Funding research
A shortlist of trusts, foundations, public schemes and company giving programmes whose rules fit your project, with deadlines and the size of a typical award.
Prospect listfrom $480
Grant applications written to the funder’s own questions
We find the funds that fit your project, write the bid in the order the funder asks, and hand you a finished draft five working days before the deadline. Nobody can promise an award, so we promise a careful, honest application and a fee fixed before we start.
5 daysbefore the deadline, your final draft
Fixed feeagreed in writing first
No commissionon any grant you receive
Before we write: what most funders will want to see
Funders differ, and the rules for charities, schools and community groups vary by country, but these items come up again and again. Gather what you can before the first call. A missing item is rarely a dead end; it changes which funds we look at first.
| What funders often ask for | Why they ask | If you do not have it yet |
|---|---|---|
| Your governing document | It shows who you are, what you exist to do and who makes the decisions | Many funds accept a simple constitution adopted at a members’ meeting, and we explain what that involves |
| Your latest accounts | Funders compare the size of the request with your yearly income | New groups can often send a bank statement and a first year budget instead |
| A bank account in the group’s name | Grants are rarely paid into a personal account | Open one before the first bid, since it can take several weeks |
| A costed project budget | Every figure in the bid has to add up to the amount requested | We build it with you from quotes, staff hours and a fair share of running costs |
| Evidence of need | Panels want to know why this project, here and now | Surveys, waiting lists and letters from partners all count |
| Safeguarding and equality policies | Most funds require them for work with children, young people or vulnerable adults | We point you to model policies to adapt and adopt, never to copy unread |
We read each fund’s own guidance before writing, because eligibility rules change from one round to the next.
What Fundline does for a project
One writer stays with your project from the first search to the final report, so nobody on your team has to explain the work twice.
Full application
Every question answered in the funder’s order and word limits, with the budget, outcomes and attachments checked against the guidance.
Per applicationfrom $1,250
Review of your draft (example reviews)
Your own draft read against the scoring criteria, with tracked comments on gaps, thin evidence and figures that do not match.
Per draftfrom $340
Budget and costings
A line by line budget with a short note on each cost, including the share of rent, salaries and overheads a project can fairly carry.
Per budgetfrom $260
Reports to funders
Progress and end of grant reports that show what the money did, in the format the funder set, ready to support the next round.
Per reportfrom $300
Bid library
Your story, history, outcomes and policies written once as reusable blocks, so the next application starts from a strong draft.
One offfrom $720
Fixed fees, never a slice of the grant
Professional codes for grant writers in many countries rule out commission, and we agree with them: a writer paid by the award has a reason to chase the wrong fund. Every fee below is fixed in writing before work begins.
Prospect search
fixed, from$480
- A call about the project and your accounts
- A ranked list with deadlines and typical awards
- Eligibility notes for every fund
- A plan for the next twelve months of bids
Single application
fixed, from$1,250
- Writing to the funder’s questions and word limits
- A costed budget that matches the text
- Final draft 5 working days before the deadline
- A checklist for submitting it yourself
Funding year
a month, from$890
- Research refreshed every quarter
- Applications and reports written as rounds open
- A bid library built in the first month
- A monthly call with your treasurer or head
Large public funds with several stages are quoted separately. Fees are invoiced in two parts, half when work begins and half when the final draft is delivered, whatever the funder later decides.
How a bid comes together, week by week
A single application usually takes four weeks. A shorter run is sometimes possible, but rushed bids are the ones panels remember for the wrong reasons.
Week 1: the project call
We ask what you will do, for whom, what it costs and how you will know it worked, then read your accounts and policies.
Week 1: an eligibility check
We test the project against the fund’s rules. Where the guidance invites it, you or we put a question to the funder’s officer first.
Weeks 2 and 3: the draft
The first full draft arrives with the budget and a list of anything still needed, such as quotes or a partner’s letter.
Week 3: your comments
Your team marks up the draft, we revise it, and a second round settles the final wording.
Week 4: ready to send
Five working days before the deadline you receive the final version and a checklist. Your organisation submits it from its own account.
After the decision
If the bid is funded, we diarise the reports with you. If it is not, we ask for feedback and carry it into the next bid.
Your project, in the funder’s language
Panels often score dozens of bids in one sitting, against a marking sheet that follows the guidance question by question. We write to that sheet: one clear answer per question, the evidence beside each claim, and outcomes in numbers you can actually measure and report.
We still write in your organisation’s voice, with the words your volunteers and families use. A trustee should be able to read the bid aloud at a meeting and recognise every line.
- Outcomes you can count and report on later
- Figures that match between the budget and the text
- Plain words instead of sector jargon
- Quotes from the people the project serves, used with permission
From treasurers, heads and coordinators (example reviews)
We had a garden, forty volunteers and no idea how to describe either to a funder. The prospect list gave us six realistic funds, and the first application went in a week early with every figure checked.
The fee was fixed and nobody mentioned a percentage, which our governors insisted on. Two of the three bids were funded, and the feedback on the third told us exactly what to change.
Our end of grant report used to be a scramble in the last week. Now the outcomes are tracked from month one, and the funder asked whether it could share our report with other clubs.
Projects behind recent bids
A few of the causes we have written for, photographed with each group’s permission.
Tell us about the project
A few lines are enough to start. We reply within two working days with the funds we would look at first, or with an honest note if the project needs more groundwork.
Please describe the project in words. There is no need to send accounts or policies at this stage.
What boards ask before they hire us
Can you promise we will be funded?
No. A writer who promises an award is guessing, because funders decide, often with far more good bids than money. What we promise is a bid that answers every question, meets every rule and arrives early.
Do you take a percentage of the grant?
Never. Our fees are fixed before work starts and are due whatever the decision. Many funders will not accept bids written on commission, and professional codes for grant writers in many countries advise against it.
Which funders do you apply to?
Whichever fit your project: charitable trusts, foundations, public schemes and company giving programmes. We hold no arrangement with any funder, so the research starts from your project rather than from a list we prefer.
Who submits the application?
Your organisation does, from its own account, because the agreement is between you and the funder. We send the final version, the attachments and a checklist so the submission takes minutes.
How much notice do you need?
Four weeks for a single application is comfortable. Two weeks can work for a short form if your accounts and policies are ready. Large public funds with several stages need two to three months.
What happens if a bid is turned down?
We ask the funder for feedback where it is offered, note what the panel wanted, and decide with you whether to revise and resubmit or move to the next fund on the list.
Talk to Fundline
Write or call
Working remotely nationwide, with meetings in person around the city
When we answer
| Monday to Thursday | 09:00 to 17:30 |
| Friday | 09:00 to 13:00 |
| Deadline weeks | Evening calls by arrangement |
Deadline this month?
Call before you send the form. If the deadline is under two weeks away, we will tell you honestly whether a strong bid is still possible.
Call +44 20 7946 0245