With January 2023 now under way, we know there will be groups looking at what funding is available to support their community-led project ideas.
We have developed these five tips to support you with developing your idea and to help keep you on track when sourcing funding from The National Lottery Community Fund.
1 Be clear about what your community wants
Start by finding out what people want and need in your community. Speak to the people you want to help, listen to what they tell you and get them involved in developing and shaping your project idea.
Ask people in your community about what matters to them. You could consider using surveys, face to face chats or feedback forms to get some valuable insight.
Find out what strengths people already have and how they can build upon these. Your community isn’t limited to the people you already connect with. Reach out to their families and friends, local community groups and similar organisations you might work with.
A project that is shaped by the needs of your community and involves people right from the start is more likely to be successful and maintain a sense of community ownership.
Once you have a project idea developed, visit our website to find out what funding programmes we have available.
Bear in mind that we might not be the best funding option for your idea, so you might want to speak to other National Lottery Funders or chat to helper organisations like NICVA (Northern Ireland Council for Voluntary Action) or Rural Community Network to find out what other funding options are available.
2 Talk to us
If you feel that your idea fits with our funding programmes, give our team a call on 028 9055 1455. We can provide you with support and guidance at an early stage.
We work within local communities across Northern Ireland and are happy to chat by phone, meet you face to face or virtually.
You don’t need to have your project idea finalised when you chat to us, but it helps if you already have a rough plan in mind. This allows us to work with you on developing your idea. We let you know as early as possible if your idea is something that we can consider funding or not. If your idea is not something we could support under our current funding programmes we will try our best to refer you to another option where possible.
We will ask you to tell us about your idea including how your community has been involved in developing it, how it will utilise and build on the existing strengths of people. We might also ask you to tell us more about how you plan to work with other organisations.
3 Work out the costs accurately
When you have your project idea finalised, you’ll start to look at how much money you will need to deliver it. Don’t make an estimate based on the grant size available, instead focus on what costs are actually needed.
Cost-of-living increases could mean that your budget might be a bit higher than anticipated. It helps to do some research to make sure your proposed budget is realistic. Try to get a few quotes to make sure you are being offered competitive prices (you can use internet quotes or ones obtained directly from suppliers). This will help you to plan your budget effectively. Holding onto your quotes will allow you to evidence your budgeted costs should you need to.
We know that rising costs are impacting on groups and the services they can provide so take this into account when planning your project budget. Could you chat to the groups you hope to work with? Are there any staff, volunteer, equipment, or venue resources you could share? This will help you to keep costs down and build on the strengths that people in your community have and are willing to share.
Think about each individual stage of your project to ensure you have covered everything. You will want to consider what you need in terms of room hire, rent or equipment. Do you need to include some staff costs? Will there be volunteer expenses, or fees for facilitators or tutors? If you want to evaluate your project from the start so that you can measure the impact it is having, will there be costs involved in doing this?
If you successfully receive National Lottery funding, you will be asked to acknowledge the funding when you are promoting your project publicly. We have some free branded material available for supported projects to do this but you might want to consider including publicity and marketing costs to support you further. It could be as simple as including our logo on printed material or taking a more innovative approach. In the past, some supported groups have included costs to develop sweatshirts, embroidered with our logo alongside their own, to help them to promote their success in getting National Lottery funding.
Remember to ask someone to read through your final budget plan to make sure you have included everything and that it adds up correctly. Be sure to check that the total amount you are requesting falls within the funding limit of the programme you are applying to.
4 Use plain language when completing your application
When it comes to completing the application form, it is best to use your own words in simple language. You will not get any extra points for using funding jargon or buzz words.
This is your opportunity to tell us all about your community led project and more about how local people helped develop and shape it.
It is a good idea to ask someone who was not involved in developing the project idea to read over your draft application form to make sure they can fully understand your idea.
When you’re sending us your completed application form, double check that you have included everything that we need. You might need to attach a bank statement or other additional information so read the guidance carefully to make sure you include everything.
5 Check we have received your application
We will send you an email or letter to confirm that we have received your form. If you don’t receive anything from us within three days of submitting your form, please call us on 028 9055 1455 to check we have received your completed application.
When we are assessing your application, we may get in touch should we need further details. We will speak to the main contact named on your form. It’s important that this person knows your project plan in detail and how the idea was developed.
We want your project to be successful and wish you the best of luck in your search for making your communities ideas a reality.
We love to hear from you
We hope these tips are useful. If you have any tips you would like to share with others, please leave a comment below or drop us an email at enquiries.ni@tnlcommunityfund.org.uk.
The National Lottery Community Fund Northern Ireland 