Funding: asking for it, and getting paid
How funding works inside a programme: raising a request against your application, why approved is not the same as paid, and the data requests that usually hold up the next instalment.
What you will learn
- How to raise a funding request, and what it attaches to
- Why approved and disbursed are different numbers
- How money arrives in instalments rather than all at once
- Why an unanswered data request stalls your money
Funding belongs to a programme#
You do not apply for funding in general. A request is raised against your application to a specific programme, which is what tells the incubator which scheme it comes from and which budget it draws on. It is also why the money stays traceable afterwards - from the source that funded the scheme, to the programme, to you.
Approved is not paid#
Two numbers, and the gap between them is where most of the confusion lives.
| What it means | |
|---|---|
| Approved | The incubator has agreed the amount. It has not moved. |
| Disbursed | Money that has actually been released to you. |
Important
Grant funding is almost always released in instalments against milestones rather than as one payment. An approved amount much larger than the disbursed one is normal - but it does mean the rest is conditional on something, and it is worth knowing what.
Following the money#
- A funding summary for each association - what has been approved against what has been paid
- A disbursement history on each application, instalment by instalment
- Every entry dated, so you can reconcile it against your own accounts
Data requests, and why they hold things up#
Incubators ask for numbers on a schedule, usually because their own funder asks them for the same numbers. These arrive as data collection requests and you answer them from the portal.
- A request names exactly what is being asked for, and when it is due
- You respond in the portal, and that response is what the incubator sees
- Outstanding requests stay visible, so you can see what you owe them
This is the usual reason a tranche is late
An incubator that cannot report on you cannot release your next instalment, because their own funding is conditional on that reporting. If your money has stalled and nobody has explained why, check for an unanswered data request before chasing anyone.
