Round 1 Overview

Round 1 for People’s Postcode Trust was open for 7 days, opening on 24 March at 9am and closing on 31 March at 12 noon. This overview aims to give more insight into applying to People’s Postcode Trust in future funding rounds and to help outline common trends. In Round 1 we had 51 successful applications with a total amount awarded of £988,914. Please note, future funding rounds are not guaranteed to have the same success rate as this changes with the level of demand for each funding round.

Each application goes through a robust assessment process, utilising an internal scoring process that considers the strength of the answers provided, as well as the supporting documentation. We will also consider our funding priorities when rounds are oversubscribed.

Overall Numbers

In total, 330 applications were received in Round 1 from organisations applying to People’s Postcode Trust. 51 of these were successful and 34 were deemed ineligible. This means in Round 1, People's Postcode Trust had a success rate of 15%.

Funding Priorities

Our funding priorities are different to our funding themes. More information can be found in our funding guide on this. People’s Postcode Trust was oversubscribed this round, meaning that our funding priorities were required to help with decision making. It is important to note that the strength of an organisation's overall application is still the primary factor in our decision making.

For reference, our funding priorities are:

• Funding organisations with an annual income of £250,000 and below
• Funding for communities that rank as being within the top 15% on the Scottish Indices of Deprivation
• Organisations whose main activities are focused on supporting any of our priority groups. By this, we mean the majority of activities within the organisation are specifically aimed at supporting this group
  • Communities experiencing racial inequity
  • Disabled people
  • LGBT+ people

Due to the level of demand, the 51 successful groups funded in Round 1 all met at least two or three of our funding priorities. Groups with either one or zero funding priorities were unfortunately not able to be funded. Although we were able to support some organisations that met two priorities, due to the demand other factors were considered in this funding round that meant not all groups that met two priority were funded. 86% of supported organisations in Round 1 had an income of less than £250,000.

Tips

Here are a few tips that may help a future application:

• Focus on answering the question as it is written, ensuring all parts of the question have been answered.
• As our funding is unrestricted, the questions are focused around your organisation as a whole. It is best not to focus on future activities or specific projects, but answer the questions about your organisation’s main aims and objectives.
• Our funding priorities are different to our funding themes. Groups must choose one funding theme to link to their application. It is best to choose the funding theme that links best to your organisation overall. Mentioning multiple themes in your written answers does not benefit your application.

Common Eligibility Fails

Out of the 34 applications that were deemed ineligible in Round 1, common eligibility issues included:

• The number of Trustees/related Trustees did not meet our standard
• The organisation was overdue in their reporting to Charities Commission/Companies House
• The submitted governing document was incomplete or did not meet our standard
• The organisation applying are a smaller branch of a charity already funded by a Trust supported by People’s Postcode Lottery

Reapplying

Groups that were unsuccessful in Round 1 can apply once more in 2025. If you have any questions, please don’t hesitate to get in touch with the team. You can reach us via email at info@postcodetrust.org.uk