LEARNING BEYOND THE BELL Finding Funding - Applying for Grants Finding funding for your homework club can be a daunting task. This document provides guidance and tips on preparing for and writing grant applications. Preparing for Grant Applications Plan well ahead Most funding tends to follow the financial year, rather than the calendar or school year. This means there are more grants available in the middle months of the year than at the beginning or end. This is difficult for homework clubs who plan and operate programs according to the school year. If you want to start a new homework club at the beginning of the school year, it is best to start planning and applying for grants at least 6 months in advance. It is a good idea to develop an annual calendar of the grants you plan to apply for. Nominate a staff member (or volunteer) who has responsibility for applying for the grants on the calendar, but also searching for new grants the program may be eligible for. Running a program without a clear plan for finding more funding may leave your homework club vulnerable. Remember that volunteers and others in your organisation may have skills in grant writing and fundraising look to them for support and keep them informed and involved as much as possible. Be aware of similar programs in your area It is important to investigate the homework programs that exist in your area, especially if you are planning to start a new homework club. If several homework clubs already exist in your community, you need to make sure that your program is offering something different, or The Centre for Multicultural Youth is a Victorian not-for-profit organisation supporting young people from migrant and refugee backgrounds to build better lives in Australia. Centre for Multicultural Youth 304 Drummond St, Carlton VIC 3054 T (03) 9340 3700 F (03) 9349 3766 info@cmy.net.au cmy.net.au This work is protected under the Creative Commons Attribution- NonCommercial-NoDerivs 3.0 Australia licence: You may not reproduce or copy photographs. You may download, share, display, print and reproduce this material in unaltered form for non-commercial uses as long as you acknowledge CMY (and any other nominated parties) as the source. Full terms at: creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/3.0/au/ or www.cmy.net.au/ copyright. This document was first published in February 2014. CMY acknowledges the support of the Victorian Government
catering to a different group of students. You will be in direct competition with these programs when applying for grants, and funding bodies will not look favourably on two homework clubs catering to a similar group in the same area. This could mean that only one program is funded, or that neither is funded. If you want to establish a program in an area with existing homework clubs, think about approaching them to see if there are ways you can work together. Form partnerships, and emphasise the partnership in your application Many funding bodies list partnerships as essential criteria. For example, the National Bank of Australia s School s First Grant only accepts applications from those in established or developing partnerships. Consider forming a partnership with a school, a community organisation or even a Council or business. Partnerships enrich programs as each partner contributes different expertise and resources, and they increase the likelihood of a sustainable program. Partnerships frequently take time and care to develop, so it is important to plan ahead. Provide evidence that your program is needed In all grant applications you must offer proof about the existence of the students you aim to work with and their educational needs. It is important to invest some time in finding information on community or student demographics in your area. It is not enough to write general statements about multicultural young people in your community without specific evidence. Look for local, state and federal government reports on students who are newly arrived or have refugee backgrounds. Local Councils and the Department of Immigration and Border Protection often have this information. Organisations such as the Centre for Multicultural Youth and Foundation House, and some Migrant Resource Centres also produce reports and fact sheets with information and statistics about refugee and migrant young people. Finding this information may take time at first, but once you have the evidence you may use it with several grant applications. Be clear and realistic about the goals of your program Before you start to apply for grants be clear about what you are aiming to do and why. You will need to be especially clear about the specific needs of the students you will work with and how your program will address these needs. If you don t feel clear about your goals, talk things through with your colleagues and other stakeholders first. If you are at all unclear or inconsistent in how you describe the aims of your program, it will show in your application and undermine your chance of success. If you are starting a new homework club it is vital to have realistic goals. It is best to start small and expand gradually. Some homework clubs have failed because they have tried to do too much, too quickly. Try to apply for amounts of money that you know you can manage. Very large grants may not be appropriate for new, emerging programs, and you may find yourself overwhelmed by rigorous reporting requirements. Seek support from your community Build relationships and network with other homework clubs, schools, community organisations and government bodies. If your homework club is well known in the community and has a good reputation you will have credibility when applying for grants. You may also be able to ask these organisations for letters of support for applications. It is a good idea to stay in touch with what is happening in the homework club field you will gain many new ideas and learn from different homework club models.
