Are You Ready to Apply for Funding? A five-minute self-assessment

Most funding rejections are not about the application. They are about the foundations behind it.

This one-page checklist covers five areas funders look at: your evidence, your track record, your partnerships, your governance and finances, and whether you are a good fit for the fund. Tick a statement only if it is true today. Not nearly true. Not what you are working towards.

Add up your ticks and the score tells you where you stand:

Not yet ready: build the foundations first
Nearly ready: close the specific gaps, then apply selectively
Ready: apply, and put your effort into the application itself

Written for Charities, CICs and community organisations by someone who has spent 25 years in this sector. If you want to know what to do about the gaps, the full guide is Grant Ready (£65).