Auspice organisations | Youth Central

Sometimes grants are set up so that only organisations, and not individuals or groups of individuals can apply for them. That doesn't mean that you have to give up on the idea of applying for that grant, though. You could still apply for it with the help of an auspice organisation.

What's an auspice organisation?

"Auspice" might be an unusual word, but its meaning is simple. It just means to lend support to someone. In the context of grant applications, an auspice organisation is one that actually gets given the grant money on your behalf. They also have the responsibility for making sure that the project gets completed on time.

An auspice organisation could be:

  • Your school
  • Your local council
  • A not-for-profit organisation
  • An organisation that you're already a member of

If you aren’t sure who to approach, or who might make a good auspice organisation, your local council’s youth worker might be able to help you find someone. You can find your local council's contact details using the Find your council tool.

Approaching an auspice organisation

The first step is to find someone in the organisation you've picked who is happy to discuss the possibility of auspicing the your grant application.

If the organisation agrees to auspice you, you'll need to work with them to put an agreement into writing. They might already have forms you can use, but if not you might have to write one from scratch.

Remember, this is a legal document, so make sure you don't commit to things that you know you won't be able to do!

Applying for a grant

Once your agreement with the auspicing organisation is drawn up, you can write your application. The organisation might help you with this, but if you need further help, you can check out our how to write grant applications page.

Good luck!