Grant Application
Project checklist
The following is a generic checklist of items generally required to complete any funding application. This list will help you scope and clarify the nature of your project. Many of the issues will have been addressed during the creation of the project but perhaps not in the categories or terminology used by funders.
Project summary - you will need a concise (100 words or less) statement of what your project will do, who it will do it for and when it will do it.
Target group - you will need to be explicit about the defining characteristics of the people you will be serving, age, location, disability type, social group etc. Statistical evidence, previous research and anecdotal evidence showing that this group exists and that they have a need for your project will add authority to your application. Statements of support from other authorities and service providers can be useful. Make sure you do not elevate the organisation you represent above those people or clients which you are trying to assist.
Outputs - this is a list of the tangible products your project will produce, ie events, visits, publications, objects etc . This is different to outcomes as discussed below.
Outcomes - the outcomes of the projects are the effects of the activities you undertake on your target group. Outcomes are often hard to measure because they can be intangible or occur over a long period of time extending beyond the end of the project. Nevertheless these are the real objectives of the project and if you can quantify them in some way it will add greatly to its credibility with funders.
Evaluation and measurement - you will need to describe the processes you will use to report and measure both the outputs and, ideally, the outcomes of your project. These will form the basis of reporting to your board/committee/supervisor and to the funding body.
Resources needed - you will need to describe and quantify all of the project staff, administrative support and other equipment, services and supplies etc required.
Budget - the budget should reflect the dollar cost of the resources required for the whole project and also indicate which resources will be financed by the funder and which will be provided by the parent organisation. Where practical, you can show the dollar value of volunteer or in-kind contributions made by the parent organisation or project supporters.
Financials - more often than not a funding body will want to assess the financial status of the organisation making the application. They will want to assess the capability of the organisation to manage the funds should they be successful. To do this they may request the last 'three years' financials. The financials of an organisation tell a story. For instance, how much is spent on administration versus actual program or service delivery.
Schedule - you will need a timetable indicating the overall duration of the project and the timing of the significant stages and events.
Organisation - n preparing your submission you need to ask yourself whether you are the most appropriate organisation to make the application for the project. To answer this question you will need ask yourself:
• do you or your organisation have the experience and skills to prepare the application?
• do you or your organisation have the skills, experience or capacity to manage the project?
• could the objectives of your project be best achieved by collaborating with other organisations?
To answer the first two questions it may be possible to cite examples of projects previously managed by your organisation or the skills and experience of the staff/ volunteers.
In reviewing the third question it may be useful to make contact with other organisations to see if they are already undertaking activities which may achieve the same outcomes.
Should the guidelines of a grant require some sort of in-kind or cash contribution it may be useful to seek partnerships with other like organisations in order to spread the burden. In this way experience and expertise not contained in your organisation may also be accessed from your partners. It will also demonstrate to the funding body that you are aware of other programs/initiatives and making the best effort to avoid duplication and provide 'value for money'.
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Why do funding bodies fund?
Funders have a reason to fund, which is related to their own corporate objectives. Some have a brief from government to support a range of activities in the community, others have a sense of civic duty while some use it as a public relations activity to improve their public profile. You will need to ensure that the objectives of your funders aren't in conflict e.g. Living Health and SA Brewing or that their business practices or ideology don't conflict with the values of your organisation or the project's stakeholders.
Understanding what they want - Commonwealth, State and Local Governments, together with Trusts, Foundations and non-government groups, hand out millions of dollars to community groups every year. Naturally, there are systems and processes in place to control how it is done. The process sets out how to make the application, who is eligible and so on.
The first step in making a grant application is understanding exactly what the funder is prepared to fund and why it set up the fund. Then you can explain your ideas in the context of what is fundable. There is no point in getting locked into plans that don't fit within the guidelines. Most organisations have clearly set out guidelines and processes - use them to ensure that your submission is at least considered. The first thing that some funders do is to eliminate those applications that don't fit within the specified guidelines.
What do they want to fund?
• Any special target group? (e.g. women, youth, people with disability)
• Any special functions? (e.g. sporting bodies, respite care)
• Any special way of operating? (e.g. self help, sharing of facilities)
• Any particular priorities at a given time? (e.g. unemployment, crime prevention)
How is the funding calculated?
