Need Money? A Guide to Successful Fundraising Applications
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Anu- Refugee Council volunteer
Nov 11, 2008, 8:20:07 AM11/11/08
to Fundraising information for RCOs
If you're looking for funds to help your organisation, here are some
people who might be able to help! On October 30th, the Refugee Council
brought together funders with RCOs in London to share information on
how to successfully apply for grants. They included:
The City Bridge Trust
www.citybridgetrust.org.uk
0207 332 3710
Stewart Goshawk, Principal Grants Officer
Grassroots Grants from the Capital Community Foundation
www.capitalcf.org.uk
0207 582 5117
Rehana Reid, Grants Officer
BBC Children in Need
www.bbc.co.uk/pudsey
0208 576 7788
Unltd.
www.unltd.org.uk/rise
0207 566 1136
Maryam Pasha
Each organisation's criteria and eligibility requirements are
summarised here, but for full details, please call them directly or
visit their websites. Good luck! And if you have any experience
applying for grants, please share what you've learned with other
members!
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
The City Bridge Trust is London-based and has awarded more than 500
grants worth more than ￡10 million to black, minority and ethnically-
led groups since 2003. Most of those grants went to small London
groups with incomes under ￡50,000 per year. Stewart Goshawk, the
Principal Grants Officer, spoke to RCOs about how best to win a grant.
Here's what he said:
First, the City Bridge Trust funds the following types of projects:
1. Accessible London - projects addressing disability
2. Bridging Communities - these are projects that bring people
together from different geographical, faith, cultural or ethnic
backgrounds. It could also include, for example, projects to help
people traditionally NOT looking for work learn English (ie. women,
older or disabled people)
3. Improving Londoners' Mental Health - projects addressing
depression, children's mental health, trauma, homelessness, prisoners
or ex-prisoners, cultural adjustment.
4. Environment - any program seeking to improve an organisation's
energy efficiency or to help improve the environment
5. Older Londoners
6. Transition to Independent Living
7. Strengthening the Third Sector - working to increase volunteering
or strengthen information or communication technology.
Stewart's TOP TIPS for getting a grant:
●Read the criteria BEFORE you apply. There isn't enough money for
everyone, so if you make mistakes, your application will be rejected.
●Apply for a specific PROJECT--- not general funding for your
organisation.
●The Trust is not looking for fancy English, just complete
information.
●Involve the people who receive your help in the management and
running of your organisation and say on your application how you do
that.
●Welcome people of all backgrounds and reflect that philosophy in your
application.
●Value and support volunteers--and give examples in your application.
●Take steps to reduce your carbon footprint (even if it's just
changing the bulbs in your office to energy efficient ones, or buying
recycled paper, or using public transport!) Give examples.
●DON'T ASK FOR TOO MUCH (you must detail how much money you want and
provide figures for why you need it). If you have specific questions,
call the Trust for advice before you apply.
●Disclose who else funds you. The City Bridge Trust will reject your
application if you are asking them to be your single largest funder.
IF YOU NEED ADVICE, CALL BEFORE YOU APPLY. THEY WILL ADVISE YOU. IF
YOU'VE BEEN REJECTED, CALL TO FIND OUT WHY. ONCE REJECTED, YOU MUST
WAIT A YEAR TO RE-APPLY!!
---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Grassroots Grants offer up to ￡5,000 for small groups. Rehana Reid is
the grants officer responsible for southeast London, but grants are
available nationwide. Last year, she awarded 470 grants totalling ￡2.7
million. To find out who to contact in your area, copy and paste this
link into your browser:
http://cdf.vbnlive.com/SITE/UPLOAD/DOCUMENT/Projects/Grassroots%20grants/Small_Grants_Organisations_07_11_08.pdf
To be eligible, your organisation must have:
- been active for a year.
- an average annual income of up to ￡20,000
- strong volunteer base
- good local links
- need an active management committee of three people; recent, signed
accounts; a governing document and a child protection policy if you
work with children.
