Applying for grants
The important thing to remember when writing funding applications is that every funder is different, so every application should be different. Funders are only likely to fund you if they support the particular kind of work your group is doing, so finding the right funders, and writing your application to show how you fit into their priorities, is really important.
This section will help you to find the right funders for your group, write application letters, fill in application forms and approach businesses to ask for donations.
Click on the Links tab above for other organisations and resources to help you with funding applications.
Fundraising from local businesses
Tips to help community groups to attract donations from local businesses.
Monitoring and Evaluation
Information to help your community group think about what you are aiming to achieve, how to find out if you are succeeding, and how to demonstrate to the outside world that what you are doing is useful.
Planning a funding application
Planning your project, finding the right funders, preparing your budget.
Reporting to a funder
When you receive a small grant, the organisation that gives you the grant will usually ask you to send them some information at the end of the project. Some funders provide a form for you to fill in. Others just ask you to write a short report and send it to them. This information sheet is mainly focused on writing an evaluation report from scratch, but you may also find it useful when thinking about how to fill in an evaluation form.
Writing a funding application
This page includes general guidelines for writing funding applications, how to write a letter of application and how to complete an application form.
Fundraising from trusts
Tips for raising money from trusts.
These books are available at the Resource Centre, to borrow or to use in the Centre.
- Applying for your project overheads: guidance for Big Lottery Fund applicants
- Arts funding guide
- Brighton and Hove State of the City Report (2011)
- Eating together: Exploring the role of lunch clubs and shared meals in Brighton & Hove
- Environmental funding guide
- Explaining the difference your project makes: A BIG guide to using an outcomes approach
- Funding Buddies: getting funding to where it's needed toolkit
- Fundraising and Trustees: the essential guide
- Fundraising for a Community Project
- Happiness: Brighton & Hove Mental Health and Wellbeing Strategy
- Image-building and money raising for hard-to-sell groups
- Introductory pack on funding and finance: Guide to fundraising
- Measuring Well-being: A guide for practitioners
- Quality First: Quality assurance management for community organisations
- Quick Guides: Fundraising from Grantmakers - Trusts and Foundations
- Sussex Uncovered - Evaluating the needs and strengths of our communities
- Sussex Uncovered - Evaluating the needs and strengths of our communities - Executive Summary
- Tailor-made: How community groups improve people's lives
- Taking Account 3: Third Sector Audit Report 2014. Capturing the social and economic impact of community and voluntary organisations in Brighton and Hove.
- The complete fundraising handbook
- The youth funding guide
- Writing better fundraising applications
- Your project and its outcomes
The services listed below are not provided by the Resource Centre. These are websites and services we feel are particularly useful for small groups in Brighton & Hove, and which are not easy to find by searching the internet.
Notes:
Website with a wide range of information and advice on setting up and running community groups, charities and social enterprises.
Have a large number of very useful, easy to read information sheets on a range of subjects, including campaigning, fundraising and publicity.