28/08/2026
We tend to post about the funded projects we’re launching, but the successful ones are only half the story. We have less funding than ever, but that certainly isn’t because we aren’t applying for it. A lot of hours go into applications that never go any further 😢
So here’s a summary of the funding bids we’ve had rejected in the last 12 months. If any of these would’ve been helpful to you or someone you know, please comment or send us a message, we can use this as evidence when we try again in future 🐴
First up was a Neurodivergent Families Mental Health project. We wanted to run free Equine Assisted Psychotherapy sessions for families where someone is neurodivergent and struggling with their mental health. Each family would’ve been allocated sessions to be used for the child, the parents, whole-family sessions, or however was best. We got to the second round before being rejected for a lack of sustainability once the funding ended. We were really sad about this one but we learnt a lot from the feedback.
Next was a project to fully fund two places in our Alternative Provision, to support low-income, home-educated children in accessing learning in the same way as school-funded children can. No feedback given here.
Then came a large application for a three-year project, which would’ve given us real security in fixing our current session fees while building capacity for Hope Meadows’ long-term plan as a financially sustainable, high impact CIC. Got slightly unhelpful feedback on this one unfortunately.
Finally, an application to put on social events for adults struggling with isolation over the summer holidays. Each evening would’ve included a wellbeing activity and a social meal for up to six people - “sound bowls & BBQ” or “ponies & pizza.” There would’ve been no shortage of people to help run this!
The world of grants is tough, with some funders telling us only 1 in 11 applications succeed nowadays. Our success rate is still pretty good, so we’re not complaining, but we thought we’d share the whole picture rather than just the highlights ❤️
