Embarking on the journey to secure grant funding can feel like stepping into a labyrinth of paperwork, deadlines, and competition. However, armed with the right knowledge and strategy, navigating this maze can lead to the resources needed to turn your project dreams into reality. Here’s a roadmap to guide you through the grant application process:

1. Research Funding Opportunities: The first step in your journey is to scout for grant programs that align with your project or organisation’s objectives. Dive into funding databases, scour government websites, explore corporate social responsibility reports, and delve into charitable organisation directories to uncover potential opportunities.
2. Review Eligibility Criteria: Before applying for a grant program, make sure to carefully review its eligibility requirements, application guidelines, and deadlines. This will help you ensure that your project meets all the necessary criteria and avoid wasting time and effort on an application that may be rejected.
3. Develop a Strong Proposal: Crafting a compelling grant proposal is your chance to showcase the significance and potential impact of your project. Clearly articulate its purpose, goals, methodology, and expected outcomes, tailored to resonate with the priorities and evaluation criteria outlined in the funding opportunity.
4. Gather Supporting Documents: Behind every strong proposal lies a solid foundation of supporting documents. Compile budgets, project timelines, resumes of key personnel, letters of support, and any additional information requested in the application guidelines to bolster your case.
5. Submit Your Application: After you have finished your proposal and gathered all the necessary documents, it’s time to submit your application. Follow the instructions provided by the funding agency carefully, making sure that you have included all the required information and documents accurately. In some grant competitions, the submission process can take some time, so it’s best to submit your application early to avoid any last-minute issues that may lead to technical difficulties.s.
6. Notification: Now it’s time to wait for the outcome of your grant application. You’ll be notified through the IFS portal whether your grant was a success or not. If it is a success, you can move onto the project set-up stage. If it was not a success, you can resubmit.
7. Resubmission: For Innovate UK grant applications, you can resubmit the same application one more time after its initial submission. It’s a chance for you to analyse the assessor’s feedback and use this as a guide to improve your application to resubmit.

By following these steps to navigate the grant application process, you can increase your chances of securing the financial support needed to bring your project to fruition. Being proactive by planning your project ahead of time and starting conversations with key stakeholders can help improve the quality of your grant application.

Our Grant Kickstarter

Many businesses often face obstacles when applying for grants they are interested in due to a lack of preparation. This can cause a lot of stress and consume a lot of time, especially when they have to prepare the necessary documents while also applying for the grant. MPA’s Grant Kickstarter is designed to help businesses overcome these challenges by equipping them with the knowledge and documentation required to succeed in the grant application process. Our boot camp is ideal for first-time grant applicants or those interested in applying for an Innovate UK Smart Grant or any UK government competition in the future. Find Out More

Contact Us

If you are interested in finding out whether you have a good chance of securing grant funding, please don’t hesitate to contact our Grants Team.