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 your case, costs and supporting information, with particular attention to public access and project readiness.
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 route-specific application connecting public use, the proposed capital works and the evidence that the project can proceed.
Fixed quoteAsk for a fixed quote →What this application needs.
The England fund has Smaller Projects and Primary Fund routes with different project-cost limits. Check the official postcode tool first. The applicant needs the right ownership or lease, required consents and other funding in place. Scotland has a separate programme; England’s criteria must not be reused for it.
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.
- Site postcode and funding-zone result
- Chosen route, project costs and comparable quotes
- Ownership or signed lease, consents and other funding
- Public access arrangements and evidence of local need
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.
The England fund excludes new buildings or extensions, general running costs and a range of premises and activities. Do not assume every community or charity project qualifies.
From your rough notes
to a complete written draft.
Research, writing and one agreed round of refinements.
The public benefit
Explain who can use the amenity, the practical improvement and why local people need it.
Evidence of readiness
Bring tenure, permissions, comparable quotes and the work programme together before describing the project as ready.
The costs and contribution
Show what is already funded, what the grant would pay for and how the scheme’s contribution requirements will be met.
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.
No. This service page concerns the England fund’s physical improvements to public amenities, not revenue funding.
Send the Scottish programme link. Its rules and application process need a separate check before we agree the work.
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 your case, costs and supporting information, with particular attention to public access and project readiness. It is not a complete rewrite. I confirm the fee and scope before payment.
The England fund excludes new buildings or extensions, general running costs and a range of premises and activities. Do not assume every community or charity project qualifies.
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.