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 review of the application’s argument, supporting evidence and consistency, with clear priorities for the next edit.
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 agreed application or proposal built around the current questions, your evidence and your financial plans, with unresolved decisions returned to you.
Fixed quoteAsk for a fixed quote →What this application needs.
The Foundation’s current guidance sits alongside its 2025–2030 strategy. Check the live eligibility, priorities and application instructions before choosing a brief. Named specialist funds are separate routes; old criteria should not be assumed to apply.
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 exact programme and guidance
- Organisation strategy and a short account of recent work
- Latest accounts and proposed budget
- Draft application or any correspondence about the next stage
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.
We confirm detailed eligibility and the current form before accepting a writing commission. This page does not claim an open round, a preferred-supplier relationship or a previous award to a client.
From your rough notes
to a complete written draft.
Research, writing and one agreed round of refinements.
The strongest fit
Explain the specific connection to the current priorities. Be honest about parts of the work that are outside the proposed request.
Evidence and judgement
Choose a small number of meaningful results and explain what the organisation has learned, including what needs to change.
An organisation ready to deliver
Connect leadership, partnerships, finances and the timetable. Make assumptions and dependencies visible.
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. It is useful source material, but the application should answer this funder’s questions rather than reproduce the entire strategy.
Yes. That conversation should happen before you pay for a full writing project.
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 review of the application’s argument, supporting evidence and consistency, with clear priorities for the next edit. It is not a complete rewrite. I confirm the fee and scope before payment.
We confirm detailed eligibility and the current form before accepting a writing commission. This page does not claim an open round, a preferred-supplier relationship or a previous award to a client.
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.