Transcript Making a good application

Big Lottery Fund
How to make a good application
How to make a good application
What we’ll cover today
Overview of Big Lottery Fund in Scotland
Brief look at funding available
How to make a good application
How to make a good application
Big Lottery Fund Overview
BIG distributes 14p
of every £ spent
on Lottery
UK wide but
Scotland has own
programmes
Bringing about
social change to
communities most
in need
How to make a good application
£257million for
Scotland between
2006 and 2009
Commitment to
voluntary and
community
sector
Funding Programmes
Small grants programme (up to £10k) for one-off costs run
in partnership with other Lottery distributors
Programme run in conjunction with BBC Scotland £3m for projects
aimed at encouraging the over 50s to have a healthy body and mind
Young
People’s
Fund
£25m put into projects aimed at encouraging 11-25 year olds to
take part in activities that make them feel good about themselves
UK wide small grants programme promoting improvement of
green spaces and biodiversity amongst community groups
People’s Millions gives the public the opportunity to decide
where lottery money in spent by funding local community-based projects
How to make a good application
Main funding
Investing in Communities
Investing in Ideas
Life Transitions
Supporting
21st Century Life
Growing Community
Assets
How to make a good application
Dynamic, Inclusive
Communities
Investing in Communities
One to five years funding
Up to £1,000,000 but average grant c£300k
Capital and/or revenue
Up to 100%
How to make a good application
Process
Outline Proposal
(10-15 days)
Application form
(6 months to complete)
Assessment
(4-6 months)
Quick process for
early feedback
You’re in control, most
take around 4 months
Grants officer allocated
Writes report for Committee
How to make a good application
Important Information
Deadlines
Investing in Communities
Outline proposal form 1 August 2008
Full application form
1 December 2008
Investing in Ideas
Application form 30 January 2009
(but sooner if you want to apply to Investing in Communities)
How to make a good application
What this session will cover
Assessment Criteria
Key elements of an application
Supporting Documents
Points to remember
How to make a good application
Introduction
The key elements of writing an application:
Criteria
Feedback
letter
Project
Activities
Evidence
of Need
Sustainability
Outcomes
Budgeting
Measuring
Progress
Planning
How to make a good application
Criteria
Make sure your read our criteria and judgement
points, as these is what your application will be
scored against (in guidance notes).
criterion one
criterion two
Your project outcomes meet an identified need and
help to achieve the changes we want to make through
the area of investment relevant to your project.
Your organisation can deliver the
project well and achieve the
proposed project outcomes.
How to make a good application
Feedback
Your Grants Officer will check to see that
you have responded to feedback.
Read your feedback letter and requirements
Check you have addressed every point
Respond to any feedback we’ve given in other
correspondence or meetings
How to make a good application
Activities
It should be clear what your activities will be and
how people will engage with the project
Focus on what you’re asking us to fund
– don’t give us too much organisational history
Be consistent – avoid confusing the application
with details of other projects
Use short (a paragraph) case studies
Avoid broad terms – you must tell us what you’re
actually doing
How to make a good application
Activities
Example
What they say…
‘Facilitate a wide range of environmental engagement
opportunities for disengaged young people experiencing
ongoing confrontational lifestyle issues.’
What they mean…
‘Take 35 young people on a 2 week outward bound trip.
They will take part in 5 different team-based activities,
such as canoeing, rock climbing and orienteering. The
young people all have a history of being involved in
territorial gangs and have been excluded from school.’
How to make a good application
Evidence of need
You must be able to demonstrate that there is
a need for your project and this must be backed
up with evidence.
Our assessments can only be based on what is
contained in the application form, and we are unlikely
to fund projects which appear to be based on
assumption or hearsay.
How to make a good application
Evidence of need
Your evidence should:
be relevant to the project you are applying to us for
and specific to your client group
be in proportion to the size and scale of your project
show why your project is the most appropriate way to
meet the identified need
show user involvement in project development
How to make a good application
Evidence of need
Evidence could include:
• good quality recent inclusive consultation internally (with participants, staff board members etc)
and externally (with stakeholders, partners, wider community etc)
• recent relevant research undertaken in-house or using results from research already undertaken by
other organisations
•beneficiary engagement in the development of the project
•the experience & knowledge of people in your group (e.g. highlighting a case study)
• relevant, recent statistics (e.g. census, SIMD figures)
• evaluation of a successful pilot project or previous similar work
How to make a good application
Outcomes
What are outcomes?
