how to apply for a grant
The current round of applications has just closed. If you submitted an application you should have received acknowledgement via email or a telephone call. If you have not please ring Melissa Elliott on 01635 817445 immediately. Applications will be available here for a new round of grant awards from Wednesday 7th January 2009.
For more information about grant awards in general contact Melissa on 01635 817445 or email: charitablegrants@greenham-common-trust.co.uk.
Tips for filling in the form
This is a simple guide to filling in the application for grant aid. It makes the job of grant allocation much easier if there is consistency in the way the forms are completed. We require the form to be clearly legible and a typed form is better than a hand-written submission. The application form will serve as an application for funds available from Greenham Common Trust and from West Berkshire Council via the Local Strategic Partnership. The grant allocation body will only receive the four-page application form. If they require further information you will be contacted by them directly.
| Name of applicant or organisation | If the grant is for an individual insert their name. If it is for an organisation use the full name of the organisation. If the name of the organisation is very long it would be helpful to insert the name by which the organisation is usually known. For example our full title is Greenham Common Community Trust Limited but we regularly go under the name of Greenham Common Trust. This name should match the name of the bank account to which the monies shall be paid if successful - not the project name which can be used in the detailed section. |
| Contact Name | This is the person who we should contact about the application. |
| Position held | This is to indicate the position of the contact name within the organisation - for example Treasurer, Secretary etc. |
| Registered Charity No. (if applicable) | The Trust can only give money for charitable purposes. If the organisation seeking the grant aid is a registered charity then the Trust can be confident that the money will be used for charitable purposes. |
| Website address | The Trust is happy to provide links to the websites of organisations and projects that it supports from its own website. |
| What is the purpose of the organisation? | A brief description of what the organisation does. |
| Please describe in 20 words or less what the grant is for | This is a short description, which is included on the various papers circulated. We ask for this to be filled in a very short form so that the applicant for grant aid is actually deciding how the application should be described in a small number of words. If you do not fill the form in using 20 words or less then we have to try to précis what the grant is for and of course we are not in a position to do that as effectively as the people making the application. |
| How many people will benefit from the grant? | Please indicate in one box only how many people are likely to benefit from the project or items the grant is funding. |
| How much grant aid are you applying for? | Every year the total of grants sought far exceeds the amount available for distribution. If the application is for £10,000 or more then the grant making body may invite you to make a short presentation. |
| Please describe in detail what the grant is for and why it is needed | This gives you an opportunity to select more information about the grant. In the case of applications for major grant aid only it may be appropriate to send some additional information on the project. If that is the case then it should be restricted to a modest amount of additional information supplied in a form that is easy to photocopy using a black and white photocopier for circulation. The rest of this section gives you an opportunity to explain why the grant aid is needed and how the project will benefit the local community. |
| Multiple applications | Some organisations have proposed a number of different projects as different applications. This has tended to make the grant allocation much harder and multiple applications are discouraged. |
| What geographical area does the organisation serve? | The Trust can only give grant aid in relation to projects that are for the benefit of Newbury and the surrounding area. The surrounding area is not limited by any Local Authority boundaries and clearly includes North Hampshire. Please state briefly the area in which the organisation operates. Grant aid from WBC resources will generally be limited to things for the benefit of West Berkshire. |
| How will it benefit the local community? | Please indicate what benefits the items or project will bring to the local community and if appropriate how long the benefits will last. |
| What publicity opportunities does the project offer? | This section is designed to make you aware of the benefits of good publicity. You can find guidelines on how best to publicise your event, project or organisation here (891 Kb Word document). |
| Is there a timescale to your project? | Generally projects will not be funded retrospectively. Ideally the funding should be for items to be purchased or projects to take place within a reasonably short timescale. |
| Matched funding | Will the grant sought enable the project to proceed or is other funding required? There is no objection to committing funds to kick start a project but we will need to be certain that the project will proceed before the funds are released. |
| How have you been funded previously? | Please indicate where funds or grants related to the organisation and any other funding have come from over the past few years. For example funds may have been provided by the Local Authority. Also indicate if the funds are continuing or if they have been withdrawn or revised. |
| What funds do you currently have? | This is intended to establish the overall resources of the organisation. |
| What funds are set aside for the project? | This is intended to establish if the organisation has committed its own reserves to the proposal. |
| Other sources of aid | This should be a list of other sources of funding that the organisation has access to or that are currently being applied for. For example grants from Local Authorities, the Lottery Commission or income from any other source. |
| Describing the type of organisation and the controlling body | This information is required to give an indication of the type of organisation and how it is managed. No particular form of structure or management is favoured over another. The main thing is that it is clear what the structure and management arrangements are. |
| How many staff | This is to establish how many staff are employed and how many volunteer workers there are. |
| West Berks Local Area Agreement Outcomes and West Berks Community Strategy Priority | Please indicate which of the outcomes or priorities will be supported by this project. The funding provided through the LSP will be targeting these. If the project does not support any that is not a bar to funding as the funding provided by GCT is not restricted to supporting these outcomes and priorities. There is a summary of the WB LAA Outcomes & WB CSP Priorities available at WB_Priorities_&_Outcomes.doc and at www.westberkshire.org.uk/prior.htm. |
| Applications for £10,000 and over | |
| Business Plan | In order to avoid abortive work further details of the project will only be required for short-listed applications. Where an application is short-listed some additional information may be required to demonstrate that the project is well thought through and likely to succeed. |
| Short presentation | This may be required if the application is short-listed. A representative would be required to give a short 10-minute explanation of the project and answer any questions that may arise. Two people may attend. |
Standard Conditions
If your application for grant aid is successful, you will be asked to sign a form like this, agreeing to certain standard conditions of acceptance.
- The recipient of grant aid will co-operate with the Trust in relation to public relations activities where this is appropriate. In particular, the recipient agrees that the Trust is entitled to make reference to the grant aid given and, where appropriate, the recipient will acknowledge the Trust's funding.
- The recipient of grant aid will give the Trust all reasonable financial information that it requires in relation to the grant.
- The Trust will require to see estimates and invoices where appropriate, and where grant aid is given based on those invoices and estimates it will require to see the final receipts for payment.
- The recipient of grant aid will, where appropriate, report back on the utilisation of the grant aid. Where grant aid is over a period the recipient will produce regular progress reports.
- The recipient will be responsible for ensuring that the grant is used for proper charitable purposes and will indemnify the Trust in this respect.
- The Trust reserves the right to withdraw the availability of grant aid if it is not taken up within a reasonable time.
I, ...................., would like to accept the offer of £......... grant aid on behalf of ..........................., and confirm that we accept the above conditions
Dated ...............
If you would like further information, or have any queries regarding the application process, please e-mail charitablegrants@greenham-common-trust.co.uk or call 01635 817445 to put your question in person.
If you are applying for Grant Aid from Greenham Common Trust may we wish you every success.
We look forward to hearing from you.
Telephone: 01635 817444 | Fax: 01635 817555 | Email: enquiries@greenham-common-trust.co.uk
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