This document provides guidance on applying for funding, including finding appropriate funders, making contact with funders, demonstrating need, engagement, impact, budgets, capacity, and sustainability. Key steps include finding a suitable fund, checking eligibility, contacting the funder if possible, providing clear evidence of need through engagement and data, communicating impact, ensuring accurate budgets, demonstrating organizational capacity, considering sustainability, and addressing other factors like duplication. The overall message is to thoroughly research the funder, clearly show how the project meets their criteria and will make a difference, and give the funder confidence in the ability to deliver.

1. Funding Application
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Funding Write-Shop

2. Finding a fund to apply to
Links to a range of funders are available on our website :
• Find your local Council for Voluntary Services
• Funding Central
• GrantTracker (Northern Ireland) / Funding Scotland / Funding Wales
• Charity Excellence Framework
• Get Grants
• Grants Online
If you are not eligible – Don’t apply!
• Geographical area
• Turnover of your organisation
• Your legal structure

3. Make contact if you can
• Some funders request no contact while others state that you have
to ring them to discuss project proposals – check!
• If you can, it is always worth speaking to a funder before starting
your application.
1. They can tell you if your ideas fit with the fund.
2. You can make a good impression and start to establish a
relationship.

4. Evidence of need
• Is it wanted and needed?
• How do you know?
• Is this the best way to achieve the outcomes you want?

5. Demonstrating need through engagement
Consider:
• Surveys/Questionnaires.
• Interviews/Focus groups
• Open meetings
Be specific
• Use open questions.
• Quotes can help to bring your application to life, but aren’t enough on
their own.
• Don’t include a percentage without a number.
• Letters of support can be useful, but remember the ‘so what.’
• Try to engage with new and potential beneficiaries.

6. Demonstrating need through engagement
• “We surveyed 230 of our passengers. 85% stated that whilst they really enjoyed
seeing and chatting to the volunteer driver on the journey, they felt isolated and
lonely again once back home and might not see anyone or talk to anyone until
their next journey with us. 90% would like to use the service at weekends. 95%
said that they would have no other way of travelling without Anytown CT.”
• “My weeklyshoppingtripwith Anytown CT is the only chance thatI get to get out
of the house. The driver,Pete, is brilliantandis always helpful.” Regular Passenger
• “We have held a public meeting to further assess the demand for extending our
services. 30 people attended including 16 members of the community who have
never travelled with us. Feedback from these meetings has been used to inform
this proposal.”

7. Be clear on who you are targeting
• If you want to start a new project– make sure it still aligns with your
charitable objectives.
• Show that you understand your community and target group.
• A funder will be able to tell if you’re just trying to tick their criteria box
without proper consideration.

8. Examples
Wages are lower in this area of UK, hence disposable income for taxis, and transport generally, is
restricted and people often have to make choices about ‘essential’ journeys. The median weekly
wage in the BiggerTown constituency is around £290 a week, which is 24% lower than the UK
average (“Well-Being Assessment”, BiggerTown Public Service Board, 2016). Almost 23% of
households in Anytown are in fuel poverty. This is considerably higher than the average for the
UK (14%).
Of our 400 regular beneficiaries, 70% are over 60, and 21% have a disability. Last year we
completed 6,000 journeys. 1,540 of these journeys were undertaken by our volunteers using their
own vehicles and the remaining 4,460 journeys were fulfilled using Anytown Community
Transport vehicles. The main purposes of the journeys were as follows: Hospital (1,380 journeys);
GP appointments (620 journeys); Day Centre and Residential Nursing Homes (810
appointments); Shopping (920 journeys) and Social / Leisure / Wellbeing Visits (1,290 journeys).

9. Communicate your impact
Outcomes Impact
• Access to services and facilities.
• Access to training and
employment.
• Access to healthcare.
• Decarbonisation.
• Reduced social isolation and
improved wellbeing.
• Increased employment rates.
• Early diagnosis and treatment.
• Improved air quality.
You could include: photos, interviews, case studies, letters of support, satisfaction
surveys. Demonstrate that it is not just about transport.

10. Avoid duplication
• Funders want to achieve the greatest impact for their investment -Demonstrate
where you fit and how you add value.
• Are there other community transport groups in your area? How does your service
differ?
• What is the public transport and taxi provision in your area? Why is that not an
option?
• Knowledge will come from your engagement and your own desk based research.

11. Get your budget right
• Include all costs – Make sure costs are realistic, justified and accurate.
• Resources for working out full cost recovery:
tnlcommunityfund.org.uk/funding/funding-guidance/full-cost-recovery.
• Make sure it is clear what you are asking for.
• Make sure that it adds up!
• Value for money is likely to become even more important.

12. Applying to more than one funder
• Your project might cost more than the maximum from one particular fund.
• A funder may not fund certain elements of your project.
• Asking for a lower amount could increase your chances.
“The applicant is requesting £50,000 towards a total project cost of
£100,000. The rest of the funding will include £10,000 from the
organisation’s reserves, £10,000 from the National Lottery Community
Fund (secured) and £30,000 from Garfield Western Foundation (decision
pending).”

13. Think about your capacity
“This grant would represent a large increase of income for the organisation.
They have not previously managed a grant of this size and have little
experience of delivering a project of this nature.”
Or…
“The organisation has delivered several small projects and has since
developed confidence and capacity to deliver a larger and more sustainable
project. They have the necessary skills and experience to deliver the
intended outcomes.”

14. Think about the role of your board
“There are four Directors, of which two appear to be related. There is no
information provided to indicate how they make decisions, what training
they receive or how often they meet. It is also not clear how the project will
be managed.”
Or…
“The project has an experienced set of trustees who oversee all of the
charity's work. This includes a Local Authority Senior Manager, retired
accountant, former Charity Manager and a Teacher. They meet quarterly
and will be responsible for managing the project.”

15. What happens when the funding comes to an end?
• Will the project finish? If so, what will be the legacy?
• Will you be looking for more grant funding?
• Can the project become self sufficient?

16. Things a panel could be looking out for
• The project meets the eligibility criteria.
• The project meets the aims of the funding programme.
• Clear evidence of the need and engagement.
• Your project is good value for money with a realistic and justified budget.
• Your organisation has the skills and capacity to manage the project.
• Partnership funding is secured.
• Duplication has been considered.
• A strong board is in place with relevantpolices and procedures.
• Future sustainability has been considered.
A funder wants to have confidence in your ability to use their money to make an impact.

17. Some other things to consider
• Build on your strengths – Use theVCSE StrengthChecker
• Writing applicationstakes time – Who can help you?
• Word countsare limits not targets.
• Don’t assume knowledge – avoid jargon.
• It can be useful referencelocal / national research, reports, policies or strategies.
• If a funder searches for you on Google – what will they find?
• Don’t try to use the exact same applicationfor differentfunds.
• Ask for feedback – And listento it.
• Proof read!

18. Sometimes there is just not enough money
• "Since the COVID-19 outbreak, the number of applications we have
received has more than doubled to over 500 per quarter, so the
current success rate is about 4%."
• Don’t be disheartened.

19. Where to find more support
CTA Funding Suite
https://ctauk.org/advice-resources/accessing-funding/
A wide rangeof resources producedbyour ConnectingCommunitiesin Wales project.The projectis fundedthroughtheWelsh
Government RuralCommunities -Rural DevelopmentProgramme 2014-2020,whichis fundedby the EuropeanAgriculturalFund
for Rural DevelopmentandtheWelsh Government,andaims to supportcommunitytransportin Wales throughcreatingnew
partnerships,briningfunding intothesectorandcreatingnewtransportnetworks.
You can also contact advice@ctauk.org.