What do you need help with?
Funding Direction
A route recommendation, the main risks and what to prepare.
£45Check my route →I have a draftReview & Strengthening
Feedback on community need, public use, costs and eligibility evidence, plus a clear list of documents or decisions still needed.
From £95Review my draft →The idea needs shapingProject Packaging
Bring the activities, partners, outcomes and budget together before writing.
From £175Shape my project →Write it for meComplete Writing
An Expression of Interest or invited application for the agreed Community Buildings project, with readiness gaps flagged before submission.
Fixed quoteAsk for a fixed quote →What this application needs.
Community Buildings is a theme within Biffa Award’s Main Grants Scheme. Check both location tests, public access, tenure and permissions before preparing an Expression of Interest. The third-party contribution is separate from project shortfall funding. Partnership Grants use different criteria and are not covered by the same brief.
Check current eligibility, deadlines and assistance rules. This page does not confirm that a round is open.
Considering another route?
Compare the support available. Each fund has its own eligibility rules.
I check the funder’s assistance rules before accepting writing work. Where you must write it yourself, I offer planning or feedback instead.
What to send and how the quote works
A short outline is enough to start.
- Project postcode and the results of both location checks
- Ownership or lease details and required permissions
- Quotes, total costs and funding already secured
- User groups, access arrangements and proposed contribution source
Writing is quoted for your brief. Reviews start at £95. Scope, complexity and the application stage determine the final fee. Later stages and extra review rounds are agreed separately. No payment on this form.
Not every charity building qualifies. Religious fabric repairs are different from improving space used by the wider community. Check the programme and regulator’s contribution rules before committing money.
From your rough notes
to a complete written draft.
Research, writing and one agreed round of refinements.
Who uses the building
Show the range and regularity of community use, what users need and how the improvements respond.
A defined piece of work
Connect the proposed works, quotations, permissions and delivery dates. Do not split a larger scheme simply to appear eligible.
A complete funding plan
Set out the grant request, other project funding and third-party contribution separately so the figures can be checked.
Check and refine
You check the facts and missing information. I make one agreed round of refinements; you approve and submit.
You receive an editable draft and submission checklist, with missing facts flagged. You approve it and submit to the funder.
Read the writing before you hire me.
A genuine application extract. Only identifying details have been redacted; the wording is retained.
Browse all writing extracts →Real applications.
Personal support.
Scroll across for more client experiences →
Matt supported me throughout my Paul Hamlyn Foundation application, which was successful. He demonstrated profound respect for the background of my application, which focused on Ballroom Culture, and articulated my points clearly to the panel.
The review was very detailed and clearly structured, so it was easy for me to update my application and submit it in time.
I am really grateful to Matt for reviewing my DYCP application. He provided clear, detailed feedback with explanations for each proposed change.
Send me the fund,
the deadline, and the idea.
Two or three sentences are enough. I’ll reply personally with the right service, scope and fixed quote.
No commitment until you agree the quote.
Prefer to talk first? Book a chat
Dear Matt,
Tell me what you know. “Not sure” is fine.Only your name, email and a short outline are required. The other fields are optional.
Form not working? Email matt@artsfunded.com directly.
Quick answers.
Yes. We first check the postcode, applicant, lease or ownership, public use and proposed works against the current criteria.
No. It is a separate contribution under the funding scheme. We keep it distinct from money needed to cover the project’s remaining costs.
Independent support from Matthew Simmonds, not the funder or an approved supplier. I check the current route and outside-assistance rules before agreeing work. You approve all facts, figures and commitments and submit the application. Funding is never guaranteed.
Feedback on community need, public use, costs and eligibility evidence, plus a clear list of documents or decisions still needed. It is not a complete rewrite. I confirm the fee and scope before payment.
Not every charity building qualifies. Religious fabric repairs are different from improving space used by the wider community. Check the programme and regulator’s contribution rules before committing money.
A bid writer who works
inside the arts.
I’m Matthew Simmonds, Co-Artistic Director of Strange Futures, an Arts Council England-funded theatre company. I’m also a theatre maker, performer and facilitator.
I know the work behind the form. I work with individual artists, small organisations and charities, from a first application to NPO bids, multi-year community funding and longer-term planning. My job is to make the next step clearer and keep your own voice in the writing.
Matt Simmonds More about Matt →Working on another application?
Arts, charity, community and heritage support, with the same personal approach.