BID WRITING
It is important to remember that there is no ‘one size fits all’ for writing funding bids.
How much you write isn’t related to how much money you are seeking.
Tailor each bid to the audience, their needs and wants. Use your CASE FOR SUPPORT
No such thing as a “perfect” answer – will depend on too many factors (competition for funds, relationship with funder, etc)
Don’t apply for everything or change what you do to meet a funding bid. Consider the following:
Does it Fit?
Do You Have Time?
Can You Deliver?
Other
Does it Fit?
- Are you eligible? Type/size of organisation
- How well does fund fit with your vision, mission, plan?
- Will it help you deliver what your beneficiaries need?
• Do you have the skills and capacity to deliver it?
• Are you trying to fund an existing project with a new money? What changes might be required?
• Are there other organisations/projects who ‘fit’ better – can you partner with them?
Do You Have Time?
- How much time do you have and when is the deadline? Is there anyone else who can help?
- How long will it take to apply?
- Will you have another opportunity to apply to this or a
- similar funding programme? If so when?
- What other criteria are there to consider that may take
- time to implement (e.g. partnerships)?
Can You Deliver?
- If you are successful can your organisation deliver this in the required timeframe?
- Do you have the volunteers, support, staff in place?
- Do you have the skills and experience to deliver the
- project?
- If not, do you have time to get these aspects in place?
Other
- Has your organisation bid for or delivered similar project before? If so, what did you learn from this?
- Is the value of the funds worthwhile?
• How much time would be spent on managing the grant including monitoring and reporting? Does the budget cover this?
• If successful, will the funds cover all the project costs? If not, how will you fill the gap?
Ensure you answer the question they are asking. Answer all aspects of questions asked, ideally in the order they are asked and make sure to use any guidance that the funder has provided.
If not already provided, create sections and sub-sections to help you structure your document. Use sub-headings to break up large sections of text. Start with a clear summary and minimise repetition.
Language
A great tip for bidding is to echo the funder’s terminology – if they have written it in the application guidelines, use similar wording and phrasing. Make sure to avoid generalisations or assumptions of knowledge (e.g., “it is widely known that….”)
Logistics
Members of your organisation may need to sign paperwork(senior management, trustee?) allow as much time as possible for this and allow time for them to raise questions or ask for changes.
Make sure you know the details of how to send, and what is required – it could be an online form, or paper copy. Have all your attachments ready and make sure they are ready to go.
Final Checks
Proof read EVERYTHING.
Double check your organisation and proposed project meet the funder’s criteria and that clear need, activities and impact are all demonstrated.
Make sure that your budget is realistic and that you are not asking to fund any work you are already doing.
Meet the deadline!
External Courses
Introduction to Effective Bid Writing
This free course from alison.com can be found here.
CourseGate - Bid Writing
This course is currently £21 and provides access to proven educational knowledge about the subject and will support those wanting to attain personal goals in this area.