We welcome phone calls to discuss potential applications, it can save you a lot of time. Our number is 020 8581 1676. Please check our criteria to ensure that your project is eligible for funding. We can only fund projects that benefit people living in the six southern wards in Hillingdon. If half your clients or users are in these wards (view postcodes), we can fund up to half your project costs:
- Botwell
- Heathrow Villages
- Pinkwell
- Townfield
- Yiewsley
- West Drayton
We have made some other resources and information available to help you in planning your project and applying.
Writing
Our trustees receive a large pack of information for each round and appreciate clear, concise information that enables them to easily understand; how your project will benefit people in our area, exactly what activity or work you will undertake in order to achieve that benefit and how you will monitor your project to assess and evidence that it has met the original aims. When we ask how you know that your project is needed, we would like you to tell us how you have consulted and involved the people who will benefit, to create your project plan. You can include general statistics on need, but you also need to tell us how you know your project is appropriate and will be accessed by the group you intend to help.
We are an outcomes funder, so the outputs and outcomes table are an important part of the application and will help us assess the value for money of your project and whether you are clear and will be able to assess the difference your project will make.
Resources
Training courses
The Directory of Social Change offers training and support to charities and not for profit groups. They charge for training courses and you would need to decide if courses offered are appropriate for your organisation and value for money. They also have useful information on their website. www.dsc.org.uk
Monitoring and evidencing the difference your project makes
NCVO Charities Evaluation Services is a leading evaluation consultancy for the voluntary sector. Charities Evaluation Services was set up in 1990 to help the UK voluntary sector become more effective. Following the successful merger of Charities Evaluation Services and NCVO, NCVO Charities Evaluation Services (NCVO CES) was formed in November 2014. A team of consultants works closely with around 20 associates.
Alongside training and consultancy services, they have a range of practical, step-by-step guides to evaluation and impact assessment. Charities Evaluation Services’ guides published before the merger with NCVO are also available online.