Grant application form (open source and community grants)

A small-grant application needs the project, what the money will pay for, milestones you can check, and who benefits. This template keeps those four sharp and scores each application on them, so reviewers compare like with like.

The questions, and why they're asked

In this order: the name first, the substance next, contact details and links last.

1. 1

   Full name

   In the chat: “First, what's your name?”

   Asked first and alone, so the chat can greet people properly before anything else.

2. 2

   Project name

   In the chat: “What's the project called?”

   Short, to start easily.

3. 3

   What is the project?

   In the chat: “What is the project, and who uses it today?”

   Reviewers need to know what exists before what's planned.

4. 4

   What will the grant pay for?

   In the chat: “What would the grant pay for, roughly line by line?”

   A rough budget shows whether the plan is real.

5. 5

   Milestones

   In the chat: “What milestones could we check you've reached, and when?”

   Checkable milestones make reporting easy later.

6. 6

   Amount requested (USD)

   In the chat: “How much are you asking for, in US dollars?”

   A number, validated by code.

7. 7

   Repository or website

   In the chat: “Link to the repository or website?”

   So reviewers can look.

8. 8

   Email address

   In the chat: “What's the best email to reach you?”

   Asked near the end, once people are invested. The chat confirms it and catches typos like gmial.com.

Scoring rubric

Each response is scored once on these, with a reason for every score. The weights set the total; you can change them.

Scores are advice for the people deciding. Nobody is accepted or rejected automatically.

Common mistakes

• Asking for a budget spreadsheet up front. A rough list is enough to decide; ask for detail after.

A good answer and a weak one

For “What milestones could we check you've reached, and when?”