# Do you need a safeguarding policy to apply for a grant?

Check when a grant funder needs a safeguarding policy, what evidence to prepare and how to explain your arrangements in an application.

- Author: OpenGrant
- Topic: [Grant applications](https://opengrant.co.uk/blog/category/grant-applications)
- Published: 2026-10-24
- Updated: 2026-10-24
- Canonical URL: https://opengrant.co.uk/blog/safeguarding-policy-grant-application

You may need a safeguarding policy to apply for a grant: check the programme's requirements before submitting. For example, [Reaching Communities England requires one where the project involves children, young people or adults at risk, including for partners involved in the work](https://www.tnlcommunityfund.org.uk/funding/funding-programmes/reaching-communities-england/how-to-apply). Having a policy and being asked to upload it are separate questions. This guide helps UK charities and community groups prepare the funding evidence; it is not a safeguarding policy template.

## 1. Check what your funder requires, and when

Read the application guidance, document checklist and proposed grant terms together. Record whether the policy must already be in place, whether a copy is requested and whether the funder asks for a review date or other evidence. Do not treat an empty attachment checklist as confirmation that no policy is needed.

[Devon County Council's Community Grants FAQ](https://www.devon.gov.uk/communities/devon-county-community-grant/growing-communities-fund-faqs/) illustrates the distinction. It expects relevant policies and procedures for organisations working with children, young people and vulnerable adults, but does not routinely request copies for every scheme. Some schemes require them; others may ask applicants to explain their arrangements or why they do not have a policy. These are Devon's requirements, not a rule for every UK grant.

Write a short note for each shortlisted fund: “Policy requirement: \[wording and source]. Evidence requested: \[document or answer]. Needed by: \[application stage]. Unclear point: \[question for funder].” This makes a missing requirement visible before the deadline.

## 2. Check that the document matches how you work

The [National Lottery Community Fund's safeguarding expectations](https://www.tnlcommunityfund.org.uk/funding/funding-support/getting-ready-to-apply/preparing-your-application/safeguarding-expectations-for-organisations-we-fund) call for a tailored policy and code of conduct, review at least annually, clear responsibilities, managed risks, appropriate training and a reporting procedure. They apply to funded organisations and partners delivering funded activities. The Fund may ask about these arrangements during an application and after an award.

For your application review, put the current policy beside the proposed delivery plan. Check the following practical details:

- **Activities:** does the document cover the work described in the bid, including any online sessions or off-site visits?
- **People:** are the named responsibilities and contact details current?
- **Version:** can you identify the approved document, its review date and who owns the next review?
- **Practice:** can the delivery team explain where to find the procedure and how to raise a concern?
- **Partners:** have you checked the arrangements for each organisation delivering part of the project?

This is a funding-readiness check, not a complete assessment of safeguarding practice. If the review exposes a gap, give someone responsibility for resolving it and record the action needed. Renaming a downloaded template does not answer whether it fits your activities.

## 3. Explain your arrangements with specific evidence

If the form asks how you keep people safe, answer the question using arrangements that exist. A statement such as “safeguarding is our top priority” leaves the assessor with little to check. Identify the relevant policy, responsibility and preparation for the proposed work, within the form's word limit.

You could use this drafting structure, replacing every bracket with verified information:

“Our \[policy title/version] was approved by \[body] on \[date] and last reviewed on \[date]. \[Role] is responsible for \[responsibility]. Before \[activity], we \[specific preparation]. Staff and volunteers find the reporting procedure at \[location] and receive \[relevant induction or training]. Our delivery partner \[name] has \[confirmed arrangements]. The next review is due \[date].”

Leave out anything you cannot substantiate. Describe a planned action as planned, with an owner and completion date; do not present it as finished. If the funder requires that action before application, complete it first or ask the funder how to proceed.

For the rest of your supporting documents, see our [guide to grant due diligence checks](https://opengrant.co.uk/blog/grant-due-diligence-checks). Keep safeguarding answers focused rather than pasting the same general governance paragraph into every field.

