Other documents that may help you run your projects even more efficiently (including some helpful tips for writing funding applications)
Evaluation
Arts Council England
An information sheet introducing self-evaluation for artists and arts organisations. It provides a brief definition of evaluation, explains its importance and suggests some approaches to self-evaluation.
Arts Council Northern Ireland
A guide for arts organisations helping them to evaluate their work and its social impact.
Museums, Libraries and Archives Council
The MLA has created a website called Inspiring Learning for All which looks at different ways of measuring learning
Publicity
Writing a successful press release - Arts Council England
Find guidelines about how to write a successful press release for your arts project including an information sheet providing a short introduction for artists doing project-based work with individuals and groups who do not usually work within the arts. It also includes a list of useful contacts and further reading on the subject.
Writing funding applications
Funding applications can be – and often are - long and complicated. However, bear in mind that once you have completed one application, the chances are that most of the information you have collected can be used again, so why not complete several applications at the same time.
- If the organisation you are applying to produces guidelines for applicants, read these carefully. There is no point applying if your proposal falls clearly outside those guidelines.
- Demonstrate the need for your project. If it provides something new, make this clear. If you can, show evidence of consultation with the people you hope will benefit
- Set out very clearly how the project will work, what it will involve, when it will take place and how many people will take part. You would be surprised how often this is missing or unclear in applications.
- Who will benefit from your project? What do you want the participants to learn or experience as a result of their involvement?
- If you can work with others in developing and implementing your project, do. Funders are usually keen to support initiatives where others are contributing financially or practically.
- Try to set out one main aim for your project and maybe 3 or 4 smaller objectives within this aim.
- How will you measure the success of your project? The best way to make this clear is to create a measure for the success of each of your objectives.
- Who will do the work? Who will manage and/or supervise the project?
- Is your budget realistic? Have you costed time for training? Have you allowed a proportion of the budget for evaluation costs? Have you budgeted for realistic artist session fees? Have you included costings for all of the administrative costs associated with the project?
- How will you evaluate your project to ensure that it meets your objectives and achieves your overall aim? Evaluation is important because it allows you to prove what happened as a result of the project and to learn from your successes and mistakes.
- Will the project carry on after the funding you are