WEEKLY
TIMES MIRANDA
THE Grants Only
Group is on a mission to help fill local organisation coffers
Most community
groups survive on members' voluntary labour - and grants.
But applying for
grants can be painstaking.
There are
guidelines to read, quotes to seek, budgets to prepare and, finally, forms to
fill out sometimes requiring lots of detail.
Enterprising
persons have set up as grant application writers.
There are
contractors who do this professionally, but often volunteer groups can't afford
them.
Here's a twist
on that concept: a Gippsland group has set up to write grant applications for
and on behalf of their small local clubs and organisations.
They're called
the Grants Only Group and they're volunteers who charge just $20 to cover
postage and paper, plus a nominal fee of $200 when grants are won.
Increases to $50
and $300-$400 respectively are on the cards.
To date the
group, comprising mostly retirees, has written 17 grant applications.
It's won seven
grants totalling $40,250, missed out on five and awaits responses on another
five.
One of the
grants it won was for $3500 for itself to buy a computer, a projector and a
screen.
This must be
every community's dream, to have a bunch of locals who'll sit down and suss out
grant opportunities and guidelines, make contact with grant makers and then do
the hard yards to get grants for their community groups.
How many hours
would this save school councils, sport clubs, art groups and the myriad
volunteer organisations that keep a community ticking?
It raises the
question: Why doesn't every town or community have one of these?
A group that
becomes so adept at writing grant applications that the voluntary members of
any club or committee, having decided upon a project, could handball the job of
applying for funds to them?
"The
biggest obstacle facing many groups is the energy to even think about
grants," says Patrick Moriarty, Director of Training and Development at
the online community strengthening organisation, Our Community.
"From
there, getting the energy to find, access and write just daunts them. The GOG
model is a group of committed locals who help local groups overcome this fear
and take some of the pressure off in terms of time."
The Grants Only
Group comprises five people from around Venus Bay: President Wendy Don, is a retired fast-food franchise supervisor,
secretary Kathy Lagoudis is a student, Doug Grigg, has an accounting background and moved to
Venus Bay six years ago, John Abbott worked in the motor trade and Bob
Stannells was an engineering scientist.
All, except
Kathy, are retirees using their skills and nous to benefit their community.
They meet twice
monthly for 2 1/2 hours.
They first met
through their endeavours to establish non-profit, community co-operative-owned
retirement villas at Tarwin Lower.
Then they
attended grant writing and project management seminars run by Our Community.
They plan to attend more, sharpen their skills and get better at what
they do.
They've been asked to write and review already-written grant
applications, and for advice about available grants. Organisations from as far
afield as Swan Hill have sought their help.
"Most community groups don't have the time or background knowledge
to write grant applications," says Wendy.
My hunch is we'll see more groups like this emerge; especially involving
retirees newly arrived to rural areas who want to find a way to contribute
there.
They'll
be a bonus.