Before You Apply: ourppls Guide to Developing Stronger Creative Funding Applications

Funding applications can sometimes feel like a test of how well you can translate an idea into the language of an institution. A good application isn't only about convincing someone else that your idea is worth funding. It can also be an opportunity to interrogate the idea yourself: What problem are we responding to? Who is this really for? Why us? Why now? What will it take to deliver it well? And what could remain after the funding ends?

Having recently taken a creative project through a competitive funding application process, we wanted to share some of the things we learned along the way. Not as a definitive guide to getting funded, because there is no formula for that, but as a few reflections that might help when you're developing your next application.

1. Read the application questions before you fall in love with your idea

We often start with the opportunity call out itself: What is this fund looking for? How much is available? When is the deadline?

But the application form can tell you just as much, if not more. We learnt this firsthand and that calls you to look closely at the questions, eligibility criteria, assessment criteria, definitions, budget requirements and examples of previously funded work. Sometimes a funding call can sound broad, while the application reveals that there are much more specific areas, audiences or disciplines that the fund is designed to support.

The application form is part of the brief. This doesn't mean reshaping your idea simply to please a funder, it means understanding where your idea might need more focus and whether the opportunity is genuinely the right one for you.

2. Start with the problem, not the programme

It's easy to get excited about the thing you want to create. Be it a residency, a workshop series, an exhibition or even a gathering.But before getting into the format, ask: What problem or opportunity is this responding to? And then: Why is this particular project the right response?

The clearer you are about the problem, the easier it becomes to make decisions about your audience, partners, activities, budget and outcomes.

We’ve found that starting with “We want to create a programme that…”, try starting with: “We have identified a need for…” and that shift can change the entire application completely.

3. Find the right partner, not just a partner

Collaborative funding can be incredibly powerful, but collaboration shouldn't begin with just saying that you need another organisation on this application. Think about who already understands the problem you're trying to address and what they can bring that you can't.

Look for complementary:

• expertise

• networks

• lived experience

• communities

• geographical knowledge

• creative practice

• infrastructure

• resources

Existing relationships can also make a huge difference, as it did for us. If you already have trust and a history of working together, you have a foundation to build from.

And we can’t stress this enough - start the conversation early! Collaborative applications require you to make decisions together about the project, responsibilities, budget, ownership, communication and expectations. That takes time and depending on the funding body, you might be required to provide evidence of having worked together on the application for a certain period of time. That’s why it’s best to develop your partnerships before the deadline.

4. Get specific. Then get even more specific.

Creative people are often very good at describing ideas beautifully, but funding assessors need to understand exactly what you're proposing. Words like community, impact, empowerment, innovation, sustainability and collaboration can all be meaningful, but they can also become vague if we don't explain what they mean in practice.

Instead of: “We will empower creatives.” you can try: “Participants will develop practical tools for navigating sustainable creative practice and collaborative working.”

Instead of: “We will build community.” you can try: “Participants will work together over six months to identify shared challenges and develop responses to them.”

The more specific you can be about your:

aims → objectives → participants → activities → milestones → outputs → outcomes → legacy

the easier it becomes for someone else to understand the value of your idea.

5. When applying to fund a programme, design a journey, not just a list of activities

A programme shouldn't simply be a collection of things that happen, it should address what should change between someone's first day and their last?

Maybe they begin by sharing experiences, then they identify a common challenge, after which there is space to test an idea. Then they receive feedback and then they refine it. Suddenly, you have a journey and this is much stronger than six activities that don't necessarily connect to one another.

When developing a programme, ask: What will participants know, feel, have or understand at the end that they didn't have at the beginning?

6. Make the budget tell the same story as the proposal

Budgeting can be one of the hardest parts of applying for funding, especially if it’s your first time. A useful place to start is with what you already know.

Look back at previous projects and ask:

• What did a facilitator actually cost?

• What did the venue cost?

• How much did production take?

• What did the documentation cost?

• What access or wellbeing support was required?

• What did travel actually cost?

Then research current market rates and get indicative quotes where possible. Once you’ve figured out those ballpark figures, the most important bit comes next. Your budget should tell the same story as your proposal.

If wellbeing is central to your project but there is no budget for participant support, something doesn't quite add up. If documentation is an important part of your legacy but nothing is allocated to it, something doesn't add up. If you describe a partnership as equal but the budget doesn't reflect the responsibilities of both organisations, you may need to explain why.

