Got a project in mind for a grant and want to know if auspicing is the way to go? Did you know the Creative Corner can auspice your grant? Take a look at the FAQ below to get an overview of what auspicing is all about.
When applying for a grant all funding bodies require the applicant to be a legal entity or to be auspiced. This is to ensure there is some protection in that any grant money is spent in line with the successful application. There is too much risk for a funding body to deposit the funds into someone’s personal bank account. By giving the funds to a legal entity that has audited financial statements, they can be sure the funds aren’t misused.
Auspicing is when an organisation that is a legal entity receives the funds on your behalf. Essentially the grant applicant is the auspicor (in our case, it’s The Creative Corner, Inc.) and the people/person actually doing the project is the auspice (yourself/your group).The auspicor takes on a big responsibility. If the Creative Corner auspices a project, we sign the contracts with the funding body saying that the money received will be spent on the project and there will be an acquittal (financial report) completed. As an auspicor, the Creative Corner is legally responsible for the project. It’s a big ask, so we need to make sure we’ve got a good understanding of the project and your abilities in carrying it out.
As explained above, there is a lot for the Creative Corner to do in the lead up to, during and after auspicing a project. This takes time and resources, so we need to be able to recoup some costs associated with it. Auspicing fees are standard for most organisations that auspice grants. Usually, you can include the costs of your auspicing fee in your project budget for your grant application.
As the auspicor, the Creative Corner has legal and insurance responsibilities for you and your project. The Creative Corner constitution requires those sitting under our insurance and governance frameworks to be a member. As a professional industry body, this small annual fee is tax deductable for you or your business. To join, visit our website and follow the links to the membership page. Apart from allowing the Creative Corner to auspice your project, membership has a whole range of other benefits, so jump on board. And if you like being a member of the Creative Corner, help others in your sector by letting them know about the benefits of membership.
Get in contact with us as working out an auspicing agreement takes time. It’s not something we can do the day before a grant application is due. Here are some of the things the Creative Corner and you will need to talk about. We’ve tried to simplify the initial process for you by preparing a simple Auspice Proposal that you can fill in and send to us. It will enable The Creative Corner to auspice you more effectively by answering some of the key questions including:
- What is your project?
- How much funding are you looking for?
- What is the funding program you are applying to?
- What’s your experience with similar projects?
- Have you completed a budget?
- Does The Creative Corner have the available time/resources to auspice your project?
- Is there enough lead up time before applications close to draw up an auspicing agreement?
The Creative Corner is run by contractors and volunteers we recommend that when you decide to apply for a grant and would like the Creative Corner to auspice it, that you contact us straight away to make an appointment and discuss if that would be possible. We can then catch up again a bit later when you have completed more of your application. We endeavour to assist our members and the creative sector as much as we can, but with short notice on applications we are limited in what assistance we can provide.
