This online short course is designed for organisations that want to improve how they identify suitable funds and strengthen the quality of their funding applications. The session focuses on choosing the right opportunities, understanding how funders make decisions, and using practical tools, including AI, in a safe and sensible way to support your funding work.
The session will be participatory, with opportunities for discussion and reflection. You are encouraged to keep your camera on and take part in group activities throughout.
Overall course aim
Participants will gain an introduction to key aspects of:
Choosing the right funds - understanding how to assess whether a fund matches your organisation’s needs and avoid spending time on opportunities that are unlikely to succeed
Using Funding Scotland effectively - making the most of search tools, filters, saved searches and alerts to stay organised and focused
Using digital tools, including AI, responsibly - understanding where tools can support research, idea‑shaping and clarity, and where human judgement must lead
Thinking like a funder - gaining insight into how funders assess applications and what they typically look for
Strengthening application quality - learning how to communicate your work clearly and ensure your applications align with fund criteria
Course objectives
Choosing the right funds - understanding how to identify suitable opportunities and avoid wasting time on low‑fit applications
Using Funding Scotland and other tools to search, organise and prioritise opportunities
Using digital tools, including AI, in an effective and responsible way to support funding research and planning
Thinking like a funder - understanding what funders look for and how decisions are made
Improving application quality - learning how to align your proposal with a fund’s criteria and communicate your work clearly and effectively
This course is part of our Funding fundamentals series, which can be studied independently or in conjunction with each other.
Funding fundamentals: growing support through giving and events - 21 May, 10am to 11.30am
In addition to this series there is the Introduction to fundraising course, which is designed as a stand-alone course.
Who is the course aimed at?
Small to medium‑sized organisations looking to improve their approach to grant funding
Staff, volunteers or board members involved in preparing funding applications who wants to strengthen their approach.
Cost
£85 (member rate £60). If you belong to an organisation in SCVO membership, you will save £25 when booking this course. Find out if your organisation is an SCVO member or supporter.
Other information
We welcome your feedback to help us continue improving the course, so please take a moment to complete the post‑course survey and share any comments you may have.