Funding

Whatever type of path work you’re planning to undertake, you’ll need some funding to help you deliver your aspirations.  So whether you are looking for assistance with a minor path improvement or the development of a large-scale path network, you need to think about where to find the money.

There are a lot of funding options available to the voluntary sector, but the picture changes all the time, both in terms of the funds that are available and the type of projects that funders want to support. There's more information on all aspects of applying for funding on the Funding Scotland website.   

There are a few basic rules that apply to all funding applications. 

Know what you want to do

Make sure you know what you want to achieve before you start applying for funding. Organisations usually want to see specific outcomes from their investments and won't be keen to fund 'general path stuff' - that's why setting clear, SMART objectives at the outset is so important.  Ideally you should have a particular project in mind, which will demonstrate to the funder exactly what will be achieved with their money.

Know who to ask

You can find a list of currently available funding opportunities for path projects here.  But you should look in more detail at the fund's aims and objectives to make sure that your particular project will fit their requirements.  There's no point wasting time and energy on applying to the wrong people.

Know what to say

When making a funding application, you need to show the person with the cash what your project will deliver for them.  So you need to think about their aims and objectives and show how your particular project will help to deliver those aims.  For example, if the funding organisation says that they want to support actions that help people develop healthier lifestyles, you need to really push the health aspects of your project.  Show how many people it will help to get out walking and cycling so that the funder can see how your work will help to achieve their goals.

Know how to mix it up

You may not be able to get all the money you need from one source, so you may have to apply to several organisations.  That means you'll need to check each funders' rules to ensure that you can match use their money together - known as 'matching funding'.

You'll also need to check the timings of different funds to make sure you can access all the money you need at the right times.  Otherwise it's easy to get stuck waiting for one last bit of funding to come through whilst the expiry date on another fund source is fast approaching.