Define yourself as a group

While a small amount of funding is available for individuals, most public and charitable funding will support the activities of groups and organisations. The size of a group can vary and, obviously, the more people involved in a project the better. However, a relatively small, active group of three people could involve larger numbers as audience or participants as the project evolves.

Don’t worry too much about the size of your group, but think about its potential and its ability to deliver. Groups can be identified in a number of ways, for example:

A community group, representing the interests of a geographical area or indeed a special interest, such as disability, the elderly, the unemployed, people with a shared interest in drama etc. Community groups are expected to be community-driven. As a community group, you must demonstrate a willingness to engage with your community, not only as a potential audience but as active participants.
A charitable or voluntary group providing services or support for any of the above, for example, organising residentials for young people, putting on a performance, providing training and access to lifelong learning or mobilising interest around issues. This type of group has more autonomy to carry out its own programme of activities, but should be able to demonstrate a public interest or need for its work and a willingness to engage a wider public.

Such groups are generally defined as non-profit making or voluntary. However, public funding is available for organisations in areas like, for example, the arts, where professional companies from small fringe groups to the Royal Opera House can operate independently from the "community". Groups and organisations like these provide a product - a play, a film, a photographic exhibition. They generally have more freedom to be experimental and innovative, but they obviously have to demonstrate some expertise and, increasingly, prove that their work will be relevant and accessible to a wider audience.

As a general principle, all groups applying for public funding should be driven by a principle or an idea, rather than a desire to make profits. Not so much profitability as sustainability - generating income which allows them to function more efficiently.

The mission statement

The first stage of constituting a group, therefore, is to write a mission statement (2 or 3 sentences) which defines your identity, purpose and approach. For example:

"Parents for Play in East Belfast" promotes children’s right to accessible, good quality play in East Belfast by fostering public awareness of the issues and problems around play and providing a platform where children’s needs can be explored to build strategies for play at local and national levels."

Your mission statement should reflect the issues your project will be exploring or promoting. You may not be absolutely clear what your mission statement will be until you have started thinking in greater depth about your project. At this stage, try to agree on a broad definition and return to your statement when you have reached the end of the planning process. Be careful. A mission statement defines you and impacts on your work.

The constitution

A group must have an identity, a purpose, a set of aims and objectives and an agreed method of working. These are presented as a constitution.

The constitution is a written document, which sets out your mission statement, defines your group’s identity (arts, cultural, community, voluntary etc.) and sets out your group’s aims and objectives, its management structure and its methods of working. You should also give some background on how and when the group came together.

Aims are the outcomes you hope to achieve which are on going, for example, to:

• Raise public awareness and encourage debate (around a particular issue);
• Promote the interests (of a particular community);
• Promote the involvement of young people (for example) in projects around a particular issue.

Objectives relate to the specific activities you will engage in, for example, to:

• Support activities and initiatives at local level which raise awareness of….
• Input into activities and events at regional and national level to promote…
• Organise and deliver a programme of public seminars, exhibitions, performances and/or information days to highlight…

Obviously there is a lot of overlap between aims and objectives, so don’t get bogged down in separating the two. Again, your aims and objectives will become clearer as you get into the process of developing your project, so simply define them broadly at this stage and come back to them when your project is agreed.

Management structure relates to the people involved in carrying out your group’s aims and objectives. At its simplest level, you should have a chairman, treasurer and secretary. Financial procedures are important. You will need to set up a bank account for the group and have two signatories for cheques. All public funding bodies require evaluation reports, which include details of spending, so some sort of accounting system, however simple, must be in place. A management committee to oversee the work of the project would be a big plus. People in the group with specific skills should be designated to oversee marketing, finance, administration or whatever. In a small group, people have to take on multiple roles. Funding bodies like to see an awareness of the need for good management, but the management structures are obviously relative to the size of the budget and the targets the group has set itself. For a first ever project it is always wise to keep everything small, simple and manageable. The management committee/ team should agree to meet on a regular basis and agree rules and structures (minimum numbers for a quorum etc). The constitution is written up with reference to all of the above.

Group’s activities to date

Funding bodies often include a section asking "what are your group’s aims and objectives and what does it do to achieve them?" This may be a problem for newly formed groups, in which case you should state that you are recently established and outline the work and expertise of your individual members to date. Engagement in public events, publications, press coverage, involvement in similar projects, qualifications and experience. Anything that has been done which is in any way relevant to your aims and objectives should be listed. You can include this information in your constitution.