Why do grant applications fail?

We are often asked to provide detailed feedback on individual applications. Unfortunately we do not have the resources to do so. We can only fund around 1 in 12 of applications that are submitted to the trust, but this does not mean that the other 11 in 12 applications are “failures”. However, the following checklist may help you to understand why some apparently promising submissions are not successful with this trust; of course they may well fare better elsewhere.

Does your organisation’s work fall squarely within our guidelines? It should go without saying that work that does not fall within the Trust’s guidelines is not likely to be funded. However, the trustees are examining the organisation as a whole, not just the specific work described. If the main activities of the charity are not within our current guidelines, the application is unlikely to succeed.

Is your web site up to date? We usually look at your web site as this is often the first port of call for your beneficiaries. If your web site is not functioning or two years out of date, or seems to have a significantly different emphasis from other descriptions of your charity, the application is unlikely to succeed.

Do you comply with Charity Commission Requirements? We may check your submissions to the Charity Commission. If these are regularly late, we may need to know why this is so. In particular, if we are unable to check reasonably recent accounts, the application may not be successful.

Is the governance of the charity appropriate? Do you have relevant skills among your trustees? Is there sufficient financial expertise to provide assurance that funds are being properly managed? Are there specialist skills relevant to the operations of the charity? Are the trustees involved in the charity and do they have a good understanding of its work. Is there diversity among the trustees?

Is there good evidence for the effectiveness of your work? If there are claims in your application that the work has a specific impact, then we need to understand what evidence there is to support those claims.

Is your organisation financially viable? If unrestricted reserves are very low indeed, or indeed negative, the trustees are unlikely to be willing to award a grant.

In making decisions the trustees not only have to regard the merits of the individual applications but also strive to maintain a balance between different areas of interest and geographic regions. The decision not to fund a particular project is often an unfortunate consequence of the intense competition for charitable funds rather than a reflection on the endeavour itself.

All decisions made by the trustees are final, and we do not enter into any correspondence regarding unsuccessful outcomes. We hope that the information contained on this page will prove useful.