Why programs make funding faster and easier

Programs to fund projects are not widely available, but they should be. Why?

Approach a more traditional project financier and you’ll discover some of the basics right away — what they are willing to fund, where, minimum size, state of readiness, prior investment made, etc. But that tells you almost nothing about their due diligence.

A programmatic approach means we’ve worked out the requirements in advance and can make a much faster yes/no decision (avoiding the dangerous “slow no”) based on clarity and transparency about the key deciding factors. There will always be some items left to interpret and the potential for hidden show-stoppers, but the existence of well-defined funding programs are a step in the right direction.

Getting funded through In3CAP (flagship Program 1) is far better than the usual guesswork needed to decode the “blind alley” that most funders offers. We’re pre-committed to a set of known criteria and we stick to it — now in our 8th year of doing so!

This matters because without precise information on the true conditions, you may be chasing rainbows … false security (also known as “lost but making good time”).

Being “programmatic” has proven to be better than opaque Terms & Conditions because it saves everyone time and trouble. The downside is you will need to pay closer attention and think through how to match your proposal to the funding (CAP’s) established requirements … but that extra preparation will pay off manyfold by reaching closings and then being able to “rinse-wash-repeat” subsequent funding using the same systems that delivered success previously.

This is all about learning, which for most adults requires at least some unlearning before deciding. Ray Dalio’s observations