Lesson 4: A Final Review
Introduction
So far, you have successfully learnt how to find funding opportunities that fit your project, answer the big questions on a funding application, and prepare your supporting documents for submission.
In this final lesson, we will give you the tools to review your work, ensuring that your answers cover the most important points before you submit your application.
Before you begin, download your Working Document which will take you through a comprehenisve review of your work.
To get started, watch this video on 3 Tips to Follow Before Submitting a Grant below.
Module 1: Review Your Narrative Answers
Reviewing your narrative answers is a crucial first step to completing your application. When applying for a funding opportunity, be sure to give yourself enough time to review your application and avoid last minute submissions that often lead to mistakes.
In this module, we will take you through a checklist of steps to review your narrative answers from Course 002, Lesson 2: The Big Questions. This will guide you through the information that you have and the information that you might have missed.
Start by reading Your Grant Application Checklist
Then, revisit the funding opportunity you are applying for and review their guidance document.
Remind yourself of exactly what they are looking for and what are their main aims are.
Your Turn
When you’re ready, note down the following briefly:
Q1. What are the aims of the funding body?
Q2. How do their aims align with your project?
(answer on your downloaded Working Document)
You are now ready to review your narrative answers.
Start The Checklist
The next section of your Working Document is a combination of a checklist and questions to go through the narrative answers on your application. They will cover all aspects of the work you did in Course 002, Lesson 2: The Big Questions, so have them on hand when you begin.
The aim of this checklist is to review your narrative carefully, ensuring that you have addressed all questions with the funding body in mind.
The checklist is organised as follows:
Q3 - 7. General Review of Your Answers
Are you eligible for this funding opportunity? Have you answered all the application questions? Have you followed the guidance carefully? The questions require you to revisit the funding body’s guidance and application process. Don’t assume that you know or remember, before answering “yes”, go back to the guidance and confirm it.
Q9 - 10. Your Project Description
Have you kept the funding body’s aims in mind? Have you clearly outlined all aspects of your project? Your project description is one of the most important components of your application. Review it very carefully with the aims of the funding body in mind.
Tip: As you re-read your answers, consider the language you have used. Make sure your answers are clear, concise, and to-the-point. Keep the language simple!
Q11 - 13. Project Need
Why is your project important? Have you addressed the need for it? Have you included any references to support your answer? If the answer is “no”, it might be time to revisit those questions and make sure your argument is clear.
Q15 - 16. Target Audience
Who are they? How can they be involved in your project? How are you planning to reach them? Ensure your knowledge of your target audience comes across in your answers, with evidence of a visible plan in place to reach and engage them.
Q17 - 25. Budget Narrative
How clear is your budget narrative? Have you detailed your income and justified your expenses? It is essential that your budget narrative is clear, concise, and easy-to-read.
Well done! You’ve now reviewed your application’s narrative answers and should be able to identify what is missing from your submission. Take this time to add to and rework anything that might feel incomplete or unclear so that you answer ‘Yes’ to every single question on the checklist.
Tip: Once you have completed your narrative answers, share them with a friend or colleague to review. Having a pair of fresh eyes review your answers can be really helpful, you can even share the checklist with them to see how many ‘Yes’ answers they give you!
Module 2: Review Your Financials
Now that you have reviewed your narrative answers, it’s time to review your financials – your Income, Expenses, and Cash Flow Projection documents.
Just as in Module 1 of this lesson, your Working Document has a checklist that will give you a clear indication of whether you have correctly prepared your financials before you submit an application.
Reviewing financials also requires you to go through each and every line item in your documents to make sure there are no errors in your submission. It sounds tedious, but it will be very beneficial to both your funding application and project in general.
Tip: If you are unsure about any aspects of your financials, reach out to someone! Whether they are a friend, colleague, or someone who has organised a similar project in the past. It is always helpful to talk through your financials and ensure that you have taken into account everything you need for your project to succeed.
Your Turn
Open your Working Document to begin your review.
Q26 - 31. Income
Have you accounted for all income in a clear and concise way? Does your total income match your total expenses? Is your income accurate and realistic? Take some time to carefully review your income document when answering these questions.
Q32 - 34. In-Kind Support
Do your income and expenses documents include In-Kind support? Have you clearly outlined what In-Kind support you have secured and where it comes from? You should ideally have all In-Kind support confirmed before submitting your application so you can reflect it in your financial documents.
Q35 - 40. Expenses
Have you considered all of the expenses your project will incur? Have you added accurate, rational descriptions to each line item? Are your expenses reflected in your narrative answer(s) about your project’s budget? Your expenses can often take the longest time to review. Don’t panic though, just review each expense item line by line to ensure there are no mistakes or errors.
Q41 - 43. Cash Flow Projection
Have you included all line items from your Income and Expenses documents in your Cash Flow Projection document? Do their allocations match the implementation timeline for your project? Does the balance reflect as £0 when you complete the project?
Great, you have now reviewed your financials and are one step closer to submitting your funding application!
Head to the final module of this lesson to review your Supporting Documents.
Module 3: Review Your Supporting Documents
The final step before submitting your application is to review your Supporting Documents. The important thing to keep in mind is that you have:
Included all Supporting Documents the funding body have asked for
You have submitted them in the correct format (check the guidance!)
And of course, they should be easy to read and accessible. Remember, making your Supporting Documents look good makes your project look good!
Your Turn
Open your Working Document to begin your review and complete the checklist.
Q44 – 47. Samples of Your Work
Have you included previous work that is relevant to the funding opportunity and your proposed project? Have you included the best examples to strengthen your proposal? In general, make sure the previous work that you select highlights your abilities and you are proud to share it :)
Q48 – 50. Risk Assessment
Have you thought about all the potential risks and their impact? Do you have a well thought out plan to mitigate risks that may come up? Although creating Risk Assessments can be tiresome, it is really important to demonstrate that you have considered what can go wrong with your project. Plus, it will alleviate any stress once you begin if a risk comes up!
Congratulations!
You have now completed the fourth and final Lesson of Course 002: Apply for Funding.
You are now able to:
Search for funding
Answer the big questions
Create your supporting documents
Complete a final review