The general criteria for receiving a grant is that your project must
strengthen the local community, bring different people together, aim
to increase training and capacity building. You can apply for
salaries, volunteer's expenses, training, funds for insurance or CRB
checks, for example.
Grassroots Grants DO NOT FUND EXCLUSIVE RELIGIOUS ACTIVITY, POLITICAL
GROUPS OR COMMERCIAL VENTURES. And there are some restrictions on the
types of activities related to asylum and refugee groups. Call the
number above for more information.
Rehana's TOP TIPS:
●On your application, tell them WHY you are the BEST organisation to
provide this particular service.
●Provide a detailed budget.
●Name an independent referee who knows your organisation and its work.
●Provide all supporting documents.
●The Foundation will help you fill out the application if you call
them to arrange help.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
BBC Children in Need
www.bbc.co.uk/pudsey
0208 576 7788
BBC Children in Need funds non-profit groups who propose projects to
positively change the lives of disadvantaged or needy children. In
2008, they raised ￡37 million from the British public, according to
Anna Thomas, who made the presentation. But they were asked for more
than ￡300 million!! There is no minimum or maximum amount you can ask
for. They will fund salaries or capital projects (buying equipment,
for example). They will fund you for up to three years and a third of
all applications are successful.
CRITERIA:
-Your project must target children living in the UK, aged 18 or under
-They must be 'in need' - this includes illness, distress, neglect,
abuse, disability, behaviour or psychological difficulties; living in
poverty or deprivation.
-Your group must have a constitution or governing document; a
management committee, a bank account, annual accounts and a written
child protection policy.
They DON'T FUND: money you've already spent; medical research;
pregnancy advice or money to be given to other organisations.
Anna's TOP TIPS:
●Make sure you're eligible and fit the criteria before you apply.
●It's an online application, so make sure you upload all your
documents correctly.
●The project MUST target children under 18.
●If you ask for big money, they will scrutinise you more, so be ready.
●If they think you can't manage the money, they might reject you.
●Make sure you have a proper child protection policy.
●Apply EARLY! The deadlines for applications are:
15th January 2009
15th April 2009
15th July 2009
15th October 2009
Once you send the application, an independent assessor will make an
appointment to phone you to discuss the application in detail and ask
questions. PREPARE WELL!!
Unltd. runs a funding programme called RISE, specifically targeted for
refugees seeking to change or help their community!!!! The average
award is ￡2,500 and is for INDIVIDUALS, not organisations. You cannot
use the money to pay yourself or another person. You can use it to set
up a project that offers new, unique solutions to a social problem.
ELIGIBILITY:
- You must be over 16 years old
- You must be living in England
- You can apply as an individual or an informal group
- You must have refugee status (there is also a programme for ex-
refugees called 'Level 1')
- You must have a new idea or be looking to expand an existing project
EXAMPLES of PROJECTS:
Cycling project for refugees to stop obesity
Job application and CV support for refugee women
Radio station for a particular community
Training service to teach unemployed refugees to repair computers
WHAT TO PUT IN THE APPLICATION:
What is the project's social impact?
Is there a need? Will people use it? How do you know?
Clear outputs (how many people will participate)
What do you hope to learn through the project?
What support will you need? (Do you need accounting or legal advice?)
Detailed budget
Will the project continue beyond the RISE award? (It doesn't have to.)
Maryam's TOP TIPS:
●She gets lots of proposals for ethnic websites and magazines, so make
your proposal different and unique!!
●To apply for the RISE grant, you must make an appointment and attend
a meeting where you can receive help with your idea and the
application.
●Strengthen you application by showing EVIDENCE that people need your
service with photos, number of calls received, feedback forms, video
of an event you held, etc.
●Ask people to write a short testimony of why they need your project
●Use volunteers! PhD students and undergraduate students at local
universities are often looking for unpaid work to help with research
or even IT help. Ask your local university!!
