It isn't easy to get funded but it shouldn't be impossible. There are funds out there to be applied for if you know:

• where to look
  
• who to talk to
  
• what's going on in your locality/region
  
• how to apply for funding

Q. Where do we look?
A. Funding tends to fall into 5 main categories:

1. Statutory - including local authorities, health authorities, government agencies, European funding
2. Grants and trusts - including charitable trusts and lottery distributors
3. Companies
4. Organisations
5. General public

FunderFinder is a good source of information on 2, 3 and 4. FunderFinder is a grant-finding database (released as general software) that will allow you to search through a list of possible sources of funding. It allows you to filter out grants not applicable to you, leaving you with a list of potential funders which match your funding criteria. Your local Council for Voluntary Service (CVS) should be able to tell you where you can access FunderFinder in your locality.

To find your local CVS visit: http://www.nacvs.org.uk/cvsdir/

Lottery funds come under 1. above.
Awards for All England awards grants of between £300 and £10,000 for people to take part in art, sport, heritage and community activities, and projects that promote education, the environment and health in the local community. It is supported by the Arts Council England, the Big Lottery Fund, the Heritage Lottery Fund and Sport England.

• You can apply at any time
  
• The application form is short and simple
  
• You will be told if you are successful or not within eight weeks

You need to apply for something that will develop your scheme - such as the planning of new routes or the purchase of equipment - rather than just asking for funds to continue as you are.

For more information, visit http://www.awardsforall.org.uk/

The Big Lottery Fund (BIG) will give out more than £2.3 billion between 2006-2009. Its aim is to improve communities and the lives of people most in need. Each programme has three key themes:

• supporting community learning and creating opportunity
  
• promoting community safety and cohesion
  
• promoting well-being.

These themes are supported by four outcomes - ie, what BIG hopes its funding will achieve:

• people having better chances in life, with better access to training and development to improve their life skills
  
• stronger communities, with more active citizens working together to tackle their problems
  
• improved rural and urban environments, which communities are better able to access and enjoy
  
• healthier and more active people and communities.

The best way to apply for BIG funding is to make walking one element in a bigger partnership bid.

For further information, visit the BIG website: http://www.biglotteryfund.org.uk

Q. Who should we talk to?
A. It is well worth getting to know the funding officer of your local authority - at county, unitary or borough level. He or she may be situated in either the community development or the regeneration department.

As well as providing general information, most local authorities also have their own small pots of funding.

Q. What's going on in our locality/region?
A:
Local Area Agreements
Get your project mentioned in the appropriate sections of your Local Area Agreement (LAA). This is where the money is at local level.

LAAs set out the priorities for a local area agreed between central government and a local area (the local authority and Local Strategic Partnership) and other key partners at the local level. They are meant to simplify some central funding, help join up public services more effectively and allow greater flexibility for local solutions to local circumstances.

LAAs are structured around three blocks: children and young people, safer and stronger communities, and healthier communities and older people. There will be targets attributed to each of these blocks such as, for example, ˜working with people to help them reach 30 minutes of exercise a day'. You need to demonstrate how your scheme can help to deliver relevant targets.

The way to get involved is through your Local Strategic Partnership. Find out from your local authority where and when the LSP in your area meets.

For more information on LAAs, see the Office of the Deputy Prime Minister website: http://www.odpm.gov.uk/index.asp?id=1161635

Sport England funding
Each region has a regional sports board and, beneath this, each county has a county sports partnership (CSP). It is worth working with your CSP so that it can support any funding bid you make to the regional sports board.

Decisions about Sport England funding (grants over £5,000) are made locally by the nine regional sports boards. Eligible projects will be assessed against the priorities laid out in each region's sports plan and the National Framework for Sport.

For more information see the Sport England website

Q. How do we apply for funding?
A. Before approaching a funder, you need to be clear about the particular activity or purchase for which you are seeking funds or a grant. Here is a list of the do's and don'ts of applying for funding

Do:

• Know exactly what you want the money for
  
• Know how much you want
  
• Know how long you want the money to last (some funders have a specified period for funding to last)
  
• Have a constituted group with officers and a bank account into which the funds could be paid (if you have last year's accounts this will be helpful but if you are a new group you will need to show how you will manage the money you are applying for)
  
• Have marketing evidence of your groups previous successes - posters, leaflets, flyers and newspaper reports
  
• Have some kind of evidence for why you need the grant - for example, an evaluation of local needs, results from a questionnaire or an explanation of your proposed expenditure
  
• Have a local champion or supporter (this always helps)
  
• Work with local partners - they may have money to spend or be able to provide in kind support
  
• Have some match funding - even if it is only in kind
  
• Learn from other successful applicants
  
• Have an idea what you will do when this grant runs out
  
• Know who you are targeting your activity towards
  
• Know what outcomes you will be expecting to achieve with the funds
  
• Celebrate your successes and build your local profile by inviting the press and the great and the good along

Don't:

• Hector potential funders - remember they don't have to give you money
  
• Tell a funder you require funds to keep on doing exactly what you have always done - funders like to see evidence of expansion and development
  
• Use the same descriptions for all bids, funders have different targets and outcomes in mind - one size doesn't fit all
  
• Discount working with other organisations - they can offer support, advice, match funding, help with applications and even funding
  
• Put an application in unless you know exactly what you want, and that the activity is covered by the particular grant scheme - you want to avoid getting rejected
  
• Fight amongst yourself about what you want - find a solution before putting in a bid
  
• Ignore the funder's time restrictions - if you don't put your bid in by a stated closing date it won't be considered however worthy it is, so make sure you know if there is a closing date for the fund you are applying to
  
• Ignore the funder's advice - if they say they want you to meet a certain target, supply certain evidence, that is what you need to do
  
• Try and fit your activities to a particular fund if it is way out of your remit, it will be difficult to deliver against even if you get the funds.