## A practical example: a new activity exposes a gap

In this fictional example, a community group has a policy for its existing venue-based sessions. It wants funding for a new programme delivered partly online with another organisation. The bid writer finds that the draft application mentions both delivery settings, but the policy review notes only refer to the venue.

The group pauses the safeguarding answer, asks its responsible lead to review the new activity and checks the partner's arrangements. It records the resulting changes, updates the team's induction plan and then checks that the application describes the agreed approach. It uses the actual approval and review dates, rather than changing the date on an old document.

The lesson for the application is simple: compare the proposed work with your evidence before claiming readiness. A recent date alone does not show that a policy covers a new activity.

## What if you do not have a policy yet?

First establish what the funder requires at the point of application. If its wording is unclear, send a focused enquiry: “We plan to deliver \[activity] with \[participants and partners]. Your guidance says \[requirement]. Must the policy be approved before submission, and what evidence should we provide?” Do not answer “yes” to a readiness declaration while the document is still being drafted.

For help developing the policy itself, the [Community Fund's guidance links to specialist resources from NCVO, NSPCC Learning and the Ann Craft Trust, as well as charity regulators](https://www.tnlcommunityfund.org.uk/funding/funding-support/getting-ready-to-apply/preparing-your-application/safeguarding-expectations-for-organisations-we-fund). Choose advice relevant to your activities and UK nation. Use the grant checklist to organise evidence, rather than as a substitute for that specialist guidance.

Allow time for the work when choosing an application deadline. If preparation has a cost, check whether the particular programme permits it and when spending can begin; do not assume the grant will reimburse it. Our [guide to applying after a project has started](https://opengrant.co.uk/blog/can-you-apply-for-grant-after-starting-project) explains the timing questions.

## Before you submit

- Match the policy and supporting answer to the named programme's requirements.
- Use the current approved version and check dates, contacts and filenames.
- Confirm any partner evidence needed for the proposed delivery.
- Resolve gaps rather than making an unsupported declaration.
- Save the submitted answer, attachments and any clarification from the funder.

Then use the [grant application checklist](https://opengrant.co.uk/blog/how-to-write-a-grant-application) to review the complete bid. To compare potential funders, start with [OpenGrant's charity and community grant search](https://opengrant.co.uk/grants?applicant=vcse&ftype=grant) and confirm the safeguarding requirements in each funder's own guidance.

## Find grants

- [Search charity and community grants](https://opengrant.co.uk/grants?applicant=vcse&ftype=grant)

## Related guides

- [Grant due diligence: what do funders check?](https://opengrant.co.uk/blog/grant-due-diligence-checks): Prepare for grant due diligence with a practical checklist covering organisation records, accounts, named contacts and replies to funder questions.
- [Can you apply for a grant after starting a project?](https://opengrant.co.uk/blog/can-you-apply-for-grant-after-starting-project): Check retrospective funding rules, separate past costs from future work and find out when you can start spending a UK project grant.
- [How to write a grant application: a practical UK checklist](https://opengrant.co.uk/blog/how-to-write-a-grant-application): Plan a grant application around funder fit, community evidence, outcomes, a credible budget and the exact questions asked.
- [How to explain charity reserves in a grant application](https://opengrant.co.uk/blog/charity-reserves-grant-application): Explain charity reserves in a grant application with dated figures, a clear policy and a worked example showing why your project still needs funding.

## Sources and further reading

- [National Lottery Community Fund: Reaching Communities England application requirements](https://www.tnlcommunityfund.org.uk/funding/funding-programmes/reaching-communities-england/how-to-apply)
- [National Lottery Community Fund: safeguarding expectations for organisations we fund](https://www.tnlcommunityfund.org.uk/funding/funding-support/getting-ready-to-apply/preparing-your-application/safeguarding-expectations-for-organisations-we-fund)
- [Devon County Council: Community Grants frequently asked questions](https://www.devon.gov.uk/communities/devon-county-community-grant/growing-communities-fund-faqs/)

All guides: https://opengrant.co.uk/blog.md · Glossary: https://opengrant.co.uk/glossary.md · Agent index: https://opengrant.co.uk/llms-guides.txt