Outcomes are the changes that will come
about as a direct result of your work.
Why are outcomes important?
Our assessment of your application is based around
your outcomes – how well your outcomes are meeting
an identified need, how likely you are to achieve them
and how well they fit with the aims of our funding.
How to make a good application
Outcomes – Who, how, what
Who –
organisations
or people who
will benefit
How – should relate to
change or difference
What –
what is changing?
•Young people
•Lone parent
•People with
learning disabilities
•Older people who
are experiencing
loss of mobility
•Improve
•Decrease
•Reduce
•Expand
•Develop
•Sustain
•Knowledge
•Skills
•Environment
•Ability
•Relationships
•Opportunities
25 young carers
experience
improved support
through
better coordination
of services
How to make a good application
Outcomes
Tracking and Measuring outcomes
Your Milestones tell us how your project will progress.
You can also use Outcome Indicators to tell us how you will measure
progress.
Milestones Milestones Outcome
Progress of Activities
Outcome Indicator
•40 people with
ongoing mental
health difficulties
have increased
confidence by the
end of the project.
•40 service users
attended discussion
meetings by month 6.
•40 people able to take
part in discussion.
•20 people take part in
shopping trips with
befriender by month 8.
•20 people report
feeling less nervous
about going out in
public.
How to make a good application
Sustainability
Tell us how your projects will provide benefits beyond
the life of the grants
Demonstrate how the project complements or fits with national and local objectives
Tell us how you will create and develop good working partnerships
Show clear systems for evaluation and learning as the project progresses, and how this learning will be able to
inform the future development of the project
Show how your project adds to existing services or fills a gap in services
Show a clear exit strategy – who are you going to approach for funding?
If your project can generate an income, tell us how this will work
How to make a good application
Budgeting
Check that your totals add up
Poor budgeting, calculation of costs or inconsistencies in totals do not
demonstrate good financial management, and could not only delay your
assessment, but could affect your grading.
Full Cost Recovery
We can provide a proportionate contribution towards overheads that are indirectly
incurred as a result of the project. You must show how you have worked this out –
we have spreadsheets that can help you.
Size of Grant
• Find out what our average grant size is – we have a very high demand for funding
• Match funding - it’s important to build relationships with other funders
• Focus what you’re asking for on what fits best with our aims
• Ask for fewer years of funding
• Think about tapered funding to show a commitment to sustainability
How to make a good application
Tracking and measuring
progress
Evidence that plans are in place for monitoring progress on this
particular project
What systems you will use to effectively measure progress on
your milestones and outcomes
How you will involve beneficiaries in measuring and tracking
progress
Evidence of ongoing self-evaluation and how you will recognise
internal issues and build on successes
How to make a good application
Business Plans
Your Business Plan (if required) is a useful tool.
It should:
Should show exactly how the project will work, down to the
last detail.
Show that you are aware of the risks involved in the project
Tell us who will be responsible for delivering the project
Tell us how the project fits into your organisation's wider
work (if relevant)
How to make a good application
Skills and experience
Tell us what you can bring to the project.
Learning and evaluation from previous work or a pilot
Individual skills and experience
Existing partnerships
Learning from other organisations or similar projects
Plans for recognising training needs and building capacity as
project progresses
How to make a good application
Points to remember
1
Be simple, clear and specific and consistent;
2
Don’t assume that we know anything about your area of work;
3
Remember to budget for everything i.e. inflation, auditors,
evaluation costs;
4
Act on any feedback we have given; read the guidance notes
5
Don’t rush – plan carefully. It might take longer than you think to set up your project;
Proofread your form or ask someone else to read it; talk through what you’ve written.
6
How to make a good application
Where to get help
Factsheets:
Information
Team:
0870 240 2391
enquiries.
Scotland@
biglotteryfund
.org.uk
1:1 Meetings
Sustainability
Feedback Letter
Full Cost Recovery
Outcomes
Guidance Notes
Evidence of Need
Help Notes
Business Plans
Explaining the
Difference Guide
6 steps to a
good application
How to make a good application
Questions
How to make a good application