practical tips on grant-seeking · what frrr does we help philanthropy reach rural and regional...
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![Page 1: Practical tips on grant-seeking · What FRRR does We help philanthropy reach rural and regional communities: 1. Provide grants to not-for-profit community organisations and act as](https://reader034.vdocuments.us/reader034/viewer/2022050602/5fa9446d37678b7a651abc36/html5/thumbnails/1.jpg)
Natalie Egleton, FRRR
15 March 2018
Practical tips on grant-seeking
@FRRR_Oz @negleton
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Overview
▪ Foundation for Rural and Regional Renewal (FRRR) – Who we are
– What we do
▪ Grant seeking stages1. Planning & Preparation
2. Identifying Opportunities
3. Writing the application
4. Reporting
▪ Resources
▪ Questions
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About FRRR… a “philanthropic toothbrush” taking philanthropy to the hard to reach places.
▪ Established in 2000 to stimulate and support rural and regional renewal in Australia
▪ Our mission: To champion the economic and social strength of Australia’s regional, rural and remote communities
▪ Focus on small rural communities –fewer than 10,000 people
▪ Work in partnership with philanthropic, government and private sectors
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What FRRR does
We help philanthropy reach rural and regional communities:
1. Provide grants to not-for-profit community organisations and act as a clearing house / referral service
2. Help non-DGR NFPs to fundraise, by receiving funds on their behalf for an agreed purpose; and
3. Help to build local capacity to find local solutions to local problems.
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Grant applications … we’ve seen it all!
▪ Since 2000, FRRR has distributed more than $70 million in grants to support more than 8,000 community projects in rural, regional and remote Australia.
▪ This means FRRR has seen a lot of grant applications. Thousands!
▪ We’re well-placed to share insights about what makes an application stand out.
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Local communities are best placed to know what they need
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But sometimes they need a helping hand
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Stage 1: Preparation & Planning
And… how much?
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Shout out:
What does your community or organisation
need most, right now?
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What do you want to do?
▪ What’s your idea?
– Address an issue?
– Capitalise on an opportunity?
– What would funds actually be used for?
HOT TIP: Make sure others in your community share your enthusiasm & commitment
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Who?
▪ Who will be involved in and/or benefit from the project?
– Partners / Supporters
– Participants
– Volunteers
– Beneficiaries
– Community demographics
– How many people?
HOT TIP: Be specific - ‘The whole community will participate / benefit’ won’t cut it
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Take two minutes:
Write down WHO you will involve & who will benefit from your project.
Be specific
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How will the project be delivered?
▪ What are the key project stages?
– Tasks / Resources / Responsibility
▪ When will the project happen?
– What are the critical dates?
▪ Where will the project happen?
– Is the venue / site fit for purpose? Permits? OH&S?
▪ How will you know if the project has been successful?
– What measures are relevant/appropriate for your project? Are they robust enough? What existing measures can you use?
– How will you share the story of your project?
HOT TIP: Evaluation and acquittal documentation needs to be planned at the beginning
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How much will it cost?
▪ Expenditure
– Consider all costs – materials, labour, marketing, admin, etc.
– Consider in-kind use of time/goods/services
– Get quotes for larger items/costs
– Don’t just make costs up
▪ Income
– Contribution from your own organisation & partners / supporters
– In-kind contributionsHOT TIP: Be realistic – don’t inflate OR underestimate
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Stage 2: Find your opportunity!
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Identifying Opportunities
▪ Identifying potential funders
⎯Government (local, State & Federal)
– Business (sponsorship)
– Philanthropy
– Crowd funding or giving circles
– Other
▪ Consider
– Scale of project
– Capacity to raise funds
– Grants may seem the easiest but they are hard work and bring responsibilities
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Research opportunities
▪ Look at similar projects that have been delivered elsewhere
▪ Philanthropy Australia
▪ ourcommunity.com.au
▪ Grants Victoria (government)
▪ Strategic Grants
▪ Grant Ready
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Match Making
▪ Check out the funder’s website
– What are their interests?
– What are they trying to achieve?
– What have they funded in the past?
– What are their values?
▪ Check you align with the funder
– Same beliefs, common purpose, scale
– Do you have any questions?
▪ Read the guidelines thoroughly
– Are you eligible to apply?
