TAYSIDE BIODIVERSITY

FUNDING INFORMATION

Spring/Summer 2008

A compilation of information received by the Partnership –
please check application deadlines carefully
or contact the funder direct for further information and new deadlines.

TAYSIDE FUNDING ADVICE

Dundee
Contact - 01382 434653 or e-mail diane.milne@dundeecity.gov.uk

Angus
Contact - 01307 473221 or e-mail externalfunding@angus.gov.uk

Perth and Kinross
Contact - Perth and Kinross Grants Direct on 0845 605 2000 or e-mail enquiries@pkgrantsdirect.com

FUNDING NEWSWIRE – www.ruralgateway.org.uk
Subscribe to a monthly newswire to keep you up to date with the latest developments

Funder Finder is also online - www.angus4community.com.

SITA TAYSIDE BIODIVERSITY ACTION FUND

A further three years’ funding has been secured (£100,000 per year). There are quarterly deadlines – in 2008 these will be 23rd April, 16th July and 22nd October. Decisions are usually made within 8 to 10 weeks of the deadline. Please contact Serge Merone or Douglas Calderwood: Tel. 0845 605 2000. The application form and Guidance Notes can be downloaded from www.taysidebiodiversity.co.uk.

SCOTTISH RURAL DEVELOPMENT PROGRAMME

A major milestone for implementation was achieved on 23 January 2008 when the European Commission's Rural Development Committee recommended the SRDP for approval. This has now been ratified by a formal announcement. The process of translating the SRDP into domestic legislation and laying it in front of the Scottish Parliament is now underway.
The SRDP is a £1.6 billion programme of economic, environmental and social measures designed to develop rural Scotland over the next seven years.
Measures will be delivered through:
• Crofting Counties Agricultural Grant Scheme
• Food Processing, Marketing and Co-operation Grant Scheme
• Forestry Commission Challenge Funds
• The LEADER initiative
• Less Favoured Area Support Scheme
• Rural Development Contracts
• Skills Development Scheme
Individuals and groups may seek support to help deliver the Government's strategic objectives in rural Scotland.
The Scotland Rural Development Programme 2007-13 is very different from its predecessor. It includes measures to address economic and social goals as well as environmental measures. It is outcome-focused and primarily aims to deliver a Greener Scotland and to promote a Wealthier and Fairer rural Scotland. It will contribute to the Government's Healthier and Smarter objectives and will help to strengthen rural communities.
It brings together a wide range of formerly separate support schemes including those covering the farming, forestry and primary processing sectors, rural enterprise and business development, diversification and rural tourism. It includes measures to support and encourage rural communities and delivers the LEADER initiative for local innovation in rural areas.
Application forms can only be completed online. These can be found at http://www.scotland.gov.uk/Topics/Rural/SRDP together with regional priorities (including biodiversity and landscape priorities).

FUNDING WEBSITE
A new website has been set up to provide fundraisers everywhere with a comprehensive, easily accessible archive of the best fundraising creativity from around the world.
All the information on www.sofii.org has been compiled to inform, guide and help fundraisers when preparing their own fundraising strategies, campaigns and promotions. It is run by The Showcase of Fundraising Innovation and Inspiration. It's free to join, providing you are currently working in a non-profit organisation/charity.

FUNDING NATURAL HERITAGE PROJECTS IN SCOTLAND

The Speakers’ presentations from the Birnam Conference held on 29th January 2008 are now available from http://www.snh.org.uk/strategy/life.asp.

There are also links to the application for LIFE+ Nature and Biodiversity. It is important, however, to also read the relevant guidance provided at the European Commission website: http://ec.europa.eu/environment/life/funding/lifeplus/components/component_nat.htm before completing the form.

For all enquiries about LIFE+ Nature and Biodiversity please email SNH at LIFE@snh.gov.uk.

