1. Introduction
Erewash Borough Council’s Corporate Strategy 2024-2028 sets out its vision to “create vibrant and sustainable communities” in partnership with others. The council recognises the valuable impact that local not-for-profit voluntary and community sector (known as VCS) organisations and groups can have on individuals, families, and communities in pursuit of achieving this vision. In doing so, this will support the work the VCS groups do across Erewash.
The existing mechanism the council uses to award funding is through it’s Fast Funding Community Grants Scheme which has been in place for a number of years.
2. Purpose
The purpose of this policy is to set out the council’s approach to the awarding of funding through grant schemes, including the current Fast Funding Community Grants Scheme and any others that may be created throughout the duration of the policy.
This policy will ensure that each grant scheme sets out:
A clear application process
- Clear eligibility criteria, including details on the type organisations that are able to apply for funding, and the projects and activities that are able to be supported;
- The council’s vision and priorities it wishes projects to support through applications for funding;
- Clear requirements for information or documents required as part of the application process; and
- An outline of any outputs (numerical data) and outcomes (qualitative results) of successful projects or activities must aim for, including any requirements for external funding sources the council has received.
A clear awarding process
- Who will assess applications;
- The timescales the council will work to in assessing applications; and,
- Any other steps or requirements that the VCS groups will need to complete.
A clear evaluation process
- Clear requirements on what evaluation information will need to be provided and when following the award of a grant.
By doing this, the council will ensure it awards funding in a streamlined, equitable and transparent manner, whilst also meeting its legislative duties.
3. Grant funding sources
The funding that the council has available to award to local VCS groups through grant funding can change rapidly, and can include funding the council has itself, or through other external sources.
The policy will not set out the amount or funding streams available for each year the policy is in place. Instead, the council will publish this information when it becomes available on the website and through media briefings.
4. Application process
The council will endeavour to make application processes as easy and efficient as possible, whilst recognising that there are different needs within the VCS groups across the borough. To support this, organisations will be encouraged to complete the digital application form, however a hard copy version will be available upon request.
For any grant schemes, the council will publish the opening date and deadline for the receipt of applications when each scheme is launched or additional funding / rounds become available.
The council will help support VCS groups to apply for funding including providing officer guidance to discuss potential applications and provide advice to cover each stage of the process.
5. Eligibility & Grant Conditions
All grant schemes that may come to fruition during the lifetime of this policy will adopt eligibility criteria that is relevant and appropriate to each specific scheme. This may mean that schemes have different criteria to others; for example schemes that award up to £500 may be required to meet less criteria than schemes awarding £1,500. Similarly, those schemes which may awarding more than this may need to provide a greater amount of evidence and evaluation data.
In working this way, the council will ensure it is working flexibly and in accordance with the needs of local VCS groups, whilst managing the risks associated with providing grant funding.
Applications will also need to demonstrate the aims of each project being funded, and in turn how this supports the council in its work.
a) Eligibility criteria
Applications may be asked to demonstrate how they meet some or all of the following criteria to be eligible to apply for funding. Criteria may include:
Community Groups or Organisations
1. Schemes may be open to community groups and organisations who are:
- Registered charities;
- Voluntary organisations;
- Community groups;
- Community Interest Companies (CICs)
- Social enterprises; or
- Parish councils (but only for a project or activity that is not their statutory function).
These groups will be referred to as qualifying organisations.
2. Community groups or organisation might be required to have in place:
- A formally adopted constitution or a written set of rules;
- Formal accounting arrangements including with a bank account in the name of
the organisation, with two unrelated signatories;
- Safeguarding policies and / or appropriate DBS checks for work with vulnerable
adults or children; and/or,
- Relevant insurance policies to cover activities planned.
3. Applications may need to demonstrate how the project or activity will be made sustainable if the grant was awarded. This could include recruiting and training of new volunteers for example.
4. Applications may need to confirm the involvement of other partners or organisations within the project or activity.
Applications that do not provide the appropriate evidence of eligibility will be rejected.
b) Project Aims
Applications to any grant scheme must show how the project or activity supports the council’s vision to “create vibrant and sustainable communities” through its three community focussed priorities and associated objectives;
- Economy and Regeneration – work to rejuvenate the economy
- Supporting communities – to be active, healthy, and safe
- Sustainable environment – create an environment for the future
All applications for all grant schemes will need to demonstrate that they are aiming to support the council to achieve at least one of the priorities, and any other specific grant scheme requirements as set out.
Examples of projects or activities could include (but is not limited to):
Supporting Economy and Regeneration work to:
- Develop volunteering opportunities, including those that would help prepare people to get into work.
- Support vulnerable members of our community, such as support to manage the increase in the cost of living and healthy lifestyles eg through budgeting or cooking skills.
Supporting communities to:
- Reduce social isolation such as through community projects offering free food and social activities.
- Increase physical and/or mental health and well-being.
- Support digital inclusion or increase digital skills within communities or groups.
- Provide outdoor projects introducing gardening or growing food, volunteer management of outdoor spaces.
