RESOURCE CENTRE MANUAL
HEALTHLINK WORLDWIDE
how often they give funds. Some donors will accept funding applications at any
time. Some have specific procedures and times for considering funding
applications.
Try to talk to someone within the donor agency before finalising any funding
applications. You may want to visit the organisation, or ask someone from the
funding organisation to visit your resource centre to see the type of work you do.
Once you have identified possible donors, you need to develop a clear funding
proposal. The resource centre officer could be responsible for preparing a
proposal, in consultation with his or her supervisor or a member of the
resource centre advisory committee. The committee might want to discuss the
proposal, or other staff in the organisation might be involved in developing and
discussing the proposal.
The first time that you send a proposal to a particular donor, it is helpful to
include any leaflet that you may have about your organisation, and reports
about previous projects. Letters of referral or testimonials about previous work
can also be useful. Also enclose your organisation’s latest annual report and
financial accounts, if they are available.
The way you present the information in the funding proposal is important for
convincing the donors that your project is worth funding. Always follow the
guidelines set out by a donor, and answer any questions they set. Be precise and
clear about what you want to do, how much funding you require and how you
will use those funds.
Don’t use too many words. Briefly describe the problem you are tackling and
how you intend to tackle it.
When you have received funds, remember to say thank you. And remember to
keep in touch with the donors and let them know how you are getting on with
the project that they are supporting. This may help with future funding.
2.4.5 How to prepare a funding proposal
Follow any guidelines provided by the donor agency. Keep your proposal short
and concise. Divide it clearly into sections. If your organisation is already
established, add other information such as an annual report and audited
accounts as an appendix. But do not add unnecessary documents just to make
the proposal look longer. Funders prefer short project proposals.
You will need to include the following:
Title of the project Make sure that the project has a name that clearly identifies it.
Summary This should be no more than one page. It should explain the reason
for the project, the aims and proposed activities, how long the project is
planned to take and the amount of money needed.
SECTION 2: MANAGEMENT AND FINANCE
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