Guidance Notes for Organisations
This is a guide to the Charity's current grant policies
and procedures.
We would ask you to read these notes carefully to verify
that both your organisation and your project are within our
policies before applying. You are welcome to contact the
Grants Office at any stage of your application for advice
and guidance by telephone or in writing.
WHO MAY APPLY
Only registered charities in the U.K. whose primary
objectives are to assist one or more of the
following groups:
1. Disadvantaged / underprivileged young people (persons
under 25)
2. People with disabilities (physical or learning
disabilities or mental health problems)
3. Older people (aged over 60).
We do not respond to organisations who do not meet the
above criteria.
| Type of grants offered |
We have 2 programmes for organisations:
(1) Large grants one off payments for capital
expenditure of £2,000 and over
i.e. furniture and equipment; building/refurbishment
projects. Please note that we do not fund running
costs.
(2) Small grants - Donations of up to £500 towards
furnishings and equipment for small projects. This
programme is more suitable for smaller
organisations. |
| Amount of grant |
The amount offered will usually depend on the
number of applications received in relation to the
funds available for distribution. You may therefore
not receive the full amount requested. |
| Major appeals |
In the case of major appeals and minibuses
please apply after 75% of the funding has been
secured, as offers are conditional upon the balance
being raised and the project completed within one
year. We also require grants to be taken up within
12 months of the offer and it is essential to
ascertain that your project is likely to be
completed within this time scale before applying. |
| When to apply |
Applications may be submitted at any
time throughout the year. Large Grants are
considered at quarterly Board meetings in March,
June, September and December, however we reserve the
right to defer an appeal to a later meeting if a
particular meeting is oversubscribed. Applications
for Small Grants are considered monthly. |
| How to apply |
Please see pages 2 and 3 of these notes. You are
welcome to telephone this office for advice and
guidance at any stage of your application. |
| |
|
WHO THE CHARITY WILL FUND
The Charity will consider capital funding for the
following projects and schemes:
1. Disadvantaged / underprivileged young people (persons
under 25)
Supported housing schemes and educational and training
projects to encourage disadvantaged young people who may be
homeless and/or unemployed away from crime,
substance/alcohol misuse and homelessness.
Facilities for recreational activities and outdoor pursuits
specifically for young people who are educationally or
socially underprivileged or disadvantaged
2. People with disabilities (physical or learning
disabilities or mental health problems)
Residential, respite care, occupational and recreational
establishments for children, young people and adults with
physical or learning disabilities or enduring mental health
problems
3. Older people (aged over 60)
Day centres, nursing and residential homes, sheltered
accommodation and respite care for the frail or sufferers
from dementia or age related disorders
Projects to encourage older people to maintain their
independence.
What the Charity does NOT fund (These are some examples
and the list is not exhaustive)
Running expenses for the organisation or individual
projects
Salaries, training costs or office equipment/furniture
Projects for general community use e.g. community centre and
church halls
Disabled access to community buildings
Publication costs e.g. printing/distributing promotional and
information leaflets
Projects that have been completed
Items that have already been purchased
Provision of disabled facilities in schemes mainly for the
able-bodied
General funding/circularised appeals
Pre-schools or playgroups (other than predominantly for
disabled children)
Play schemes/summer schemes
Holidays or expeditions for individuals or groups
Trips, activities or events
Community sports/play area facilities
Consumables (e.g. stationery, arts and crafts materials)
Refurbishment or repair of places of worship/church halls
Research projects
Mainstream pre-schools, Schools, Colleges and Universities
(other than special schools)
Welfare Funds for individuals
Hospital/medical equipment
Works to premises not used primarily by the eligible groups
HOW TO APPLY
LARGE GRANTS (£2000 and over)
Please apply on your organisation's headed notepaper
giving or attaching the following information.
1-6 must be provided in all cases and 7 as applicable to
your appeal:
(1) A brief history of your Charity, its objectives and work
(2) Description of the project and what you intend to
achieve
(3) A copy of your most recent Annual Report and audited
Accounts
(4) Details of funds already raised and other sources that
you have approached
(5) Proposals to monitor and evaluate the project
(6) Any other relevant information that will help to explain
your application
(7) The following additional information that applies to
your appeal
Building/Refurbishment appeals
A statement of all costs involved. Please itemise major
items and professional fees
Confirmation that the project has on-going revenue funding
Confirmation that all planning and other consents and
building regulations approvals have been obtained
Details of ownership of the premises and if leased, the
length of the unexpired term
Timetable of construction/refurbishment and anticipated
date of completion
Equipment appeals
An itemised list of all equipment with estimate of costs.
Please obtain at least 2 competitive estimates except where
this is not practicable e.g. specialised equipment
Contribution towards purchase of minibuses
Please note that minibuses can only be considered if used to
transport older and disabled people with mobility problems.
Please give details of provision made for insurance, tax
and maintenance etc. We require confirmation that your
organisation can meet future running costs.
SMALL GRANTS (up to £500)
Please apply on your organisation's headed notepaper with
the following information:
1. Brief details about your organisation and its work
2. A copy of your most recent annual accounts
3. Outline of the project and its principal aims
4. Breakdown of the cost of item/s required
5. If your organisation is not a registered charity, please
supply a reference from a registered charity with whom you
work or from the Voluntary Service Council
HOW WE DEAL WITH LARGE GRANT APPLICATIONS
What happens after the application is received by the
Charity?
We make every
effort to submit your application to the earliest meeting
possible if you have supplied all necessary information and
your application is within the Charity's grantmaking
policies.
When do we ask for additional information and why?
We may telephone or write to you for further information if
this is necessary to understand and assess your application
fully. This does not mean that funding is guaranteed as all
applications are determined by the Directors at the relevant
Board meeting and the Board decision is final. Site visits
or meetings may be required for certain applications.
How soon after the Board meeting are applications
informed of the outcome?
We shall write to let you know the outcome of your
application within 5 working days of the Board meeting. If
your application has been successful, we shall send you the
Charity's conditions of offer in writing to be signed and
returned to us. In the following weeks, we shall keep in
touch with you to ascertain progress with your project and
fund-raising until you are ready to take up the grant.
Are there any conditions that apply to the offers?
Yes, all offers are made subject to certain terms and
conditions in writing, most of which are incorporated in
these notes. A copy of the Charity's conditions of offer is
available on application.
When will payment be made?
Building work - When we receive the practical completion
certificate (interim or final)
Equipment When we receive an invoice.
Please note that we shall make payment only to your
organisation and not direct to the supplier.
Is there a time limit on offers?
We require all large grants to be taken up within 12 months
of the date of approval to avoid funds being committed to
projects that are unable to proceed or have been delayed for
any reason. This helps us to release funds to support other
causes. We would ask you to bear this in mind when applying
so that offers do not lapse before you are in a position to
proceed. We shall send you a reminder if funds have not been
taken up within the stated time limit.
What are the requirements after the grant is paid?
We shall ask you to provide a report after the grant is paid
describing the outcome and what the project has achieved.
This helps us to monitor the use of our funds. We may also
ask for photographs which you must supply free of charge to
the Charity and agree to include them in our Annual Report
and display at our AGM if required. We may visit your
organisation to evaluate the use of the grant.
Can organisations re-apply for a grant?
Yes, after 12 months of receiving a grant. Please allow at
least one year from the date of payment before reapplying.
If your application was not successful, you can re-apply
after 12 months from the date of refusal.
While we shall always do our best to help, the Charity
receives many more applications, for both large and small
grants, than it can fund and some will regrettably be
unsuccessful. Please note that the Charitys decision is
final.
|
