Grant-making Guidance

Eligibility Criteria

 Are you registered in the UK?

• Yes / No (If no, please contact us before you apply)

Is your work for legally charitable purposes?

• Yes / No (ineligible if no)

Is your application for an individual?

• Yes / No (ineligible if yes)

Are you applying for work that has already completed?

• Yes / No (ineligible if yes)

If you have any questions, please contact us at grants@ea-foundation.org.uk

Guidance Notes

1. Introduction

Thank you for your interest in EA Foundation. We fund projects internationally which work to address issues aligned to our 4 core pillars through the provision of grants to organisations which:

·      provide educational opportunities, particularly for disadvantaged individuals and communities

·      improve access to basic services and infrastructure to disadvantaged communities, including but not limited to healthcare, clean water and electricity

·      support people in reduced circumstances, without sufficient means, or those who are experiencing times of need thereby providing important support for the relief of poverty or other forms of disadvantage such as disability

·      address environmental challenges and promote sustainable development, both and through the pursuit of the other key areas of focus listed here

We also make contributions to emergency response appeals. Please note that this aspect of our funding is by invitation only.  

2. Priorities

Although we do not prohibit applications relating to other issues, we would strongly encourage organisations to only apply for funding for projects that align to one or more of our strategic pillars as outlined above and where they can clearly demonstrate how the activities will bring about tangible change in the lives of its target communities.

In our application form, you are asked to identify which priority area(s) you will be addressing. Each proposal will be assessed on its quality and intended impact, and whilst we expect that some projects will meet several priority areas, there is no requirement for you to address more than one.

3. Who can apply

We are open to applications from a diverse range of organisations, irrespective of turnover, especially in relation to our support of emergency response appeals.

Primarily, we fund UK-based charitable entities. The following types of organisations are eligible to apply for funding:

•           Registered Charitable Incorporated Organisation (CIO)

•           Charitable company, limited by guarantee

•           Other UK Registered Charity

•           Community Interest Company (CIC), limited by guarantee

Currently we only routinely fund through UK-based organisations. If you are based overseas or are a private company, please contact us to discuss your work and proposal before applying. All eligible companies (as outlined above) must have an asset lock in their constitution which ensures that funds and any profit are ploughed back into the organisation.

4. What we are looking for in a funded partner

Whilst we are keen not to be too prescriptive about the type of work we will support, we would like to collaborate with organisations that:

 ·      Place people at the core of their work

·      Can demonstrate that they have a strong and equal relationship with their in-country partner(s)

·      Support community-led initiatives that are inclusive and address root causes of poverty to drive systems change.       Whilst we will not fund activities that should be the responsibility of the government, we will consider work that adds value to the lives of marginalised communities and where it is clear that the work is being carried out in parallel to addressing systems change.

·      Has a learning culture and actively monitor the impact of their work in the lives of their target communities

·      Shine a light on unpopular or under-exposed issues in over-looked geographies

We would like to nurture long-term partnerships, starting with smaller funding and graduating to more strategic partnerships for tried and tested solutions. However, we are equally keen to support innovative approaches by creating space for partners to experiment, learn and adapt.

5. Amount you can apply for

We have not specified any upper or lower limits to the budget, as we would like a realistic picture of the true costs of the work. However, based on our current giving trends to date, the grants approved have averaged between £20,000 - £50,000 for an average duration of 12-24 months.

Please visit 360Giving for more information about the organisations and range of work we have funded to date: https://grantnav.threesixtygiving.org/org/GB-CHC-1194169

 6. Supporting information

 You will be required to upload the following documents with your application:

·      A copy of the audited/independently examined accounts for your organisation for the more recent full financial period

·      A summary budget for the project or activity that is the subject of this grant application

·      A copy of the Safeguarding policy for your organisation and your partner(s) as applicable

·      Any supporting material you think will help us assess your application (please aim to limit the volume of material you send in for review alongside your application)

·      You will also be required to provide details for 2 References, that is organisations which can validate your application and work.

7. What we will not fund

We will not fund the following:

·    Work that has already completed

·    Work that is the sole / main responsibility of the government (with exceptions as above)

·    Scholarships, student fees or proposals that only benefit an individual

·    Work that is not charitable

·    One-off events

8. Project vs unrestricted funding

We have largely provided project funding to date. We fully appreciate the importance of core funding to an organisation’s sustainability and to this end, we take the approach of nurturing long-term partnerships, starting with smaller funding and graduating to more strategic partnerships and unrestricted funding.

We would encourage all applicants to operate a full cost recovery model by including all relevant costs of your project in the budget, including proportionate costs of overheads related to the effective delivery of the project.

9. Resubmissions

Resubmissions are by invitation only, so if you have been unsuccessful with an application over the last 2 years, we would encourage that you submit a new proposal.

10. Application process

Key Dates will be published for each funding round. Decisions take an average of 8 weeks, although this might vary depending on the scale and scope of each round.

Submitting an application

All applications should be made using a form which will be provided for each funding round.

What happens when we receive your application

·      All applications are assessed on their quality and merits of the work being proposed with proposals shortlisted according to its ability to deliver the greatest impact and the tightest fit to our strategic pillars

·      Due diligence checks will be conducted on all shortlisted organisations

·      We may contact you with clarification questions during the assessment process

 Follow-on funding

As outlined above, we are keen to nurture longer-term partnership and would be open to consider follow-on funding, however this will be largely by invitation only.
If we have previously funded your work, please contact us to discuss the possibility of follow-on funding.

Data

We reserve the right to share non-personal information, regarding your application, activities and organisation. We will do so thoughtfully, ensuring that no personal data is shared. A copy of our Privacy Policy can be found HERE

Detection of fraud

As part of our due diligence checks, we reserve the right to share personal information to detect and prevent fraud. We do not require your consent for this.

Notification of decisions

·      All grants are approved by our Board of Trustees and decision are final and cannot be appealed

·      Successful applications: you will receive an email with information about the grant agreement and next steps

·      Unsuccessful applications: a letter will be sent to all unsuccessful applicants.

If you have any questions, please contact our offices at grants@ea-foundation.org.uk