Thinking about writing an art grant proposal to get funding for your work? This guide by ARTS THREAD’s career education specialist and digital editor Jacqui Rudd’s will talk you through when to apply for a grant and how to write your proposal and other vital things to consider along the way.

Grant funders want to fund projects, it’s their job, however, they want the grants to go to professional and eligible applicants whose projects have the best probability for success. So the trick to making sure your application is successful is to put the time into it and do the preparatory work, so you demonstrate exactly how you will utilise their grant and succeed.

Before you Start

These applications take a long time and are highly competitive so avoid wasting your time and resources on starting an application for a particular grant until you have done your research and made sure you are eligible and fit the criteria. Answer these questions to start you off:

• What is the application procedure? When is the deadline? Do you have the time to make a good application before the deadline? (due to volume of applicants late entries will simply not be considered)


• Research past winners of awards of grants, this is a good indicator of what projects win, look for recurring themes or traits in the winning entries in your category.


• What did previous winners do before they got the opportunity? What career stage were they at and how did they demonstrate professionalism?


• What is your end goal if you won this grant?


• Is the work that I make suitable for this application and funding body?

When to apply for a grant

Apply when you can answer all four of these questions with yes.

• Is your application eligible?


• Would your work meet their criteria?


• Is this opportunity suited to you and your work?


• Would your application stand a fair chance of being successful?

Is your application eligible?

Every funding body will have different eligibility benchmarks so do your research.
Possible eligibility standards:

• Age Restraints - some applications will be for a certain age bracket.


• Charity or Social Enterprise - must be a charitable company.


• Individuals - only accept applications from individuals.


• Organisations - only fund businesses not individuals.

You will find some funding opportunities that you are eligible to apply for but don’t waste your time applying for ones you aren’t, you will not be considered.

Would your work meet their criteria?

Their criteria could be along the lines of a theme, cause or topic and sometimes these can be quite broad and hard to interpret, but you can contact the funders for elaboration or check your project would qualify for that criteria.
Possible themes, causes or topics:

• Environmental


• Local Issues


• Social


• Political

Is this opportunity suited to you and your work?

This is about making sure this grant the best way to fund your work, or if there other options?

Grants are increasingly scarce and a very competitive way to build funding, and applications often take a lot of time to draw up, therefore, there is quite a low chance of success for that time invested. Don’t be put off, because someone has to get the funding, but also consider other avenues. Depending on your personal requirement and time constraints, alternatives for you could be crowdfunding platforms, applying for a loan or approaching private businesses for partnerships. Alternatively, if your applying to fund the services of for example a graphic designer, photographer, videographer, then maybe a product/service exchange could be arranged to lower the cost or even a skills share so both parties benefit with skills develop.

Would your application stand a fair chance?

How to measure your chances of success:

• Do you meet the criteria in a unique and exciting way? Your USP could be the making of an attractive application.


• How much time do you have to create a good quality application? I would advise at least 1 month to draw up all the information and materials you need if you give yourself too little time it’s unlikely to be a high enough quality.


• Assess your chances based on your research of previous grant winners of that award, to understand the calibre of projects being proposed to that funding body.

Drawing Up A Grant Proposal

• Develop Project Idea - Map out your project idea, every step, task, expense and deadline to fully understand the ins and outs of your project before stepping into writing an application. Also, ask yourself why it’s important to you and others.


• Fill out the Application Form - Funding applications will include a form to fill out, make sure you do not leave this until the last minute, answer all questions professionally and don’t miss any, this is just as important as your proposal itself.


• Draft your Proposal - Every grant application is different and so is what they want to be included in a proposal needed, I would recommend starting with a writing exercise such as freewriting to help formulate your idea roughly, this will take several drafts so be prepared to give yourself that time. We have a great guide on writing an artist/ makers statement and also a guide on writing a collection statement which can help you draw up elements needed for your proposal.


• Write a Clear Pitch - this is a short introduction to you and your intended project and the need for your project and how it links to their criteria.


• Write a bio or CV - Applications using ask for a form of bio whether that is a regular CV, an artist CV or simply a bio. Follow their guidance on what they require and do not stray from it unless you believe it is essential and beneficial for your application.


• Include a budget - Not all grant applications require you to create a budget, however, it’s helpful to create one as you draw up your grant proposal and to understand your costs. Start by writing a list of expenses, overheads and the cost of your time. If they do ask for a budget they will want to make sure you are considering all your costs to ensure the project is successful. The budget should be well presented and split into sections or headings and clearly show how you’ve calculated your costs.


• Include professional images and visuals - If you do not have the skills to create professional visuals that express your project intentions then outsource it, do a skills-share with a friend or find a freelancer who will offer their skills.
  Have an editor - Whether this is a professional editor or a friend or family member who has experience editing work, always have someone else read through it for errors.


• Use Their Checklist - Most funding applications will provide a checklist of thing that should be in your application, utilise it and make sure you tick every box.


• Submit and Follow Up - You’ve done it! Drawing up a grant application is no easy task so congratulate yourself on completing it. Applying for grants is highly competitive and they often receive more good applications than are able to fund. If your application is unsuccessful, do not take it personally, you can follow up and thank the funders for their consideration and ask for feedback. Now you’ve done it once you can easily make improvements to your application and try again.