City Bridge Foundation
Launching a new 10-year funding policy
We designed, tested and built a digital experience that helps guide users through new funding pathways and processes.
What we did
- Content strategy
- Usability testing
- Website design and build
Impact measured against UN Sustainable Development Goals
City Bridge Foundation have been supporting people in the capital for over 900 years, and are committed to improving the lives of Londoners who face systemic barriers. We have partnered with them since 2021 to design and iterate an accessible website that better reaches these communities, and makes the funding process more user-friendly.
Building on our previous work together, we collaborated with the funding and marketing teams to create a refreshed user journey for their new funding strategy. The latest version of the site includes a user-friendly eligibility checker and a transparent process for applying for funding.
New strategy, structure and eligibility
City Bridge Foundation is deeply committed to partnering with people who are making a real difference in London. They want to use their power and resources to help tackle the problems Londoners face every day.
Through the audience insight and discovery process, we realised that, despite their best intentions, much of the language and many of the systems the Foundation had in place did the opposite. By using technical language and assuming all sorts of prior knowledge, they were putting off the very people they wanted to reach.
The people driving change in their communities are often busy and don’t have time to wade through language that only makes sense if you have a degree in fundraising. They need to be able to decide quickly whether it’s worth investing their valuable time in applying for funding from City Bridge Foundation.
We created a new eligibility checker that gives quick responses based on City Bridge Foundation’s basic application criteria. If applicants are not eligible, they are provided with helpful, friendly feedback explaining why.
I tend to skim the information about eligibility and make a decision pretty quickly, even for big pots of money. If it’s not easy to find the information I need, or if I have to attend a workshop, then I’m not going to apply. We’ve got a part-time team of two so we just don’t have the time.
― Usability testing participant
Creating content that people actually need
We spent time developing an understanding of what different people wanted from the Foundation and drew on previous usability testing insights from CBF and other funders to create hypotheses to design and test.
Our primary focus was on discovering the most important things applicants need to know when applying. This includes clarity on:
- eligibility criteria
- funding amounts and durations
- application processes and requirements
- project alignment with funder priorities and timelines, and ultimately
- the likelihood of success
We ran a paired writing session to bring members of the funding and communications team together to plan and draft content for priority pages. This session helped to build a shared understanding of the purpose of each page and how it should be structured, based on user needs and organisational goals.
A flexible, future-proof funding toolkit
Once we had mapped different user needs, we developed a digital kit of parts that allows the team at City Bridge Foundation to build their different funding pages over time as new programmes are launched.
The flexibility of the design system enables and empowers the team to meet changing needs based on testing or new funding challenges without needing external development support.
Why this matters
Many funders are navigating similar issues around growth and meeting complex audience needs while launching new strategic funding programmes. Having an accessible, flexible and easy-to-use online platform to help make the funding process more equitable and engaging is more important than ever.
If your organisation is looking to improve and update your funding processes we’d love to help.