There’s no doubt that your organisation does remarkable good for the community. However, you’ll need funding to continue doing your exceptional work.
Grant funding is vital for community-based projects. However, it’s a competitive process.
Unfortunately, benefactors can’t provide funding to every organisation that requests assistance. Accordingly, you’ll need to put your best foot forward when applying for community project grants.
Despite the good that organisations do, many grant applications get rejected right from the start. A seemingly minor oversight can cause your application to face rejection before benefactors even look at your proposal.
For example, some applicants fail to provide all requested information. However, a few grant funding application tips may help you to avoid the most common mistakes.
For the top 11 tips on applying for a community project grant, continue reading.
1. Give Yourself Time for the Task
When applying for a grant or any time of funding , everything takes longer than you may have imagined. Furthermore, there are many different steps involved in the grant application process. In addition, some parts of the process are more time-consuming than others.
2. Make Sure Your Organisation Qualifies for the Grant
You must take the time to review the eligibility criteria carefully. Applying for community project grants for which your organisation does not qualify is a waste of both your and the benefactor’s time.
3. Partner With a Funding Expert Early in the Process
When applying for a grant, it’s highly beneficial to collaborate with others. It would help if you didn’t try to take the entire process on by yourself.
For example, you may want to collaborate with colleagues. You may also want to put together a grant application team. You might even seek expert outside counsel to help with the process.
4. Plan for a Successful Application Process
It’s essential to put together an idea that’s worth funding when applying for a grant. Accordingly, you’ll want to gather inspiration from as many sources as possible. The more that you expose yourself to ideas, the more likely it is that you’ll come up with an interesting concept.
5. The Funder Is Your Best Source for Information
completing community grant application forms can be a daunting Task! Many benefactors welcome contact with grant applicants. Some organisations even have outreach employees who will help you with the grant application.
6. Tell the Whole Story of Your Group or Organisation
It’s essential to answer fundamental questions about your organisation when writing a grant application. You can achieve this goal by answering the “W’s”—who, what, when, where, why and how. Ultimately, you want a benefactor to feel confident in how your organisation will use their funds.
7. Be Concise and to the Point
You want to avoid lengthy explanations as you complete the essay portions of your grant application. Also, use bullet points to provide brief facts whenever possible.
8. Don’t Forget to Include Important Documentation
Many grant applications require detailed financial information about your organisation. For instance, a grant application may request your bank account details as well as statements from your organisation’s account. An application may also request a detailed accounting of your policies and procedures.
9. Provide the Funder With Evidence Needed to Approve the Grant
In many cases, you’ll also need to provide evidence with your grant application. For example, you may need to provide expert consultation reports. You may also need to provide the results of community engagements such as questionnaires for the application.
10. Learn as Much as Possible About the Funder
It helps to find out the types of groups or social enterprise that have won a grant award in the past. This information can help you to ensure that you’re submitting eligible expenditures with your application. You’ll want to make sure that you meet every requirement for a grant fund.
11. Define Your Objectives Clearly
As you request funds, you’ll want to think about what your organisation considers a success. You’ll need to explain to a potential benefactor how you’ll measure your performance. To meet this objective, you’ll need to establish specific goals and how you will measure and report them.
More Tips on Applying for a Community Project Grant
As you work through a grant application, it’s crucial to complete it fully and honestly. Again, make sure that you understand the criteria completely before filling out a grant application.
It’s also a good practice to double-check grant criteria once you’ve completed the process. One of the most important things you can do when writing a grant application is to ensure that your organisation is eligible for grant funding.
You’ll also want to have another set of eyes look over the application and requirements. Someone else might notice issues that you may have overlooked.
Again, it’s vital to understand that grants are a competitive process. Accordingly, you should never assume that you won an award, no matter how hard you worked on an application. In other words, never spend funding based on the assumption that your organisation will receive a grant.
Staying Focused on Your Objectives
As you go through the application process, you’ll want to explain the intended results of your work. For example, it’s vital to explain who will receive long-term benefits due to your organisation’s activities.
In some cases, your concept may not directly address a societal or economic impact. In this instance, you’ll want to clearly make the link between your work and how it improves the quality of life for people or the community.
Finally, you want to provide a potential benefactor with enough preliminary data to validate your approach. Ultimately, you want to prove to the review board that your concept is an option that’s worth pursuing.
Find Funding Success With the Right Partner
Now you know the top 11 tips on applying for a community project grant. Hopefully, you’ll find success during your next round of grant applications.
However, you can benefit greatly by partnering with an expert in community project grants. KG Accountants can help you apply for CIC funds.
The process starts with a free initial consultation. We’ll gladly answer your questions and provide you with any needed information.
Our door is always open to help community organisations. Please feel free to stop by our office or give us a call at 0207 953 8913. Alternatively, you can connect with us online.
Categories: cic grants, community funding grants, Community Interest Companies, Grant Funding uk
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