Engaging in local partnerships with non-governmental organizations, foundations, companies or government bodies can be incredibly beneficial to support hub projects, events and initiatives. One form a partnership can take is a grant.
This guide is intended to complement the Partnerships Guide, which details best practices for partnerships in general. This guide contains recommendations specifically for hubs that seek and receive grant funding - either from external bodies or from World Economic Forum partners.
Considering grant funding?
Remember:
Hubs should follow their local regulations related to charitable work and donations. Donations and partnerships should not be undertaken with organizations and individuals directly engaged in: arms or weapons manufacturing, gambling, human rights abuses, pornography or tobacco manufacturing.
In addition to collaborations with external parties, hubs may enter into partnerships with companies, NGOs and initiatives led by hub members or Global Shapers from any other hub worldwide. Read carefully the section below on avoiding conflict of interest before pursuing such a partnership.
Tips for securing grant funding
- Create a fundraising committee. Clear roles and responsibilities will help when it comes to fundraising. Consider recruiting new members with fundraising expertise in your next recruitment cycle. This is an important skill for hub growth and creating change locally.
- Register your hub as a non-profit. This will enable you to receive grants. To do this, you will need to have strict governance and financial controls in place and hub members who are willing to commit time and energy to the hub's administration. This process is different in every country. To get started, reach out to see if hubs nearby have done this. This process can take longer than anticipated. Make sure to set clear expectations with potential donors on your ability to receive funds.
- Do your research. Look for an organization that shares the same goals and purpose as your hub project. Start with local organizations.
- Search for grants. Conduct research on corporate and foundation websites to find a potential fit for your funding needs. In some countries, websites are available that provide a search directory for grants. For example, Foundation Centre databases allow you to look for available grants by issue area. This webinar explains how to begin a grant search.
- Assess the potential partner’s strengths, be it a possibility for financial or in-kind support, and think about what you can offer. A partnership is a win-win relationship.
- Consider your timing when reaching out to partners for monetary contributions. Most companies and organization have a set budget and financial cycle for giving grants.
- Contact the potential partner once you have an idea of what a partnership could look like. It is always best to be introduced rather than cold-calling. Someone in your network may help facilitate the first introduction. When you reach out, include information about the Global Shapers Community and about your hub, a short description of the project you would like to partner on, potential partnership opportunities you've identified and a proposition of what each party can contribute.
- Make a good impression. Before meeting a potential donor, do your homework. Get to know their interests, priorities and history of giving. Develop a clear ask around your hub project needs: for example, particular resources, in-kind sponsorship, a specific amount or endorsement. During the meeting, be professional. Present the Global Shapers Community and what makes your hub unique. Pitch your hub in a clear and concise way, highlighting your expertise and achievements. After the meeting send a thank you note or email to participants with follow-up items and next steps.
- Draft a strong proposal. Create a general template and adapt it based on the preferences of individual funders, requirements and conditions. Review sources like Grant Space for an introduction to writing proposals and a database of grant proposal examples. If helpful, ask Global Shapers HQ for an email template to send to potential partners or sponsors.
- Storytelling is crucial. In order to inspire and maintain the interest of donors, build a narrative around your hub to make it relevant and relatable. By encouraging donors to become part of your story, you can create a sense of ownership and compel them to want to work with you. Read more about the power of storytelling for a social cause.
- Set a timeline and realistic budget. Think about the timeline for the application of funds requested. For example, if you require a funder to sponsor your project with a six month timeline, develop a plan for allocating resources accordingly. Drafting a detailed budget will be useful to estimate costs and show funders your commitment to transparency.
- Be realistic about what the hub can provide. Examples include: Build visibility for the partner by sharing the story of your partnership on TopLink and adding their logo to materials created by the hub around the topic of the collaboration; offer the hub's time and expertise, while being realistic with your volunteer hours.
If your partnership involves a grant
- Be sure to consult all Shapers in the hub before engaging in a partnership. Don’t rush into a partnership. Take the time to build a relationship before creating a formal agreement.
- Clarify roles and responsibilities of each party after there has been an agreement to the partner. Use a Memorandum of Understanding or formal grant agreement. To get you started, you can find a template Memorandum of Understanding we developed.