GUIDE TO SECURING GRANT FUNDING

Granting You the Money - A Guide to Securing Grant Funding available online. To download the guide, go to www.lewisclare.com/toolkits.htm.

SCOTTISH COMMUNITY GROUPS WEBSITE

A one-stop shop for Scottish community groups carrying out projects which improve the quality of life for local communities. The site contains a wealth of resources to help you carry out projects in your community, learn from the experience of others and share your own experiences - www.communitywebnet.org.uk/.

THE TUBNEY CHARITABLE TRUST
The Tubney Charitable Trust wishes to strengthen its positive impact on the biodiversity of the UK and the welfare of farmed animals both in the UK and internationally. Beginning on 3 June 2008 this will see the Trust awarding grants to invited applicants only.
In accordance with the wishes of the founders, Miles and Briony Blackwell, the Charity has a limited life and is spending both its income and its capital to achieve its objectives. During a recent strategic review, the Trustees confirmed their desire to achieve a meaningful impact on UK biodiversity and farmed animal welfare that will endure beyond the short lifespan of the Trust. Importantly, the Trustees made the decision that over the next three years they will allocate most of the Trust’s remaining uncommitted funds (approximately £26 million) to a small number of large, focused grants. For this reason the Trustees have chosen to close the charity’s open programmes and to focus on funding proactive work with grants being provided on an invitation-to-bid basis.
The Trust’s current grant making programmes will close at 5.00 pm on 2 June 2008. Late applications will not be considered. Further details: www.tubney.org.uk.

LLOYDS TSB FOUNDATION FOR SCOTLAND

Surgeries are periodically held by the Lloyds TSB Foundation for Scotland. This is an opportunity to have a one-to-one session with an Assessor and discuss how to go about putting an application to the Foundation. Please call 0871 902 1201 to check when the next round of surgeries will take place.

LIFE+ FUNDING

The next call for European LIFE+ funding will open in July 2008 with a closing date of November. Potential applicants in Scotland are reminded that there is a requirement to submit a concept note to Scottish Natural Heritage, as Scottish Co-ordinators of LIFE+ Nature and Biodiversity, by 30th May 2008. Details of the requirements and process can be found on our website at http://www.snh.org.uk/strategy/life.asp (Concept Notes are only required for potential projects under the first component of the Funding stream (Nature and Biodiversity)

THE PEOPLE’S MILLIONS

This is a once a year award of £50,000 that:

a) needs to be spent in a year
b) transforms the local environment / provides opportunities for enjoying the local environment
c) will be promoted on the TV.

It's a joint thing between ITV and the BIG lottery. In this area (i.e. Grampian / STV North) there are usually 4 awards up for grabs which are voted on by the viewing public of the Grampian area.

Last year a range of projects won - welly boots for nursery kids in Highland, redevelopment of school grounds in Perth, upgrading community centres in Tayport and Peterhead, enhancing the green areas of a council housing estate in Stornoway.

The deadline for applications is Thursday 15th May. Application forms and guidance notes can be downloaded from http://search.live.com/results.aspx?srch=
106&FORM=AS6&q=people's+millions+scotland.

B&Q ONE PLANET LIVING AWARDS

B&Q’s One Planet Living Awards are set to replace the previous You Can Do It Awards. Awards in 2007 included equipment for improving community gardens.

Community groups and charitable organisations can apply for awards ranging from £1,000 to £10,000 worth of B&Q products. In addition, each local B&Q store also has a “limited” budget to provide grants of between £50 and £500 to community groups under its Better Neighbour Grant Scheme.

There are an additional two awards of £5,000 combined cash/products to schools that submit innovative science-based proposals, showing a real understanding about the environment and the importance of tackling climate change.

Contact www.diy.com/awards or Tel. 0845 300 1001 to check the closing date for applications.

MONAMY TRUST

One of the Trust’s themes is “conservation and protection of the environment”. Further details are available from The Courtyard, 130 Constitution St, Leith, Edinburgh EH6 6AJ; or Tel 0131 553 6848; e-mail ndlk.ltd@ukgateway.net.

