Every year, strong projects are turned down by funders. Often the idea is not the problem: the organisation simply wasn’t ready. A missing document, absent financial statements or an unclear budget can be enough to drop an application at the first screening.
Before you start an application, take an hour to check where you stand. These are the ten things most funders look at, whether the funder is an embassy, a foundation or a development agency.
1. Up-to-date legal registration
Your organisation must be registered with the relevant authorities, and its certificate must be valid. Also check that your type of organisation (NGO, association, cooperative, social enterprise, faith-based institution) is among the eligible applicants for the call you are targeting.
2. Clear governance
Funders want to know who makes decisions. Keep your constitution or bylaws, your board member list and recent board meeting minutes ready to share.
3. Reliable financial statements
Ideally, audited financial statements for the last two or three years. Failing that, clear annual financial reports signed by your leadership. For many funders, this is the first sign that an organisation is serious.
4. A bank account in the organisation’s name
No funder will pay into a personal account. The account must be in the organisation’s name, with at least two signatories.
5. A current organisational profile
A two- to four-page document presenting your mission, areas of work, locations, team and achievements. You will reuse it in almost every application.
6. A well-defined problem and solution
Can you explain in three sentences the problem you want to solve, for whom, and how your project addresses it? Back it up with verifiable local data: official statistics, surveys or field studies.
7. A realistic budget
A budget broken down by activity, with unit costs you can justify. Funders quickly spot rounded or inflated figures. Include administrative costs, and check the ceiling the funder allows for them.
8. Monitoring and evaluation capacity
How will you know your project is working? Define a few simple indicators, how you will measure them and who is responsible. A basic logical framework is often enough to start.
9. Documented past results
Activity reports, photos, testimonials, partner letters: anything that shows you have delivered projects before. A young organisation can highlight the experience of its team.
10. Partners and your own contribution
Many funders expect a contribution from the organisation, in cash or in kind (premises, volunteers, equipment). Support letters from local partners or authorities also strengthen your application.
Three common mistakes to avoid
- Overlooking eligibility criteria. Country, type of organisation, grant size: read the whole call before writing a single line.
- Sending the same proposal to every funder. Each funder has its own priorities and language. Tailor every application.
- Starting at the last minute. Gathering documents often takes longer than writing the proposal.
What next?
If you can tick most of these points, you are ready to look actively for funding. If some pieces are missing, it is better to sort them out now than when a call for proposals opens.
Alfemis Solutions helps organisations get ready: grant-readiness assessments, building the organisational file and finding funders that fit. Contact us to review where your organisation stands.
