Fundraising for Supplementary Schools

Polish supplementary schools (also called Saturday schools)

Polish supplementary schools (also called Saturday schools) are a part of Non-Government Organisations sector (NGOs) in the UK. The schools can use two main and complementary ways of fundraising: charging parents for the service of providing supplementary education as the basic source of its funds and additionally can apply for grants to other institutions and foundations.

Below you will find:

• a presentation on applying for funding for supplementary schools prepared by Gosia McKane, founder and leader of Merseyside Polonia, a community organisation based in Liverpool.
  The material was presented during training sessions ‘Management of supplementary school finances’ in Belfast and Manchester in 2015.
• collection of relevant information in a practical form of questions and answers.
  The author of this guide is Michał Siewniak, who works as a Community Development Officer at CVS for Broxbourne & East Herts.
• links to recommended funders awarding grants to community organizations, whose funding criteria match with the aims of the Polish Saturday schools in the UK

Gosia McKane, ‘Management of supplementary school finances’ training sessions

Material presented at the training session ‘Management of supplementary school finances’, Belfast – Manchester, November 2015

Gosia McKane,

Michał Siewniak, Poradnik zdobywania funduszy

Some essential information on applying for funding for the operation of Polish supplementary schools from the resources of British and European organizations.

What conditions must be met for Polish schools to apply for additional funds?

To apply for funds, every institution, small or large, must meet several very important conditions. First of all, it must have a document, i.e. a constitution (statute), which specifies the activities of this organisation, e.g. a Polish Saturday school. The constitution must clearly define the activities of the organisation, it should be clear, legible and must have a “not-for-profit” or charitable aspect. In addition, each of these organisations must have a bank account that “represents” the organization as proof of its existence. Sometimes it can happen that some third-party institution is applying for additional finances on behalf of, for example, a school, but that is certainly not a perfect solution.

Another equally important point in the context of applying for additional funds is the existence of a management committee, i.e. a group of people at the head of the school or other organisation. It is this group that has decision-making powers and has oversight of school development, e.g. supporting it in didactic and pedagogical activities, as well as deciding how to finance many initiatives within the school.

Are there funds that can help finance the operation of Polish schools?

In the United Kingdom, the NGO sector is very well developed. The possibility of gaining additional funds for the activities of organisations such as Polish Saturday schools is huge.

Funds for school activities can come from a variety of sources, e.g. local, regional, national or European. Each program specialises in financing various types of programs. There is not one that, for example, only supports specifically the activities of Polish Saturday schools. However, I would like to give an example of one fund that largely covers the subject of education in a very broad sense: it is the Heritage Lottery Fund, one of whose programs “All our stories” (grants from £3,000 to £10,000) has been an amazing source of funding for all organisations implementing projects in the context of cultural or social heritage. This definitely offered a fantastic opportunity for schools to support many activities from accessing this fund, which could help, for example, Polish schools discover and celebrate their rich cultural history.

Is it even worth submitting applications that often take so much time?

When drafting an application, read the guidelines very carefully. It is advisable to build strong and meaningful links with other institutions. You might also want to involve other organizations that can help you write applications. Despite the fact that submitting applications doesn’t always result in getting money… it’s really worth applying! Additional funds can help develop the school as well as many additional initiatives as part of the school’s activities. Drafting applications and fundraising develops the skills of many supporters of school activities. Additional finances can also contribute to a stronger “presence” of schools in the local community.

Is it possible to apply for funds to open a Polish school, e.g. to pay for teaching aids and equipment or for insurance, DBS checks for teachers, rental of premises?

Absolutely. Initiatives that have not received funds for their activities previously, especially have a really good chance to get them, so that the activities of e.g. Polish schools bring even more fruit, as well as more effectively contribute to the integration of the Polish community in Great Britain. One of the funds I would like to mention here is Awards for All. This is one of the funds that could help finance e.g. renting of premises, purchase of equipment, fees, etc. At this point I would like to emphasise again that in order to apply for funds, you should read the guidelines very carefully, which will give applicants a better, more thorough understanding of the criteria for applying for funds, as well as who can apply for them. I would also like to add that each fund is somewhat different, so it’s difficult to clearly say what can and cannot be done – but have no doubt – there is nothing that cannot be funded!

What is most important when applying? What happens if the founder refuses us – can we reapply?

Most often, if the project has not been approved, the organization applying for funds receives a letter in which the awarding body informs the applicant why the grant was not awarded. It is also often the case that the grant is “provisionally” awarded, in this case it is often the case that e.g. something is missing or something is not entirely clear, in which case if the missing information is sent within the given deadline, the grant can be confirmed.

What is the waiting time for a decision once the application has been submitted?

This depends on the grant and awarding body. Usually, this will be specified in the application documents.

I will give an example of how it works on the basis of one fund, which I have already mentioned earlier, Awards for All. The application should be sent at least three months before the project start date. If the project starts on September 1, the application must be submitted and approved by June 1. Awards for All will confirm receipt of the application within five business days of receiving it. If the application is not complete, it will be returned to the applicant and the organisation submitting the application will have 10 business days to send the missing information. Final decisions will be made within 30 business days of receipt of the request. During this time, the Awards for All office may contact the applicant. The final stage of the process is the acceptance of the terms and conditions of the Awards For All fund, and the applicant will have 20 working days to do this from the date of the conditional award letter.

Examples of funds that our organisation applied for and which received a grant

For the first time, despite many attempts, our organisation received a small European grant for a sport-related project. “How to engage migrants through sport” is a fantastic initiative that helps develop clubs and coaches and uses sport as a driving force for socio-cultural change. As part of the project, we have the opportunity to visit our partners in many European countries (in our case Italy, Austria, Croatia and Portugal), exchange experiences, as well as learn more about how sports clubs operate in other parts of Europe. As an organisation from the United Kingdom, we are responsible for preparing a document on “intercultural competence” that can influence the way many sports organisations try to cooperate successfully with many ethnic groups, taking into account their origin, culture and customs.

Another, very local fund that I managed to secure was funding for the organisation of a basketball tournament for adults and children, which aimed to increase sports participation among young people, as well as a chance to mark the anniversary of the London Olympic Games held the previous year. As part of the tournament, I also planned to organise various kinds of arts and music workshops, and even – to add “flavour” to our entire initiative – a barbecue to attract a lot of families. I am already applying for funds to organise an art exhibition in one of the local museums.

Final comments

I wish everyone many successes in creating projects, developing many amazing initiatives, and positively and fruitfully influencing what is happening around us. I also wish that everyone continues deeply believing in what they do, never gives up, believes that together we can really change the world! Despite his failures and failures, we try to face new challenges with a smile on our face!

Thank you to Michał Siewniak for preparing and sharing the material.

We also recommend reading the interview that Michał Siewniak gave to Dziennik Polski.

Examples of grant-awarding bodies