November 10, 2015
An intuitive way to improve grant approval rates is to clearly spell out the documentation that applicants need. Failure to provide the correct documentation is a very common reason for grant denial. The fund will be much more effective if it tells applicants precisely which documents and what information is necessary.
However, communicating the documentation requirements clearly is not always easy. The trick is balancing the specific requirements against the need for simple and direct language. One key is to emphasize simple language on any marketing or informational materials, but to have complete information on the application itself.
Below are some tips for this process:
The guiding principle is to ask yourself “how can we tell applicants what they need to give us in a simple fashion?” Since the lack of proper documentation is the most common reason for denial, this is a very key factor in maintaining a successful fund.