Page 26 - NAS Members Guide to Funding

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5. FUNDING CRITERIA AND
FUNDING PROGRAMMES
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• A constituted organisation of the type the funder will pay out to (see essentials, part 6).
LEARNING OUTCOMES
At the end of this section of the guide, your association will be able to:
Assess if your association and your idea fit a funder’s criteria
Recognise a funding programme when you see it Check if you can meet a funder’s T&Cs and are happy to agree to them.
Search for grant making trusts and foundations without wasting time
FUNDING CRITERIA
Each funder has its own rules (criteria) about what
it will and will not fund. The expectation is that your association meets the funder’s criteria exactly, with no leeway. There will usually be (i) general criteria for all applications to that particular funder and (ii) criteria for each funding programme (see below) operated by that funder.
It is beyond the scope of this leaflet to list all the individual criteria applied by funders in the UK. However, there are four basic criterion that should always be checked first of all:
• Geographic location (within the area the funder has set for applications)
• An annual income or turnover (within the range set by the funder)
• What you want the money for (meets with the funders themes)
Read the criteria carefully and ask others to double check for you. If in doubt ask the funder to explain
it to you, this is what they are there for and will not mind – they do actually want to give their money away! Common errors are:
• Applying for funding only available to organisations in a particular geographic area that you are outside of.
• Applying to the wrong funding programme where one funder has several funding programmes in operation.
• Applying too late when there is a closing date.
• Underbidding: requesting less money than the criteria allows, e.g. applying for £500 when the fund only awards amounts of £1000 - £5000. If you only want £500 then you do not meet the funder’s criteria (which they will have set for a particular reason). Instead, you should look for a funder with criteria that allows applications of £500.
• Not being able to meet the funder’s Terms & Conditions (see below).
Checking the criteria saves your association time as well as prevents disappointment and loss of momentum at the allotment site.
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