Grant funding for women’s groups
COMMUNITY women’s groups have become more and more of a staple over the island in recent times. Aware of the value of selling Jamaican cuisine and artwork, these women’s groups have been making use of the raw materials available to them to make a wide assortment of products — jams, jellies, chutneys, preserves, marmalades, sauces, baked products, seasonings, wines, condiments and crafts.
But few women know how to apply for grants to help the process, as well as the paperwork which is required.
Rose Miller, grants manager at the JN Foundation, believes that the formation of small women’s groups specialising in the cottage industry allows members to pool resources and knowledge. Additionally, the support they provide for each other is another benefit.
Miller identified some common pitfalls encountered by small groups applying for grants. These include:
1. Badly thought-out projects reflected by ill defined objectives.
2. Grant applications are often missing breakdowns regarding the ways in which the outcomes of the projects will be evaluated.
3. Pertinent information is also sometimes missing from the forms, such as contact information.
To avoid some of these common pitfalls, Miller advises the women from these groups to ensure that their objectives are clear and achievable, as well as that the relevant information concerning the projects is included in the projects. She also warned of the importance of an effective system to monitor the outcomes of the project.
Women’s groups may not know the various foundations, agencies and institutions to which they may apply for funding. At the same time, there are some institutions which focus on specific areas and may not be willing to facilitate projects outside that scope.
Therefore, before even applying for a grant, there are some basics small women’s groups need to first ensure are completed before they apply for grants from the various organisations.
1. Registration. Registration with charity authorities, example the Department of Co-operative and Friendly Societies, will enable groups to get a registration number. The registration will be one of the most important parts of the process as it requires the provision of certain documentation which will authenticate the operation and provide some comfort to granting agencies applied to.
2. Get a bank account in which the approved funds can be channelled.
