1. A guide to GRANTnet

2. Overview Introduction to GRANTnet Registering to use GRANTnet Accessing GRANTnet How to conduct a comprehensive search Refine search results Manchester Community Central – what we can do Edit settings Further guidance to running searches

3. Introducing GRANTnet GRANTnet is a free service developed to help voluntary organisations, charities and community groups in Manchester search for sources of funding. GRANTnet is a regularly updated online database containing details of over 5,000 funding schemes available in the UK.

4. Introduction to GRANTnet Features to the fundraiser Latest published information on national government, trust and lottery funding A dedicated “Local Support” section useful to those wanting to know about local support organisations Links to useful resources

5. Registration (new users) New registrations 1.Visit www.manchestercommunitycentral.orgwww.manchestercommunitycentral.org 2.Click on funding (left hand menu) 3.Click on “Search for Funding” 4.Next screen click on “Search for Funding” again 5.Click on the blue “register here” link 6.Complete contact details and information about your organisation (* compulsory fields) 7.Once completed click “register” button

6. Registration – postcode A postcode is really important to GRANTnet as: It will search for potential funders who support projects in the postcode area submitted It alerts the infrastructure organisation closest to the postcode of your search results TIP If the beneficiaries of your project are within the city of Manchester however you do not have any premises within the city then it may be useful to use a city centre postcode such as M4

7. Accessing GRANTnet 1.Visit www.manchestercommunitycentral.orgwww.manchestercommunitycentral.org 2.Click on funding (left hand menu) 3.Click on “Search for Funding” 4.Click on “Search for Funding” again 5.Enter registered email address and password in the appropriate fields 6.Click “log in”

8. Accessing GRANTnet - tips There is a password reminder facility – click on the “password reminder” link underneath the password registration field At first log in – password stored This is useful as it will store the password on your computer however be cautious if you share a computer as this will allow anyone to gain access to your GRANTnet account.

9. How to conduct a Comprehensive search

10. Step 1: About your organisation Q1: What does your organisation do? * Ensure that you are logged in to GRANTnet Tick the category / categories that best describe your organisation – you can tick as many that apply. Click on “next step”

11. Step 2: About your project Q1: Where is your project located * this box will already be completed with the postcode supplied at the time of registration. If you need to change the postcode 1.Untick the selected postcode 2.Enter the new postcode (if known) 3.Click “find” Alternatively 1.Click on “don’t know your postcode? Click here” 2.Enter a place name in the box provided and this will return postcode options 3.Select appropriate option and continue to the next question

12. Q2: What project do you require help with? What will the funding be used for? To search categories 1.Click on the triangle to the left hand side of each category to explore more categories Alternatively you can use the “find” search facility Example: if you are looking for funding for equipment 1.Type ‘equipment’ in the box 2.Click find This will search and highlight all categories with the title equipment. To locate the most appropriate category scroll down the highlighted sections and tick the box.

13. Step 3: Your requirements Q1: How much do you need? 1.Click on the arrow next to ‘Please select’ 2.Select the amount of funding you require for your project. Caution: there is an option to select ‘unknown’ - this will show all funders in the database and potentially be unmanageable.

14. Q2: What type of assistance are you looking for? Funding – this is the main category that you will use as this asks the system to search funding programmes in terms of grants, loans and venture capital. Award – these are in different forms such as trophies, certificates, cash and other items. Often used as recognition of achievement. Information / Advice – non-financial assistance to assist you in achieving. Details training programmes or advisory agencies are shown in your search results

15. Are you ready? You can amend your search criteria at any time by clicking on the back button found either at the top or bottom of the GRANTnet screen. Once you are happy with each of the search categories in steps 1,2,3 click ‘Run my search’

16. Results Your GRANTnet community search is complete! The total number of results matching your submitted criteria will be shown at the top of the page along with a list of member organisations who can offer support. This page acknowledges that a copy of the search results have been sent to Manchester Community Central and offers the option to request a follow up. If this box is left checked then you will receive an email from a member of the Manchester Community Central team. If you do not require this please uncheck the box.

17. Results - viewing To view the list of potential funders matching your search criteria click on ‘Display Results’ All results are listed in alphabetical order A quick summary of each potential funder is provided 10 funds per page is listed To access further information on each of the funders click on the title link or on ‘read more’ link at the bottom of the paragraph. Further information offers more detail regarding criteria for applying, deadline dates and contact details.

18. Refine search results If the number of potential funders listed is too large you may wish to refine the search results. 1.Click ‘amend search’ this will take you back to the Step 1,2,3 screen 2.Make amendment to relevant step 3.Click ‘finish’ – this will take you back to the results screen 4.Display results – shows you amended search results

19. Manchester Community Central – what can we do? We receive alerts to all searches conducted (provided a Manchester postcode has been submitted) If at anytime you need a copy of the search results then please email info@mcrcommunitycentral.org orinfo@mcrcommunitycentral.org telephone 0333 321 3021 and we can email you a copy. Should you request a follow up – we are able to access you search results and work with you to identify funders and support you in our applications for funding.

20. Edit settings Change password 1.Log in to GRANTnet using your registered email address and current password. 2.Click ‘My Account’ tab (found underneath the welcome message) 3.Edit your account details – under your email address there is a link to change password 4.Click on change password and follow the instructions to change your password

21. Edit settings Lost password You can request a password reminder which will be sent to your email address. Please note: for a password reminder to be sent you must use the registered email address for the reminder to work. If you have lost both email address and password then please contact Manchester Community Central.

22. Edit settings Amend contact details Follow the steps to edit settings and log in to GRANTnet – click on my account and amend the relevant sections. Click on ‘update’ for this information to be stored

23. Top tips Do not use your internet browser back/forward arrows at the top of your screen as this will make the page expire. ‘I’ information buttons can be found on each page of GRANTnet which give further information on what the section requires Timeout – if a session is left for too long then this will time you out and you will have to enter the search criteria again Always take note of the prompts that are given At any stage you are able to go back steps to amend any of the categories Manchester Community Central is able to retrieve all searches If you experience any difficulties contact us

24. Manchester Community Central Telephone Information Service: 0333 321 3021 Email: info@mcrcommunitycentral.orginfo@mcrcommunitycentral.org Web: www.manchestercommunitycentral.orgwww.manchestercommunitycentral.org