Prepare for funding
Give lenders a clear, evidence-backed picture
A well-prepared request can reduce avoidable questions and help lenders assess the opportunity more efficiently.
The essentials
Make the request easy to understand
How much is needed?
What will it fund?
When is it required?
How will it be repaid?
What evidence supports it?
Core preparation checklist
Build the complete picture
Not every lender will require every item, but preparing these areas gives you a strong base for most business funding conversations.
01
Define the funding requirement
The total amount required and a clear use-of-funds breakdown.
The date the funding is needed and any important transaction deadline.
Your preferred structure or repayment profile, if known.
The commercial result the funding is expected to achieve.
02
Explain the business
Legal entity, ownership, directors and any wider group structure.
Trading history, products, services and target markets.
Major customers, suppliers and any concentrations or dependencies.
The experience of the management team delivering the plan.
03
Gather current financial information
The latest statutory or filed accounts available.
Current management accounts with profit-and-loss and balance-sheet detail.
Recent business bank statements.
Aged debtor and creditor reports where relevant.
04
Show affordability and repayment
A cash-flow forecast covering the proposed funding period.
Clear assumptions behind growth, margins and working-capital movements.
The expected source and timing of repayments.
Sensitivity to slower sales, higher costs or delayed receipts.
05
List existing commitments and security
Current loans, overdrafts, leases, invoice facilities and other borrowing.
Monthly repayments, balances, maturity dates and lender details.
Assets that may support the request and any existing charges over them.
Any proposed personal guarantees or third-party support.
06
Evidence the purpose
Quotes, contracts, orders, invoices or transaction documents.
A project plan showing costs, milestones and responsibilities.
Professional reports, valuations or legal documents where applicable.
A concise explanation of the risks and how they will be managed.
Purpose-specific evidence
Add the documents that bring the transaction to life
The supporting pack should reflect what the funding will actually be used for.
Working capital or invoice finance
Aged debtor and creditor reports, customer concentration, sales pipeline, invoice terms and recent cash-flow movements.
Assets and equipment
Supplier quotes, specifications, expected useful life and evidence of ownership or settlement figures for assets being refinanced.
Property transactions
Property details, purchase price, valuation, planning position, tenancy information, development costs and the proposed exit.
Acquisitions or management buyouts
Heads of terms, target-company financials, ownership plans, integration assumptions and details of any buyer contribution.
Trade, orders and stock
Purchase orders, supplier quotations, buyer information, gross margins, delivery milestones and the expected transaction cycle.
Refinancing
A complete debt schedule, current facility documents, settlement figures and a clear explanation of the benefit of refinancing.
Before you share
Check that the pack is current and consistent
Use clear file names and confirm each document covers the expected period.
Make sure key figures reconcile across accounts, forecasts, bank statements and the funding narrative.
Explain one-off costs, unusual transactions, recent losses or material changes rather than leaving lenders to guess.
Share confidential and personal information only through an appropriate secure process and only when it is relevant.
Ready to organise the request?
Keep the story and supporting evidence together
Fundry guides you through the information lenders commonly need and helps you present it consistently.
Important information
This checklist is general guidance. A lender may request different or additional information depending on the business, transaction and proposed facility.
Providing documents does not guarantee that funding will be available.
