Grant applications
How to write a grant application: a practical UK checklist
Plan a grant application around funder fit, community evidence, outcomes, a credible budget and the exact questions asked.
Start with the funder's current questions and criteria. Your answers need to show who needs the work, what you will deliver, what it will cost and how you will check whether it helped.
1. Prove the fit before drafting
Put the funder's aim, eligible applicants, geography, permitted costs and application window on one page. Next to each, write how your project meets it and where you will show that in the form. If a core condition is uncertain, ask the funder. The government Find a grant service points applicants to eligibility and application information; the programme's own page is where you confirm the latest details.
2. Show the need and the intended change
Name the people who will benefit, the problem or opportunity they describe, what your project will do and what should change. Use your own relevant evidence: conversations, a small survey, service records or local data. Explain how the people involved shaped the plan. The National Lottery Community Fund's Reaching Communities application guidance, for example, asks how people will benefit and be involved in shaping the project. Follow your chosen funder's questions rather than copying that programme's structure.
Choose a few outcomes you can observe or measure. “Run 12 sessions” is an activity; “participants feel more confident using a service” is a possible outcome. Explain how you will know whether the change happened, without claiming you can guarantee it.
3. Show how the budget follows the work
Itemise the work: people, space, materials, access needs, travel, evaluation and other relevant costs. Show the calculation behind each figure and connect it to an activity. For example, 12 sessions at £80 for a room means a £960 room line; state who will use it and why. Check which costs the funder permits and whether your organisation must contribute. The Reaching Communities guidance asks later-stage applicants for project costs and a detailed budget. Your own funder may ask at a different stage or in another format.
4. Answer the actual questions
Use the application's headings and word limits as an editing tool. Give the direct answer first, then the evidence. Replace “our project will transform the community” with a specific plan, for example: “We will run 12 weekly sessions for 20 residents and ask participants before and after whether they feel able to use the service.” That is an illustration, not a result to claim in advance. Ask someone unfamiliar with the project to read your draft: can they explain the need, the work, the cost and the expected change?
Before you apply
- Recheck the funder's current guidance, form, deadline and required documents.
- Make every budget line traceable to the delivery plan and eligible under the funder's rules.
- Check that evidence supports your claims and that outcomes can be assessed.
- Leave time for sign-off and submission; keep a copy of what you sent.