How to Write a Grant Expression of Interest

More and more funders ask for an expression of interest (EOI) before a full application. It is short, it is usually the first thing a funder reads about you, and for many programmes it decides whether you get any further. This guide explains why funders use EOIs, what they typically ask, and how to write one that gets you invited to apply. It uses three real examples, from Esmée Fairbairn Foundation, the National Lottery Heritage Fund and Garfield Weston Foundation, checked on the date shown on this page.

What an expression of interest is

An EOI is a brief first-stage application. You describe your organisation and your idea, and the funder decides whether to invite a full application. Some funders call it a Stage 1 application, an outline, or an enquiry.

The National Lottery Heritage Fund explains why it uses one for grants of £250,000 and above. It says the mandatory EOI stage helps it filter out projects that are unlikely to be funded, and saves you time working on a full application unnecessarily. It keeps the word count deliberately short, at a maximum of 1,000 words, to keep the effort down.

That is the deal: a short form now, in exchange for a quicker no if the fit is wrong. It works in your favour if you treat it seriously.

Three examples

Funder	When an EOI is used	Length	Response time
Esmée Fairbairn Foundation	All grant applications	300 words across two questions	4 or 6 weeks, depending on the aim
National Lottery Heritage Fund	Grants of £250,000 to £10 million	Maximum 1,000 words	Aims for 20 working days
Garfield Weston Foundation	Major Grants of £100,000 or more	A few questions on a form	Bespoke guidance within 6 weeks

Esmée Fairbairn Foundation

Esmée's EOI asks about your organisation, the funding priority your work fits most strongly, and two questions, with 300 words in total:

1. What do you want Esmée to support, what impact are you aiming for and how does it fit Esmée's priorities?
2. How is your organisation or partnership well placed to do the work, and does it centre lived experience or take a collaborative or community-led approach?

Esmée also looks at your website. The form cannot be saved, so draft it elsewhere first. Our Esmée Fairbairn Foundation guide explains the full process.

National Lottery Heritage Fund

The Heritage Fund publishes its EOI questions, each with its own word limit. They include:

• whether you have spoken to anyone at the Heritage Fund (50 words)
• what you will do during the project (200 words)
• how the project responds to its four investment principles (300 words)
• the heritage of the project (100 words)
• the need for the project (200 words)
• how long it will take (50 words)
• the likely cost, including your contribution (200 words)

If you are invited to apply, you have 12 months to submit a development phase application. If your EOI is unsuccessful, you need to wait three months before submitting a new one. The Heritage Fund also lists common reasons EOIs are turned down, which are useful for any funder:

• not taking into account the two phases, development and delivery
• not addressing all four investment principles
• repeating the list of principles rather than saying how the project responds to them
• describing only the capital work
• not explaining the need or demand for the project, or the wider support for it

Garfield Weston Foundation

For Major Grants of £100,000 or more, Garfield Weston asks you to complete an EOI form. It asks a few questions about what your organisation does, what you are raising funds for, how much it costs, the shortfall and any relevant timings. It says it will be in touch with bespoke guidance within 6 weeks. Our Garfield Weston Foundation guide covers both its Regular and Major Grants.

What most EOIs ask

Across funders, EOIs ask variations of six questions:

1. What will you do? The activity, in plain words.
2. Why is it needed? The problem, and the evidence for it.
3. What difference will it make? The change you expect.
4. Why you? Your track record and connections.
5. What will it cost? The total, what you are asking for, and other funding.
6. When? A realistic timetable.

If you have these answers ready in a short document, you can adapt them quickly for any EOI.

How to write a strong EOI

Talk to the funder first, if you can

Many funders welcome a short conversation before you submit. The Heritage Fund's EOI asks whether you have already spoken to anyone there about your idea, and if so who, when and where. City Bridge Foundation offers pre-application calls when its rounds are open, and Wolfson Foundation says it is happy to answer questions by phone. A ten-minute call can confirm you are eligible and tell you what the funder most wants to hear.

Start with the fit

Funders read EOIs fast, looking for fit. Name the programme, priority or outcome you are responding to in your first sentence. The Heritage Fund's advice not to repeat its principles back to it applies everywhere: say how your project meets the criteria, with specifics.

Be concrete about the need

One local fact beats three national statistics. "Our waiting list has doubled to 80 families since January" tells a funder more than a paragraph about the cost of living. Our guide to writing a statement of need shows how to make the case in a few lines.

Describe change, not only activity

Most funders want to know what will be different, not only what you will run. One sentence linking activity to outcome is enough at this stage. A simple theory of change helps you get there.

Get the money roughly right

You do not need a full budget, but your figures must be realistic. If you give a total cost and a request, make sure they add up and match what the funder offers. Our guide on how much to ask for in a grant explains how. For capital projects, remember the Heritage Fund's point: show the activities as well as the building work.

Use every word, but no more

Word limits are a test of focus. Cut background, adjectives and anything the funder already knows. Read it aloud. If a sentence does not help the funder decide, remove it.

Check the basics

Before you submit, check that your organisation is eligible, that your website and latest accounts are up to date (some funders look), and that you have authority to apply. The Heritage Fund, for example, says the person registering becomes the main contact and must have authority to complete the EOI and any future application on the organisation's behalf.

After you submit

Note the expected response time and plan around it. If you are invited to apply, check the deadline for the full application. If you are not, read any reasons given, and check how long you must wait before trying again. Our guide to how funders assess grant applications explains what happens at the next stage.

When you are ready to find funders, browse our charity grants and heritage grants listings.