Funding Your Project

At this stage you and your community should feel that you have a good idea – the general view is that it will improve the quality of life in your local neighbourhood.

Now all you need is the money to make it all happen! Not unlike personal ambitions which are often constrained by money!

The good news is that there are lots of sources for funding projects. Some provide loans, some provide grants.

Government Support and Local Council Community Grants

As your project is about improving local conditions and facilities, your first port of call should be a visit to your local library and/or an approach to your council offices where they will help identify your local council community grant scheme.

Many councils now have their applications online but be warned, they do go into some details and tend towards organisations with formal constitutions, membership and structure.

A typical application is Leicester City Council www.leicester.gov.uk/sys_upl/documents/departments/dpt_1253.pdf.

A directory of councils, government and other important players is available at www.tagish.co.uk or www.oultwood.com.

There are a large number of web sites providing access to the latest information on grants from the European Union, UK Government, National Lottery and UK Grant Making Trusts including:

www.access-funds.co.uk
www.grantsonline.org.uk
www.support4learning.org.uk
www.governmentfunding.org.uk

Charities and Charitable Trusts
You can also approach charities and charitable trusts with strong community and social links and who take a lead in supporting communities and people and families you are targeting to help.

FunderFinder, a registered charity which develops and distributes software to help individuals and not-for-profit organisations identify charitable trusts. This software can be downloaded free at www.funderfinder.org.uk.

Company Donations and Sponsorship
Many leading companies have forged strong community links and have developed programmes supporting local social improvement initiatives.

The following companies have invested time and money in helping support community groups:

If you know of other businesses providing support to communities – let us know.

Lottery and Others

Lottery Awards
The growth in lottery funding for good causes etc. has led many organisations to apply for lottery funding. Details can be found at:
www.community-fund.org.uk
www.awardsforall.org.uk
www.lotterygoodcauses.org.uk.

Your proposal must be clearly presented and focus on specific improvements/issues. All organisations have limits and constraints on how many organisations they can support. To make sure yours is one of them, ensure your aims converge with theirs.

A website dedicated to helping citizens is www.justdosomething.net.

Professional Fundraisers
A number of individuals and businesses will help you raise funds, but understandably, it costs!

A database of companies offering fundraising support can be accessed at the web site www.bcconnections.org.uk.