Keep in touch - Following Up on your Funding
Once you’ve been notified of a successful application, it doesn’t end there.
1. Contracts and Agreements
Most large funders will have standard contracts that you will have to sign and abide by. However, if you are dealing with a small trust or business, make sure that you have an agreement in writing stating what is being funded, how much and precisely what the agreement is between you, including how you’re going to acknowledge their funding (logos on your publications is a favourite).
Once you have your contract signed and sealed, make sure you fulfil all its conditions and requirements. For instance, the funder may wish to see an evaluation report at the end of the project or several during the course of the project to ensure it is ‘on track’. If you don’t abide by these conditions, you may find you will have to pay back your some of your grant.
2. Document the project
This will be invaluable to you if you do need to produce evaluation reports for the funder. It will also be a useful exercise for yourself, for future plans and any evidence gathered can be used as a demonstration of your experience in this field when submitting future applications. Taking photographs and evaluating user’s responses through questionnaires and focus groups will help you to assess and demonstrate the impact of the project.
3. Maintain a relationship
This is easy to ignore in the day-to-day world of delivering your project but it is vital. If you can prove your project was a success with plenty of evidence, you’re much more likely to get funding in the future. Success breeds success. The funder will want to know how things are going too so its important to keep them in touch with your progress. They may have official ways of doing this through interim reports or it could be through a far less formal procedure. For instance, you could send them copies of your press releases and invite representatives to any launches you may have planned, plus simply call them for a chat now and again.