Funding the Project
Having considered expenditure, there is now a need to find funding to support your project. The first critical step is to quantify the....
Contribution from your own organisation
This is an important demonstration of your organisation’s support for – and commitment to – the project. It may be possible to identify costs that can be relatively easily absorbed – for example core costs. It is recommended that your organisation should commit to a minimum of 10% of the project cost.
‘In Kind’ support
In many projects, there is scope for including ‘in kind’ support, particularly through the use of volunteers in project delivery. You should bear in mind that any ‘in kind’ income from use of volunteers should be balanced by a figure recognising that cost in the expenditure budget.
There may also be scope for securing other ‘in kind’ support for anything from materials for events to staff secondments relating to project delivery.
Where next?
There are a range of potential sources of financial support for adult learning projects in and around places of worship. These include:
Lottery Distributors
The Heritage Lottery Fund (HLF) is the most obvious potential source of funds – principally through the ‘Your Heritage’ programme, which offers grants of between £3,000 and £50,000 towards project costs of up to £100,000. The HLF provides advice to potential applicants once an online pre-application form has been completed.
The Big Lottery Fund (BLF) is worth considering. ‘Reaching Communities’ is the main programme for England and will – in principle – fund any project responding to needs identified by communities or helping those most in need. It does tend to be heavily oversubscribed. The BLF also runs a number of more targeted programmes, some of which are time-limited.
Awards for All supports smaller projects to ‘improve local communities and the lives of people most in need’. Grants range from £300 to £10,000, and your organisation can receive a maximum of £10,000 over any two-year period.
Other lottery distributors, with specialist interests, include Arts Council England (including the ‘Grants for the Arts’ scheme), NESTA (the National Endowment for Science, Technology and the Arts) and Sport England. Their relevance will depend on the nature of the project for which funding is sought.
Charitable Trusts and Foundations
It is advisable to target approaches carefully to charitable trusts and foundations. Some will automatically reject applications which appear to be part of a mass mailing, and many specify their requirements of an application and the areas (geographical and subject) in which they offer funding.
Many of the larger grant-making trusts have their own websites, and initial enquiries are often well received. It can be worth spending time identifying any possible contacts that might exist between your organisation and a charitable trust. A personal contact with a Director, Administrator or Trustee can help to get your application recognised.
Information on charitable trusts and foundations is available publicly through printed and online directories, as well as through the Charity Commission website. The Directory of Social Change (DSC) publishes directories of the major trusts as well as volumes covering particular regions and subject areas. These are available to buy through the DSC, are often available through public libraries, and can be consulted at the DSC’s own resource library at their offices. FunderFinder is often available through local advice agencies, or you might consider a subscription to trustfunding.org.uk, another DSC product.
The Association of Charitable Foundations publishes useful advice on applying to charitable trusts, and the NCVO (National Council for Voluntary Organisations) has recently started publishing information on available grants.
Individuals
It may be appropriate to consider encouraging individuals to support your project. This may be a case of encouraging existing donors to increase their giving, or of approaching new donors. Regular giving (through a pledge) can be an attractive way to make a larger gift less ‘painful’, and an awareness of tax-effective options for giving can benefit both the donor and your organisation.
Local Authorities
Local councils often have the ability to make grants and, as LAs and providers of adult learning services, can be valuable sources of advice. There may also be scope for secondments, resource sharing and access to postal or e-mailings.
Businesses
In some cases, businesses may be willing to make a cash gift, which can be set against profits when calculating corporation tax liability. The key is to present a clear case for support, which also identifies the benefit to the business. This could be profile in a community they wish to reach, opportunities for staff participation and volunteering, activities in a relevant area of business or potential branding and / or naming opportunities. If possible, it is always worth having a preliminary conversation or meeting with a contact at the business to discuss the benefits that will most appeal to them.
