Almost all grants these days are submitted online. It's such a convenient way to apply – no having to get to an office and post five duplicate copies of your application into a box in the lobby. Thankfully those days are gone but it's still super important to get everything right and submitted in time. Use this checklist (some items may not be relevant to the grant you are applying for) to ensure you don't have to panic at the last minute. Have you:
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Filled in ALL the fields? Do not leave any sections empty. Where not relevant, write N/A.
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Signed and witnessed in the appropriate place?
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Read and understood the Ts and Cs?
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Included names and contact details of referees?
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Included written references (of previous clients etc)?
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Included a short section on your organisation’s history of receiving grants?
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Included up to date contact information and alternative contact details?
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A good, clear Executive Summary (i.e why you should get the money and what you will spend it on)?
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Included a Cost Benefits Analysis?
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Compiled a full set of current, audited financials (P&L, cash flow etc)?
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Included an org chart of your company, showing sound governance, structure and reporting lines?
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Included a comprehensive and clear Project Plan?
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A realistic timeline?
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A list of all project resources and their hourly/daily costs to the project?
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Agreed to all reporting and acquittal processes?
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Described the expected outcomes (directly attributable to receiving the grant money)?
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Had someone do a final read of the application?
If you can confidently say YES to all these items, press the SEND button and await the next steps.
Good luck.
The Grants Whisperer
Tagged: Applying for Grants