Common Reasons for Rejections for Sweden and International
Common reasons
Each year, we receive between 1,000 and 1,500 project ideas. About 10% of these are approved for funding. This means competition is high, and we must make difficult prioritizations.
Unfortunately, we are unable to provide individual feedback to every applicant. However, we understand the importance of learning from our decisions, so we’ve compiled a list of the most common reasons why a project application is rejected.
The project does not meet our criteria
Sometimes we receive applications with ideas that do not meet our basic criteria — for example, the applicant organization does not meet the requirements regarding organizational form, or the project is solely about construction or a short-term event.
The project is too similar to the organization’s regular operations
We fund projects, and not ongoing operations. This means the project must be clearly defined and differ from, or complement, the work your organization normally carries out. This could involve testing a new method, reaching a new target group, or working in a new way.
The project is unlikely to reach a broad public
Most of the projects we support reach, or have the potential to reach, a broader public. This could involve wide geographic spread or long-term impact. It is rare for us to support projects that are centered in a single location or have a limited target group. For smaller and more localized projects in Sweden, we refer to the Neighborhood Initiative.
The project’s results and impact are too small or unclear
It is important to us that the projects we support lead to tangible change. Your application must clearly state the expected results — both short- and long-term — and how you plan to measure them.
The project idea is not clearly described
We need to understand from the application what you want to do, why it is needed, and how it will be carried out. If the connection between the problem, activities, and expected results is missing or hard to follow, it may lead to rejection.
The project falls outside our thematic focus and the impact we want to contribute to
We work based on identified societal challenges where we believe we can make the greatest impact and create change that benefits many. We are open to various perspectives and ideas, but to proceed with a project idea, it must clearly show how it contributes to positive societal change and is relevant to a broad general public.
The project is too similar to one of our ongoing projects
We strive to enable a variety of projects across a broad thematic and geographic spectrum. Since our resources are limited and we must determine where our support can make the greatest difference, we are selective in choosing which projects to fund. If we are already supporting a project similar to yours, we may determine that your project does not sufficiently contribute to the diversity we aim for.
On this web page