How to win your grant application
So, you’ve got an idea. It might be the greatest idea of the year. Revolutionary. But without some kind of funding it’ll fizzle out without making a dent on the world.
Every day, I get emails from organisations offering grants for all kinds of stuff — from technology to art to social work. Grants are a way to develop your work without the risk of taking out a loan.
But everyone loves free money, and grants are usually massively over-subscribed. You need to know how to do them right, or you’re going to waste a whole lot of time for nothing in return.
I’ve been granted amounts from 2 different funds in as many months — one local and one national body — so I feel somewhat qualified to give advice on how YOU can maximise your chances of getting the money you need.
I’m a filmmaker, so it was natural for me to make a short video to pitch my business idea. Even if you’re putting together a written pitch there’s a lot to take from this which I’ll expand on in a second.
Why should I listen to you?
First off, you have to know what you’re talking about. Unless you’re applying to the SoftBank Vision Fund, no-one’s gonna give money to someone who doesn’t know their industry.
Think of your application like a CV. Indeed, there are often questions in the application specifically related to your prior accomplishments. Emphasise the parts of your career or your life which highlight how you are qualified to do what you’re proposing. It doesn’t matter how relevant it is, just how relevant you can make it.
I mention in the video above how I’m a filmmaker. What does this have to do with hiring a mocap suit out to animators and games designers?
I mention how the feature film I’m making — Anghenfil — uses this technology, how I’ve developed my skillset for this film, and now can use it to aid creatives in other fields. I use a live demo of the mocap to show how accurate it is, and to show what mocap is — for anyone who doesn’t know.
In the eyes of the viewer, I’m showing how much I know about what I’m now looking for money for.
Become an authority on your area.
Is it really that important?
Emphasise what makes your project different. What makes your idea different? What makes you different, and better than the rest?
Think of what I’m describing here:
“A 500-year old painting that’s been sat in a darkened corner of a crowded, antiquated gallery for more than half its life.”
That’s one way you could describe the Mona Lisa. Another way, from the painting’s Wikipedia page, is: “ the best known, the most visited, the most written about, the most sung about, the most parodied work of art in the world”.
You could be doing something amazing, but if you don’t get across how great it is then no-one will pay attention. Think about about your idea in this way.
Make it sound revolutionary.
Does it have to be this long?
Applications take a lot of time to write, and a long time to read. With this in mind, do you want to count on the creativity of an overworked decision-maker, whose imagination has fizzled out after the 10th funding application of the day?
You want to do as much work as possible for them.
Use as much supporting content as you can. Don’t wait for someone to tell you what to include, just do it.
Use content from whatever area is your speciality. If it’s a text-only application, use Imgur to host your photos and link to them, YouTube the same way for videos, and Soundcloud for audio. Scatter these links throughout the text. Break it up and use them to highlight what you’re saying — like a presenter uses slides to reinforce their points.
Audio testimonials, hand-drawn concept art, behind-the-scenes videos. All of these put you ahead of the rest of the pack — and really communicate what you’re doing to the person on the other end of your application.
I actually had a chance to speak to one of the people from Creative England who viewed my pitch video. Despite having been several months after the application — and presumably going through many hundreds of applications — they still recognised me and what I wanted to do with my business.
Make yours something they can’t forget.
How much does it cost?
You’ve gotta get a good grasp of the financials. Not only for the sake of the person giving you the money, but also so you don’t go over-budget! Take into account factors that could affect the price of the services or goods you’re looking to acquire.
Some things to consider (and their solutions):
Fluctuating currency conversion rates for foreign purchases (impossible to predict, but check this site for an idea of past rates),
Import fees and duties not included in the checkout price (use this tool to check fees),
Prices on products which could go out of stock, or retailers who could go out of business (find multiple sources of goods),
Increase in freelancers’ or contractors’ rates (again, get multiple quotes for work you’re going to have done),
Goods that depend on other goods or services to function — a simplified example — you need to buy a keyboard, mouse, and monitor along with a computer to be able to use it. (Thoroughly check all the gear you’re planning to get, and ask advice from people who’ve been there before).
You can’t plan for everything, but you can take these things into consideration. Budget for the worst possible outcome. If you don’t, you could end up in a position where you’re granted $10,000 for your project but have to spend $12,000 now to get the goods!
Do your financial research.
How does this fit into my goals?
Think what their goals are. So often, we get absorbed with what we’re doing that we forget about the goals of others. Day-to-day, not too much of an issue.
But we’re writing a grant application here.
Whoever you’re applying to is funding projects with a specific focus. The fund I applied to with the video above — the New Ideas Fund — described itself as “a programme designed to help screen-based businesses move away from working project-to-project and develop more sustainable businesses”.
From that I can decide how I’m gonna pitch it.
Every fund has an aim, and it’s your job to find this out. Some (like the one I applied to) were literally written out, which made applying easy. Others’ goals are more hidden, which means you have a bit of work to do.
Speak to the organisation or the judges, see what previously funded projects looked like, and read their website as to their overall mission. You need to get a sense of their aims and tailor your pitch to them.
Know who your audience is.
Is that it?
Finally, I find it useful to write the whole application as if the person reading my application isn’t being paid to do so. Make your work sound interesting. Make it something they’ll have no choice not to fund.
Show them you’re doing something so exciting and new and innovative, that not funding it would be an insult to not only you but your whole industry.
Keep them hooked throughout, like a good book or a good film.
Think of it as an uphill struggle. Remember, there are hundreds of other people in the race.
Never settle for what is ‘good enough’.
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