Making a good application

What is a project?

Be sure you understand what we mean by a project. A project is a piece of work that is additional to the everyday work of your organisation. We will consider applications to fund an organisation that has been set up especially to run a project.

We are not usually able to fund the day-to-day activities of your organisation, though we may contribute to the organisational overheads involved in running a project.

If your project involves extra staff or costs, your grant may cover them. We can also fund project start up costs.

Planning your project

We recommend that you write a project plan listing the main things you have to do to make your project happen and to achieve its aims.

You need to tell us:

- what you are going to do
- what difference your project will make to the people or organisations that benefit from it
- how you are going to do it - including what resources you need (premises, equipment, staff, recruitment and training budget etc)
- when you will do it
- where you will do it
- who will be responsible for doing it
- how you will know you've made a difference.

Your project plan should cover everything from the activities and tasks you have set yourself in getting the project started to the outcomes you are expecting as a result. It is important that you can show that your project will make a difference to people's lives.

Show us the need for your project

You must show us that there is a need for your project and that your project is a good way of meeting it. The three points you should think about are:

- what needs do your community or users have?
- how do you know they have these needs?
- how will your project meet those needs?

Sometimes we turn down applications, not because we do not believe that the need is there, but because we are not convinced that what you want to do will solve the problem, or that your proposed project is what people want.

How much information you need to give depends on how much money you want. If you are looking for a relatively small grant you could conduct a survey among your existing members or users, asking them for their views on the new project. For a larger grant, you may need to show various ways the need could be met, including an analysis of costs. You can then tell us which option you decide is the best and why.

Costing your project

Once you have done your project plan, you should work out how much money you will need to carry out the project.

You will need to justify the amount you have asked for. For example, if you want money to pay for staff, you will need to show how you worked out the level of salaries.

When you are drawing up your budget, it's important that you don't cut corners. Include in your budget everything you need. If we agree to fund your project, we will generally fund what you need as long as the evidence is there.

Show us you can manage your project

We must be sure that your organisation is able to deliver the project. Your grant comes from public funds and you must be able to account for the money we give you. Your management committee will have close contact with your users or your community and they will have the skills to handle the activities involved in delivering your project. This could mean managing staff or working with professionals on building projects.

We ask you who the members of your management committee and about their skills and experience.

You must have established procedures for the election of the management committee and for conducting regular meetings.

It is important that you have procedures in place for handling the finances of your organisation - a proper bookkeeping system, regular financial checks and properly prepared accounts. We also look at your policies on health and safety and employment. If you employ staff we will want to know that you are striving for equal opportunities in your employment procedures.

How your project will make a difference

We want our grants to make a long term difference to the lives of the people who will benefit from your project. You need to think about this while you are making your application.

We will ask you to tell us what changes your project directly bring about for the people or communities it helps. We call these your project outcomes.

You should tell us how you will collect information about the difference your project will make so you know you are achieving the things you set out to do. We want to see how you will use this information as the project goes on.