The budget isn't just a spreadsheet, It's another way of communicating your project.

7. Build the project you can realistically deliver

It's tempting to design the biggest, most ambitious version of your idea, but sometimes the strongest project is the one that understands its limits.

So how do you figure that out:

1. What is essential? This is what absolutely has to happen for the project to achieve its purpose?

2. What adds value?This is basically what would significantly improve the experience?

3. What is nice to have?Be honest about what could happen only if additional funding becomes available?

   
   

This helps you distinguish between the core project and the things you'd love to do if the resources allow. It also makes it easier to identify additional funding, sponsorship or in-kind support without making the entire project dependent on money that hasn't been secured just yet.

8. Treat risk as part of the design

Risk management in previous applications has been one of those administrative sections you rush through at the end, but after these applications we know that it shouldn't be!

Think beyond the obvious risks like:

• travel

• visas

• technology

• cancellations

• budgets

Consider the human and structural risks too:

• cultural misunderstanding

• unconscious bias

• power imbalances

• unequal access

• confidentiality

• intellectual property

• safeguarding

• accessibility

• participant wellbeing

• unequal visibility or benefit

The important thing isn't simply identifying what could go wrong, it's demonstrating to the funder that you’ve thought about it and you’ve designed the project accordingly. And sometimes your risk mitigation can actually become part of the programme itself.

9. Think about what happens after the funding ends

What exists because this project happened that didn't exist before?

Don’t feel pressure to manufacture a “legacy” simply because the application asks for one. Instead, think about what the project can naturally leave behind.

That could be:

• new relationships

• new collaborations

• skills

• networks

• research

• a publication

• a toolkit

• a methodology

• future opportunities

• a new way of working

10. Use what you've already done as evidence

Your previous work is more valuable than you might think. Look back at your organisation's projects and ask: What have we already done that demonstrates we can deliver this?You don't need to have done the exact same project before. You need to demonstrate that you have the experience, relationships and capabilities required to deliver the proposed work.

11. Get someone else to read it

By the time you've written an application, you've probably read the same paragraphs dozens of times - and this bit of advice is probably not new but still worth reiterating. YOU know what you MEANT to say, which can make it difficult to see what is actually on the page. So why not ask someone else to read it.

Ideally, it should be someone who understands the fund because they can tell you whether you're responding to what is actually being assessed. If you don’t have that connection, try someone who understands your sector as they can challenge whether your idea makes sense within its context.

An overlooked person is someone who knows nothing about the project, they’re the ones that can tell you whether the application actually makes sense without the conversations that happened behind the scenes.

And before you share the application with them, offer some reflection questions that can help them identify where and how to give you feedback.

For example, you can ask them:

“What's unclear?”

“What would you want more evidence for?”

“What do you think the project is actually trying to change?”

12. Be willing to change the idea - IF you have time

Perhaps the biggest lesson, sometimes we become attached to the first version of an idea because we've spent so much time developing it.

But refining your idea isn't failing, tt's merely part of the process. So be open to feedback because it might reveal that your idea is too broad and be proactive on your research as that will reveal a stronger audience. The application questions might expose a gap - so keep your ears tuned to listen to those signals. The goal isn't to protect the original idea at all costs, it's to find the strongest version of the idea.

Creative funding applications can sometimes feel like an administrative hurdle standing between you and the project you actually want to make. But we're increasingly seeing them as a rehearsal for the project itself. Because the stakes are high, we are more open to interrogating the purpose, the audience, the partnerships, the resources, the risks and the ambitions before you begin.

And sometimes, through that process, you discover that the project you thought you were applying for isn't quite the project you need to make and that's not a bad thing. The strongest idea isn't always the one you started with. It's the one that becomes clearer as you listen, question, research and build with others. So, when the next opportunity lands in your inbox, start by thinking ‘what could this opportunity help us build and what would we need to understand before we begin?'

A note from ourppls

We share funding opportunities through our regular monthly opportunity bulletin boards because access to information is only one part of making creative opportunities more accessible.

We're interested in sharing some of the thinking that happens after you find the opportunity too and sometimes difficult pivots that sit behind a successful application. Hopefully, our reflections help make your next one feel a little less daunting.