- Define relationships with implementing partners or other collaborators in advance. You may use the same template Memorandum of Understanding. Clarify roles and responsibilities of every party involved. To get you started, here are some important questions to consider: Who is the grant-giving entity? Who is the grantee entity? Is there more than one grantee? Who are the implementing partners? What are the responsibilities of and compensation owed to implementing partners? Remember that the responsibility to deliver the project and report on its impact lies with the grantee. Sometimes, the grantee can be identified as the entity which was eligible to apply for the funds.
- Regularly reach out to your partners with updates on the project. A partnership is an ongoing relationship. Remember that while you are partnering with an organization you are also partnering with the individual people who have that relationship with you. You may want to identify the best-fit person in your hub to maintain the relationship. Transparency is critical when managing grant funds.
- Don’t skip documentation or it may result in issues for the hub. Make the time to agree on roles and responsibilities with the funder and collaborating organizations before starting work. Keep track of the interactions with your partner in writing so that you have a record of what you agreed. If you have a call, send a summary email with the key elements of your conversation.
- Hubs must conform to the non-governmental and charitable donations regulations and laws in their local jurisdiction.
Grant funding don'ts
- Neither individual members nor hubs can pursue commercial interests through hub activities or projects. All monetary profits made by the hub must be re-invested into hub projects that generate impact or in the running of the hub. Activities that generate impact do not include Global Shaper retreats or other social activities within the hub.
- Do not use World Economic Forum or Global Shapers Community logos. Use your hub logo in marketing materials. Partners should know that association with your hub does not imply endorsement by the Global Shapers Community or the Forum.
- Hubs should not offer benefits related to another hub, the Global Shapers Community or the World Economic Forum.
Avoiding conflict of interest with grant funding
Remember:
Neither individual members nor hubs can pursue commercial interests through hub activities or projects.
We recommend avoiding partnership with Global Shaper-owned companies which would turn a profit for the company out of Global Shaper hub funds or grants awarded to Global Shaper hubs. Pro-bono partnerships with Shaper-led companies, or partnerships with other kinds of Shaper-led initiatives, are more appropriate.
If a Shaper-led company is the best candidate implementing partner, follow the below best practices to avoid conflict of interest:
- The decision to enter a partnership should be voted on by the hub and agreed on by the majority of hub members. The majority may differ from one hub to another according to local hub governance documents (from 51% to 100%).
- If partnering with a Global Shaper-led company, NGO or initiative on a hub project, the Global Shaper in question should not act as representative for both the external entity and the Global Shaper hub.
- The Global Shapers Advisory Council suggests that companies owned by Global Shapers should not be remunerated for providing goods or services to a hub, unless such goods or services are discounted at a rate of 35% or more below the market value.
If your hub has been awarded grant funding, hub members are responsible for reporting frequently and transparently on the use of funds. Perceived conflict of interest and internal hub conflict arising from conflict of interest situations may jeopardize your hub's access to grants.
For any perceived conflict of interest, any Global Shaper can approach the Governance & Accountability Council or their Community Manager to evaluate the situation on a case-by-case basis. Make the time to agree on rules and regulations for how your hub will handle grants, partnerships, and conflict of interest situations before they arise.
Intellectual Property
We receive a lot of questions regarding what hubs can do to protect the ideas behind hub projects. The answer to this question depends on the national rules and regulations relevant to each hub. However, here are a few tips and reminders:
- If you are working with a partner or have received a grant to work on a hub project, an MOU or specific legal document for this purpose can outline who has ownership over various aspects of the project.
- Depending on the national legal context, some hubs may be able to register as a legal entity to potentially benefit from some intellectual property protections.
- Global Shapers are volunteers. What Global Shapers donate to their hub in time or ideas is given freely to the hub. This applies to project ideas and leadership. Thus, projects can continue within a hub even if the founding Global Shaper has graduated to Alumni or left the community for any reason.
- Hubs can ask members to endorse a statement in good faith agreeing that project ideas and projects belong to the hub, and thus fall under the hub's intellectual property.