Session summary
Eliza Carbines explains grant applications through the funder's purpose: purchasing impact that the funder cannot achieve alone. The session distinguishes an activity from the outcome it creates and asks applicants to show how their proposed work advances the funding priorities. Eligibility is an early pass-or-fail test, while successful funding also brings obligations to deliver, report and acquit expenditure. Finding available money is only the beginning of deciding whether to apply.
The session encourages applicants to define their project before searching for a grant, rather than reshaping an unclear idea around whichever funding appears. A go/no-go assessment considers strategic alignment, eligibility, capacity, competition and whether the available funding is adequate. Eliza recommends revisiting that assessment as the project develops. Preparation includes research, project planning, stakeholder consultation, organisational documents and letters that demonstrate support or a partner's commitment. The writing works best when that evidence and planning are already in place.
For the written response, Eliza offers a straightforward structure: explain what the initiative does, how success will be measured and why it matters. The needs statement connects the project with a problem using relevant evidence, whether research, statistics, community consultation or human impact. Clear, direct language matters more than elaborate vocabulary. Specific information is more convincing than adjectives such as 'significant', and a firm account of what the organisation will do is more reassuring than an unsupported statement of aspiration.
Budgeting and delivery need to tell the same story as the narrative. Eliza advises using the supplied template, linking expenditure to activities that can be evidenced and keeping the budget as simple as the project allows. Unrealistic schedules and unexplained costs create doubts and can become problems after funding. The session closes by encouraging applicants to think like assessors, answer where and how requested, and seek feedback when an application is unsuccessful so that the next decision and submission are better informed.
Key takeaways
- Choose grants that match a clearly defined project and the impact the funder wants to achieve.
- Check eligibility, delivery capacity and funding adequacy before committing to an application.
- Gather evidence and stakeholder commitments before drafting the narrative.
- Explain the initiative, the measure of success and the reason it matters in plain language.
- Keep the budget, delivery timetable and reporting obligations consistent with the proposed work.
