The most common communication a funder sends is a decline letter — most competitive programmes fund only 20-40% of applicants. Despite this, decline letters are often the least thought-through communication a funder produces: formulaic, vague, and providing nothing an applicant can learn from.
Better decline letters improve funder reputation, build applicant relationships, and strengthen the sector. They're not hard to write well — once you understand what applicants actually need.
Applicants who receive a decline letter typically want to know three things:
Most standard decline letters answer none of these questions. "We regret to advise that your application was not successful in this highly competitive round" conveys no useful information. The applicant knows they weren't funded; they submitted a whole application to find out.
Clear statement of outcome. Start with the decision: your application was not successful in this round. Don't bury this in the third paragraph.
Reason for the decline. Be specific about why. There are several different types of declines, and the reason should match:
Acknowledgement of effort. A brief acknowledgement that the applicant invested time and that you appreciate their interest in the programme is appropriate, without being patronising.
Guidance for future applications. If the applicant can reapply (next round, modified project, different programme), say so. If the decline is final (ineligible organisation type), say that too.
Next steps and contact. Who can the applicant contact with questions? How can they access feedback if it's available?
Vague language that means nothing. "Highly competitive," "limited funding available," "many worthy applications" — these phrases say nothing specific. Every competitive round has limited funding; every declined applicant knows they're in competition.
False sympathy. "We appreciate the important work you do and regret that we cannot support you at this time" is hollow if it appears in a template letter sent to 300 declined applicants without reference to what the applicant actually does.
Information the applicant already knows. "As you know, our programme receives many applications" — the applicant doesn't need to be told this.
Promise of feedback that isn't delivered. If you offer feedback in the decline letter, be prepared to deliver it. Promising feedback you don't have capacity to provide raises expectations you can't meet.
Jargon and bureaucratic language. Write the decline letter in plain language. "Your application did not meet the threshold score required for funding" is better than "Unfortunately your application was not successful in meeting the criteria threshold requirements for consideration in the funding round."
For small grant programmes with high application volumes, individual tailored decline letters aren't feasible. A template with a few sentence-level customisation fields is appropriate:
"Your application to [Programme Name] for [Project Name] was not funded in [Month Year]. [Insert specific reason sentence]. Applications for the next round will open in [date]. If you have questions, please contact [name] at [email]."
For larger grants and competitive peer-assessed programmes, more personalised feedback is both feasible and expected. At this scale, each decline should include panel-level feedback — which criteria scored well, which fell short, what would improve a future application.
Avoid language that creates appeal rights you haven't set up. If your decline letter says "you may request a review of this decision," you need a formal review process. If you don't have one, don't offer one.
Keep records. Decline letters and the basis for decline should be retained in your grants management system. If an applicant questions their decline six months later, you need to be able to respond.
Consistency. All applicants in the same round should receive decline letters that follow the same structure and apply the same information. Providing significantly more detailed feedback to some applicants than others within the same round creates equity concerns.
Tahua supports professionally structured applicant communications — with configurable notification templates for every stage of the grant cycle, including customisable decline letters with assessment-based fields that enable meaningful feedback at scale.