Submitting unredacted bank statements

If you’re applying for funding from Point North, as part of our application process you will need to submit a bank statement. The bank statement needs to be unredacted.

We know this can feel like a big ask, especially when the statement includes account numbers, transactions and balances.

That’s why we want to explain why we ask for it and how it forms part of our due diligence process.

A consistent approach for every applicant

Eery organisation applying for funding needs to provide an unredacted bank statement.

This isn’t because we have concerns about your group. It’s about applying the same robust due diligence standards to every application we receive.

By taking a consistent approach, we can make fair funding decisions, protect charitable funds and give our donors and funding partners confidence that every grant has been awarded responsibly.

Why do we need unredacted statements?

To complete our financial checks, we need to see:

• The organisation’s name (this needs to be the same as the name in your application)
• The account number and sort code.
• The statement period.
• All transactions.
• The account balance.

Without this information, we can’t verify that the bank account belongs to your organisation or that the financial information in your application matches the supporting evidence you’ve provided.

Complete bank statements also help us maintain a clear audit trail and identify any discrepancies that may need further clarification before we award any funding.

Protecting charitable funds

Every grant we award is made possible by the generosity of our donors and funding partners.

They trust us to ensure their funding reaches the right organisations and is awarded through a fair, transparent and accountable process.

Reviewing unredacted bank statements helps us:

• Confirm the account belongs to the applicant organisation.
• Verify that account balances match the financial information provided in the application.
• Check that funds are being managed through an active organisational bank account.
• Maintain an accurate accounting trail.
• Identify potential financial irregularities or attempted fraud before grants are awarded.

These checks protect applicants, donors and the wider voluntary and community sector by helping to ensure charitable funding reaches the organisations it is intended to support.

How we keep your information secure

We understand that bank statements contain sensitive financial information, and we treat them accordingly.

Your documents are uploaded securely through Point North’s online application system.

Access is restricted to authorised members of the Point North team involved in assessing your application, and documents are stored securely within our grants management system.

We process this information in accordance with the UK General Data Protection Regulation (UK GDPR) and the Data Protection Act 2018. Our lawful basis is our legitimate interest in carrying out due diligence, assessing eligibility, meeting our trustees’ legal responsibilities and preventing fraud.

Due diligence builds trust

Good grantmaking is about more than awarding funding.

It’s about ensuring every decision is backed by evidence, every pound is managed responsibly and every donor can have confidence that their generosity is being protected.

Requesting an unredacted bank statement is one small part of that process, but it’s an important one. By applying the same checks to every applicant, we help keep our funding programmes fair, transparent and accountable for everyone.