●For IT volunteers, try TimeBank: www.timebank.org.uk or Volunteering
England: www.volunteering.org.uk
people who might be able to help! On October 30th, the Refugee Council
brought together funders with RCOs in London to share information on
how to successfully apply for grants. They included:
The City Bridge Trust
www.citybridgetrust.org.uk
0207 332 3710
Stewart Goshawk, Principal Grants Officer
Grassroots Grants from the Capital Community Foundation
www.capitalcf.org.uk
0207 582 5117
Rehana Reid, Grants Officer
BBC Children in Need
www.bbc.co.uk/pudsey
0208 576 7788
Unltd.
www.unltd.org.uk/rise
0207 566 1136
Maryam Pasha
Each organisation's criteria and eligibility requirements are
summarised here, but for full details, please call them directly or
visit their websites. Good luck! And if you have any experience
applying for grants, please share what you've learned with other
members!
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
The City Bridge Trust is London-based and has awarded more than 500
grants worth more than ￡10 million to black, minority and ethnically-
led groups since 2003. Most of those grants went to small London
groups with incomes under ￡50,000 per year. Stewart Goshawk, the
Principal Grants Officer, spoke to RCOs about how best to win a grant.
Here's what he said:
First, the City Bridge Trust funds the following types of projects:
1. Accessible London - projects addressing disability
2. Bridging Communities - these are projects that bring people
together from different geographical, faith, cultural or ethnic
backgrounds. It could also include, for example, projects to help
people traditionally NOT looking for work learn English (ie. women,
older or disabled people)
3. Improving Londoners' Mental Health - projects addressing
depression, children's mental health, trauma, homelessness, prisoners
or ex-prisoners, cultural adjustment.
4. Environment - any program seeking to improve an organisation's
energy efficiency or to help improve the environment
5. Older Londoners
6. Transition to Independent Living
7. Strengthening the Third Sector - working to increase volunteering
or strengthen information or communication technology.
Stewart's TOP TIPS for getting a grant:
●Read the criteria BEFORE you apply. There isn't enough money for
everyone, so if you make mistakes, your application will be rejected.
●Apply for a specific PROJECT--- not general funding for your
organisation.
●The Trust is not looking for fancy English, just complete
information.
●Involve the people who receive your help in the management and
running of your organisation and say on your application how you do
that.
●Welcome people of all backgrounds and reflect that philosophy in your
application.
●Value and support volunteers--and give examples in your application.
●Take steps to reduce your carbon footprint (even if it's just
changing the bulbs in your office to energy efficient ones, or buying
recycled paper, or using public transport!) Give examples.
●DON'T ASK FOR TOO MUCH (you must detail how much money you want and
provide figures for why you need it). If you have specific questions,
call the Trust for advice before you apply.
●Disclose who else funds you. The City Bridge Trust will reject your
application if you are asking them to be your single largest funder.
IF YOU NEED ADVICE, CALL BEFORE YOU APPLY. THEY WILL ADVISE YOU. IF
YOU'VE BEEN REJECTED, CALL TO FIND OUT WHY. ONCE REJECTED, YOU MUST
WAIT A YEAR TO RE-APPLY!!
---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Grassroots Grants offer up to ￡5,000 for small groups. Rehana Reid is
the grants officer responsible for southeast London, but grants are
available nationwide. Last year, she awarded 470 grants totalling ￡2.7
million. To find out who to contact in your area, copy and paste this
link into your browser:
http://cdf.vbnlive.com/SITE/UPLOAD/DOCUMENT/Projects/Grassroots%20grants/Small_Grants_Organisations_07_11_08.pdf
To be eligible, your organisation must have:
- been active for a year.
- an average annual income of up to ￡20,000
- strong volunteer base
- good local links
- need an active management committee of three people; recent, signed
accounts; a governing document and a child protection policy if you
work with children.
