January 11 2008 I attended a course on funding applications, so why am I publishing this now? I wrote this draft on the 11th and having just reviewed it, I thought I would publish it.
The topics covered were;
- Applications for Awards for all and Reaching Communities
- Where to go for other grants
- The emphasis on outcomes
- What the funders want to see
- Sustainability
Here are some of the key things I remembered.
There is allot of funding available for a range of organisations, although it is getting more difficult to get funding this shouldn’t deter people from applying.
The most important aspect of an application is the outcomes, a few points on this;
- What are you trying to achieve
- Demonstrate who benefits, including who and how many people
- Do not whatever you do ask for less money than you need. Funders know projects won’t work if you don’t have all the money you need. Ask for the real cost!
- Use numbers not percentages. Percentages mean nothing to some one reading the form.
- Kick start funding, some organisations will only fund one project, which is good to get started, but then you need another funder to continue for regular annual support
- Once you have received funding, and used it for what is was meant for, it is easier to get more funding
- Make sure you fill the form in correctly, %40 of lottery applications fail
- There are people who can help you
- Try and get 3 people to check your application form like some one who is;
- from your organisation
- not involved with the organisation
- experienced in making funding applications and advising others
Obviously there is allot more to the course than just these snippets, but I thought a quick post with a few pointers may help some people. I might write more about funding in the coming years depending on how my life plans out.