District of Vanderhoof

Municipal Office

Weekdays 8:30 am to 4:30 pm

(Closed Statutory Holidays)

District of Vanderhoof

Geographical Center of BC

Vanderhoof

Grant Writer Service

Fiona Lamprecht

Is your organization or society looking for assistance with a community project?

Are you aware of a need in the community, but just not sure how to start addressing it?

Now you’re one step closer to turning your project dreams into reality…

The aim of the grant-writing service is to be a catalyst for development of community infrastructure and/or employment opportunities. However, any kind of initiative that has a positive spin-off for the community may qualify for funding, so everyone is invited to contact the District office and find out if their project has the potential for funding and/or partnership of some kind.

The grant-writing process involves consulting with funding applicants to define project goals, identify possible funding sources or partners and obtain the required information to prepare and submit funding applications. Societies and organizations would also benefit from obtaining valuable information on the best way to strategically position themselves so as to qualify for available funding. There are so many different sources of funding for B.C. communities across various categories including; Federal, provincial, non-profit and non-government organizations. In most cases there are specific requirements that need to be in place long before a funding application is actually submitted. This is an example of where the grant writer can assist and steer community groups in the right direction.

For more information or to find out if the District of Vanderhoof can help with your community project, please contact:

Fiona Lamprecht at 250-567-1172

e-mail grantwriter@telus.net

Grant writer assistance

The ‘Grant Writer Assistance Form’ is available by clicking on this link or alternatively, you may pick up a copy at the District Office. This form is a template that will help give you an idea of the type of information you need when applying for a grant. Completing this form will help the grant writer and speed up the process of applying for funding. Please print it, fill out as much of the questions as possible, and drop your completed Grant Writer Assistance Form at the District Office, and we’ll get in touch with you shortly. For assistance with accessing and completing this form and/or information about potential funding sources contact Fiona by email grantwriter@telus.net or call 250-567-1172.

Another recommended resource is a new on-demand webinar focused on best practices for securing grant funding available. This 42 minute video presented by Northern Development Initiative Trust, see their website http://northerndevelopment.bc.ca/news/69/18/New-On-Demand-Grant-Writer-Webinar-Now-Available. It provides information on how to apply for funding from ND Trust as well as tips for succeeding with other project funders, including how to structure a table of funding sources, project budget, project performance measures etc.

Funding Tip #1: Keep track of volunteer time

Here are two documents – one is an EXAMPLE (made for local group Nechako Waste Reduction Initiative) illustrating how to fill out the Volunteer Time Tracking form and the second is a blank Word document TEMPLATE for you to complete electronically or print and fill it in manually. Encourage diligent recording of anything and everything related to your projects or ongoing programs, but an estimate of how many volunteer hours per week is a good enough start. Note how quickly the hours add up! Recording volunteer time does two things. Firstly, it proves to the funding agency how committed your group is and how deserving of support. Secondly, incorporating volunteer time or ‘in-kind’ (vs. cash) labour into a project’s budget calculations increases the total value that can be attributed to your project, thus increasing the dollar amount of support you can request. Basically, the general rule is this: the more in-kind contributions you can prove (with documentation like this Volunteer Time Tracking form, or similar**) the more cash donations you get!

Remember that this TEMPLATE is just a guideline, so go ahead and adapt it to your group’s needs, as long as everybody’s recording method remains consistent.

Funding Tip #2: Incorporate as (or partner with) a non-profit society

In the last update it was mentioned that most funders will only consider your organization eligible for financial assistance if you have proof of being incorporated as a society and in good standing with Canada Revenue Services (by submitting annual income statements). The requirements for incorporating as a society include: filing your society name, stating your purpose, setting rules or bylaws, listing names of directors and providing a physical address and the basic administration fee of $30. However, don’t let that discourage you. If your community group is still in the process of getting organized with committee/board members etc, you may still go ahead and apply for seed money in partnership with an incorporated society, registered charity or municipality. View information on how to register as a society http://www.fin.gov.bc.ca/registries/corppg. Or visit our local Service BC Centre for assistance: 189 East Stewart Street, tel: 250-567-6301 http://www.servicebc.gov.bc.ca.

Grant Writer Update - December