunities.

Though, assessors are all people, and sometimes you may receive conflicting feedback or disagree with what they say. It’s important to read the feedback and identify key themes, so we advice to take it more as guidance than gospel. Then, plan what you want to change and what you want to keep, then make a plan to address the feedback for the resubmission.

Don’t add too much activity into one grant project

One mistake we see quite often is when businesses try to fit too much into one grant project. This can put assessors off, as they deem the project to be high risk, particularly if the team in question doesn’t have a strong background in project management, or if the overall objective seems too ambitious.

One option here is to break a larger project down into smaller pieces, and apply for a smaller competition initially, working your way up to the larger competitions. This would enable you to build a portfolio of managing successful projects and delivering them, making you a stronger candidate for future funding.

Seek advice from professionals

Finally, having a professional input into your application can help, for a number of reasons. Whether you struggle with committing the time to complete your application, want an expert view on how to improve your application for resubmission, or want to outsource the writing completely, there is support available at a level to suit you. We offer a full range of services around grant funding, so get in touch today if you’d like to find out more.