- Support the development of existing projects or activities to expand to other areas or communities within the borough.
- Support renewal within communities for groups to update their facilities.
- Supporting local community events such as festivals, cultural activities, activity days for example.
Sustainable Environment projects such as:
- Supporting communities to reduce car use through walking, cycling or low carbon travel.
- Supporting waste minimisation projects to improve recycling, reducing food waste and similar.
- Facilitating repair / reuse / upcycling of old items including through lending schemes.
Projects are welcomed that increase impactful volunteering or wider engagement within communities alongside supporting the council to achieve its vision. These could include:
- Intergenerational activities.
- Improving access to and increased participation in art and cultural activities.
- Improving access to the arts, health & wellbeing projects including evidencing increased participation of minority ethnic groups, people with disabilities and those on low income.
c) Conditions
Each grant scheme administered by the council will have conditions of application. By applying, the applicant agrees that:
- The project or activity will benefit Erewash residents and be open and inclusive;
- They can demonstrate realistic costs with at minimum a breakdown of spend for the project;
- The project or activity does not duplicate services already being provided in the area, but they can complement or enhance services provided including by others;
- They will comply with this policy and associated documents;
- They will detail any additional funding applied for or secured for the same project or activity;
- That the funding isn’t for a project or activity that has already happened;
- The project or activity isn’t submitted by an individual, nor can the project or activity only benefit an individual;
- The project or activity is not to promote belief in, or support for, a religion, ideology, philosophy, or political party, or to provide services on the basis of adherence to a religion, ideology, philosophy, or political party; and
- They will detail in the application when the funding is requested to support the organisation of an event or activity, such as carnivals or festivals for example.
Once an application has been accepted applicants must agree to the Grant Conditions. These include:
- Providing all details required to prove compliance with the Subsidy Control Act 2022;
- Confirming that funding will be spent within the allocated period (this may be within a specific financial year) unless otherwise specified in the grant award notice or by approval of the council in advance, in writing. Any funds not spent within the allocated period must be repaid to the council immediately on demand.
- Grants must be used for the purposes specified in the application and/or the grant offer letter, which may contain additional comments. Any funds used for expenditure other than as stated on the application form must be repaid to the council immediately on demand.
- Informing the council if the event or activity that funding has been awarded to support the administration of the event is subsequently cancelled.
- Any organisation receiving a grant must acknowledge the award of such funding in relation to the project or activity.
- Promoting the involvement of council awarded funding in any communications or promotion of the project or activity.
- Informing the council of any significant changes to the proposed event or activity which may impact upon the suggested evaluation.
Failure to comply with the terms of the grant will result in the grant becoming repayable to the council on demand and exclusion of the organisation from applying for any future grants.
6. Assessment and awarding of grants
a) Assessment
An application will only move to the Assessment stage once it is complete. Each application will be assessed against the scheme eligibility requirements and its contribution to the council’s vision and priorities.
The process will also consider:
- How many people will benefit from your project;
- Any focus on supporting vulnerable groups;
- The level of need for the project;
- The level of benefit to Erewash residents; and
- The level of reserves held by your organisation (organisations that have a high level of unrestricted reserves will not be considered).
Each scheme administered by the council will be approved in line with the council’s scheme of delegation which will normally involve at least one senior officer of the council, and an Elected Member. This will be known as the Awarding Panel.
During the assessment process, the Awarding Panel may require additional information to be provided in order to comply with other processes. The Awarding Panel will not make a final decision until any further information has been provided.
They may also decide to award a proportion of the total amount requested on an application, which will depend on a number of factors. These may include the information provided, how the application demonstrates it meets eligibility criteria and grant conditions, and how many other applications have been received. Consideration will also be made as to the value for money of the project or activity – including administration or management costs, how many people will benefit from the project compared to costs for example.
b) Awarding Panel Decisions
The awarding panel will consider applications as soon as practicable in line with the specific grant schemes. The council will endeavour to make decisions about applications and transfer the funds as promptly as possible.
Decisions made on applications will be communicated to the applicants in writing in a Grant Agreement Letter.
All decisions made by the Awarding Panel are final and will not be subject to any appeals process.
Please note that no expenditure should be incurred before being informed formally that your application has been successful and grant award approved.
c) Promotion
The award and release of grant funding to organisations may require that the organisations representatives making themselves available if requested at a mutually convenient time to be part of promotional activity. This may include photo opportunities to be included in media releases.
d) Evaluation
Organisations may be asked to provide monitoring information during or after the project or activity funded through the grant scheme. Applicants will be made aware of the requirements during the process of application and in agreeing to the Grant Conditions, agree to provide all requested evaluation data. If applicants do not provide this information, the applicant may be required to repay part or all of the funding awarded.
Further information
Safer Communities & Partnership Team
Erewash Borough Council
Town Hall, Wharncliffe Road, Ilkeston, Derbyshire, DE7 5RP
Tel: 0115 907 2244
Email: Fastfunding@Erewash.Gov.Uk
