Funding bids for digital
Over the past few months we’ve been working in partnership with Joe Roberson to develop a resource for Catalyst to support organisations to understand their next steps when it comes to developing funding bids for digital within their organisations.
We’ve developed this Step-by-Step guidance which aims to support organisations wherever they are on their journey to explore funding bids for digital..
In this blog we’ll highlight our main advice when it comes to preparing, and submitting, funding bids for digital.
Key steps
When planning funding bids for digital the following key steps will enable you to align with your team and develop a clear funding as:
Align together - bring your team together to define what your overall organisational goals are, and therefore how digital might support these goals
Define your needs - based on your organisational goals determine what your digital needs are to achieve these goals
Develop costs - based on your digital needs develop clear costings
Funding bids for digital - Prepare requests for funding based on your overall goals and digital needs to achieve these goals
On paper it seems straightforward, however in reality the journey is rarely linear. We see two main challenges organisations face when seeking funding bids for digital:
Understanding your organisational digital needs and costs
Understanding the funding system and where to apply
The detailed flowchart will take you through two journeys which relate to these challenges. Below we’re sharing the main highlights.
Understanding your organisational digital needs
Start with your organisational strategy, this will provide clarity on your overall goals and objectives. Don’t have time to develop or revisit your strategy? Create a digital intent statement as a first step.
Make sure you have buy-in particularly from your senior leadership team and Board. Here’s some tips to show senior leaders the potential of digital.
Create clarity on what your digital needs are. Run a discovery process and understand the type of digital funding you need.
Understand the skills you need to achieve your digital goals, determine what skills you have within your organisation and whether you need to engage an external digital partner. Make sure you include the cost of external partners or upskilling existing staff within your funding bids for digital.
Once you have a clear understanding of what you need and why and how much it will cost you’re ready to start putting together a funding bid for digital proposal. However knowing where to go for funding is a key step in the process. We’ve provided some tips in the following section.
Understanding the funding system and where to apply
Research the funders who support your goals. This list is a good starting point.
Connect with other organisations and find out how they are covering their digital costs, and what funding bids for digital have been successful for them. The Tech for Good network is a great place for connecting.
Connect with funders who are interested in your area of work. Build relationships and understand how their funding processes work.
Once you know what you need funding for and where to go for funding bids for digital follow prescribed guidelines for submission and submit speculative applications to funders who are open to this approach.
The following advice will help you prepare funding bids for digital:
Navigating funding bids for digital initiatives requires careful alignment with organisational goals, clear understanding of digital needs, and thorough research into funding opportunities. By following the Step-by-Step guidance outlined in this article and addressing key challenges such as defining digital needs and identifying suitable funders, you can effectively position your organisation to secure the necessary resources for your digital projects. A proactive approach and strategic engagement with funding opportunities provides a strong foundation to create long term investment in your digital approach.