• Is there a maximum/minimum grant per project ?
• What is funded? (e.g. some guidelines say salaries but not equipment, or vice versa)
• Does the applicant have to meet a percentage of the costs themselves?
• When is the grant paid? (after the project is completed, in advance, etc)
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The process
The funding application involves more than just filling in the form.
Getting support - you will need the formal authority of your board or committee or supervisor at the outset. It is also wise to involve colleagues and other stakeholders within your organisation at an early stage to ensure their co-operation and assistance with the tasks that will need to be done. Also beneficial is the early involvement of organisations other than your own whose support will be needed or useful and who will be able to add their weight to your application.
Start early - work through the application form and identify what needs to be done. Then, make a plan, allocating tasks and setting deadlines. The plan should include:
• materials that may need to be collected or created:
• certificates of incorporation
• a copy of your constitution
• your Annual Report and/or audited financial statements
• your business plans
• a diagram of your organisational structure
• copies of current insurance policies
• copies of your current policies such as occupational health and safety, equal opportunity
• job descriptions for the staff you intend to employ
• resumes of the people who will be employed or who will be important to the project
• letters of support from other organisations
• other attachments in support of your case
• copies of minutes of the meeting at which your organisation agreed to apply for funding
• approvals that need to be obtained both from your own board or management committee and from any parters you may have in the project
• time for an independent reading of the final draft - preferably by someone who is removed from the original drafting
• time for the necessary final signatures and approvals
• a time buffer to allow for the inevitable things that will go wrong.
Final Draft
Allow time for a final detailed reading of the draft by a suitably skilled person who has had no direct part in its preparation.
Delivery - send or deliver the submission a few days early and follow up to make sure that it has been received. Make sure that you keep a complete copy on file.
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Submission layout
Funding bodies want submissions that are easy to read (typed) and answer every question on the application form (if you do not understand the question phone the grant administrator and seek clarification and answer it - don't leave a question blank).
The submission needs to give enough information (without being too long) to convince the funding body that you are the most appropriate organisation to handle the funds and to deliver the project. If you know what they require and stick to that you are more likely to be considered.
Explaining what you want - every submission, no matter how the application is set out, needs to show at least the following information:
• what you want to do
• why it's a good idea
• what the cost will be
• who will benefit from the project
• how you will make it work
• how you will evaluate and monitor to show it has been a success
What you want to do - in addressing this point you need to make a clear link between your aims and objectives and the specific guidelines. So long as you are complying with the guidelines and can show your aims are worthwhile, and you know how to make them come true, you stand a fair chance of success.
Why it's a good idea - before you make a final decision about the programs you want to take on, you should check that your ideas are really what's needed. Ask for comments from other people who can give you some feedback, especially those that the program is intended to benefit.
Make sure that you have defined the need the program is addressing. You are then in the position to explain why your proposal is needed and demonstrate how it will make an improvement. In demonstrating the need, it may be useful to provide statistics, case studies and quotes from leading authorities outlining the current situation. This will act as your basis from which to demonstrate to the funder how your proposal improves the situation. You can do this by providing quotes and questionnaires from the people the program is supposed to benefit.
Furthermore, it might be useful to draw upon case studies/histories from around the world where similar proposals have been developed and successfully implemented.
How much will it cost? - before you start to estimate the money you need for your project, make a list of all types of expenditure involved in your plans and all of the ways you might bring in money. In essence, show all income and all expenditure and the budgeted surplus or expenditure. This will show your total financial position, which is usually asked for when you have to show that your group is stable or that you can make up any necessary contribution of your own. Remember that you can sometimes build up your own contribution by showing 'value of volunteer labour' as an item of income and a matching expense item.
A budget pro forma to help you make sure you cover all of the possibilities.
Grant budget pro forma
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You should indicate in your budget how costs were calculated - e.g. 250 km @ 50 cents per km.
Remember to demonstrate the value of the contributions made by volunteers and other sponsors or providers of in-kind support.
Make sure you are clear on the budget guidelines from the funder.
