How To Apply

Although the Foundation’s Grants Committee meets three times a year in March, July and November, applications to the Foundation are accepted at any time on a rolling basis. A reply can normally be expected within 14 working days.

There is no time limit set before unsuccessful applicants might re-apply, but a telephone call to the Foundation office is advisable.

The Wates Foundation does not use an application form so that applicants are not constrained in promoting their case for an award. Please bear in mind, however, that we will be dealing with more than just your application; responses of excessive length can be counter productive.

First Stage 

We operate a two-stage application process that should reduce the time that applicants spend preparing material and allow us to give a response to the application in a reasonable time. On average, 75 to 90% of requests are rejected before the next stage.

Initial applications should be in the form of a letter of no more than four A4 pages addressing the questions below which are designed to elicit sufficient information to explain and define your application without recourse to extended correspondence. Additional publicity material, pamphlets, newspaper cuttings or reviews will not be read.

Using these headings, say:

  • Who you are and what you do.
  • What you want to do: an outline of the project saying what it is, where it will be delivered, over what timescale and how.
  • What is the budget for the project, how much you want from the Wates Foundation and where any balance of funding is coming from.
  • Why you are the right organisation to do the work.
  • Who will do the work and if they will have training or accreditation.
  • Whether the work will involve those people you seek to benefit.
  • What difference you hope to achieve and how you intend to measure it.
  • How you will monitor and ensure the quality of the work.
  • How in practice the work will promote equal opportunities.

A budgetary breakdown may be attached additional to the four-page limit. Budgets covering more than one year should include elements for inflation. Salaries should identify NI costs and pensions where appropriate.

Letters should be accompanied by a signed copy of the latest Annual Report and Accounts. Your application MUST contain the following statements:

We are aware that supplying any deliberately false information or making any deliberately false statement may result in prosecution. To the best of our knowledge and belief, all statements made in this application and its associated documentation are true and accurate.

I am authorised to sign on behalf of the organisation.

Name ……………..                                  Position ……………………..

The Next Stage

All requests for support are rigorously filtered. Formal application will only be invited after this process.

The formal process of preparing an application and undertaking visits for an application that goes forward to one of the three meetings generally starts up to three months ahead of the meeting date. A letter outlining the broad elements identified in the initial application is sent out together with the second stage application questions. You will have assembled much of the information to answer these as part of your initial approach to the Foundation.

The completed application questionnaire should be supported where appropriate by a strategic review document, business or work plan and future funding strategy. 

Final Point

Although we have a small staff, we are happy for potential applicants to ring us up and discuss funding opportunities or seek clarification if you are in doubt about whether you are eligible under our guidelines: this often saves on correspondence.

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