Here's Charlotte, our Community Engagement Officer with some top tips for applying for a community grant.
Our Community Grant Scheme opens on 14 November, awarding funding pots of up to £2000 to groups and individuals for maritime-linked community activities. In this blog post, we share our five top tips for applying to the Community Grant Scheme. To find out more about the scheme and to apply, click here.
1. BE SPECIFIC
Give us as much detail as you can about the activity, project, or purchase you are proposing. When you’re describing what you’re going to do with a community grant, be as specific as you can possibly be about:
- What will happen?
- When will it happen?
- Where will it happen?
- Who will you work with and how?
This is especially important if you’re applying for one-off costs for training or equipment, or asking us to fund a smaller part of a bigger project (for example you might apply to us to do some research, try out an activity, or buy a tool that you’ll continue to use). It’s okay to apply for funds that will support your ongoing work – but please do let us know what our grant will pay for and when this will happen.
2. BE REALISTIC
Our community grants include micro grants of up to £500 and small grants of up to £2000. The activities that we fund must take place in Spring/Summer 2023 and be completed by August 2023.
So, please think carefully about what you could really achieve in that time and budget.
Our scheme is designed to support small organisations and individuals, so please don’t feel any pressure to propose activities that are complex or that reach masses of people – we want to fund activities of all sizes and most importantly we want to feel confident that you can deliver what you propose.
3. THINK MARITIME
All applications to the Community Grant Scheme MUST have a maritime link – but you can think creatively about what that might look like for you.
Grants are awarded in three categories – environment, wellbeing, and heritage – and we welcome applications that take a broad approach to what maritime means in Hull (and surrounding areas).
4. THINK COMMUNITY
We’re looking for proposals with clear links to communities in Hull and surrounding areas.
You might already be a community group yourself, or you might have community partners you’d like to work with.
When you tell us about how your activity will benefit communities, remember to be specific – who will you work with, and how?
Awards won’t be given to proposals that only benefit an individual.
5. SHOW IMPACT
Our final piece of advice is to focus on how your project will benefit people. We want to fund projects that deliver positive impact in our local communities – whether that’s a handful of people, or hundreds.
So, have a think about what difference your activity will make?
How will your work have impact, for yourselves, or for others?
Even better, take a look at our guidance to learn more about our project aims and what difference we’re working to make in Hull. Show us how the activity you’re proposing will contribute to that, for the strongest possible application.
So, those are our five top tips.
BE SPECIFIC
BE REALISTIC
THINK MARITIME
THINK COMMUNITY
SHOW IMPACT.
Hull Maritime Community Grant Scheme is accepting applications from Monday 14 November until Friday 6 January.
All the information about our grant scheme, and answers to Frequently Asked Questions, are available here.
You can also come along to our launch event at Ferens Art Gallery on 25 November to learn more, ask questions, and get support. Book a place here.
We’ll also be posting more tips and insights online over the application window as well as hosting drop-in events online and around the city. Look out on social media and contact Charlotte Tomlinson, our Community Engagement Officer, with any further questions.
