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
A close read of your proposal and the supporting financial story, with practical edits and a prioritised list of missing or unclear information.
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
A focused proposal or Major Grant Expression of Interest, supported by a document checklist and clear questions for unresolved financial or delivery details.
Fixed quoteAsk for a fixed quote →What this application needs.
Regular Grants use a proposal and organisational information, including accounts. Major Grants of £100,000 or more have a separate Expression of Interest process and additional scale requirements. A large building project is not automatically a Major Grant application.
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.
- The Regular or Major Grant route you are considering
- Latest accounts and a short organisational overview
- The proposal or rough notes
- Costed budget, funding secured and remaining shortfall
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.
I check the route before quoting. A project’s total cost, your charity’s income and the amount requested are different figures and must not be confused.
From your rough notes
to a complete written draft.
Research, writing and one agreed round of refinements.
Your work and reach
Describe the people you serve, what the charity already achieves and what evidence supports those claims.
A clear request
Separate core, project and capital costs. Show what is already funded, the remaining gap and what a grant would make possible.
Financial readiness
Explain reserves, other income and the plan after the grant. Flag questions for your finance lead rather than inventing reassuring answers.
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. Community services, education, welfare and other charitable work are welcome. We first check that the proposed request fits the Foundation.
Not just because your project is expensive. Send the total cost, annual income and request amount so we can check the specific Major Grant conditions.
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.
A close read of your proposal and the supporting financial story, with practical edits and a prioritised list of missing or unclear information. It is not a complete rewrite. I confirm the fee and scope before payment.
I check the route before quoting. A project’s total cost, your charity’s income and the amount requested are different figures and must not be confused.
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.