Hints & Tips for Completing Grant Applications Yvonne bell – Waste Minimisation officer, perth & kinross council CRNS Funding seminar – Thursday 25th april 2019

Preparation work – about your Group Even before finding funding, it’s good to build up a record: volunteer hours accrued (note the dates, locations, times, hours, the types of tasks carried out and record their value: skilled, unskilled or professional) Organisations that you work with (who could work with you again to deliver a new activity and who could provide a Letter of Support) Details of local Councillors who can provide a Letter of Support Put together a folder of your Constitution, Public Liability Insurance, Employers Liability Insurance, Child Protection Policy, etc

Preparation Work – about your Project What do you want your proposed Project/new activity to do? - Link this to any feedback you’ve received (via surveys, verbally, etc) - What is your timeframe for delivery? Costs & Commitments - Gather up to 3 quotes for any proposed purchases & draw up any plans - Consider any long term commitments to carrying on the project and any maintenance costs Funding - How much funding do you need? - Where will you source this funding from? Could it include in-kind support, cash contributions & other funding (already awarded/pending)

Finding Funding Internet searches & Local funding newsletters, e.g. PKC’s Communities Service Funding Alert Scottish Landfill Communities Fund, Council Funds, Windfarm Funds, Scottish Government Funding, Lottery Funding. Local fundraising activities, match-funding to volunteer time

Reading the application form …and the Guidance Read the Guidance document(s) Gather the supporting documents Check how the Funder records any volunteering hours Fill out the application form

Completing the Application Form Set the scene: existing work and your plans for the new/expanded project - will it be sustainable in the long term? - What will the outcomes be? How will you monitor these outcomes? - What support do you have for this Project/new activity and who will help you deliver it? - Does this Project/new activity fit a niche? - Why is it needed? - What difference will it make and to whom? - What are the environmental, social and economic impacts?

Completing the Application Form …Continued What elements do you want to finance with this Fund? (Create a ‘shopping list’ based on the quotes received) Provide the funder with all of the Project Costs too, so that they can see how this particular funding application fits into the wider funding that you need If you are in any doubt, contact the funder to ask questions and chat through your plans

Pre-empt things that will cause delays If you miss out any questions, or you don’t provide the information requested, it will delay your application If your sums are incorrect, it will also delay your application If you know that there is currently a shortfall of funding to deliver your Project/new activity, note in your application examples of where you will aim to source this funding from

Successful Applications Once you’ve been awarded funding: Take notice of the conditions listed in the Letter of Award – funding cannot be released until you’ve met these conditions Read the Guidance document about how to draw down the funding Create an audit trail: Keep records & receipts of every purchase made as part of the Project and note any volunteer hours or in-kind support If requested, complete the End of Grant Monitoring Form to provide feedback to the Funder about how the funding was spent (including any changes to the original plan)

Thank you Any Questions?