PATHS FOR ALL PARTNERSHIP GRANTS TO PROMOTE WALKING

The Paths for All Partnership is looking to fund new and innovative ways of promoting walking for health within local communities. Grants of up to £40,000 are available. Further details are available via
www.pathsforall.org.uk/pathstohealth/grants.asp.

HEALTH AND WOODLAND PROJECTS – SCOTLAND

The Scottish Government has committed £100,000 to innovative projects that expand the development of woodlands as nature's health service. The funding will boost the use of woodlands and greenspace to help people build healthy physical activity into their daily lives and to assist those recovering from mental and physical health problems. This funding is on top of the £200,000 already committed for supporting a range of woodland health and well-being projects being pioneered by the Commission. Further details:
http://www.forestry.gov.uk/forestry/INFD-6ZFMZB

ESMEE FAIRBAIRN FOUNDATION

The fund’s primary interests are in the UK’s cultural life, education, the natural environment and enabling people who are disadvantaged to participate more fully in society.

In addition to its Main Fund which distributes two thirds of its funding of £30m annually, The Esmee Fairbairn Foundation has launched a “Biodiversity” strand: it will support practical conservation action and the science which underpins it. The strand will focus on species and habitats that are uncharismatic or hard to fund and aims to support the development of effective conservation approaches. Linking science and practical action, it will prioritise partnership applications involving research organisations, practical conservation charities and voluntary nature societies. Further details are available on their website at http://www.esmeefairbairn.org.uk/funding/funding-strands.html.
You can register your interest in receiving the Foundation’s new approach to grant making guidelines which have just been published. To register, log on to: http://www.esmeefairbairn.org.uk/programmes/advance-form.html.

BIG GIVE

The Big Give website gives UK-registered charities the chance to attract funding for projects requiring between £100,000 and £10 million. The site has been devised by Alec Reed, the founder of the Reed recruitment company and the Reed Foundation, who has pledged to give £1 million to promote the site to wealthy individuals, corporate foundations, grant-making trusts and legacy advisers.

The Big Give lets major donors search for projects in their fields of interest by donation amount, geographical location, charitable sector and type of beneficiary. The objective of the site is to initiate conversation between charities and donors. Charities can register their details at www.thebiggive.org.uk/results.php.

GREENPRINTS – GRANTS FOR YOUTH PROJECTS

A partnership of four of the country’s leading not-for-profit organisations have come together to provide support and funding to help young people improve green spaces in local communities. SITA Trust, BTCV, The Wildlife Trusts and the BBC’s Breathing Places campaign, have joined forces to develop a two-year programme called GreenPrints to enable 16-25 year olds to make a real difference to the communities in which they live.

The funding is open to not for profit organisations for projects designed and delivered by groups of volunteers aged 16 to 25. One of the most unusual elements of this programme is the individual, dedicated mentor-support that will be provided by the BTCV and The Wildlife Trusts to assist with the practical delivery of every single project that is supported.

Funding of up to £10,000 is available, together with support and practical expertise from the partners. Visit the GreenPrints pages at www.sitatrust.org.uk/greenprints/apply/flagships to find out more.

WOODLAND TRUST TREE PLANTING

Last winter community projects involving native broadleaf tree planting could request funding from the Woodland Trust to help carry out the project. Community groups, associations and not-for-profit organisations applied for a grant up to £100. To check if there will be a similar grant in the future, contact the Woodland Trust on 01476 581155.

The scope of projects funded is broad - the trust will fund projects that deal with the root of a specific environmental and/or conservationist problem and those that encourage the greater commercial adoption of sustainable development.

Businesses, schools and charities are eligible to apply. Previously funded projects include:

• Helping a school to create and maintain sustainable organic vegetables in the school grounds, and to help the school link the garden to the curriculum through a teaching resource;
• Training young people in rural crafts, ensuring these environmental skills are retained.

