COMINO FOUNDATION

The Comino Foundation offers funding to educational and charitable organisations in England and Wales for activities that are:

o Small scale;
o Innovative; and
o Enterprising,

and which have the chance of changing national policy and practice, once their effectiveness has been demonstrated over a period of time.

Any proposed activity should be:

o Reliably of high quality;
o Complement existing activity;
o Be successful; and
o Have the potential to be of influence on a national scale.

The Foundation encourages and supports innovative ventures designed to enable people to function effectively and to thrive. It looks for better ways of developing individuals' capabilities, their capacity and desire to make things happen — their zest and appetite to learn, to create, to change things for the better, for themselves and others.

The current priorities of the Foundation are:

o Social opportunity – finding approaches/initiatives which help young people, whatever their background, to live fulfilling and productive lives in whatever ways have meaning and value for them;
o Personal capabilities – developing approaches which enhance young people’s personal capacity to cope with the demands of growing up and with adult life;
o Improving practical, technical, vocational capability – especially that which relates to designing and making, to innovation and to manufacturing.

During the financial year ending 5 April 2015 the Foundation awarded grants totalling £452,361 (2014: £568,710).

The Foundation does not advertise a minimum or maximum award level.

Successful applicants have often adopted the Foundation’sGRASP (Getting Results and Solving Problems) methodology.

The elements of the GRASP process are: 

o Define your purpose in terms of what you want to achieve, not what you want to do (these are often very different);
o When defining purpose, keep asking the question ‘Why?’ each time you think you know what your purpose is. Ask “What do I really want to achieve?”;
o Imagine in detail how it will be when you have succeeded and use this picture of success to establish the criteria by which you will know if you have succeeded;
o Examine alternative means by which the desired result might be achieved and never allow yourself to think that there is only one way to succeed;
o Choose what seems to be the best option and make a plan;
o Carry through your chosen plan;
o Repeat the process to see if you can do better or have redefined your purpose, which often happens; and
o Review the process at each stage.

Funding is not available for the following:

o Retrospective applications;
o Individuals;
o Research projects;
o Projects that involve mainstream education; or
o Research or activities outside the UK.

Applications may be made at any time.

Outline funding applications should be submitted to the Foundation's Administrator, Anthony Derbyshire. who will advise on whether it is likely to be worthwhile making a full application.

Guidelines for compiling a grant application letter are available on the Foundation's website. 

Contact details for the Foundation are:

J. Anthony C. Darbyshire
The Comino Foundation
First House
Bilby
Retford
Nottinghamshire DN22 8JB
Tel: 01777 711141
Email: anthony.darbyshire@cominofoundation.org.uk  

(Source: GRIN)