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
Practical feedback on the case for investment, project readiness and financial explanation, with priority changes clearly marked.
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 first-stage application or invited proposal built around your capital project, with a fixed quote for the agreed stage.
Fixed quoteAsk for a fixed quote →What this application needs.
Wolfson’s Funding for Places supports buildings and equipment through sector-specific programmes. Most use a short first stage followed by an invited second-stage application. Check your sector first: the requirements are not identical, and places of worship have a separate route.
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 relevant Wolfson programme and application stage
- A short outline of the capital project and its users
- Cost plan, secured funding and remaining gap
- Permissions, professional advice and any invitation to stage two
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.
Wolfson does not generally fund property purchase, VAT or feasibility studies. I check the specific programme before quoting; writing support is not architectural or financial certification.
From your rough notes
to a complete written draft.
Research, writing and one agreed round of refinements.
The difference the investment makes
Explain what the space or equipment lets you do that you cannot do now, using evidence from the people who use the service.
A project ready to progress
Bring the scope, permissions, timetable and professional costings together. Mark anything still awaiting confirmation.
The funding picture
Separate eligible capital costs, other project costs and running costs. Show which contributions are secured and what remains to raise.
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. Send the exact programme and project outline. We start with what the building or equipment changes for the people using your service.
No. Later stages are separately scoped against the invitation and required material.
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.
Practical feedback on the case for investment, project readiness and financial explanation, with priority changes clearly marked. It is not a complete rewrite. I confirm the fee and scope before payment.
Wolfson does not generally fund property purchase, VAT or feasibility studies. I check the specific programme before quoting; writing support is not architectural or financial certification.
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.