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Session 1. Where Resources Come From and How to State a Need
Objective. Describe five kinds of funder and what each usually expects, frame a school problem with evidence using a problem tree, and write a short needs statement that a stranger can understand.
Many school leaders start with a shopping list and then look for someone to pay for it. Funders think the other way round: they ask which problem for which children is being solved, and whether this school is the right place to solve it. This session gives you a calm way to begin: gather evidence, frame the problem, understand the kinds of funder in general, and check fit before writing a single page. It saves weeks of work on applications that were never going to succeed.
Key ideas
Funders pay for solutions to problems, not for wish lists
- 'We need new computers' is a request. 'Only 3 of 10 Grade 4 pupils can find the main idea of a short text, and we have no books at their level' is a need. A funder can see what changes for children if it says yes.
- A good needs statement answers five questions: who is affected, what is the problem, how big is it (evidence), why now, and what happens if nothing is done.
- Reviewers judge only what is written on the page. If your evidence stays in your head, it does not exist for them.
Frame the problem with a problem tree
- Draw the core problem as the trunk, its causes as roots and its effects as branches. Pupils who do not read for meaning (trunk) may have few books and no reading time (roots) and fall behind in every subject (branches).
- Separate symptoms from causes. 'Low test scores' is a symptom; 'no time to practise reading aloud' is a cause you can change.
- Choose ONE cause your project can realistically change in the funding period. A project that tries to fix every root rarely fixes any.
Five kinds of funder, described in general terms
- International agencies and development partners: large amounts, formal procedures, long timelines, usually working through national authorities or registered partner organisations. A single school rarely applies alone.
- Foundations and non-governmental organisations: themed open calls, smaller grants, clear forms, and reports after use. State programmes: follow official regulations and channels; ask your district education department what exists.
- Local business and community: often goods, services or small cash, and they want trust and visibility. Crowdfunding and parent contributions: quick and small, but only with open accounts and respect for school regulations on collecting money.
Fit before you write: choose the funder, not only the idea
- Read the call or guidelines first. Check six things: priorities, who may apply, size of award, dates, what must be reported and what is not covered. If two of the six do not fit, move on.
- Do not bend your project to chase money. A project twisted to fit a funder's topic often fails, and it leaves the school with promises it cannot keep.
- Do not rely on lists from memory or from the internet alone. Ask the education department, check the funder's own official site, and be wary of anyone who asks you to pay to be 'selected'.
Three kinds of funder at a glance
International agency
Large, formal
- Works through national authorities
- Long procedures and timelines
- A school rarely applies alone
Foundation or NGO
Themed, smaller
- Open calls with clear forms
- Reports after use
- Often needs a registered applicant
Local business or community
Fast, personal
- Goods, time or small cash
- Wants trust and thanks
- Needs clear limits and records
Three sources of evidence for a need
A need becomes believable when several sources agree. The first source is your own data: pupil work, a short reading or maths check, attendance, or the school's timetable. The second is the voice of people: what teachers, pupils and parents say in a short, structured conversation. The third is an outside reference, such as the national curriculum framework or a well-known published report. When two or three sources point the same way, you can write 'we found' instead of 'we feel'.
Use data with respect. Remove names from anything you put in an application, ask permission before quoting a colleague or a parent, and say honestly how many pupils you checked. A small, honest sample of 40 pupils is better than a vague claim about the whole region.
Read a call like a reviewer
When a call for proposals exists, treat it as a test paper with the marking scheme printed on it. Underline the priorities, the eligibility rules, the maximum amount, the dates and the list of things the funder will not pay for. Turn them into a one-page checklist and tick each item for your project. If a contact person is named and questions are allowed, ask early and politely.
Work backwards from the deadline. A realistic plan might give two weeks to gather evidence, two to draft, one to test with a non-expert, and a last week for forms, signatures and a calm final read. Schools lose applications by starting five days before the deadline, not by lacking good ideas.
Examples from the classroom
A laboratory that was really a confidence problem
Scene. In a Fergana school, Aziz wants funds for a Grade 7 science laboratory. Before writing, he asks 50 pupils what practical work they did this term: 12 did one experiment, 38 none. Teachers say they fear failed demonstrations and have no time to prepare. The problem tree shows two causes: no preparation time and low teacher confidence. Equipment is a third, smaller cause.
Insight. Framing the problem with evidence moved the request from an expensive item to a cheaper project on shared preparation time, simple kits and peer practice.
Three calls, one project
Scene. A Russian-medium school in Tashkent wants support for a reading programme. Malika scores three calls on six fit questions. Call A has the right topic but only registered organisations may apply. Call B is about science. Call C accepts school clusters and has the right topic, a one-year term and a short report. She writes only to C and to a local partner who could register as applicant for A.
Insight. Fit checking turned one afternoon of reading into weeks of saved effort, and revealed that a partner could solve an eligibility problem.
The Navruz fair with an open board
Scene. Parents of a Grade 5 class in Samarkand agree to raise 2,000,000 so'm for books at the Navruz fair. Jasur, the class teacher, follows the school's rules on collecting money: two parents count the cash, give receipts and write each amount on a sheet. The next morning a board lists income, purchases and the change returned to the class.
Insight. Small crowd contributions need the same discipline as large grants: open records, agreed rules and visible thanks keep trust for next time.
Common pitfalls
- Writing 'we need a laboratory' instead of describing the children's problem.
- Trusting one survey or one loud opinion instead of two or three sources.
- Starting the application after reading only the funder's front page, not the full guidelines.
- Collecting money from parents without school rules, receipts or an open summary.
Frame the Need and Match the Funder
- Open the Activity Kit: SAMPLE school data from a Grade 4 reading problem, a blank problem tree, the needs statement checklist and three generic funder profiles. (5 min)
- Alone (10 min): read the data. Draw the problem tree: one core problem, three causes, two effects. Mark the symptom you will NOT target.
- Pairs (15 min): choose one cause the project can change. Write a needs statement of 100 to 120 words that answers the five questions on the checklist.
- Swap with another pair (10 min): read as a stranger. Tick the five questions; underline any word a stranger would not understand. Return and improve.
- Part B, Funder fit check (20 min): in the same pairs, score the three generic funder profiles against your project on the six fit questions. Decide which to approach first, which questions you would ask them, and what you would refuse to change in your project.
- Alone (5 min): write your leadership task from the Kit.
Your facilitator will guide you through this activity in the session.
Questions to discuss
- Which cause did you choose, and what made you leave the others for another project?
- What did the stranger not understand in your statement, and why did you not see it yourself?
- Which funder profile looked easiest and was actually the worst fit? What does that tell you about chasing the easy money?
Reflect
- What is the last thing your school bought or received, and which pupil problem was it meant to solve?
- Which evidence about pupils do you already have that you have never written down for an outsider?
- Who in your community might help with goods or time if asked clearly, and have you ever asked?
Try it tomorrow
- Pick one real problem and write its problem tree on a single sheet with one cause circled.
- Ask three colleagues what evidence would convince a stranger that the problem is real, and note their answers.
- Choose one funder type from the session and write the six fit questions for it on a card.
Further reading and links
Money follows a clear problem with evidence. Frame the need first, then choose the funder that fits.