Funding ranges from £100 to £10,000 with the average grant being around £2,000; there are no deadlines. Tel 01803 864 390 for further details or e-mail mail@naturesave.co.uk. You can download an application form from: www.naturesave.co.uk/naturesave_trust.html.

Funding is available for improving playgrounds. The scheme is supported by a free resource pack which provides a complete guide to the application process and a range of exciting activities to engage the children in real-life learning across the whole school curriculum. The children's involvement in the scheme gives them significant learning opportunities and so serves as a valuable experience, even if the school chooses not to apply for an award or is unsuccessful in its application for an award this time round. In 2006, over a third of the schools that submitted an application received a cash prize.

There are different-sized awards - £1,000, £2,000, £5,000 or £10,000. All schools that are shortlisted will receive at least £250. Check details via www.playgroundpartnerships.org/.

Applications from organisations undertaking coastal and marine biodiversity projects are welcomed via
www.thecrownestate.co.uk or from Helen Corbet: Helen.Corbet@thecrownestate.co.uk.

SCOTTISH COMMUNITY PROJECTS FUND

The Fund is to promote the involvement of local people in the design, use and management of buildings and spaces they use and encourage them to have more control over decisions affecting their environment.

Grants are awarded to community-led organisations wishing to employ an architect or other professional to prepare a feasibility study for building or environmental improvement projects or employment and other initiatives giving social benefit. Projects may include refurbishment, renovation, new build and landscaping, environmental projects, community plans and employment generating projects. Up to half the cost of the study, normally to a maximum of £2,000 inc. VAT is available.

Contact the Scottish Community Projects Fund, The Royal Incorporation of Architects in Scotland, 15 Rutland Square, Edinburgh EH1 2BE, Tel 0131 229 7545, or email johara@rias.org.uk.

ANGUS COUNCIL COMMUNITY PRIORITIES FUND

Angus community groups and organisations with proposals for local projects are encouraged to get further details from www.angus.gov.uk/communitypriorityfund.

IT’S YOUR COMMUNITY

The award encourages people to "think global and act local". Grants can be used for the hire of tools or equipment and to purchase plants, paint, signs, materials etc. All types of environmental projects such as turning derelict land into an amenity park or wildlife area, tree planting, creating a wildlife pond, renovating neglected river and canal footpaths, providing water butts and recycling facilities in village halls will be considered by the Conservation Foundation which manages and judges the awards.

Grants are available of up to £1,000 for projects designed to improve the local environment.

Any local amenity group, community council, school, youth club, heritage group, environmental and conservation group and individuals who can show that their project will benefit their local environment and have a bank account may apply.

Application forms are available in O2 shops or by emailing The Conservation Foundation -libbysymon@conservationfoundation.co.uk. Also contact www.conservationfoundation.co.uk/ActLocalAwards.php or apply online http://www.itsyourcommunity.co.uk/; or phone 0800 90 20 250.

Deadline - applications are accepted throughout the year. Judging takes place on the 20th of each month except August and December. Funding must be spent within three months of the recipient receiving the award.

BIFFAWARD

Biffaward is managed by the Royal Society of Wildlife Trusts, and is offering up to £2.4m a year in grants to help protect and rebuild the UK's biodiversity.

The funding, which will be available for the next three years, is encouraging more environmental and community groups to apply for the funding, which is available from halls, museums and play areas to ponds and nature reserves. To find out more visit http://www.biffaward.org/

GOOGLE GRANTS UK BETA PROGRAMME

This scheme supports organisations in areas such as science and technology, education, global public health, the environment, youth advocacy, and the arts. Designed for registered charities, Google Grants provides free advertising on Google AdWords to charities wanting to inform and engage their constituents online.