The general criteria for receiving a grant is that your project must
strengthen the local community, bring different people together, aim
to increase training and capacity building. You can apply for
salaries, volunteer's expenses, training, funds for insurance or CRB
checks, for example.
Grassroots Grants DO NOT FUND EXCLUSIVE RELIGIOUS ACTIVITY, POLITICAL
GROUPS OR COMMERCIAL VENTURES. And there are some restrictions on the
types of activities related to asylum and refugee groups. Call the
number above for more information.
Rehana's TOP TIPS:
●On your application, tell them WHY you are the BEST organisation to
provide this particular service.
●Provide a detailed budget.
●Name an independent referee who knows your organisation and its work.
●Provide all supporting documents.
●The Foundation will help you fill out the application if you call
them to arrange help.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
BBC Children in Need
www.bbc.co.uk/pudsey
0208 576 7788
BBC Children in Need funds non-profit groups who propose projects to
positively change the lives of disadvantaged or needy children. In
2008, they raised ￡37 million from the British public, according to
Anna Thomas, who made the presentation. But they were asked for more
than ￡300 million!! There is no minimum or maximum amount you can ask
for. They will fund salaries or capital projects (buying equipment,
for example). They will fund you for up to three years and a third of
all applications are successful.
CRITERIA:
-Your project must target children living in the UK, aged 18 or under
-They must be 'in need' - this includes illness, distress, neglect,
abuse, disability, behaviour or psychological difficulties; living in
poverty or deprivation.
-Your group must have a constitution or governing document; a
management committee, a bank account, annual accounts and a written
child protection policy.
They DON'T FUND: money you've already spent; medical research;
pregnancy advice or money to be given to other organisations.
Anna's TOP TIPS:
●Make sure you're eligible and fit the criteria before you apply.
●It's an online application, so make sure you upload all your
documents correctly.
●The project MUST target children under 18.
●If you ask for big money, they will scrutinise you more, so be ready.
●If they think you can't manage the money, they might reject you.
●Make sure you have a proper child protection policy.
●Apply EARLY! The deadlines for applications are:
15th January 2009
15th April 2009
15th July 2009
15th October 2009
Once you send the application, an independent assessor will make an
appointment to phone you to discuss the application in detail and ask
questions. PREPARE WELL!!
Unltd. runs a funding programme called RISE, specifically targeted for
refugees seeking to change or help their community!!!! The average
award is ￡2,500 and is for INDIVIDUALS, not organisations. You cannot
use the money to pay yourself or another person. You can use it to set
up a project that offers new, unique solutions to a social problem.
ELIGIBILITY:
- You must be over 16 years old
- You must be living in England
- You can apply as an individual or an informal group
- You must have refugee status (there is also a programme for ex-
refugees called 'Level 1')
- You must have a new idea or be looking to expand an existing project
EXAMPLES of PROJECTS:
Cycling project for refugees to stop obesity
Job application and CV support for refugee women
Radio station for a particular community
Training service to teach unemployed refugees to repair computers
WHAT TO PUT IN THE APPLICATION:
What is the project's social impact?
Is there a need? Will people use it? How do you know?
Clear outputs (how many people will participate)
What do you hope to learn through the project?
What support will you need? (Do you need accounting or legal advice?)
Detailed budget
Will the project continue beyond the RISE award? (It doesn't have to.)
Maryam's TOP TIPS:
●She gets lots of proposals for ethnic websites and magazines, so make
your proposal different and unique!!
●To apply for the RISE grant, you must make an appointment and attend
a meeting where you can receive help with your idea and the
application.
●Strengthen you application by showing EVIDENCE that people need your
service with photos, number of calls received, feedback forms, video
of an event you held, etc.
●Ask people to write a short testimony of why they need your project
●Use volunteers! PhD students and undergraduate students at local
universities are often looking for unpaid work to help with research
or even IT help. Ask your local university!!
●For IT volunteers, try TimeBank: www.timebank.org.uk or Volunteering
England: www.volunteering.org.uk
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