You’ve secured grant funding! What’s next?

Communication with funders

Send a thank you email/letter to the funder acknowledging the grant award. Some might also require paperwork to be signed and completed, be sure to do this in good time.

During your project if you have problems that mean you can’t spend your grant as agreed, speak to your funder as early as possible. Most will work with you to find a way to use the grant that suits you both. Being open and honest with a funder about the challenges and successes throughout the life of the grant is also a good way to start building a longer-term relationship with them.

Monitoring and reporting

Monitoring and evaluation of your work is important not just for building long-term relationships with your funders, but also for the effectiveness of your organisation. The information you gather can be used to inform future applications and should be considered as part of your plans from the very beginning.

Your monitoring and evaluation plans might consider:

• How many people have you helped?
• What impact have you made?
• How have you changed people’s lives?
• Have you shifted attitudes?
• How has society benefited from the work?
• What have you as an organisation learned and how will this shape your work?

Almost all grants come with reporting requirements. These can look different depending on the funder, so ask for monitoring requirements and templates as you might need to collect information during your project in order to report back properly. If the person who wrote the application isn’t the person who delivers the work, they need to be clear on any reporting needs. That’s why it is so important to speak with colleagues before you submit your application.

Growth and sustainability

Once you have your first successful grant, it's important to consider the longevity of your organisation, and potentially growth.

You might start looking at other funding or larger grants. In this case, you should have a system in place to keep track of the different applications you are working on or have submitted. Have a look at our guidance on creating a funding database to help you keep track of what you have applied to.

Often, larger grants mean an increase in monitoring and reporting requirements. You should ensure you have a consistent approach to monitoring.

Finally, it is important to think about the financial sustainability of your organisation. Having an over-reliance on grant funding runs the risk of funding shortfalls if a certain grant doesn't come in or is delayed. As such, it is recommended that you have multiple income streams. This is also a way to bring in unrestricted income which can cover the core running costs of your organisation.