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Funding and Fundraising

Fundraising is an important part of running a youth group. Finding and applying for funding can be a daunting process – it is often about not only finding the right funding opportunity for your group but also presenting your bid in the right way.

Finding the right funder

There are a number of places you can go for general help in finding the right funder: 

• Your local authority – most local authorities have a grants programme to support voluntary youth groups and may have a great scheme to help start up a youth group. The best place to start is the Community Learning and Development team in your local council.
• Scottish Council for Voluntary Organisations often has funding advice
• Trust Funding has information on over 4,200 grant-making trusts
• Software packages such as funderfinder - You may be able to book a funderfinder session via your local Council for Voluntary Service
• Your local library - often a great source of information and it’s free!
• Youth Scotland has a number of publications and resources including Up and Runningand Keep It Real. It is also your first point of contact for information about Girls on the Move grants, and has all the info you need about encouraging, recognising and accrediting young people’s achievements.  

Applying for funding

Youth Scotland has produced A guide to successful fundraising (downloadable below) which provides guidance on each of the key steps; planning your bid, finding the right funder, writing the bid and recording and reporting your achievements. This guide also has a list of useful funding contacts and resources.

 Summary: For you to do

• Have a look at the Youth Scotland guide to successful fundraising below
• Identify the right funder for your group or project
• Go through each stage in the guide step by step, allowing yourself time to complete one step before going on to another
• Record your group’s achievements as you go along