Applying for funding can feel daunting, especially if you’re a small organisation applying for a grant for the first time. Knowing how to write a grant application can make the process much easier. That’s especially true once you understand what funders are actually looking for.
Our Grants for Good application is deliberately short and straightforward. But each question is still a valuable chance for us to understand your work, your people, and your potential. For that reason, we’ve written some guidance on how to approach each of the main questions.
How to Answer the Grants for Good Application Questions
Project Description
Tell us what you do, and why it matters
This is your chance to introduce your organisation to people who’ve never heard of you. We want to understand who you support, what problem you’re tackling, and what difference you’re making.
Don’t try to say everything. Focus on the heart of your work with a clear, specific description of the people or places you serve. Knowing how to write a grant application well isn’t about saying as much as possible – it’s about making the most important things easy to understand.
Think about it this way: if you had two minutes to explain your project to someone at a community event, what would you say? Write that.
A few things to include:
- Who you support (be specific: “women experiencing domestic abuse in rural Lincolnshire” is more powerful than “vulnerable people”)
- The problem you’re addressing and why it matters locally
- The difference your work makes. Even one or two concrete examples can bring this to life
You have 2000 characters, which is around 300-350 words. Use them well, but don’t feel you have to fill every character.
What Makes Your Approach Stand Out?
This is your moment to be bold
This is one of the most important questions on the form.
We’re not looking for modesty here. We genuinely want to know what makes your organisation different. That might be your lived experience of the issue you’re addressing. It might be a creative method that other services don’t use. Or it could be the trust you’ve built in a community others have let down before.
Whatever it is, say it clearly.
Some questions to help you think it through:
- Why did your organisation start and what gap did it fill?
- Do you reach people that other services miss?
- Is there something about the way you work; your values, your relationships, your approach, that sets you apart?
- Have you developed something new or adapted your model in response to community need?
You don’t need to compare yourself to other organisations. Just help us see what’s distinctive about yours.
Priorities for the Next 6–12 Months
Show us where you’re heading
We know our grants are relatively small. But we also know that small organisations have big ambitions. This question is your chance to show us yours.
You don’t need a polished business plan. We’re simply asking: what’s next? Whether you’re looking to reach more people, develop a new service, bring on a volunteer coordinator, or simply sustain what you’ve already built – tell us.
Being honest here is fine. If your priority is stability and continuation rather than growth, say so. Sustainability is just as important as expansion. We’d rather hear the truth than an ambitious plan that doesn’t reflect where you really are.
A helpful structure:
- What are you focused on in the next 6 months?
- What would you like to achieve by the end of the year?
- Is there anything you’re working toward that this grant could support or accelerate?
Use of Funds
Be specific, but don’t worry, it’s not binding
Because our grants are unrestricted, you can use the funding however best supports your work. Your answer here won’t lock you in. But being specific does help us understand your priorities and see how much the grant would mean to your work.
Where possible, break it down. If you’re hoping to use funding for equipment, tell us what it costs and the difference it’ll make. For staffing hours, give us a sense of what those hours would deliver. And if it’s for core costs, help us understand why that matters right now.
You might find it helpful to think in terms of impact per pound, for example, “£500 would cover the cost of ten one-to-one support sessions.” This kind of clarity helps us, and it’s a useful habit to build for future funding applications too.
You don’t need a formal budget breakdown. A clear, honest explanation of how you’d use the money is all we need.
A Final Word
Our most successful applications are not always from well-established organisations. They’re from people who write clearly, honestly, and with obvious passion for the work they do.
Knowing how to write a grant application doesn’t mean learning to write like a professional bid writer. So don’t overthink it. Tell us your story, show us your impact, and help us understand why your organisation deserves this support.
We’re rooting for you.
Kirsty Clark is Executive Director of the Matthew Good Foundation and has led both frontline and funding organisations within the charity sector. With over 15 years’ experience supporting grassroots initiatives and vulnerable communities, she now leads the Foundation’s mission to empower small charities through accessible funding. Her dual perspective gives her unique insight into what makes a strong application – and how funders make decisions.