From 22 April 2013, charities and Community Amateur Sports Clubs (CASCs) can sign up to make repayment claims electronically.
The new service, Charities Online, is being introduced in response to customer feedback. It will make repayment claims faster and easier by filing online. The current R68(i) print and post repayment form will be replaced by three options for making claims.
These guides tell you what Charities Online means for your organisation and how to prepare for it. Simply visit:
Charitable trusts are bodies set up to do good. Money – capital – is invested and the income is spent each year. Trustees are responsible for the money and for how it is given away.
Charitable trusts in Britain give away something like £750m a year. They get tax concessions on their money because they are “charitable” – the Inland Revenue has to be satisfied that they use their income for purposes that are charitable in law. In practice this means that most trusts will only give grants to registered charities.
On average, charitable trusts give something to one in twenty or so of the appeals they receive. Many trusts are limited as to the geographic area they can make grants to. Usually trusts give smallish amounts (even trusts with large incomes) to local appeals – £50 or £200, not thousands. And often giving by trusts is one-off and for capital, not revenue. Trusts may help you buy the sand-pit for the community centre, they’re less likely to help you heat it or pay the salary of a worker.
There are exceptions. A few trusts are more interested in funding running costs or salaries of projects.
Trusts don’t have to publicise what they do, what sort of things they give money for, how you apply – or even that they exist at all. Some are very open about what they do, some aren’t.
Many trusts meet only once or twice a year. You may need to get applications in well in advance of meetings.
Most trusts don’t have application forms. In these cases you need to write a letter. Make sure it looks as if you’ve written to them personally; if your letter looks like a circular you stand less chance of success.
It’s worth spending time making sure you’ve got information on the trusts you intend to approach which is as accurate, up-to-date and comprehensive as possible. It’s a waste of your energy and effort writing the wrong letter to the wrong funders and trusts are understandably frustrated when they receive applications from projects which fall outside their remit.
For help on applying to charitable trusts please speak to us today.
To ensure your group is ready to apply for funding, 4Grants have produced a checklist which you may find useful.
About your group
What kind of Group are you? What legal structure does your group have?
About your groups policies and procedures:
About your group’s funding:
Many grants are complicated and time consuming, 4Grants can take away the hassle and apply our knowledge and experience to your funding bids. Contact us today for further information.
4Grants – 11 Tips to help with grant funding
1. Need:
Funders want projects that meet a genuine need, and for you to have evidence of that need, they’ll also want to know exactly how their money will help improve things.
2. Clarity of purpose:
Ensure that your aims are clearly described. This means more than just listing your goals: funders will also want to know how you intend to achieve them. We see a lot of general statements and too much explanation of the need for the work, rather than explanations of the work itself.
3. A measure of success:
How will you measure the impact of your work? What would constitute a positive outcome? Most funders will want you to address these questions in your application – if you don’t know what success looks likes, then you’re unlikely to instil confidence in those holding the purse strings.
4. A realistic budget:
Budgets should be realistic, transparent, and take into account any costs that might be incurred in the course of your project or work. Funders will also want to know that you can do your sums. “Ensure that your figures add up – check and triple check!
5. Competence:
Proving that you can deliver is crucial, Make sure that your goals are realistic, and demonstrate competence by showing what you’ve achieved in the past.
6. Acknowledgement of potential problems:
Acknowledging where the risks lie, and more importantly what you’ve done to mitigate them, shows you understand that you’re operating in the real world and you’ve thought through what you are planning.
7. Vision:
An application is an opportunity to communicate the distinctiveness of your work, your values, your passion, your success and your potential. Think about the competition you’re likely to be up against: why should your organisation be the one that receives funding?
8. Flexibility:
That said, if you operate in a particularly competitive area, don’t underestimate the virtues of potential collaboration. Funders may be impressed if you demonstrate that you’re willing to consider working in partnership with other organisations in order to deliver best value, and you may consequently stand more chance of funding success.
9. An exit strategy:
Even if one isn’t specifically required. If you make no mention of what you will do when their money runs out, [funders] will assume either that you haven’t thought about it, or that your default exit strategy is to come back to them and ask for more – neither of which are likely to impress them.
10. Attention to detail:
Answer all the questions and provide all the necessary documentation. If a stamped addressed envelope then send one. Ensure that your final application is free from spelling and grammatical errors.
11. One more tip:
Always make sure your application is in the week before the deadline, it looks much better.
Active video games have been on the market for some time now, but how useful are they as a tool to increase physical activity, reduce sedentary behaviour and aid rehabilitation?
This latest evidence briefing from the BHF National Centre summarises what is known about active video gaming (known as exergaming) from both laboratory and ‘real life’ research. It also provides recommendations on the use of exergaming as a physical activity intervention.
Key findings from the research evidence include:
• Most exergames are considered to be a light-to-moderate intensity activity for both adults and children.
• In older adults, most games are likely to be a light intensity activity.
• Exergames provide an alternative to sedentary behaviours, but they only contribute a small amount to daily moderate-to-vigorous physical activity.
• More high quality research is needed to assess exergaming’s potential for providing long term changes to levels of physical activity and sedentary behaviour.
How can I increase my chances of receiving further funding?
1. Complete monitoring or progress reports fully and in a timely fashion.
One leading funder told me recently that less than 30% of their grantees provide their progress reports on time.
2. Be prepared to go the extra mile.
See getting the money initially as a good start, but work to maintain the relationship, keep your end of the bargain, and look beyond reporting the operational outcomes of your funded work. Communicate how the work contributes to the shared bigger picture/vision that you both have.
3. Be truthful in your feedback, even if things haven’t worked out as well as you’d hoped.
Honesty and a positive commitment to learn from the grant will keep you in a funder’s mind.
4. Make it personal.
If you can, develop a personal relationship with someone in the trust or foundation,
Get in touch well in advance of when you need more funding to find out what their current aims are – don’t just go to them in a crisis.
5. Say thank you.
Acknowledging the support of funders in your own publicity and promotional material is vital.
4Grants have produced this quick guide to help with grant applications.
The dos
The don’ts
4Grants – We are always here to provide all the support and help that your organisation requires.