I’m researching how funders judge fit early in an application, and I want to learn before I write anything. I work with a UK charity on youth violence prevention and help with its funder outreach.

For those who read or write applications: what gets a bid declined on the first page? Is it a mismatch with the trust’s priorities, thin outcome evidence, the size of the ask, or something else? And what did you change that raised your success rate?