Google Grants has given free AdWords advertising to hundreds of charitable groups. As a result, many charities have experienced an increase in the recruitment of volunteers and sponsorship. For more information visit www.google.com/grants.

BBC WILDLIFE FUND

Established in May 2007, the BBC Wildlife Fund is a grant-giving charity to support projects that are working to protect endangered wildlife and biodiversity. Initial funds will come from the appeal promoted in the BBC Saving Planet Earth TV series. Money raised will be prioritised for distribution among the projects featured in the programmes. Three year grants will be decided in the autumn. Once the total amount of monies raised from appeals is known, the Fund will invite grant applications from UK charities working internationally and in the UK to protect wildlife.

Visit http://www.bbc.co.uk/savingplanetearth/aboutus/index.shtml for further information.

HEALTHY COMMUNITIES NEED HEALTHY PLACES AND NATURAL SPACE

The Scottish Executive has announced a new funding package worth £250,000 to encourage more volunteers to get involved in environmental projects. The initiative will play a vital part in maintaining and developing physical and mental wellbeing for people and will help to achieve the goals of the Scottish Biodiversity Strategy.

The additional funding will be available to help volunteer managers ensure that more people can take the opportunity to volunteer and enjoy and enhance their community’s natural environment. Further details from:
http://www.scotland.gov.uk/News/Releases/2007/06/13081742

COMMUNITY ENVIRONMENTAL RENEWAL SCHEME

Twenty nine communities around Scotland which have been affected by quarrying can share £1.24 million for environmental renewal projects. Projects which will benefit include a nature reserve in Dumfries and Galloway, a shore side footpath on Barra and the creation of a new park at Finstown on Orkney.

The Community Environmental Renewal Scheme is administered by Forward Scotland on behalf of the Executive - www.forward-scotland.org.uk/

LANDSCAPE PARTNERSHIP GRANT SCHEME (Heritage Lottery Fund)

This scheme is part of the Heritage Lottery Fund and provides grants of between £250,000 and £2 million to local partnerships representing a range of heritage and community interests to tackle the needs of landscapes, whose various elements may be in different ownership.

Funding is available for applications based round a portfolio of projects, which combine to provide a varied package of benefits to an area, its communities which live, work and visit there. The initiative will mainly help HLF to promote heritage conservation as an integral part of rural regeneration. Further details from: http://www.hlf.org.uk/English/PublicationsAndInfo/AccessingPublication

ABBEY CHARITABLE TRUST

There are three priority areas aimed at disadvantaged communities: Education and training; Financial advice; and Community regeneration, particularly environmental projects and activities which help bring different groups together.

Funding (of between £500 and £4,000) is for capital items, salaries and sessional worker fees. They prefer to fund a complete element of a project and do not make partial donations to large fundraising appeals.

Apply in writing to the Abbey Charitable Trust, P.O. Box 911, Milton Keynes, MK9 1AD. Further details of what to include in your application letter are on the website at www.abbeynational.com.

THE CO-OPERATIVE FOUNDATION

The scheme is to support community and voluntary sector activity through giving grants to local groups and organisations across its trading area. Grants from £500 to £30,000 are available for part or total funding for one-year projects.

Contact the Charity Manager at foundation@coop.co.uk or Tel. 01706 202032. There are deadlines throughout the year.

REGIONAL EVENTS PROGRAMME (SCOTLAND)

EventScotland's Regional Event Programme is now accepting funding applications for sporting and cultural events taking place throughout 2008. The Regional Events Programme is designed to showcase specific towns and regions across the country. Whilst the majority of international events are likely to take place in the larger cities of Edinburgh and Glasgow, the regional programme has been created to support the development of cultural and sporting events held outside of these cities. This is a development programme, not a traditional grants programme providing long-term or core funding. It is designed to support additional elements or new activity specifically designed to help the event grow. The level of funding available per event is between £2,000 and £25,000.
Further details from: http://www.eventscotland.org/index/funding_programmes.htm.

