Applying for a grant

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Applying for a grant
Hannah Alcock Regional Officer Central Region
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Our Vision

• that every child in the UK has a safe, happy
  and secure childhood and the chance to reach
  their potential
• Principles
• - We are UK wide
• - We are broad-based
• - We are local to people
• - We support people who take the initiative
• For every penny raised a penny will go to helping
  
• disadvantaged children and young people in the UK

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Who we fund

• Projects that make a positive difference to the
  lives of disadvantaged children and young people
  in the UK
• Not-for-profit organisations
• Working with disadvantaged children
• Aged 18 and under
• UK, Channel Islands and Isle of Man

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What do we mean by not for profit?

• Not for profit organisations - e.g. voluntary
  organisations, registered charities, self-help
  groups, community interest companies
• The applicant must have
• Governing document e.g. constitution,
  memorandum articles
• Management committee minimum of 3 members
• Bank account with two unrelated cheque
  signatories
• Annual accounts
• Written child protection policy

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How we fund

• Two programmes
• - small grants (up to 10,000 for 1 year)
• - main grants (over 10,000 per year, up to 3
  years)
• Emergency Essentials Programme grants to
  individuals and families for white goods e.g.
  beds, cookers, fridges. Administered on our
  behalf by Buttle UK

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Disadvantage

• BBC Children in Need has the following
  disadvantage criteria
• Illness, Distress, abuse or neglect
• Disability
• Poverty deprivation
• Behavioural or psychological difficulties

• Applicants for CIN funding must be able to
  explain how
• the children and young people they are working
  with are disadvantaged

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Child focus

• Children are at the centre of what we do
• We only fund child-focussed projects
• Young people should be consulted about the
  project
• The project/service should have clear positive
  outcomes for the child
• If youre seeking funding for a salary, the post
  should be focussed on delivering outcomes for
  disadvantaged children for at least 70 of the
  time
• For projects involving families or parents, the
  outcomes should be focussed on the children, not
  the family or the parents
• Some examples where applications can fail
  crèches, parenting courses, benefits advice

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Positive difference outcomes focussed funding

• Our funding is awarded to make a positive
  difference we are interested in the
  differences or changes that take place in
  childrens lives as a result of the work that we
  fund, i.e. the outcomes
• Applicants are required to detail the 3 main
  differences that their project will achieve
• The differences will be unique and specific to
  each project
• When discussing the difference, always use a
  change word (increased, reduced, better,
  more, less) dont just tell us about the
  activities you will deliver again

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Learning cycle
What issues do children and young people face?
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Outcomes (or difference made) for children and
young people
Type of difference Example of difference made
Emotional skills wellbeing More self-confident Better able to cope with feelings
Behaviour/attitude change Less involvement in anti-social behaviour More positive aims for the future
Improved relationships Get on better with parents Have more friends
Personal skills development Better leadership skills Use imagination more
Keeping safe More access to safe spaces
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How you make a difference for children and young
people
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How the Dinamix Youth Club makes a difference
for children and young people
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How Keepers Place makes a difference for
children and young people
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BBC CiNs learning approach

• Learn about the difference our funded projects
  are making to the lives of disadvantaged children
  and young people across the UK.
• Share our learning of what works and what
  doesnt.
• Change our grantmaking as a result of that
  learning in order to make a better difference to
  the lives of children and young people across the
  UK.

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What dont we fund?

• Applications from local government or NHS bodies
• Distribution to another/other organisations. The
  work we are funding must be delivered by the
  applicant
• Capital grants over 20K
• Medical research or pregnancy advice
• Promotion of religion
• Retrospective funding we only cover costs that
  have been incurred after the grant has been
  awarded
• Projects that havent sent previous grant reports
  back
• The relief of statutory responsibility
• Unlikely to fund work in school time or where
  statutory funding has been cut

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Common Issues

• Missing information- documents, missing answers
  to questions
• Insufficient evidence of disadvantage
• Too many people over the age of 18
• Inadequate safeguarding procedures
• Poor planning, monitoring and evaluation
• High levels of free reserves
• Poor local links to other providers and relevant
  networks
• Not clear what the project will do
• High fees
• Not sufficiently focussed on needs and outcomes
  for children
• Lack of rigour around parent involvement
• Statutory responsibility or overlap increasing
  issue due to cuts

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Deadlines

• There are different deadlines for Small and Main
  Grants
• The deadlines for Small Grants are
• 1st of February, April, June, September and
  December
• Decisions will be received in 8 9 weeks
• The deadlines for Main Grants are
• 15th January, May and September
• If your Initial Application is successful you
  will be invited to submit a Full Application
  within 2 weeks, and will have a month to submit
  this
• Decisions will be received in around 5 months
  (from Initial Application to Full Application
  decision)

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Some final tips

• The bigger the application the higher the
  standard expected - there is greater competition
  for larger grants
• Spend time planning your project and your
  application. Its a rolling programme dont
  rush your application
• Read the guidance on the website about our
  funding, policies and criteria
  www.bbc.co.uk/pudsey/grants - theres a lot of
  good info there!
• Complete all sections of the application and
  submit all required documents
• Prepare for the assessment interview have all
  the documents to hand
• We dont subscribe to full cost recovery so keep
  your project running costs at a reasonable level
• Ask for help and build local links from CIN,
  CVSs and Voluntary Action, other organisations
  working in same area/field

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How to apply

• Online application process
• bbc.co.uk/pudsey
• Helpline - 0345 609 0015

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CONTACTS General Helpline 0345 609 0015 Website
bbc.co.uk/pudsey Email pudsey_at_bbc.co.uk Regional
Office Hannah Alcock BBC Children in Need The
Mailbox Birmingham B1 1AY 0121 567
6708 hannah.alcock_at_bbc.co.uk
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Thank you