Unlock Growth Funding: Grant Fundamentals for Business Success
If you're ready to grow but need funding to make it happen, this course transforms you from grant novice to 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
You've validated your idea. You know there's market demand. But scaling requires investment you don't have.
The Challenge: Most businesses miss out on millions in available grant funding because they:
Don't know which grants fit their growth stage
Waste months on applications that were never going to succeed
Submit weak applications that get rejected immediately
Miss deadlines because they don't understand the preparation required
Get blindsided by requirements they discover too late
The Opportunity: UK businesses can access over £3 billion in government grants annually, but less than 30% of eligible companies ever apply.
From growth barrier to growth accelerator
This isn't just grant training, it's a growth strategy. You'll learn to identify funding opportunities that align with your business goals and position your company for sustainable, funded growth.
What You'll Achieve:
Strategic Grant Selection: Stop applying randomly. Learn to identify grants that actually fit your business model, growth stage, and strategic objectives.
Application Readiness: Build the documentation, partnerships, and evidence base you need before you even start writing, so you're applying from a position of strength.
Competitive Applications: Understand what funders really want and how to position your business to stand out from hundreds of other applicants.
Efficient Process: Avoid the time-wasting mistakes that derail most first-time applicants. Get organised from day one.
Expert Collaboration: Whether you're DIY or working with grant writers, you'll know enough to drive the process and avoid expensive surprises.
Growth Foundation: Use the grant preparation process to strengthen your business fundamentals, making you more investable overall.
What’s inside: Your complete grant readiness programme
Introduction: Your Growth Funding Foundation
2 Lessons · 5:50
Meet Dr. Chloe Sharp and understand her £10M+ grant success formula
How this course transforms your approach from hopeful applicant to strategic funding candidate
Chapter 3: Building Your Winning Project Case
4 Lessons · 4:22
Innovation Levels & Project Types: Position your project at the right innovation level to match funder expectations
Strategic Project Planning: Create project plans that demonstrate clear pathways to commercial success
Risk Management: Identify and mitigate risks before funders spot them—showing you're prepared for real-world challenges
Assemble Your Team: Build project teams that combine expertise with credibility to strengthen your application
Chapter 1: Strategic Grant Selection for Growth
2 Lessons · 5:11
Navigate the UK Grant Landscape: Understand which funding opportunities align with your business growth stage and objectives
Choose the Right Grant: Stop wasting time on applications you'll never win—focus on grants that fit your competitive advantages
Chapter 4: Market Impact and Commercialisation Strategy
3 Lessons · 5:54
Competition & Market Analysis: Present market research that proves demand and positions your solution competitively
Go-to-Market Strategy: Demonstrate clear paths from grant funding to revenue generation and market penetration
Wider Impact & Benefits: Articulate the broader economic, social, and environmental value your project will create
Chapter 2: Financial Readiness That Wins
2 Lessons · 1:53
Assess Your Financial Position: Ensure your company's financials demonstrate stability and growth potential to funders
Master Project Finances: Structure budgets and financial projections that convince funders you can deliver results
Chapter 5: Winning Strategies & Next Steps
4 Lessons · 1:28
Win or Learn: How to leverage application outcomes (successful or not) for future funding and business growth
Grant Writing Excellence: Insider tips for crafting applications that stand out from hundreds of competitors
Your Growth Action Plan: Summary of key principles and next steps in your funding journey
Resource Library: 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: 2nd June and 3rd June 9.30am-12pm (UK Time). 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: 2nd June and 3rd June 9.30am-12pm (UK Time). 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.
Ready for the Next Level?
After completing this course, consider our Grant Application Review or the Coaching Service, where Dr. Chloe Sharp personally reviews your draft applications before submission.
Or explore our Prove Concepts service to build the evidence base that makes your grant applications memorable, comprehensive and credible.
Connect Your Growth Journey by adding our services into your grant application: Explore + Validate → Grant Funding Fundamentals → Prove Concepts → Build Efficiently