How to find grants for associations and non-profit organizations
Town councils, regional governments and ministries award a significant volume of subsidies each year to associations, sports clubs, foundations and cultural organizations. Many are small, directly awarded grants, which changes how you need to search for them.
1. Named or competitive: it changes how you search
A significant portion of these grants are named subsidies, awarded directly to a specific entity and included in the agency's budget. They don't always show up in a search engine for open calls, so it's worth also checking the transparency portal of the relevant town council or administration.
For competitive grants, the scoring criteria usually assess the number of members, the activity carried out the previous year, and how established the organization is in the territory.
2. Documentation specific to organizations
Articles of association, the registration number in the relevant associations or foundations registry, a certificate from the board or the officer signing the application, and the previous year's activity report are usually required.
Also the organization's accounts or general budget, and if the grant is for a specific project, an itemized budget for that particular project.
3. What to watch for in the justification
The financial report must match the budget submitted with the application; significant changes between budget lines usually need prior authorization from the awarding agency.
If the organization receives subsidies from several agencies for the same project, it's worth checking the cap on combined aid set by the rules, since exceeding it may require repaying part of the amount.
Checklist
- I've checked whether the grant is named or competitive
- I've checked the agency's transparency portal as well as the call search engine
- I've prepared the articles of association and registration certificate
- I've checked the cap on combining this with other grants for the same project
- I've kept the previous year's activity report