“How can I find out what grant funding is available?”
This is probably one of the most regular questions I am asked.
If you are a member of my closed Facebook group, Straight Forward Funding Sources you will know that I regularly update my members about the funding that is currently available (and just a tip, to search easily for all the funds promoted on there simply enter #FundingNews into the group’s search box.)
However, there are many other ways that you can search for funding. Be aware though, that grant sources change on a regular basis and opening dates, deadlines and ‘funding windows’ can sometimes change at the last minute, so it is worth spending a little time on a regular basis researching what funds are currently available.
Many organisations have free bulletins and newsletters, which you can subscribe to. To stop my email ‘in-box’ getting too full, I apply a rule to any incoming newsletters that they go straight into a ‘Funding Information’ folder, within my inbox, and then when I have 30 minutes free, they are all ready, waiting for me to have a good look through.
There are on-line databases – some free, some that you need to pay to access and some that let you have a free initial trial.
Local Authorities are usually very good sources of information, and the Big Lottery funding sources have a huge amount of information, not only about current grants available, but tools, resources and even links to live webinars where you can find out more.
You can also have a look at my previous blog post: How do I find grant funding?
The Big Lottery has several streams of funding, so make sure you have a good look through these sites.
And if you want to be able to search for funding on a certain theme, such as sport, art, healthy eating, support for homeless people, money management etc. then it is worth having a look at the following websites:
Online Funding Databases –Your organisation will have to pay for access to these two databases, but both offer an initial free subscription, so you can decide whether they are of use to you: Grants Online and Grants4Schools.
Funding Central is also a subscription service, but with free access (although you need to register) for smaller organisations.
And of course, don’t forget that if you join my group Straight Forward Funding and Organisation Support you will have free access to regular updates about grant funding, tips on writing grant applications and access to dozens of other members who between them have a wealth of knowledge and experience of their sector.
Do you know of any other sources of funding? Feel free to tell us about them in the comments, or join and post on the Facebook Group.