How to apply for a grant as a partnership

To apply for a grant as a partnership, first check that the programme accepts your proposed organisations and funding arrangement. Then agree who applies, what each partner delivers, how money moves and who reports to the funder. For example, Reaching Communities England gives specific guidance for partnership bids. A shared project idea is the starting point; the application needs an agreed delivery plan behind it.

1. Check eligibility for every partner

Read the programme rules before choosing the lead applicant. Check permitted organisation types, project geography, activities and any restrictions on passing funding to another organisation. Ask the funder about any unclear arrangement before spending time on a joint bid.

For Reaching Communities England, all partners must be eligible organisations. Its guidance says funding usually goes to a lead organisation, which can pay the other partners for their work; it also describes separate payments where there is no lead. Those are this programme's arrangements, not options to assume every funder offers.

Make a short record for each organisation: legal name, proposed role, relevant eligibility rule and unresolved question. A larger charity at the front of the bid does not, by itself, answer whether every proposed partner is eligible. If registration status is the issue, see our guide to grants without registered charity status.

2. Choose the lead and describe each role

Choose a lead that can do the work attached to the role: coordinate the application, maintain the combined budget, gather evidence and respond to the funder. Agree who covers those tasks if the main contact leaves. Include the time needed in your planning, and check whether its cost is eligible.

The National Lottery Heritage Grants £250,000 to £10million guidance says the lead in a joint application completes the form and, if successful, receives the grant and provides updates. It distinguishes active delivery partners from subcontractors, and requires a partnership agreement where another organisation delivers a significant proportion of the project. Apply those definitions when considering that programme.

For your own bid, describe what each organisation actually does. A delivery partner running activities, a supplier hired for a defined service and an organisation sending referrals have different roles. Ask the funder how it wants those relationships presented rather than calling everyone a partner.

Write one sentence that explains the joint approach: “Organisation A brings [specific capacity]; Organisation B brings [specific capacity]; together we will deliver [activity] for [people/place].” Remove claims about benefits that neither partner can evidence.

3. Build one budget from agreed responsibilities

Start with a costed activity plan from each delivery organisation. Combine these into one project budget, showing the organisation responsible for each line. Keep shared costs visible so that the same room hire, administration time or equipment purchase does not appear twice.

In this fictional example, two eligible community organisations plan a joint skills project:

• Organisation A: £2,400 for venue and coordination.
• Organisation B: £3,000 for session delivery.
• Shared materials: £600, purchased and recorded by A.
• Total proposed cost: £6,000, subject to the chosen funder's cost rules.

If A will receive the whole grant and transfer £3,000 to B, that transfer pays for B's delivery line; it is not another £3,000 of project costs. Keep the transfer record and the underlying spending evidence distinct. Agree what B will send to A to support the combined report.

Also map the timing: when does the funder pay, when does B need money and what evidence triggers each transfer? Do not promise an advance before confirming that the grant terms and your cash position support it. For shared overhead calculations, use our full cost recovery guide.

4. Agree how the partnership will work

Reaching Communities England asks for confirmation of a written partnership agreement before payment. Its partnership guidance also asks about the value of working together, previous collaboration, roles, financial health, policies and arrangements for decisions, finances and reporting. Check the timing and evidence requirements for your chosen programme.

Use the following as a planning agenda for your partners, rather than as a contract template:

• Delivery: activities, milestones, named contacts and responsibility for each task.
• Money: agreed cost lines, payment timing, spending records and approval of changes.
• Decisions: who can approve routine decisions and how disagreements are resolved.
• Evidence: reporting dates, measures and responsibility for assembling the funder's report.
• Problems: how partners raise delays, missed delivery or a proposed withdrawal.
• Completion: who finishes outstanding reports and resolves remaining payments.

Compare the proposed agreement with the grant terms before signing. Resolve unclear responsibilities with the funder and obtain advice on the agreement where needed. A useful discussion document is not proof that contractual obligations have been covered.

5. Write one consistent application

Give one person responsibility for bringing the answers together, then ask every partner to check the sections that describe its work and costs. Look for mismatches: a timetable promising 20 sessions while a partner has priced 12, or a narrative naming a partner that has not agreed to participate.

Explain why collaboration helps this particular project. For example, one organisation may have an accessible venue while another has the staff to deliver the proposed sessions. State what is confirmed and what remains subject to agreement; do not present a conversation as a commitment.

Agree how you will count results across organisations. If the same person attends both partners' activities, decide how to distinguish attendances from unique participants before writing a target. Our outputs and outcomes guide helps you choose measures that match the proposed work.

Before submission, confirm partner eligibility, agreed roles, the combined budget, payment arrangements, required documents and each partner's approval of the final bid. Save that version and set an internal date for responding to any funder questions. Start your shortlist with OpenGrant's charity and community grant search, then check partnership rules directly with each funder.