The Winning Formula – writing good funding applications
“It was excellent, thank you very much. It de-mystified the process a LOT; I probably WILL apply for funding now. (I feel) A lot more confident, and I now can think about them from the Funder’s point of view, which is a great idea. I knew it would be good. Julia is superb.”
Previous fundraising training participant
The Winning Formula– a short course this February for Tendring-based creative freelancers and small arts organisations, designed to help you write more compelling funding applications and improve your strike rate with funders.
With funder budgets under greater pressure than ever, it’s more important than ever that any funding application you submit is ‘on the money’. But how to do that when many funders use jargon that leaves us none the wiser about what they fund and why, and whether or not what we do hits the spot?
If you’re confused by the jargon, not sure how best to answer funder questions, or which story to tell, this 1 day course (delivered across 2 mornings on 13 & 27 February) is for you. Course leader Julia Payne will help you get inside the real value of what you’re doing, think about how to tell a compelling story, and how to make sure that your budget storytelling adds up too.
You can APPLY HERE.
Here’s what to expect and what you’ll learn
Over 2 3.5-hour modules, Julia will share a host of useful insights, resources, tips and tricks and real life examples. She’ll also be joined by guest speakers from key funding organisations. Playful and creative but designed to make a real difference, there’ll also be an emphasis on small group work, peer learning and sharing collective experiences. You’ll get inside the following:
- Getting the prep right, to maximise your chances
- Are you a good match? How to know who to apply to
- Funder jargon – what they really mean, and how that relates to what you do
- The who – how to talk about who you’re working with
- The winning ingredients in a good funding application – what do they look and sound like?
- So what? How to tell a compelling story
- How to demonstrate need
- How to describe project aims, objectives and milestone
- Making the budget add up – literally and metaphorically!
About your trainer
Julia is Director of the hub, a creative sector social enterprise she founded back in 2002 with the aim of building the capacity of her peers in the independent music sector. Working in and with a range of arts organisations, she’s raised over £13m in her career, and has worked with hundreds of artists, freelancers, promoters and venues to help them improve their fundraising skills and understanding. She’s also worked in and with a number of funding bodies, as a funding officer and adviser, so knows what it’s like to be a funder too.
When and where?
Session 1: 13 February 2026
Session 2: 27 February 2026
Both sessions will happen at Sunspot in Jaywick, 10am-1.30pm.
To take part, you need to be a creative freelancer/run your own arts organisation based in Tendring. You also need to be able to attend both sessions, and be able to commit to doing a small amount of preparation/homework in between sessions.
Did we mention, it’s FREE?!
Thanks to funding by the UK government through the UK Shared Prosperity Fund, this training is free to any Tendring-based creative freelancers or others who work as part of Tendring’s creative community. All we ask is that you commit to taking part in both sessions.
I’m sold! How do I apply?
If you are shouting, ‘yaaasssss this is perfect for me’, you can APPLY HERE.
The application form should hopefully be simple to complete, and take about 10 mins to complete. The deadline to apply is 2 February, and we’ll aim to get back to you by 4 February to let you know if you have got a place on the course. In the meantime, please pencil the course dates in your calendar, just to make sure you can definitely make it. We wouldn’t want you to miss out!
