There is noticeably more competition for grant funding, Ive had bids turned down that in previous years Id have expected to have been funded. Some good project rejected simply because the trustees felt the organisation did not need the money enough.

This led me to review some of the successful bids and what makes them stand out. Below are some of the common traits of the bids –

1) The projects clearly developed the organisations wider agenda. Although the project seeking funding was a stand alone project, it had a clear fit into how the organisation was developing; the project added value to this work and the existing work complemented the project.

2) There were clearly defined partners. The partners had been involved in developing the projects and it could be shown how their clients would also benefit

3) The outcomes were clearly defined and could all be monitored to show the change that will take place.

4) The projects had an exist strategy; this was not necessarily to be sustainable but to show that thought had been given to how the work would be continued or how the work would benefit the organisation in the long run.

5) They all had a funding plan as part of the organisation