| Q: |
| How
do we know if we are eligible to apply for a grant from your Foundation
and what do we have to do? |
| A: |
| We
welcome applications from charities working in our fields of interest.
Please start by looking at our Guidelines
which explain these and also tell you
"How to Apply". Read these carefully and if you have
any queries please telephone us rather than write immediately. Almost
half the applications we receive are outside our guidelines in some
obvious way - for example are from individuals or local charities.
Please, please study the guidelines to avoid wasting your time and
ours. |
| Q: |
| Are
there any types of activity or work which particularly appeals to
your trustees? |
| A: |
We
are interested first and foremost in what you do as a charity and
feel really passionate about - and which also makes a significant
impact on needy people or enriches people's lives. There are some
themes which will influence Trustees in their decisions and these
include:
· work which offers practical benefits
· cooperation between a range of similar or related charities
and organisations
· novel ideas and initiatives
· passionate leadership and clear purpose |
| Q: |
| Can
I come and see you to explain what we do? |
| A: |
We
are always delighted to see charities but
normally only after we have an application in which trustees
are seriously interested. Also we prefer to get out and visit charity
offices or better still, work "on site". We believe there
is no better way of understanding the quality and importance of your
work than by visiting you.
back
to top
|
| Q: |
| We
applied to the Foundation last year but were unsuccessful. When can
we apply again? |
| A: |
As
a rule we ask that charities which have been rejected wait at least
two years before submitting another application. By the same token
we expect charities which have been funded to wait two years since
the last payment before submitting another application. We have this
policy simply because we are trying to be as fair as we can to huge
numbers of applicants.
back
to top
|
| Q: |
| I
see the Foundation doesn't consider applications from local charities,
but we work in three counties. Are we eligible to apply? |
| A: |
We
consider applications only from charities working throughout England
or throughout the UK. Sometimes this is difficult to define. The onus
is on applicant charities to demonstrate they operate at the national
level -both in terms of geographical reach and impact.
back
to top
|
| Q: |
| When
is the next deadline for applications? |
| A: |
The
Trustees meet 6 times a year to consider applications in alternate
months - January/March/May/July/September/November. There are no deadlines.
Applications are considered in order of receipt and we try to complete
all application decisions within 10 weeks.
back
to top
|
| Q: |
| What
is your minimum/maximum grant? |
| A: |
Our
minimum grant is £10,000. There is no maximum but grants of
£100k or more are most unusual. To get an idea of the level
of grants awarded, take a look at the list of grants.
back
to top
|
| Q: |
| Do
you make grants overseas? |
| A: |
The
Foundation makes grants to UK registered charities only.
Exceptionally, we also fund a few South African Charities which are
not registered in the UK. These were set up by Sir John Ellerman himself
in the 60's or early 70's, or have very strong links with him.
We have a small overseas grantmaking programme; see our overseas guidelines
back
to top
|
| Q: |
| Do
you give grants for core funding? |
| A: |
Yes,
around half our grants are for core funding. We recognise the importance
of core funding especially to small and medium sized charities. However
we expect full reporting on the use of funds and expect to visit all
recipients of such grants each year.
back
to top
|
| Q: |
| Do
you give grants for capital projects? |
| A: |
Only
rarely. We prefer to fund direct work with and for the benefit of
people, rather than buildings.
back
to top
|
| Q: |
| Do
you give grants for more than one year? |
| A: |
Yes,
at present some grants are given for 2 or 3 years - indeed the average
grant period at present is 2.2 years. We are considering the possibility
of longer grants for a very few organisations where funding continuity
is critical and whose work merits it.
back
to top
|
| Q: |
| What
information should we send with the initial application letter? |
| A: |
All
we need at this stage is 1 or 2 sides of A4, giving the background
to your charity, the work you do, where you operate and why you need
funding now. Please include your latest annual report. See our guidelines
back
to top
|