As a member of Yorkshire Funders, we are using the Common Application Form (CAF) which has been adopted by a number of funders across the region so that over time grant seekers will find they are completing a very similar form, in the same format in order to save charities time and energy when it comes to applying for grants. The CAF was developed in partnership with a group of local charities and funding advisors so that we hope you find it relatively easy and not too time consuming to complete.

 

• Take your time writing your application and aim to submit it online by the deadline suggested by our Trust Manager. You can save your application on our online portal and come back to it as you need, so don’t feel you have to complete it all in one session. Our Trust Manager will review and assess each application as it comes in and it is always preferable to be able to read a few applications and carry out due diligence checks each week, rather than having to manage dozens of applications in just a few days. 

 

• Make sure you complete all sections of the application form which have a red asterix and if you are not completing a question, think, would it be helpful for the trustees if I did include information?

 

Contact details section

 

• Make sure all your contact details are typed correctly, including your charity’s full post code, and all the boxes have been filled in. Make sure you include your Charity Commission number correctly and also include your Companies House number if you have one.

 

• Let us know if you have any communication needs. It maybe that you have a disability, such as reduced eyesight or dyslexia, and want to share this with us so that when we read your application we understand why there may be some inaccuracies.

 

Organisation information section

 

• We have included a couple of new questions in our application form, including Please select the one category that best describes your organisation and its work. We feel it is important that each applicant chooses how they would describe their organisation and its work, rather than our Trust Manager trying to decide the category after the grant has been given (which is what we used to do). We will use the answers to compile our annual Impact Report and ensure our data collection is as accurate as possible.

 

• Make sure you get across your passion and the importance of your charity and its work for your beneficiaries right from the very start of the application – when you tell us the aims of your organisation and what you do – so that you stand out from the crowd. What makes your charity and its work unique? Are you the only organisation doing this work in a particular geographical area, with a certain group of people and in a distinctive way? Do you have key partnerships with other community organisations that you work with? And make sure you communicate the level of need there is for your work.

 

• As safeguarding is of increasing importance for all community organisations, make sure you give us plenty of detail on this. Do you have a safeguarding lead and deputy? Do you have a safeguarding ‘expert’ on your board? Do you have regular training by a reputable safeguarding partner? How is safeguarding embedded into your organisation and its daily operations?

 

Application details section

 

• We may know nothing about your charity and your work apart from what is in your application to us so don’t assume that we know things that you aren’t telling us. Be concise and don’t use jargon, but make sure you provide as much information as possible within the word count listed for each question. When you read through your application before submitting it, think to yourself, is this absolutely clear and easy to understand for someone who is new to the organisation?

 

• Explain why the timing of the next Trust meeting which you are applying for fits well with your project or funding needs. We want to fund charities which really need the grant in the next few months and where our funds will have a significant impact for the charity.

 

• Q5 What difference will your project, service or activity make to the lives of those who take part? We want to know what ‘success’ will look like and how you are measuring ‘success’? What outcomes are you aiming to achieve for your beneficiaries and have you made sure they are specific, measurable, achievable and realistic? If you haven’t thought about this or aren’t sure what you are hoping for the outcomes to be, it could be a good idea to discuss this with your colleagues before you complete and return the application form.

 

• Q9 & Q10 If your funding request is to cover activity for a whole year, put a start date of the 1st of the month after the meeting which you are applying for and the end date as the end of the last month in your financial year.

 

Budget section

 

• Although our grants vary in size from £1,000 – £5,000, we will be working to a fixed budget at each meeting and it is likely that we will only be able to give out a few grants of £5,000 at each meeting. Talk to our Trust Manager about how much she thinks you should apply for and what amount will be helpful for the organisation. Your charity maybe selected as a multi-year grant recipient. The Trust Manager and trustees will decide on this so you don’t need to say this in your application.

 

• Project budget: Make sure your figures add up and in the Description boxes you provide details, e.g. If the request is for a team member’s salary, what is their hourly pay rate and how many months will a potential grant from us cover? Do you need to include National Insurance and pension costs?

 

• Financials: These can be estimated figures and are to give us an understanding of your charity’s current financial situation. If you have much more than your normal reserves level and are holding funds for a particular project then tell us about this. Or if you have very low reserves and are waiting to hear on a number of other applications or funding streams to come to fruition, provide details.

 

• Ensure all the bank details are typed in correctly and match with the bank statement which you send with the application form.

 

• Declaration & Accompanying Documents: When you submit your application form, ensure you have also submitted the following documents.

  • Your organisation’s most recent, audited/examined statement of accounts.

  • If you are a new charity without a first set of accounts, please send your organisation’s income and expenditure for the last financial year AND an income and expenditure forecast for the current financial year

  • A copy of a recent bank statement which is from the last month or two.

  • If you wish, include photos and any additional documents you feel show the work you do.

 

You will receive an automated email confirmation from the Sir George Martin Trust once you have submitted your application via the Trust’s online portal.