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How to apply for grants

Following through

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You are here: Home > Community and Living > Fundraising information > How to apply for grants > Following through > If you have been successful

If you have been successful

This page contains information on what do to if your grant application is successful.

If you are lucky enough to be awarded funding, make sure you acknowledge the offer and send a letter of thanks. This is the first step to maintaining a continuing relationship with your funder, who may then be more inclined to alert you to new schemes and supportive to funding future projects.

Unless absolutely unavoidable, do not change the project. If it really cannot be helped, advise the funder of the changes and the reason for them. In such circumstances they may be able to vary the drawdown of payments or help with alternative sources of funding.

Make sure that you gain maximum publicity for your project (and your funder). This will help generate local goodwill and will be useful in future funding applications. Keep your funder appraised of any other positive developments or publicity e.g. increased funding for expansion, awards gained by the project etc.

Ensure that you comply with all the terms and conditions of the grant. You may well be monitoring outcomes for your own purposes - and if not you should be - but your funder may also require you to monitor specific outcomes. You should have systems in place to supply the information in accordance with the funder’s needs, but do not send information more often than requested. Similarly, your funder may ask for regular financial reports and information, again ensure that you supply these in accordance with their requirements.

There are no magic answers and no real shortcuts when it comes to securing the best grant for your organisation. It is rather like building a house – it is important to lay good foundations, make sure all the preparation and groundwork is done, pay attention to detail and make sure the whole process is well managed. Much of the foregoing is common sense but you would be surprised how many applications are received unsigned, or with a budget that does not add up!