Unlocking Funding Success: A Guide to Understanding and Aligning with Funders

Before you even think about writing a proposal or grant application, you need a list of potential funders. Start by using online databases and directories. Many organisations list grants they’ve given in the past. This gives you a great starting point. Look for funders whose mission aligns with your project’s goals. Don’t just look at the big names; smaller, local foundations can be great sources of funding too. This initial research is a critical step towards funding success.

Expert tip: Use your Google or Microsoft search engine or its AI helper and ask it to identify projects (describe yours) that have been funded and who provided the funding. Ask it to provide sources and this is a short-cut to finding out who has funded projects like yours in the past. You can then do some research on those organisations and what funding programs they have.