Grant application process
A helpful guide to inform grant applicants of our grants application process.
This page is approximately a 3 minute read
Before applying for funding, applicants should read the below information.
The Foundation's grant-making approach focuses on community consultation, evidence-based needs, and effective solutions. They remain flexible to support unexpected or new ideas aligned with their mission. Applicants can share ideas on the Foundation's LinkedIn group for potential engagement, and those of interest may be invited to apply. Applications are also accepted through specific open calls and the small grants scheme, which must be submitted via the online grants portal.
For enquiries, please contact [email protected].*
*Response times may vary. The team endeavour to respond within 24 hours Monday to Friday.
Assessing your application
The Foundation has a formal governance process for grant decision making, and depending on the call this could be carried out by several review rounds or by our Foundation Leadership Team at our monthly Grant Application Meeting (GAM).
Your application will be assessed based on:
- Does it fit within the mission of the Foundation and within our strategy?
- Is the application clear in what it is trying to achieve and is there evidence that this is needed?
- Is there a clear pathway to impact?
- Does the application represent value for money?
As part of our assessments, we will also undertake due diligence checks.
Deadlines for applications
All application deadlines are listed in the call brief and will be clearly visible in the call information.
All deadline dates accept applications up to 23:59 on the day, once this time arrives, our grants management system will automatically stop accepting applications and you will receive a message to stating that the call has been closed.
What should you include in your application?
- Where will the project be delivered? Please tick all areas that apply. We are particularly interested in areas where the beneficiaries of the application are located, so please list all relevant countries and areas within the form.
- You will need to be clear on the problem you are working on, providing as much evidence as possible as the issue's relevance to our mission and strategy.
- Explain clearly the end result and impact you are trying to achieve, and how this will benefit the community or individuals.
- Detailed information on the application's budget. If you apply for staff costs, please state FTE and include the full cost included (i.e. national insurance, pension etc). Please not, we always hold 10% back until after the final report has been received and accepted.
- List any matched funding you have, whether this be cash or in-kind.
- All costs should be inclusive of value added tax (VAT), if applicable.
- Upload all supporting documentation before submitting the application.
Your application will form part of your contract. This contract will be monitored against progress and success of the grant.
Will I be asked to attend a decision-making meeting or attend to deliver a presentation?
It is not our usual practice to ask applicants to attend a decision-making meeting. However, in some instances, we may ask applicants to deliver a presentation. For occasions where applicants are invited to present, we will ensure you have been given plenty of notice and guidance to effectively prepare.
Do I need to provide a hard copy of my application?
No. Once your application has been submitted via our grants management system, no further action is required unless requested.
Will you provide feedback?
Yes, we will offer feedback to help applicants understand our application process and governance structure, but please note, once a decision has been outlined this is final.