One of our partners – the Norfolk Community Foundation – give their top tips and advice about how to make your VCSE organisation’s grant application stand out…

In the community sector, we are all aware that competition for grant funding is becoming increasingly fierce. At Norfolk Community Foundation, we have seen this first-hand with our Love Norfolk funding. In 2022, 75% of applications to this fund were successful. In the Spring 2023 round, however, this number had fallen to 66%. Ultimately, this trend is a testament to the resilience and dedication of our Norfolk communities, but with more applications for a limited pool of funds, our panels are forced to make ever more difficult decisions. Most of our grants are oversubscribed at the point of closing, which means that applications that have a clear vision and can strongly showcase the impact of their work will have a better chance of being funded.

Making your grant application stand out

Here are some top tips for making your application stand out:

• Make sure you can demonstrate that your project is needed. Could you talk to your community, do a survey, or look at deprivation data online?
• Mention how you’ll support those who need it most. How will the funding ensure additional support for your members or broaden who you can offer support to?
• Talk about the impact your project will have on the community, not just the activity itself. How will your project improve the lives of those who participate? Think about the long-term benefits.

Other top tips

You should also:

• Ensure you’re eligible. Does your organisation meet the eligibility criteria? Does your project fit with the fund priorities?
• Apply on time! We can’t sneak late applications into oversubscribed funds.

As a grant funder, we are eager to support as many projects as possible and strong applications help us make the best possible decisions. Love Norfolk is currently open for applications. Check out the Guidance & Resources pages on our website and, as ever, if you have any questions about funding from NCF do get in touch with us on grants@norfolkfoundation.com