Free grant application
templates and
funding
guides
Grant applications take time you don't always have. These free templates follow every question in the real application forms for Arts Council England and the National Lottery Community Fund, with expert tips built in. Completely free to download, use and adapt.
Project Grant templates (Grantium 7)
ACE Project Grants under £30,000 application guide
A free, fillable Word document for applications up to £30,000 on Grantium 7. Mirrors the real portal form question by question, with character counts, conditional question flags and expert tips.
Download guideACE Project Grants over £30,000 application guide
For applications between £30,001 and £100,000. Includes the additional sections on ambition and quality, environmental responsibility and cashflow, with expert tips at every stage.
Download guideACE Project Grants budget template
A free Excel budget template matching Arts Council England's headings, with income and expenditure tables, automatic percentages, a match funding tracker and a personal access costs section.
Download templateACE Project Grants cashflow template
Covers 12 months of income and expenditure with a running balance and conditional formatting to flag negative cash positions. Needed for applications over £30k.
Download templateApplication guides
Awards for All England application guide
A free, fillable Word guide for grants of £300 to £10,000. Covers every section from project idea to equality monitoring, with guidance on what assessors look for.
Download guideReaching Communities guide
A free application guide for grants of £10,001 to £500,000. Sign up to be notified when it is available.
Notify meA free Expression of Interest guide and full application template are in development.
Want an expert review before you submit?
Detailed written feedback on your draft, covering narrative structure, budget alignment, your case for support and how well you address ACE's investment principles. £230.
Questions about arts funding applications
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Arts Council England Project Grants are applied for through the Grantium 7 online portal. Applications under £30,000 and over £30,000 have different requirements. You'll need to outline your project, demonstrate public benefit, provide a detailed budget, and show how your project meets ACE's investment principles. Our free application guide walks you through every question in the portal.
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Applications for over £30,000 include additional sections on ambition and quality, environmental responsibility, and a cashflow statement. You'll also need to provide more detailed financial information. Our free guide for each threshold covers exactly what's required.
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Awards for All is a National Lottery Community Fund grant programme for smaller projects, offering between £300 and £10,000. It is open to voluntary and community organisations, schools, statutory bodies, and social enterprises in England. Our free Awards for All application guide covers every section of the application.
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Yes, all templates and application guides on this page are completely free to download, use, and adapt. If they help you land a grant, we'd love it if you'd support us on Buy Me a Coffee, but there's no obligation.
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Yes. We offer a professional ACE Application Review Service for £230, with a Monday–Friday turnaround. You'll receive detailed written feedback covering narrative, budget alignment, and how well your application addresses ACE's investment principles.