West Lancashire Council for Voluntary Service

West Lancs CVS offers a funding advice service to our members.  We have specialist knowledge of funding and have access to the Grant Online service as well as other resources.  We will give you advice about making funding applications and we can search for funding opportunities for you.  We will also check your completed application forms for you before you apply if necessary.  For more information please contact Catherine or Martin on 01695 733737

We also run training courses on Making Successful Funding Bids - please go to the training page for more information.

*Useful Tips when applying for funds*

1. Make sure your project fits the criteria - do not try and change your project in order to apply for a particular fund

2. Read any guidance notes that accompany the application form

3. Make a copy of the form before you have completed it so that you can complete a draft

4. Allow plenty of time to complete your application

5. Make sure you answer all the questions and be as clear as you can

6. Include all of the necessary supporting documents, for example:  

• A signed copy of the rules or constitution
• A signed copy of the latest annual accounts or income/expenditure document
• A signed copy of the Health and Safety Policy
• A signed copy of the Child Protection / Vulnerable Adults Policy (if applicable)

7. Keep a copy of your application form and date it. 

Be careful when putting together your Lottery bid

Awards for All

The main reasons for groups not receiving an Awards for All grant are:-

1. Not meeting at least one of the four programme outcomes, which are;

• People have better chances in life, with better access to training and development to improve their life skills
• Stronger communities, with more active citizens, working together to tackle their problems
• Improved rural and urban environments, which communities are better able to enjoy
• Healthier and more active people and communities

2. Sports, arts and heritage projects are not eligible because their main purpose does not meet an Awards for All programme outcome

• Sports projects should apply to Sport England ‘Small Grants Programme’
• Arts projects should apply to Arts Council England ‘Grants for the Arts’
• Heritage projects should apply to Heritage Lottery Fund ‘Young Roots’ or ‘Your Heritage’

3. Applications for funding outside the programme remit e. g. salaries

4. Not providing enough evidence of need

5. Being and ineligible group

6. Groups applying on behalf of other groups

Reaching Communities - more money in the pot

Reaching Communities had been awarded additional funds so that it can support more projects.  This is additional to the recession package announced earlier and means that quality applications received between April and October 2009 can now be funded.  It also means that unsuccessful applicants don't have to wait 12 months before reapplying.  They have made improvements to the programme. Click here for more.

The top five reasons for rejection are:

• project outcomes not being SMART (Specific, Measurable, Achievable, Realistic, Time-based)
• projects falling outside of the funding policy (e. g. over max grant, or max capital funding)
• the need for the project not being properly established
• not enough involvement of the local community
• not enough links to local plans

Statistics

It may be useful to include some statistical information to support your bid when applying for funding.  Such information can be found at the office for National Statistics' neighbourhood statistics website which allows you to search under particular postcodes for information such as population, health, employment and so on.