– What can/can’t be funded?
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Examples of Eligibility / Guidelines for different FRRR programs
▪ Must be not for profit (not for private or commercial gain)
▪ Must have an ABN or be Incorporated
▪ Must be located in a recognised Victorian dairy area –either Gippsland, South-Western or Northern Victoria
▪ Must offer a clear public benefit, be for charitable purposes, and address a need in the community
▪ Only one application per group will be accepted
▪ Applications from communities with a population of 5,000 or less will receive priority
▪ Priority will be given to projects that assist in strengthening small rural communities, building their capacity to deal with local issues, or enhancing existing community infrastructure
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Don’t waste your valuable time
▪ What can’t be funded by FRRR?
– Prizes, gifts, awards or trophies
– Things that have already happened
– Projects that take place outside rural, regional or remote Australia
– Political parties, lobby or religious groups
– Sport and recreational activities that don’t benefit the entire community
– Federal or State Government core business - this doesn’t exclude Government owned land but there are conditions
– Local government core business – this doesn’t exclude Council-owned facilities/land but there are conditions
Don’t apply to us if idea / project is one of these
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Stage 3: Grant writing – the basics
▪ Use clear, simple language
▪ Assume the reader knows nothing about your organisation, project or community
▪ Avoid technical language, define words
▪ Spell out acronyms
▪ Use evidence to support claims
▪ Use facts, not opinions
▪ Be specific when answering questions
▪ Be clear re what you will use the funds for
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Grant writing - essentials
▪ Answer all questions
▪ Ask someone who knows nothing about the project to read your application
▪ Triple check your budget
▪ Attach all requested documents
▪ Provide support materials wherever possible – A note on financial statements, organisational docs, letters of support
HOT TIP:Grant makers assess using what they have to hand – they do not have time to chase up material not provided
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Show us the money
▪ Use the costs calculated in the planning stage to write your budget
– Use the template provided in the application
– Be specific about what you need the funds for
– Provide quotes for materials, equipment and skilled work or show how you arrived at your figures
– Ensure your budget is consistent with the rest of the application
HOT TIP: Make sure your budget balances!
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Assessment & Decision Making
▪ How are applications assessed?
– Against program criteria & the strength of the project
– Usually limited funds and a competitive process
▪ Who assesses applications?
– FRRR Program Manager & Support Officers, CEO
– Advisory or Assessment Committee
– Recommendations made to FRRR Board
▪ Who makes decisions?
– The Board of Directors
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Stage 4: Project reporting
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Reporting (last but not least!)
▪ Review your application – grant-makers will
▪ Share your story, the inspiration, excitement and achievement or failures
▪ Promote your work and build your group’s profile
▪ Use the form provided by the grant-maker
▪ Explain what happened
▪ Provide photos or videos to help tell your ‘story’
▪ Reflect and learn
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Resources
▪ FRRR website – Communities / Resources
▪ FRRR’s webinar series produced with Our Community – Funding options beyond grants
▪ www.OurCommunity.com.au
▪ Creative Victoria (Making Art with Communities: a Work Guide)
▪ Philanthropy Australia How to Guide: Effective Grant-Seeking
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Let’s recap, what is good practice
▪ Read and follow guidelines – note closing date and word count!
▪ Plan evaluation at the beginning – what are you wanting to
change/improve/increase/decrease etc?
▪ Make sure people are on board
▪ Ask for help
▪ Allow plenty of time
▪ Use clear language and be specific
▪ Provide quotes, financials and letters of support
▪ Quadruple check the budget!
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This is not going to help your cause…
▪ Not answering the question properly
▪ Not attaching information that has been requested
▪ Asking for more $ than you need or providing unjustified costs
▪ Dwelling on the problems ✓Instead provide a solution
▪ Subjective or emotive language ✓Just deal with the facts
▪ Incomplete applications
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And the winner is… YOU- even if you don’t get a grant
▪ Successful:
– Celebrate
– Say thank you, acknowledge your funder
– Deliver your project!
▪ Unsuccessful:
– Don’t take it personally
– Ask for constructive feedback
– Re-visit the project
– Explore other funding options
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Questions
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Thank you for your time
Stay in touch
www.facebook.com/followFRRR
@FRRR_Oz@negleton