Creating a Positive Whole School Impact...
Funding Guide for Schools Contents The Funding Ladder Funding Agencies Funded Awards
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Climb the Fund Raising Ladder, starting from number one, to ensure you cover all the necessary steps to becoming successful when applying for funding.
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Step 5: Start Your Project
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Step 4: Be Patient
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Congratulations! You have won your grant and are now able to continue with your project. Call ESP Scotland for a free consultation and playground design and let us complete the project for you. If you were unsuccessful, don’t give up. Simply start at the bottom of the ladder again, create a more impacting application and keep trying. You will get there.
Once you have sent off your application, it may take a while before you hear anything. Funding can sometimes take months to be processed. During this time, it may be a good idea to source other funding options just incase your application is not successful. You could even try hosting your own fund raising events in order to make a little bit extra. Step 3: Application Once you have all the background information regarding your project and what funding you are applying for, it is time to begin your application. Ensure you enclose all the relevant information the funder requires. Enclose photos, letters from students and anything that will make your application stronger. Remember to tailor your application to suit the criteria of the funding agency. If the information isn’t there, they will not process your application. Step 2: Research Which grant is for you? Once you have planned your playground project, you will have a better understanding of how much money you require. Take a look through the various funding opportunities available in this guide and decide who you are going to approach. Make sure you meet the funder’s criteria otherwise you will not be successful. You must also bear in mind time-scales. If the funder takes 6 months to process an application and you require funds immediately, then this may not be the best option for you. Step 1: Plan • How do you want your playground to look? • What do your students want? • How much money will you need? • When does the work need to be completed by? Questions such as these must be considered in order to help you with the next steps of your application.
Below are the most popular Funding Agencies. Many of the schools we have worked in partnership with have secured funding by applying to at least one of them. Good luck! Local Authority Funding - www.direct.gov.uk Why not try approaching your Local Authority and familiarise yourself with their funding entitlement. Speak to the Children’s Services Department who may be able to help you with your query. If you require contact details for your Local Authority, please visit the website above and search for ‘Local Authority’. St Hilary’s Primary School in South Lanarkshire were awarded funding from their local authority to develop the outside resource.
Santander Foundation - www.santanderfoundation.org.uk The Santander Foundation was established in 1990 and to date has donated over £25m to charities across the UK. They fund projects that specialise in education and training and last year rewarded over £950,000 to this line of work alone. You must be registered as a charity to receive this funding. Please visit the above website for more information. HINT: Find out more about ESP Scotland’s CPD Training Awards by calling 0845 604 1455 and speaking to the Business Development Manager. Early Education Scotland Fund - www.early-education.org.uk Money is only available to Early Education members. Applicants must be from the Early Years sector in Scotland. Money is normally issued for those projects that relate to early childhood education and care. The above website gives more details.
Fundraising for Schools - www.fundraisingschools.co.uk Why not sign up to this monthly magazine and be kept up to date with the most recent funding information for your sector? The subscription charge is only £177.65 per year. For more information, or to subscribe to this monthly publication, please visit the above web page.
Grants Online - www.grantsonline.org.uk This is an online grants information provider. Subscribe today to start receiving funding information that could be beneficial to you. For subscription costs or more information, please visit the above website.
Football Foundation - www.footballfoundation.org.uk This organisation provides grants for a number of different projects. Money can go towards enhancing existing facilities or for creating a community project. Large and small grants can be won from this organisation. Visit the above site for more detailed information.
sportscotland - www.sportscotland.org sportscotland plans to encourage everyone in Scotland to discover and develop their own sporting experience in the hope it will create a higher level of sport participation across Scotland. Why not visit the above website and see if they can help today? Grants range from £10,000 - £500,000.
Awards For All – www.awardsforall.org.uk/scotland Awards For All offers grants between £500 and £10,000 to help those in need and local communities. Money is available to schools and non-profit organisations. Your application must relate to at least one of four outcomes, details of which can be found at the above website. The majority of our schools that have applied for Awards For All grants have been successful and have gone on to fund their playground development schemes, alongside ESP Scotland, with the money they were awarded. Here are a few examples of successful applicants: Knightswood Primary School, Glasgow Glendelvine Primary School, Perth Milton of Balgonie Primary School, Fife Newhills Primary School, Aberdeenshire
Partnership and Matched Funding - www.lotteryfunding.org.uk/scotland This type of funding is supported by The National Lottery. Matched or Partnership Funding, as it is sometimes known, is where you are able to make a contribution to your grant. This sort of funding is available to all and more information can be found by following the above link.
The National Lottery - www.lotteryfunding.org.uk/scotland The National Lottery gives money to the Big Lottery Fund every year which is split between different funding programmes. All the projects can be found on the above webpage.
Kids First Playground Partnerships - www.playgroundpartnerships.org This playground scheme has been running for over 6 years and has awarded over £2m to schools across the UK. They really understand the importance of play and so want to support this as much as possible. All schools in the UK working with children aged 4-11 are eligible to apply for funding. To apply, please follow the link above.
Grants 4 Schools - www.grants4schools.info This is a web based funding resource, which offers guidance on how schools can obtain funding for various projects. Please visit the above website for more information.
Did you know there is not only funding available for schools, but lots of awards to be won too. These are listed below so remember to enter, as your school could be the next big winner! Supergrounds Awards - www.rbssupergrounds.com Run by the Royal Bank of Scotland, this programme allows RBS employees to nominate their local primary school for a Supergrounds Award. RBS staff then work with the school to help develop an amazing outdoor resource. Starting in the autumn term, the school then have nine months to plan, develop and implement their projects. Unfortunately schools can not apply to the bank directly for this award, they must be selected by RBS employees. Make yourself known and you could be in with a chance. Full details can be found at the above website.
Eco-Schools Scotland - www.ecoschoolsscotland.org The Eco-Schools programme is an international initiative designed to encourage whole-school action for the environment. It is a recognised award scheme that accredits schools who make a commitment to continuously improve their environmental performance. Eco-Schools offer awards to schools that meet their seven criteria. Visit the website to register. Robert Douglas Memorial Primary School in Perth was awarded Green Flag Status and went on to spend their money with ESP Scotland to renovate their outdoor space.
Fones 4 Schools - www.fones4schools.co.uk/adults This recycling scheme offers cash prizes for schools that collect a certain amount of phones to be recycled. It’s a good way to make some extra money to put towards playground markings and equipment. It may also help you achieve an Eco-Schools Award.
We hope this Funding Guide has been of use to you. We know that applying for funding can be a lengthy task, but if you stick at it, your hard work will be rewarded. We look forward to working in partnership with you in the future. Good luck with your applications. Remember, if you are successful, thank the funders and keep them informed of the progress of the project. Let us know if you need any help with your application and we will be happy to offer you support. Don’t forget to get back in touch when you receive confirmation of your funding so we can begin to work in partnership with you in order to Create a Positive Whole School Impact. Good Luck!
Our Contact Details 0845 604 1455 info@espplayscotland.co.uk
0845 604 1047 www.espplayscotland.co.uk