Grant FAQs
Please find below some of the common queries from applicants when applying for funding from one of our grant programmes.
Help Completing the Application Form
Before Starting Your Application
All HIWCF’s open grant programmes are advertised on our website. Most of our grant programmes are advertised for at least a month.
To access our application form please click here and select which grant programme you would like to apply for. If the grant programme is open for applications, a link to apply will be listed under the ‘criteria’ section.
The first part of the application form will take you through a guided ‘eligibility form’ to see if you meet HIWCF’s core criteria. At the end of this step, any grant programmes you are eligible for will be shown – you can then click on the link for that grant programme to start your application. Most grant programmes will also have programme criteria that you will need to read through before beginning the application form.
HIWCF’s application form must be completed online. If this is a problem for your community organisation, please call us on 01962 798700 or email grantsadmin@hiwcf.com
Once the grant programme has closed for new applications, there is usually up to 8-10 weeks to wait before you hear the outcome of your application.
HIWCF runs a range of open grant programmes; these follow a similar assessment process:
a) Applications are first assessed internally to ensure they meet core criteria and programme criteria. If your bid does not meet the criteria, we will contact you at this stage of the process to let you know it has been unsuccessful.
b) Applications that do appear to meet the core criteria and programme criteria are assessed. This may be by a member of the HIWCF Grants Team or by one of our External Assessors. You may be contacted by the person undertaking the assessment of your application and asked to talk through aspects of the bid, or to provide additional details.
c) Once the application has been assessed, it will be sent to a Grants Panel. Our Grants Panels are made up of people who bring expertise about community funding; some may include fund donors. Normally HIWCF staff are NOT Panel members. The Grants Panel will make the final decision about which grant applications are supported.
d) HIWCF staff will contact all applicants by email to let them know the outcome of the Grants Panel. If you have been successful, we will arrange to pay the grant as soon as possible (this is normally around two weeks, but can vary).
Once the grant programme has closed for applications, there is usually up to 8-10 weeks to wait before you hear the outcome of your application.
If your bid did not meet the core criteria and/or programme criteria, you may receive a notification much sooner.
It is always worth checking the grant programme criteria for specific restrictions, but in general you can:
– Hold a grant managed by HIWCF and apply for an additional grant managed by HIWCF.
– Apply for multiple grants at the same time from different grant programmes (You cannot make multiple applications to the same grant programme).
It is always worth checking the grant-programme criteria for specific restrictions, but in general you can:
– Hold a grant with HIWCF and apply for an additional HIWCF grant.
– Apply for multiple grants at the same time from different grant programmes (You cannot make multiple applications to the same grant programme).
Please contact us if you have overdue reporting. If you have recently completed a grant with HIWCF and have NOT submitted your ‘Grant Feedback and Learning Form’ (previously called a ‘monitoring form’), this is likely to prevent future grants being made.
Using The Online Form
If this happens, please contact us on 01962 798700. We will discuss the issue with you and help you identify the solution.
Yes. The application form has a ‘save’ feature.
To save the application form you will need to click ‘save my progress and resume later’ – this tick button can be found at the top of each page of the application form.
Once you click ‘save my progress and resume later’ you will be asked to enter your email address and create a password. After this step is complete, you will receive an auto-generated email message that will contain a hyperlink to your application form. Use this hyperlink to return to your in-progress application form.
Please check your spam/ junk folders for this notification email.
Once the grant programme has closed for applications, there is usually up to 8-10 weeks to wait before you hear the outcome of your application.
If your bid did not meet the core criteria and/or programme criteria, you may receive a notification much sooner.
You do need to attach a full set of supporting documents with each new application. This is because different grant programmes may require different supporting documents. We also require these documents to be up-to-date/ your latest versions.
Top tip: HIWCF suggests that community organisations create their own folder containing the most up to date versions of documents and policies that are frequently requested by funders.
Once you press ‘confirm’ at the bottom of reviewing your application form you will submit the form to HIWCF. At this point you will automatically be sent an email with a copy of the application form attached.
When you are ‘reviewing’ your application form prior to pressing ‘confirm’ you are also given the option to ‘print’ your application form.
You are not able to re-access an application that you have ‘confirmed’ and submitted to HIWCF. Please call 01962 798700 to discuss if we are able to manually make a change for you.
Grant Application Queries
You may be contacted about your application by a member of the HIWCF Grants Team or by one of our External Assessors. This is a standard part of our assessment process. Please answer their questions promptly by any deadline given. Failure to respond to assessment questions may impact the outcome of your application.
If your application was successful, we will email you with a ‘grant offer letter’. This will set out the details of your grant and any next steps for your grant payment.
HIWCF makes grant payments regularly and we will arrange to pay the grant as soon as possible (this is normally around two weeks, but can vary).
The donors for some grant programmes may require you to provide a referee – for example someone from the local authority or from another organisation who is familiar with your work. We will contact you if this is relevant to your application
End of Grant Monitoring
When your grant is awarded, you will be emailed a ‘grant offer letter’ – this will (i) provide you with a link to the ‘End of Grant Feedback and Learning Form’ and (ii) a link to ‘Reporting Guidance Notes’ so that you know what you need to keep records on. Most HIWCF grants require you to report to us after 12 months of delivery.
Please contact grantsadmin@hiwcf.com with enquiries about reporting.
The terms and conditions that you sign up to when you submit your application state that you should deliver your grant within the agreed time period set out in your ‘grant offer letter’.
As soon as you think that your planned delivery timeline may not be achievable, you should contact HIWCF to discuss if an extension can be approved. Please contact grantsadmin@hiwcf.com