Find in-kind support In-kind support is any non-financial support you receive from others, for example, in volunteer hours or food donations. Funding bodies look favourably on this, especially if you can display a long term plan for securing other, ongoing in-kind support. Stay motivated and optimistic Grants are extremely competitive. Most homework clubs are completely reliant on grants, and are all competing for a small pool of money. Try to be creative and apply for many and varied grants. This will improve your chance of success and with practice your grant writing skills will improve over time. The Application Itself: Read the guidelines carefully Most grants have clear eligibility criteria. It is crucial to ring and discuss your proposal with the funding body and attend any information sessions they are running about the grant. Get to know the funding body and the types of programs they have awarded grants to in the past. Think creatively It is rare to find funding that fits exactly with the goals of your program. It is important to think of creative ways to meet the criteria while retaining your primary function as a homework club. For example, you may apply for a grant to promote healthy eating to students. You could explain the healthy snack you provide at homework club and describe this as modelling healthy eating. You may also propose to turn snack time into a longer session that deals with nutrition and health generally. In a similar way, you may find grants designed to support community engagement with elderly people. To apply for this grant you could propose a model for engaging retired professionals to tutor in your program. Only promise what you are confident you can deliver If you are unable to deliver everything you promise, the funding body is unlikely to award you other grants. Think carefully about how you can demonstrate that your program will contribute to change in the lives of the participants, and, importantly, how you will assess this. Include plans for evaluating your program. Give yourself time Applications take time to prepare and you may want to write several drafts. Make sure you submit your application before the due date many funding bodies automatically discard late applications. It will also be obvious to the funding body if you have rushed to complete your application. Proof read your application Ask others to read your application to check that you have answered the questions being asked, that all sections have been completed, and all spelling and grammar is correct. Avoid using jargon and acronyms, and be careful to explain concepts that may be common within the refugee or education sectors, but not in others. Write your application in the first person and active voice and remember that applications should be typed and not hand written.
Find referees and letters of support Many funding bodies ask for referees and some require letters of support from other organisations. Think carefully about who your referees will be and give them time to prepare written or verbal references. Prepare a budget Look carefully at what the funding body will and will not fund. For example, funders often state whether or not their funds may be used for wages, materials, equipment, or for a new, innovative practice. It is important to understand that very few funders will contribute to operational or administration costs, although there is of course some recognition that all programs incur these costs. Get to know how much money other, similar programs are requesting from funders. If you are asking for a lot more money to deliver a similar program, you are unlikely to be successful. Finally, think of a catchy name for your program What happens next? If you are successful: Congratulations - Celebrate your achievement. Make sure all the appropriate people in your organisation know that you have won the grant. It is important that senior management and/or the school principal know about the grant and can speak knowledgably about it if contacted by the funding body. Phone or write to your funding body to thank them. It is also a good idea to invite them to visit your program, or send photos or footage of it in action. Remember to adhere to all grant requirements and submit reports on time. Homework clubs that fail to meet their funding obligations, for example by frequently submitting late reports, may jeopardise their current funding and their prospects for applying for future grants (regardless of the quality of the program). When you receive a grant you have a major responsibility to act accountably your program s future depends on it. Make sure clear records and detailed notes are kept about the grant and its requirements. Keep all copies of all reports that you submit and create a calendar of all future reporting dates. These are vital records when handing over to new staff. Aim for a best practice model. Have clear policies and procedures in place, evaluate your program regularly, and recognise the importance of identifying and managing risks to the program. Make sure to recruit and screen volunteers responsibly. These practices will demonstrate that your program is efficient and professional, and will increase your chance of receiving future funding. If you are unsuccessful: Don t be too deflated. Grants are very competitive and you cannot be successful with them all. Ask for feedback from the funding body. They will give valuable advice about the strengths and weaknesses of your application. You can use this feedback when applying for other grants. Be careful not to re-submit the same application again when you re-apply for a grant.
Support and training: There are many organisations you can contact for support with grant writing. Some Volunteer Resource Centres offer training and support for community-based and non-government organisations. Some Migrant Resource Centres also offer grant writing support to multicultural groups. It is worth contacting your local Council as many have a staff member dedicated to helping community groups find funding. It is also important to contact the funding body itself. Some may offer direct support in applying for the grant they are offering, and at the very least will be able to answer specific questions. Learning Beyond the Bell is also able to offer advice and ideas on applying for grants. Useful resources for finding funds: GrantsLINK this government website allows you to find out about grants available from federal, state and local government.( http://grantslink.gov.au/) A Guide to Community Grants - this page includes an A-Z list of grants available from nongovernment organisations. (http://www.aph.gov.au/about_parliament/parliamentary_ Departments/Parliamentary_Library/pubs/rp/rp1516/Quick_Guides/ComGrants) Contact your local council - local councils have a range of grants that your organisation may be eligible to apply for. Use this website to find your local council. (http://www.dpcd.vic.gov. au/localgovernment/find-your-local-council ) Our Community subscribe to Our Community s Easy Grants newsletter for updates on Federal and State government, philanthropic and corporate grants funding. (http://www. ourcommunity.com.au/findgrants ) Grant Guru - this free grants database allows you to search for grants relevant to your organisation. (http://community.grantready.com.au/) Learning Beyond the Bell e-news - this regular e-newsletter contains information on upcoming and current grants relevant to the homework club field.