INTRODUCTION TO FUNDING

(forwarded by the Scottish Biodiversity Forum)
The notes below are from a talk given during the 2006 UK Biodiversity Seminar in London by Chris Pethers (Development Manager from the London Biodiversity Partnership) on funding principles. There is an example included on how one particular reedbed creation project was packaged in a way that met the funder's interest but also delivered the primary aim of the project which was to create reedbeds.

Introduction
I have been working as the Development Manager for the London Biodiversity Partnership for 18 months and my role is to work with all the partners to help them resource and fund all the projects that will deliver the London BAP. My background is not in environment or biodiversity or ecology, it is in funding, and this job is the only job I have done that is in the environment sector. My previous work has been with social and community charities so this is a very different role for me. This introduction will attempt to give an overview of some of the basic principles of funding.

People give to people
A funder does not give money to a project. That may sound odd, but the reason I say it is that a funder is giving money to you and your organisation to do the project. The funder is giving money to you, so when you approach the funder, you need to realise that you are not just selling the project and the work that you and your partners are going to be doing, you are also selling yourselves as the right people to do that project. So you need to show the funder, or the resourcing organisation, your expertise, your knowledge, and the capacity of your organisation or the capacity you will have if you are funded. You also need to demonstrate what connections and what influence you have both in terms of the land that you are working on, or the organisations you are working with, or the people you can talk too. It is important to let a funder know these things, so that they can see that not only is the project of good value, but that you are the right people to do it and you are going to be able to do it.

What does “no” mean?
When you start working in funding the first thing to get used to is the word ‘no’. I have been told ‘no’ many times during my fund-raising career. The other thing to learn is not to get demoralised but find out what that ‘no’ means.

Sometimes funders are very good at giving very detailed information about why they cannot fund the project, but some letters from funders just say: “thank you for your application. It has been unsuccessful at this time”. My principle is always to go back to them. Give them a ring and say, “Can you give me a bit more information about why that is?” There could be all sorts of different reasons as to why a project may not have received funding. ‘No’ might not be an outright rejection.

• Not right now – so ask again later
The funder may have run out of money, but might be renewing their money at the end of the year or the beginning of the year. So you might want to go back when they have some more money in their pot. Some funders change their principles of what they will fund on a fairly regular basis, and you may wish to go back when have changed their principles to ones that align more with what you are doing.

• Not quite that – can you modify it?
A funder might be interested in the work that you are doing, but the project that you put to them is not quite right for what they are looking to fund. Find out what they are looking for and ask them “if it is not quite right what would make it right?”

• Not that small – can you increase it?
An example of this is from a previous job of mine. A pilot project in London, working with lone parent families, received a rejection letter from a London funder that had been thought to be ideal for this project. We could not understand why, but when we queried it they said “actually we’re looking for much bigger projects than this, and we’re looking to give people a substantial amount of money to do a much larger project”. So the project was made bigger and more ambitious, and the funder quickly requested another proposal from us, which was funded.

So if you are given a negative response, go back to the funder and find out what the ‘no’ means, as a ‘no’ might be turned into a ‘yes’. It is very important to find out why you have not been funded.

Meeting your aims and the funder’s aims
I am a big fan of aims, objectives, targets, outputs and outcomes. They are all buzz words which some people hate, but they are very important. In any kind of project or funding relationship, there are two sets of aims. There are your aims, (i.e. what you are intending to get out of the project), and there are the funders aims, (i.e. what they are intending to get out of the project).

A successful project and funding relationship will meet both sets of aims. An example is from a project in London to create a new reedbed that helped meet our targets in our Reedbed Action Plan. The funder was a book publishing company, Reed Elsevier. They were originally linked to the project because they had an environmental aim that they wanted to achieve, but also because of their name, i.e. the link between Reed Elsevier and reedbeds, which they thought sounded fun. Their aim was not just to have a reedbed created; they also wanted an educational/social/people aspect. They wanted to create an educational resource using the reedbed so that children from local schools could visit and learn about reedbeds and ecology. The social aspect was not part of the partnership aims as our aims specifically targeted the reedbed creation. Working together a full project was devised that met both our aims. The result was a very successful project that is still continuing.

