Start with the Application Form, Not the Guidelines

Here's a tip that might sound counterintuitive: when you're preparing to apply for a grant, read the application form before you touch the guidelines.

Yes, you read that right! We're suggesting you flip the traditional approach on its head.

Why this saves you time

Most people start with the grant guidelines, work through every page, and convince themselves they've got a solid understanding of what the funder wants. Then they open the application form and realise half the questions don't quite match what they expected.

The application form is what you'll ultimately need to complete. It's the document that matters. By reading it first, you get a direct view of what questions you'll need to answer, what evidence you'll need to provide, and whether you can actually deliver convincing responses.

This approach saves you from the false confidence that can come from reading guidelines alone. You might think everything's falling into place, only to discover the actual questions require information you don't have or capabilities you can't demonstrate.

Key benefits of reading the application form first:

• You see exactly what's required without interpretation
• You can assess early whether this grant is worth pursuing
• You avoid wasting time preparing for questions that don't exist
• You identify gaps in your readiness before investing hours of work

The online form always wins

Here's where things get interesting. If there's both a downloadable PDF and an online application form, always work from the online version.

We've seen this trip up applicants more times than we'd like to admit. A funder provides a PDF for easy viewing, but the actual submission happens through an online portal. You'd think they'd be identical, right?

Not always.

We've encountered online forms with completely different word count limits. We've seen questions worded differently. We've even found entirely new questions that don't appear in the PDF version at all.

If you prepare your responses based on the downloaded document, you're setting yourself up for frustration when you transfer everything across to the online system. Suddenly you're over the word limit, or you've answered a question that's now phrased differently, and you're scrambling to revise everything.

The great philosopher Raphaël Dubois once said, "The map that guides your journey matters less than the destination you must reach." (We made him up, but he's right.)

The guidelines are the map. The application form is your destination. Start with where you need to end up, and you'll find your way there more efficiently.

So next time you're considering a grant application, resist the urge to dive straight into those guidelines. Open that application form first, give it a proper read, and let it tell you what you actually need to deliver.