Applying for a grant Hannah Alcock Regional Officer – Central Region

Our Vision … that every child in the UK has a safe, happy and secure childhood and the chance to reach their potential Principles: - We are UK wide -We are broad-based -We are local to people -We support people who take the initiative For every penny raised a penny will go to helping disadvantaged children and young people in the UK

Who we fund Projects that make a positive difference to the lives of disadvantaged children and young people in the UK Not-for-profit organisations Working with disadvantaged children Aged 18 and under UK, Channel Islands and Isle of Man

What do we mean by not for profit? Not for profit organisations - e.g. voluntary organisations, registered charities, self-help groups, community interest companies The applicant must have: Governing document – e.g. constitution, memorandum & articles Management committee – minimum of 3 members Bank account with two unrelated cheque signatories Annual accounts Written child protection policy

How we fund Two programmes: - small grants (up to £10,000 for 1 year) - main grants (over £10,000 per year, up to 3 years) Emergency Essentials Programme – grants to individuals and families for white goods e.g. beds, cookers, fridges. Administered on our behalf by Buttle UK

Disadvantage BBC Children in Need has the following disadvantage criteria: Illness, Distress, abuse or neglect Disability Poverty & deprivation Behavioural or psychological difficulties Applicants for CIN funding must be able to explain how the children and young people they are working with are disadvantaged

Child focus Children are at the centre of what we do We only fund child-focussed projects Young people should be consulted about the project The project/service should have clear positive outcomes for the child If you’re seeking funding for a salary, the post should be focussed on delivering outcomes for disadvantaged children for at least 70% of the time For projects involving families or parents, the outcomes should be focussed on the children, not the family or the parents Some examples where applications can fail – crèches, parenting courses, benefits advice

Positive difference – outcomes focussed funding Our funding is awarded to ‘make a positive difference’ – we are interested in the differences or changes that take place in children’s lives as a result of the work that we fund, i.e. the ‘outcomes’ Applicants are required to detail the 3 main differences that their project will achieve The differences will be unique and specific to each project When discussing the difference, always use a change word (‘increased’, ‘reduced’, ‘better’, ‘more’, ‘less’) – don’t just tell us about the activities you will deliver again

What difference do we want to make? What shall we do to make this difference? How will we track our progress? What have we learned? What shall we do differently next time? What issues do children and young people face? Learning cycle

Outcomes (or difference made) for children and young people

BBC CiN’s three ambitions for children The three most important differences your project makes Your project’s activities How you make a difference for children and young people

How the Dinamix Youth Club makes a difference for children and young people Safe Happy & secure Reaching potential Less involvement in anti-social behaviour Greater sense of pride in themselves Greater team- working skills Dance sessions Music sessions Trips to see performances Final performance and Arts Award

How Keeper’s Place makes a difference for children and young people Happy & secure Reaching potential Better engagement at school Improved ability to cope with challenges Improved family relationships One to one sessions with children at home Group sessions with children Breakfast clubs

BBC CiN’s learning approach Learn about the difference our funded projects are making to the lives of disadvantaged children and young people across the UK. Share our learning of what works and what doesn’t. Change our grantmaking as a result of that learning in order to make a better difference to the lives of children and young people across the UK.

What don’t we fund? Applications from local government or NHS bodies Distribution to another/other organisations. The work we are funding must be delivered by the applicant Capital grants over £20K Medical research or pregnancy advice Promotion of religion Retrospective funding – we only cover costs that have been incurred after the grant has been awarded Projects that haven’t sent previous grant reports back The relief of statutory responsibility Unlikely to fund work in school time or where statutory funding has been cut

Missing information- documents, missing answers to questions Insufficient evidence of disadvantage Too many people over the age of 18 Inadequate safeguarding procedures Poor planning, monitoring and evaluation High levels of free reserves Poor local links to other providers and relevant networks Not clear what the project will do High fees Not sufficiently focussed on needs and outcomes for children Lack of rigour around parent involvement Statutory responsibility or overlap – increasing issue due to cuts Common Issues

Deadlines There are different deadlines for Small and Main Grants: The deadlines for Small Grants are: 1 st of February, April, June, September and December Decisions will be received in 8 – 9 weeks The deadlines for Main Grants are: 15 th January, May and September If your Initial Application is successful you will be invited to submit a Full Application within 2 weeks, and will have a month to submit this Decisions will be received in around 5 months (from Initial Application to Full Application decision)

Some final tips The bigger the application the higher the standard expected - there is greater competition for larger grants Spend time planning your project and your application. It’s a rolling programme – don’t rush your application Read the guidance on the website about our funding, policies and criteria – - there’s a lot of good info there! Complete all sections of the application and submit all required documents Prepare for the assessment interview – have all the documents to hand We don’t subscribe to full cost recovery so keep your project running costs at a reasonable level Ask for help and build local links – from CIN, CVS’s and Voluntary Action, other organisations working in same area/field

How to apply Online application process bbc.co.uk/pudsey Helpline

CONTACTS General Helpline: Website: bbc.co.uk/pudsey Regional Office: Hannah Alcock BBC Children in Need The Mailbox Birmingham B1 1AY

Thank you