Cedar Bridge Grant Advisory

Frequently Asked Questions

Everything you need to know about our services.

What exactly do you do?

Three things. We research and shortlist funders that actually match your work, we write and edit the application itself, and we handle post-award reporting so the next renewal is not a scramble. Most clients start with a funding landscape review and take it from there.

What does it cost?

The discovery consultation is AED 900 for ninety minutes and includes a written summary of realistic funding routes. A funding landscape report is AED 6,500, a full application build is AED 12,000 to AED 25,000 depending on the funder, and retained advisory is AED 8,000 a month for a minimum of six months.

Do you work on a success fee?

No. Most institutional funders prohibit contingency fees, and it distorts advice toward whichever grant is easiest to chase rather than the one that fits. We charge fixed fees agreed in advance so you know the cost before any work starts, regardless of the outcome.

Can you tell me whether we will get funded?

No, and we would not. This assistant does not give funding or legal advice at all — it captures your organisation's details and books a consultation. An adviser will discuss eligibility and fit with you directly, and even then no one can predict a funder's decision.

Which funders do you work with?

We regularly build applications for Abu Dhabi and Dubai government social funds, ADQ and Mubadala community programmes, corporate CSR funds, and international donors including EU, UN agency and Gulf foundation calls. We keep a live tracker of roughly 140 open and forthcoming calls relevant to the UAE.

Who do you work with, and who do you turn away?

Registered nonprofits, social enterprises, university research groups and mission-led SMEs. We are usually not the right fit for pre-registration startups with no legal entity or for organisations seeking commercial venture funding, and we will say so at the consultation rather than take the fee.

How long does an application take?

Plan on six to ten weeks from kick-off to submission for a substantial institutional grant. Small corporate CSR applications can be done in two to three weeks. We need your audited accounts, governance documents and programme data early, because waiting on those is what usually delays a submission.

What do you need from us during the process?

A single named point of contact who can reach your finance and programme leads, roughly four to six hours of their time across the engagement, and access to your last two years of audited accounts, registration documents, and any monitoring data you already collect. We do the drafting; you review and sign off.

How soon can we speak to someone?

Discovery consultations are usually available within four to seven working days, on video or in person at our Al Bateen office. If you are working to a call deadline inside three weeks, say so in chat and we will flag it for a priority slot, though we may be honest that the timeline is too tight to do well.