Grant Fundamentals for Funding Success
If you're ready to grow but need funding to make it happen, this course transforms you from a grant novice to a confident applicant. Whether you're writing your own grant or working with experts, you'll avoid costly mistakes and position your business for funding success.
The Growth Funding Gap
Most businesses miss out on millions in available grant funding, and it's not because the money isn't there. They simply don't know which grants fit their growth stage, so they waste days on applications that were never going to succeed. Others submit weak applications that get rejected immediately, or miss deadlines because they underestimate the preparation required. The worst part is that many discover critical requirements too late in the process.
Here's what most people don't realise: UK businesses can access over £3 billion in government grants annually, but less than 30% of eligible companies ever apply. That means there's genuinely less competition for funding than most entrepreneurs think, if you know how to navigate the system properly.
The opportunity isn't just about getting funding. It's about understanding which grants align with your business stage, timeline, and goals, then crafting applications that stand out in a sea of generic submissions.
Overcoming common grant mistakes
You'll learn to identify funding opportunities that align with your business goals, but more importantly, you'll understand how to stop applying randomly and start targeting grants that fit your business model, growth stage, and strategic objectives.
The real value comes in application readiness. You'll build the documentation, partnerships, and evidence base you need before you even start writing, so you're applying from a position of strength rather than scrambling to meet requirements. This means understanding what funders really want and how to position your business to stand out from hundreds of other applicants.
We'll help you avoid the time-wasting mistakes that derail most first-time applicants and get organised from day one. Whether you're planning to DIY or work with grant writers, you'll know enough to drive the process and avoid expensive surprises.
Perhaps most importantly, you'll use the grant preparation process to strengthen your business fundamentals, making you more investable overall. The skills you develop here don't just help you win grants—they make you a stronger business leader who can articulate value, demonstrate impact, and build the partnerships that drive long-term success.
What’s inside: Improving your grant readiness programme
Introduction: Your Growth Funding Foundation
2 Lessons
Meet Dr. Chloe Sharp and understand her £10M+ grant success formula and learn how this course transforms your approach from hopeful applicant to strategic funding candidate.
Chapter 3: Building Your Winning Project Case
4 Lessons
Position your project at the right innovation level to match funder expectations, create project plans that demonstrate clear pathways to commercial success, identify and mitigate risks before funders spot them, showing you're prepared for real-world challenges and build project teams that combine expertise with credibility to strengthen your application.
Chapter 1: Strategic Grant Selection for Growth
2 Lessons
Learn how to navigate the UK grant landscape by understanding which funding opportunities align with your business growth stage and objective, and choose the right grant. Stop wasting time on applications you'll never win, and focus on grants that fit your competitive advantages.
Chapter 4: Market Impact and Commercialisation Strategy
3 Lessons
Present market research that proves demand and positions your solution competitively, demonstrate clear paths from grant funding to revenue generation and market penetration and articulate the broader economic, social, and environmental value your project will create.
Chapter 2: Financial Readiness That Wins
2 Lessons
Assess your financial position to ensure your company's financials demonstrate stability and growth potential to funders and master project finances. Structure budgets and financial projections that convince funders you can deliver results.
Chapter 5: Winning Strategies and Next Steps
4 Lessons
Learn how to leverage application outcomes (successful or not) for future funding and business growth, get insider tips for crafting applications that stand out from hundreds of competitors, see a summary of key principles and next steps in your funding journey and get templates, checklists, and tools for ongoing grant success.
Learn from successful grant writers
Dr James MacFarlane, Grant Workshop Facilitator
This 'Grant Wizard' truly knows grants inside and out. He has over a decade of grant writing experience, having successfully written and won grants for university research and its spin-out, as well as numerous clients in his role as Head of Grants at GrantTree.
During his time at GrantTree, he built a strong team of grant consultants and writers covering a broad range of competitions and funding bodies, including BBSRC, Innovate UK, and NIHR.
Dr Chloe Sharp, Online Grant Course Designer
Chloe has personally raised over £10m in funding for startups and SMEs across Innovate UK and Growth Hubs and government departments such as BEIS.
An experienced leader in grant funding, from running a grant writing consultancy for 5 years and leading the grants team at one of UK’s most trusted grant consultancies, GrantTree and head of grants at MPA, a Bedfordshire-based accountancy.
Start learning and preparing for grants to help your business grow
Are you feeling confused by UK government grant funding? This course gives a comprehensive overview from grant strategy, to winning a grant and everything in between at your own pace. Prices are exclusive of VAT.
You'll go through a fictional case study and marking criteria to understand how to prepare your application. You'll have access to the online course, plus five hours of live lessons with a grants expert. We'll send you the joining information with the Zoom call details. The dates of the live cohorts are TBD Prices are exclusive of VAT.
You'll go through a fictional case study and marking criteria to understand how to prepare your application. You'll have access to the online course, plus five hours of live lessons with a grants expert. We'll send you the joining information with the Zoom call details. The dates of the live cohorts are TBD. The 1:1 hour of coaching will be at a time that works for you. Prices are exclusive of VAT.
FAQs
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This course is specifically designed for first-time applicants. We start with the absolute basics and build your confidence step by step.
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Perfect! This course will make you a much better client. You'll know the right questions to ask and can ensure your grant writer is delivering quality work.
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Most students finish in 2-3 weeks studying 2-3 hours per week. But you have lifetime access, so go at whatever pace works for you.
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Not at all. The principles work for any business seeking growth funding—from manufacturing to social enterprises to creative industries.
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Immediate access to all course materials, downloadable templates, and our private community of grant applicants. If you are planning to join the live workshops, you’ll receive the details. If you are getting a coaching session, we’ll contact you to get this booked in for you.
Are you looking for a collaborator on your bid or grant?
I’ve personally won over £10m across multiple government grant competitions, bids and tenders including Design Foundations, Smart Grant, DIfD, BEIS GovTech Catalyst, NHS Leadership Academy, SEMLEP, West Midlands Combined Authority and more. I’ve led grant consultancies and grant teams, which won millions of pounds of grant funding.
Sharp Insight can be a subcontractor or project partner to collaborate with you on grant-funded projects as a researcher, evaluator or Social Value provider.
We’re giving free access to collaborators to the online course only.