Applying for funding is an important step towards getting a community project off the ground.
Whether you're looking at grants or thinking about a crowdfunding campaign, any stream of funding will need a project plan.
This plan should show that you have thought about each stage of the application and, most importantly, prove that you actually need the funding for the project to happen.
Project plan
It’s important to have a clear plan in place detailing what your project is and what it hopes to achieve. This will help you choose the right funding stream and make sure your project is as successful as possible.
It’s useful to put together a plan as soon as possible, even if you haven’t identified where the funding will come from, because there will be some actions required to ensure that future applications go seamlessly.
Aims and objectives
Write down why you are doing the project, what goals you hope to achieve and who or what in the community or organisation will benefit from you setting up the project. You also need to identify locations and spaces where the project will happen.
Identify your stakeholders
This means the individuals, groups and organisations who will be affected by your project. You should also identify the groups that could assist your project. Maybe there are similar projects being run elsewhere? Set up relevant partnerships where possible, even an introductory email will help.
Identify the people resource
This will include people who will be needed to carry out the project, whether these people will be volunteers or paid staff. How you will recruit these people? How you will pay their salary or expenses and any tax requirements for hiring?
Identify the skills resource
You need to determine if any specialist or specific training or certification will be required by the people involved in your project.
Ask locally whether people are willing to volunteer time to help. If someone is needed to manage the project on a full- or part-time basis, there may be some staffing costs required.
Identify the cost
How much money will be required and for how long? Many funding streams will require you to have spent the money before a certain time, and you may have to return any unspent funds.
Cost up the project accurately. Focus on minor details and make an inventory of everything needed from small equipment costs to staffing and overheads. Costings should be detailed, thorough and itemised. Avoid unnecessary costs.
Legal requirements
You may need insurance, risk assessments, training and an understanding of certain regulations and legislation.
Identify the timescales
Many funding streams will require projects to start and end within a specified time. If your project is ongoing this may have an effect on the type of funding you can apply for. You might be able to get a lot of the legwork done even before you apply for funding, so it’s worth planning early.
Research funding types
Some projects might have obvious funding opportunities and others might need more research. Make sure you check the eligibility and criteria. The funding bodies themselves should be able to assist with any queries. If you are able to fundraise for the project, an insufficient fund can be topped up with donations, crowdfunding or match funding.
Sustainability
Most funding providers will want to see that projects won’t end as soon as funding runs out, so think about how the project will run past the funding project date, how you will fund this and who will help to maintain the project.