FUNDRAISING – Local grants
Think local
When applying for a grant, it pays to look for opportunities on your doorstep, says Nuala Calvi
N
ational funders are often the first port of call for PTAs hoping to access grant funding, but don’t discount
opportunities closer to home. If you do a bit of digging, you’ll find many sources of grant income locally, especially if you can demonstrate that your project benefits the wider community. If your PTA is a registered charity, you may be able to access funding pots that your school can’t get.
Take council Start by contacting your local
council to see what sources of grant funding are available – they may have a newsletter you can sign up to. You may be able to bid for funding from the Community Infrastructure Levy, or planning charge, on new developments in your area. For example, in Merton in London the levy pays for the Investing in Neighbourhoods Fund, which last year gave out £750,000. In Manchester, the city council’s Neighbourhood Investment Fund specifically encourages PTAs to apply if they have a project that benefits the local area. Councils usually make any grants they have available quite visible online to encourage people to apply. Ask if your council has a funding advice team that helps voluntary
and community organisations secure funding and aim to build a relationship with your local councillor, they often have their own pot of funding for community schemes in their ward.
Shop around Get to know your supermarket
community champion. Major stores such as Tesco and Sainsbury’s have dedicated people whose job it is to provide funding and assistance to local causes. Community champions at Asda, for example, have worked with more than 2,500 schools on projects from healthy eating to protecting the environment. Branches of certain national
retailers can also help schools in their area with funding from their philanthropic arms. Try the Asda Foundation, Co-op Local Community Fund, Tesco Community Grants, WHSmith Trust and Wickes Community Programme. Local businesses, particularly
those with a longstanding connection to the area, may have their own schemes for giving back to the community. In Leominster, for example, Kingspan Insulation, based on a local airfield industrial estate for more than 25 years, has a dedicated community trust to fund projects that benefit the local community.
Get connected Contact your local Council for
Voluntary Service (CVS) or other voluntary action network and sign up for their regular newsletter or grant alerts. Warwickshire & Solihull Community and Voluntary Action, for example, secured £2.7 million in funding for local projects in just one year. Some opportunities will require a quick response, so it may be worth appointing a grants officer to your PTA committee who is dedicated to monitoring these. The Rotary Foundation alone
gives out almost £10m to education- related projects every year, so get in touch with your local club. In Wolverhampton, for example, the clubs have a Community Fund Scheme with a combined pot of £10,000. It may also be worth approaching your local Lions club. Community foundations,
meanwhile, are vital for connecting you to philanthropic and endowment trusts that offer grants
If your PTA is a registered charity, you may be able to access funding pots that your school can’t get
pta.co.uk SPRING 2023 37
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