One grant leads to another
When applying for grants, it pays to have a demonstrable plan of action – and it’s even better if you’ve already acted on that plan. Sarah Everson explains how things snowballed at one Sussex school
O
ur school – Halsford Park Primary in East Grinstead, West Sussex – is blessed with a large amount of
outdoor space: an extensive playing field, wooded areas, gardens and a pond. The gardens have always been looked after by school staff and a small group of volunteers, but in recent years the pond and wooded areas had been left untended and under-utilised. In 2016, parents and supporters
of the school got together to start the task of improving the school grounds by clearing overgrown patches, picking fruit from trees, gardening, and tackling the pond area. This was in tandem with an ‘Eco Warriors’ after-school club, run jointly by a teacher and a parent who are both passionate about the natural environment. Through these two initiatives,
the Growing Together project was born. The idea of the project is to place greater emphasis on open-air teaching, and to involve children, parents, teachers and the wider community in making the best
46 AUTUMN 2019 FundEd
use of the school’s outdoor area. In order to document progress and
engage potential volunteers and supporters, we set up a Facebook page. This proved invaluable when, in 2017, the project leaders decided to apply for a £10,000 community grant from the OneFamily Foundation, run by the OneFamily finance group. he grant was to cover the installation of a giant polytunnel, and to fund equipment and resources so that teachers could
FIND OUT MORE
n THE ONEFAMILY FOUNDATION has community grants that provide funding of up to £5,000 to local groups, charities and causes. OneFamily customers can nominate projects or groups for entry in a computerised draw. For more information, visit
onefamily.com/your-foundation/ community-grants/ n THE AVIVA COMMUNITY FUND is open to everyone. Enter a project, explaining what a difference the funding could make. Projects with the
most votes go forward to the finals, where a judging panel awards the funds. Go to
community-fund.aviva.co.uk/ voting/campaign/getinvolved n THE NINEVEH CHARITABLE TRUST provides grants for projects and activities that promote a better understanding of the countryside to the general public. Applications can be made at any time and are discussed at the trustees’ quarterly meetings. For more information, visit
ninevehtrust.org.uk/how-to-apply/
utilise the polytunnel for lesson activities with their classes. Having a record of ongoing
activity on Facebook meant that we could demonstrate to the grant funder that the project already had momentum and that there was a genuine need for the funding. When the grant was approved (in principle) by OneFamily, we were able to use the Facebook page to drum up support for the public vote we needed to ensure the bid was
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