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Guide

A grant application: the evidence behind the form.

Businesses, charities, iwi organisations and community groups in New Zealand apply for funding from government agencies, councils, philanthropic trusts and community funders. The application form is usually short. The supporting evidence is not, and funders often come back with questions or ask for documents again at reporting time.

This guide covers what funders typically ask for and how to keep it organised and shareable.

Supporting documents funders usually ask for

Each funder publishes its own criteria and checklist, and it is worth reading them closely before you start. Across funders, the same evidence comes up again and again.

  • Proof of identity of the organisation: the Companies Office or Charities Register details, the NZBN and a bank account verification.
  • Your constitution, trust deed or rules, and a list of directors, trustees or committee members.
  • Recent financial statements or annual accounts, and a budget for the project.
  • Quotes from suppliers for the costs you are asking the funder to cover.
  • A project plan, with milestones and the outcomes you expect.
  • Letters of support from partners, customers or the community.
  • CVs or profiles of the people who will lead the project.
  • Policies the funder asks about, such as health and safety or child protection.

An application room

  1. 1

    Keep a standing folder

    Put the documents every funder asks for, constitution, accounts, board list, in one folder and keep them current. Re-upload a document as a new version when it changes.

  2. 2

    One folder per application

    Give each application its own folder with its budget, quotes and letters of support.

  3. 3

    Collect from partners

    Send partners a public request-a-file link from a document request list so their letters of support arrive against the right item.

  4. 4

    Share with the funder

    If a funder asks for documents directly, invite their adviser to a group that sees only that application's folder.

After the funding decision

Successful funding usually brings reporting: progress reports, invoices showing how money was spent, photos and outcome measures. Keeping these in the same room as the application means the person writing the final report, who may not be the person who wrote the application, has the whole history.

A document request list helps here too. Load the funder's reporting requirements as items with due dates in mind, assign each to whoever holds it, and track them through to provided.

Invoices and receipts often arrive as photos or scans. ShareAndGo reads text from documents, including scans, so search finds a supplier name or amount inside them. AI tags, categorises and summarises documents, which helps when a reporting deadline arrives and the evidence is scattered.

Some supporting material is personal: CVs, referee details or information about the people a project serves. New Zealand's privacy law expects organisations to protect personal information and share only what is needed. Keep that material in view-only folders, where pages are rendered on our side and watermarked with each reader's name, email address and the date, and share it only with the group that needs it.

Frequently asked questions

Can volunteers or committee members help without a team seat?
They can read and, if you allow it, upload as invited readers who confirm their email with a six-digit code. Committee members who manage the room join your team.
Can a funder see only one application?
Yes. Give the funder a group that sees only that application's folder. A folder a group cannot see does not appear for it.
What if a funder needs the documents again next year?
They are still in the room, in their folders, with version history. Invite the funder again or give them a fresh invitation with an end date.

Related guides

Responding to a tender

Similar evidence for a contract bid.

Year-end document collection

Keeping the accounts current.

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