Need help with your funding application? Here’s how anonymous advice from grantseekers helps — Reflections from Yapp Charitable Trust
Yapp Charitable Trust has received 66 anonymous grantseeker reviews on GrantAdvisor UK. CAST Programme Lead Ellen Smyth spoke to Joanne Anderson, Trust Secretary at Yapp Charitable Trust about why she’s proud of the relational approach Yapp Charitable Trust takes, and how responding to anonymous feedback is an important part of that. Joanne also reflects on the practical tips that grantees have shared with each other in the anonymous reviews, and how this peer-to-peer advice can support more organisations to write strong funding applications.
“When grant holders share their experiences, some of our grant holders have included some really helpful advice for other applicants in their reviews. That’s really useful because they’ve been there and got the funding. I think that’s key — the reviews aren’t just useful for funders, the advice is helpful for grantseekers who need help with their application” Joanne Anderson, Trust Secretary at Yapp Charitable Trust
Do you want to gain practical advice to help your funding applications? Read on to see how anonymous advice makes a difference.
Ellen Smyth (CAST): Congratulations on reaching over 65 reviews! Can you share one thing your anonymous reviews say Yapp Charitable Trust is doing well?
Joanne Anderson (Yapp Charitable Trust): Grantees have provided really positive feedback on our people-centred approach so we’re proud of that. It’s important to us that we build good relationships with our grantees. We have supported many of them for several years and I’m in touch often about how to claim their grants or how to re-apply. If we have funded an organisation for a couple of years, sometimes they’ve grown and become too big for us to fund because they’ve managed to secure grants from other funders. They’ve developed and they no longer need us. It’s like raising a child and letting it fly the nest.
There’s also been good feedback on the support we provide and that our response rate is swift. We’re thrilled.
Ellen Smyth (CAST): Grantseekers often mention the people-first approach Yapp Charitable Trust take. I also noticed that Yapp Charitable Trust responds openly to every review. The responses are visible to everyone who visits the site, and are very personalised which is lovely to see. Can you tell me more about that?
Joanne Anderson (Yapp Charitable Trust): Yes, I read and reply to each review, thanking grantseekers for their time (because I appreciate that their time is limited). It is always a personal response to their review, not just a copy & paste message. I want to make sure that grantseekers know that their feedback has been read by a person and it is not just sitting there, or feeding into stats.
I like to build relationships with our grantseekers whether we can fund them or not. I think there’s an element of FunderPlus in there — so if we can’t fund them, I will try and direct applicants to somewhere that can.
The gold dust: But I fully appreciate that sadly not all funders have the time or the resources to provide tailored funding advice to applicants. When grant holders share their experiences, some of our grant holders have included some really helpful advice for other applicants in their reviews. That’s really useful because they’ve been there and got the funding. I think that’s key — the reviews aren’t just useful for funders, the advice is helpful for grantseekers who need help with their application. Lots of organisations are struggling to secure vital funding.
Ellen Smyth (CAST): That’s right, when grantseekers share their experiences on GrantAdvisor UK, one of the questions on the form is ‘what advice would you give to a colleague who is considering approaching this funder?’
The responses grantseekers share to this question are always really insightful. We hope that by publishing these responses publicly we can encourage more organisations to share advice with their peers to help them secure funding.
Can you share an example of some useful advice grantseekers have shared in their anonymous reviews?
Joanne Anderson (Yapp Charitable Trust): Many of our grant recipients recommend getting in touch with us to ask questions before submitting an application. This is excellent advice. I am always willing to discuss eligibility with potential applicants or answer any queries about our grant making process.
“Do not hesitate in ringing them with any questions or asking for advice as they are more than helpful and make sure you read the guidelines as they really do help you with your application.” Anonymous grantseeker review, March 2023, GrantAdvisor UK
“Many thanks for your positive review and for the excellent advice for potential applicants to contact us with any queries before submitting an application.” Response from Yapp Charitable Trust, March 2023
Is there anything else you’d like to share?
The feedback doesn’t just get read by me, it gets shared with our Trustees. They all have access to the service and are interested in the reviews we receive. At every meeting I do a summary of the most recent feedback. We have a strategy meeting every other year where we reflect on our direction and decide if we need to make any changes to our criteria and/or grant making policy. The feedback we receive from grant recipients supports discussions in those meetings.
Can you tell us if the feedback has influenced any changes at Yapp Charitable Trust?
The feedback has been really positive, so I’m not sure I can do at this stage. But I would say that there is a clear message in the reviews that small organisations are really pleased that we only offer grants to cover core funding costs, and that our grants are awarded over a few years.
That positive feedback is enough to make us continue giving core funding over 3 years. We don’t see any reason to change our policy in that regard. We can see that our approach is really well received and that people are so grateful. It comes through in the tone and the message as well, which is really lovely.
We take on board all the feedback and it can really change the picture. We read all the reviews regularly and make changes accordingly.
“The Yapp Charitable Trust was rare among grant funders to provide grants for running costs to very small charities and grass-roots organisations, which could be a lifeline for these groups. This is also because they provide the total amount spread out over 2–3 years, so the charity if successful can then expect an annual payment for three subsequent years which helps to provide some confidence and financial security.” Anonymous review, GrantAdvisor UK January 2024
“Many thanks for your review and positive feedback. I am delighted that we have been able to offer some financial security to your small charity with our multi-year grant.” Response from Yapp Charitable Trust January 2024
What advice would you give to a grant seeker who is considering leaving a review?
Just that it does help. Tell funders if we’re doing the right thing. And if we’re not, then you can anonymously tell us what we’re not doing the right thing. We can review your feedback and consider if we need to make any changes. Help us make sure that we do get it right next time.
Join the conversation:
- Share your anonymous feedback with funders: Are you a grantseeker interested in sharing your experience working with UK grantmakers? Funders are listening. It takes 5 minutes to share your anonymous feedback. You can also browse almost 500 anonymous grantseeker reviews — this is the kind of peer-peer insight that can help you with your funding applications.
- Register for free on GrantAdvisor UK: Are you a funder interested in hearing what grantseekers have to say? Want to gather in-depth insight — for free — on what you are doing well and how you can improve? Register here.
- Questions? We’d love to hear from grantseekers and grantmakers. Share your reflections, questions and ideas so we can create more impact together. If you are a funder — what support do you need to start gathering feedback from grantees? If you are a grantseeker — how do you feel about the changes funders have made, so far, in response to grantseeker feedback? How can we make it easier for you to share your experiences? Contact us at grantadvisor@wearecast.org.uk
You can also read more reflections from Joanne Anderson, Trust Secretary at Yapp Charitable Trust, on why it is important for funders to invite a diverse range of grantees to share their experiences with them — including asking for feedback from unsuccessful grantseekers.
