Applying For Grants - Brian Mercer Charitable Trust

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Applying For Grants


In order to:

  • reduce the number of unsuccessful applications
  • simplify the application process
  • reduce applicants' workload
  • facilitate the BMCT's ability to make informed decisions

Applications should be made by email using the application form below.  Please copy the form, responding to each item under the six headings in 2-3 pages.  

Completed forms should be sent as a word.doc or pdf attachment to [email protected]

N.B. Evidence of effectiveness and/or means of evaluating the proposed intervention is particularly important.  Please include links to any relevant outcome evaluations and impact reports available on-line.  This is particularly important for "Prevention and Relief of Human Suffering" applications.  The Trust is unable to fund the majority of applications in this category.  The BMCT currently supports Médecins Sans Frontières, Sightsavers, the Anti Malaria Foundation and Schistosomiasis Control Initiative.  All of these charities have well-evaluated effectiveness reviews conducted by independent organisations. Trustees will want to know whether new applications rank alongside these as being effective charities and, if so, what is the evidence.

The BMCT does not have any preference for any particular type of intervention or any region of the world.  It is all about doing the most good for the money invested.

Applications should be received at least 4 weeks before the next Trustee's meeting to allow adequate time for consideration.

Date of next meetings: 30th January 2020, 2nd June 2020, 6th October 2020

The BMCT does not issue grants for:

  • individuals
  • charities based outside the UK and Ireland
  • medical research
  • UK initiatives for specific local areas other than Blackburn, Lancashire


Application form

Basic information
Organisation name
Registered charity number (if applicable)
Website
Incorporation date
Address
Contact details

Aims and work
  • What is the problem you are trying to solve?
  • What activities does the organisation do?
  • What do those activities achieve, i.e., how do they help solve the problem? Who benefits from your organisation's work?
  • What is the amount of funding you are requesting and how will this be spent?
  • Are the beneficiaries of your work restricted to any specific group (e.g. by sex, religion, ethnicity, nationality or sexual orientation) and, if so, why?
  • What is the evidence of effectiveness on which the organisation’s work is based (whether derived from your own evaluations or from those conducted elsewhere)?

Partnerships, collaboration
  • Explain any partnerships or collaborative working.
  • How do you endeavour to reduce duplicating work done by other organisations
  • How do you learn from other organisations and disseminate lessons you have learnt?

Finances
  • Revenue and costs for the last three years, and reserves at the end of each of the last three years (just attach or link to your Annual Report and Accounts if you have them).
  • How would you describe your organisation's financial health?

Management and governance
  • By whom is the organisation managed?
  • What is the governance structure?
  • Please provide names and relevant experience of the board and senior managers
  • How do you ensure that governance arrangements are appropriate and effective?
  • What proportion of your total income reaches the ultimate beneficiaries?

Results
  • How do/will you find out whether you are achieving your aims? (What is the research process?)
  • What are you achieving? i.e., what evidence is there that the intended beneficiaries do / will benefit from your work?
  • How are you learning and improving? What examples do you have of learning and improving? What are the key elements of your organisation's medium to long term strategy? How will your performance last year affect your organisation's medium to long term strategy?
  • What are your organisation's main objectives for next year and how do these relate to information you have collected on your effectiveness?

 
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