If the aims of the funder cannot be met, then they are not the right funder for the project and you should not be applying to them. Also if your aims are not being met by the funder and there is no common ground there is little purpose in making an application.

Full cost recovery
Sometimes arbitrary percentages are added onto projects to cover some management costs. Conversely, organisations tendering competitive bids tend to try and shave costs. Some of the first items to suffer are administrative, management and overhead costs.

However, cheap (or badly thought out) budgets are not necessarily better and funders understand this. A funder is not going to fund a project where the infrastructure for the project is going to be unsuccessful. If there is insufficient management or administrative support for the project then it is not going to get funded. So, do not leave out the hidden costs, such as overheads. Premises and management costs need to be paid for somehow. If the project does not contribute to them then they have to be funded from elsewhere. This can be difficult, especially if your organisation is an NGO or a voluntary organisation. Experience has shown that some organisations have had successful fundraising for a number of projects but without the right amount of core costs included, and have ended up closing down.

Administration, including reporting and monitoring, is even more important for funders. A lot of funders require very specific, sometimes very detailed and often quite time consuming reporting and monitoring processes. You also have your own reporting and monitoring, which hopefully dovetail into your local records centre and BARS. The cost of this must be included in the project otherwise how will the time to do the work be paid for?

An example of this was a project submitted to HLF in London. This was ‘The Capital Woodlands Project’, involving six flagship woodlands sites in London plus a training programme and other elements. HLF asked us to re-submit the bid with more management and administration time included, because they did not believe that the project had enough and they thought it would not be as successful as it could be without more management time.

Funding is moving towards full cost recovery, and if you do not ask, you do not get.

Further information and help is available – see www.philanthropycapital.org. New Philanthropy Capital is an organisation that undertakes a lot of research around the voluntary sector, funding and voluntary sector project work. They have produced a research paper on full cost recovery, mechanisms for working out how much money is needed to put into projects for full cost recovery, and the how and why. I can really recommend it, and the website has free downloads of information.

Strategic forward planning
When working in partnership it is very important to know which partners are doing what project, where and how and why. This is for several reasons:

• to coordinate work so that one project does not adversely affect another
• to fundraise effectively; you need to know what you want to do, when you want to do it and how much it’s going to cost.

There many different types of funding from statutory funding through Government Agencies or through Local Authorities, to money from Charitable Trusts, to money from companies, to money from Company Trusts, to European funding (Life Plus is to be relaunched in the near future).

You need to know what funds are out there, when you need to apply for them and when you will get the money. For a lot of funders, there is no point applying in June if you need the money in August, because a lot of funders take several months, some up to a year, to process an application, especially if it is a large one. You need to know when you need to apply if you need to have the money at a certain time.

Do not rely on one funder because they might not fund your project. The reason could be that they do not like your project, but it could also be for any number of other reasons, for example, they have run out of money, their priorities have changed, or they have just funded a very similar project. If there is only one funder that you rely on, then when that one funder cannot fund your project anymore you cannot continue with your project, and that would be a nightmare.

So consider alternative funders for projects. Who else might want to support the project, not just because of the work, but because of some other aspect of it such as a name match (e.g. Reed Elsevier and reedbeds), and approach them.

My last point is key for many of you, as your jobs do not probably have any specific time allotted to fundraising. Time is needed to research what funders are out there and to write applications to get the funding for you and your organisation. A plea to you, but more to your organisations and partnerships, is to ensure that someone somewhere has the time to research funders and has the time to put together applications and work on them. If you are already giving a 150% of your time to the work on the ground, there is no other time to get the money in to do the work.