Are You Grant-Ready?

A practical fundraising checklist to help small charities and social enterprises identify gaps, strengthen their foundations, and feel more prepared before applying for funding.

Before you spend hours writing funding applications, there’s one important question worth asking first:

Are you actually grant-ready?

Many funding applications struggle not because the idea is bad, but because organisations are missing some of the practical foundations funders expect to see.

This checklist is designed to help you spot those gaps early.

Created specifically for small charities, CICs and social enterprises managing fundraising in-house, this resource walks you through the key areas funders often look at when assessing applications.

It’s simple, practical, and designed to help you feel more organised, prepared, and confident before you start applying.

How You’ll Use It

• Work through the checklist section by section

• Mark what’s already in place

• Identify what still needs attention

• Use your notes to create a simple action plan

You can revisit it regularly as your organisation grows and develops.

Who It’s For

• Small charities

• CICs and social enterprises

• Trustees, founders, or small teams managing fundraising internally

Especially helpful if:

• You’re relatively new to grant fundraising

• You’re trying to become more organised

• You want to improve your chances of funding success