Personal Statement
The personal statement is by far the most important of the four main parts of your application to a charity. We talk all about it in this section! As well as going through the key basics, this section also contains:
1. A Model Personal Statement, and key Dos and Don'ts
2. Advanced Application Techniques for different student groups (e.g. international students, mature students, students, fourth year PhD students).
3. Our Personal Statement Assistant which will help you write your statement paragraph by paragraph (See link at top right of screen)!
The Basics
Your statement should be between 500-800 words in length, and will vary depending on what you need the money for: i.e. fees, maintenance, conference costs, travel, field work etc. In the statement, you need to make your case convincingly and tell your potential funder why you are a deserving applicant, why you have a shortage of funds, and how your course or proposed research/conference visit will benefit you, and society in general. You may also need to explain how you meet the charity's eligibility criteria.
One of the most challenging things to show is why you have a deficit of funds for what you are raising money for (i.e. your fees, maintenance, conference etc). The reason for this will vary from person to person, but it will be far more convincing if it is due to some factor beyond your control, even if this is simply something general like the rising cost of education, not being able to make enough to support yourself through poorly-paid part-time work. It might equally be that your research costs ended up being higher than you anticipated, and that you need to raise money to finance an essential trip, project, or conference visit that wasn't something you could have 'planned' at the beginning of your course, but ended up wanting and needing to do as research evolved. 
If you are a prospective student (rather than already on your course) you must be especially careful in the presentation of your personal statement. Avoid arguments which sound like you are thinking about doing a graduate course and are looking for money to pay for it - a charity’s response may simply be to tell you not to do it. It is better simply to say that you’re going to be doing a PhD or a Masters and have a deficit in your funding package for the coming year. Although both descriptions are entirely accurate and truthful, the first sounds vague and flaky whereas the second sounds confident and well-planned.
If you are doing a research Masters or PhD, it can be hard to gauge how much you should talk about your research. It is important to remember that charities are usually not run by academics but well-informed and intelligent members of the public, and you must take this into account when you describe your studies. Generally, if it is a non-educational charity, a paragraph ought to be sufficient. Describe your research simply, avoid jargon, and highlight the parts which are of the most ‘general interest’, just as you would if you were describing it to a fellow graduate from a different discipline. If you can envisage any potential wider societal benefit or scholarly contribution from your work beyond your field, be sure to mention it.
Show that this course of study is really what you want to do, and how it is essential for your future career plans, rather than just an indulgence. Many bodies will want to believe that they are helping you advance your career, so it is important to stress this. Talk about what you plan to do after your course, and how your PhD or Masters will help give you the experience and training necessary to allow you to fulfil that dream. Applications for conference and research trip funding should also demonstrate why they are an essential contributor to your ongoing work (or career prospects) rather than undertakings that might be nice, but aren't really essential.
Charities also like it if you say you have made applications to other bodies, and are not simply extending your cap to them. They like to be seen as a potential partner in funding you, rather than your sole provider. Charities dislike being the only funder of something, and many may be emboldened by the presence of other sponsors. As a rule, the more bodies you get to support you, the easier it will be to persuade others to do the same. Even if you are only thinking about applications to other charities, you should give the impression that your application is part of a bigger plan. If you won, awards from internal university competitions (departmental or school monies for conferences, for example) you should also note these down, as it also gives the impression that you have other backers.
Finally, if you have won at least one award from an alternative funding source, be sure to let us know as you will be entered into our annual Prize Draw, which features a top prize of £500 and three prizes of £100!
Model Personal Statement: Key Dos and Don'ts
Below we have three real example statements from students who applied to a charity, with comments from the trustees. Click on the students to view them! Note that the first statement (Opal) is a model statement, whereas the other two (Laurence and Julian) show you what not to do!
Personal Statements: Advanced Techniques
Most of what makes a good personal statement is generic and covered in the Basics section above: i.e. the above advice applies whoever you are, and whatever you want the money for. However, for those who want to take their application to the next level, we've got some extra tailored techniques for seven key student groups:
1. Students applying for Research, Travel, and Conference Costs
2. Fourth Year PhD Students
3. Masters Students
4. PhD Students
5. Part-Time Students
6. International Students (EU and non-EU)
7. Mature Students
8. Students attempting Crowdfunding
Personal Statement Assistant
Of course we can't write your personal statement for you, but you may find our Personal Statement Assistant to be a useful way of organising your ideas and arguments, paragraph by paragraph. You can actually work on your statement right here, save it to work on later, or download it to your computer as a text file! You can find the link to it at the top right of this page.