How you will make it work - funding bodies will often ask for extra information to make sure that you are clear about how you will make your ideas work, and that you will be able to put your plans into practice. Requests may include:
• past financial statements that have been audited
• copies of job descriptions
• involvement of volunteers
• accountability in regards to project supervision
• evaluation of the project.
Essentially, they are seeking reassurance from the history of the organisation or its employees that there exists a demonstrated record of success.
How you will show it has been a success - there are many different ways of evaluating the success of your project. You can keep statistics, seek feedback from users, develop broad questionnaires, etc. The type of evaluation will depend upon the type of project and guidelines from the funding body. If in doubt look for similar initiatives that have been conducted and see how they evaluated the project, or ask the grant administrator for guidance on a suitable evaluation format. Some grants may even come with a pre-determined structure on how they expect the program to be evaluated.
Style and presentation
Be clear and concise - somebody has to read all of the submissions and they will look kindly on you if the required information is presented as clearly as possible. Keep sentences short. Keep to word limits, limit attachments to those requested or are particularly important to demonstrating your case. Provide good quality photocopies, clearly laid out documents and legibly filled out forms.
Use the language of the funder - consciously shape your language to the language of the funder. Use the same jargon and buzz-words in your application that the funding body uses. Try to explain your project using their terms. Your extra research and personal contacts with the funding body should help you with this.
Finding out more
One of your best tools in preparing a funding application is a detailed knowledge of your potential benefactor. These are some useful sources:
• many organisations provide lists of funding programs and dates of the funding cycle
• guidelines for the funding of individual projects and application forms
• other publications setting out their corporate vision and their favoured terminology and style
• a list of projects/organisations funded previously
• a phone call or an interview with someone within the funding body and close to the funding.
After the submission
If you succeeded in getting funding …
• tell everyone involved as soon as possible with appropriate thanks and celebration
• be proactive in acknowledging your funder. Check with your funder very soon after receiving funding and find out the ways in which they would like to be acknowledged. If they appreciate public acknowledgment, mentions in the media, on posters and letterheads might be appropriate. If not, draft letters of thanks to the funder from your board, from the heads of other organisations involved, etc.
• run a good project - nothing sets you up for future funding better than success
• fulfill your obligations to the funder - send in the reports and returns complete and on time
• keep the funder informed - over and above the required reports, funders often like to know what progress is being made ... send photos, feedback from participants, progress reports, etc. at significant stages.
If you didn't succeed …
Follow up with the funding body as soon as possible. This will help to channel the your natural disappointment and that of your colleagues into useful activity. It will also deflect any tendency to lay the blame on individuals into more reasonable and productive analysis of the reasons.
When dealing with the funding body:
• be gentle ... they may be feeling sensitive too
• get specific information
o did your project not meet their guidelines? In what ways?
o was your application deficient. In what way?
o was the competition better than you? In what ways?
• make detailed notes…
Report the failure and the results of your follow-up to the board/committee, colleagues and other interested parties as soon as possible. File your notes with the copy of the failed application and … when was that next application due?
Sources of funding
Some sources of grant information that have been useful to SACOSS members are:
• Local, State and interstate newspapers
• Peak bodies - e.g. South Australian Council Of Social Service, CANH, CAN, Youth Affairs Council of South Australia
• newsletters of peak bodies and other organisations - e.g. Community Information Strategies Australia Inc.
• The South Australian Council Of Social Service Grants Book
• Local government funding guidelines
• Local government lists of service clubs
• Philanthropy Australia Quarterly Journal
• Australian Directory of Philanthropy
• networking in the field
• government websites
Some of the common sources of funding for SACOSS members are:
• service clubs
• financial institutions
• Corporations
• Local Government
• State and Federal Government agencies - e.g. Community Benefit SA, Arts SA
Useful links
Office of Regional Affairs
Department Communication Information Technology & Arts
Department of Families, Community Services & Indigenous Affairs
Department of Employment and Workplace Relations
Area Consultative Committee Network
The Regional Entry Point
Philanthropy Australia
Foundation for Rural and Regional Renewal
South Australian Council of Social Service
Community Information Strategies Australia Inc
AusIndustry
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