Grants for Voluntary Sector Organisations

GUIDANCE NOTES

To be read in conjunction with the Application Form  (67.60 KB).
Please make sure you complete all sections of the Application Form.
We are unable to accept applications with any missing information.

Please see also the application process flow chart  (56.50 KB)

ELIGIBILITY CRITERIA

Who can apply?

This funding is only available to groups in the Voluntary & Community Sector: registered charities, social enterprises, companies limited by guarantee (with charitable aims) or community groups. Public/statutory sector organisations cannot apply for this funding.

What can this funding be used for?

• The views of children & young people should be central to identifying how this funding is used and inform the running of projects.
• This funding is intended to support and increase positive activities for children and young people aged 8 to 19 years old.
• The funding must be spent on the front-line delivery of services or activities to children and young people.
• Projects should benefit children & young people and contribute towards the achievement of the Every Child Matters outcomes.

GUIDANCE ON COMPLETING THE APPLICATION FORM

Download a application form  (67.60 KB)

Contact Details

• Please provide Contact Details for your organisation, including the person who will act as the main contact for this application.

Electoral Division

• Please indicate which of the areas your project will cover. This is in terms of where activities are taking place. Projects have to be focused at the local level and can only cover one area.
• Please indicate if you are applying for funding from other area(s), and if this is the case please list the other area(s) you are applying for funding from.
• If you are unsure who your local County Councillor is or what area your group/project comes under, you can check this using the ‘My Local Area’ (post-code search) facility at: http://worcestershire.whub.org.uk

About Your Project

• Please provide a Name/Title for your Project.
• Please provide a brief outline of how you will use this money, including an idea of what this will be spent on and what this will enable you to do.
• Please provide the total number of children & young people (aged 8 to 19) who will benefit from this project.
• Please provide a date by which the project will be completed – when all of the money will have been spent by. This must be 31st March 2008 at the latest.
• Please indicate which of the five Every Child Matters Outcomes your project will contribute towards. Please tick as many as apply, but the project must contribute towards at least one of these.

Impact of Your Project

• Please describe how your project will benefit young people
• Please describe how young people have been involved in the planning of this project, for example any consultation with them on what the money should be spent on
• Please describe how young people will be involved in the running of this project, for example taking on responsibility for leading activities

Cost of Your Project

• Please enter the amount of funding you are requesting. The maximum amount available is £3,500.
• Please provide a breakdown of the amount you are requesting, listing the items you would use this money towards and how much these would cost. Please try to be as accurate as possible.
• Please detail any other funding you have received, since 1st April 2007, to support your work with children & young people (aged 8 to 19).

Declaration

• The Main Contact should sign and date the declaration at the bottom of the last page confirming that the information given on the Application Form is correct to the best of their knowledge.

FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS

Where does the form need to be sent?

Please return your completed form to the County Councillor for the Division in which the project/activity is taking place. Contact details for all Worcestershire County Councillors are being circulated with the Application Form and Guidance Notes, and can also be found on the County Council Website

Application Forms cannot be submitted by email, as we need to receive a signed copy of this.

When does it need to be received by?

Your completed form will need to be received by your local County Councillor by midday on Friday 12th October 2007.

What happens next?

The relevant County Councillor will consider all applications received for their Division and can adopt a number of approaches as to how these are assessed, including the potential for consultation with local community forums and/or groups of young people. They will then recommend how the £3,500 for their Division is allocated. This will be completed by Friday 2nd November.

These recommendations will then go to a grants verification panel for allocations to be finalised. This process will include input from members of Worcestershire Youth Cabinet and FLOSS (Youth Opportunity Fund) on how young people are to be involved in the running of these projects.

When will we know the final decision?

We aim to make all decisions within one month of the closing date, which is Monday 12th November.

What do we have to do if we are successful?

Successful applicants will be sent a Conditions of Grant form outlining the requirements attached to this funding. You will need to sign and return this to us, along with your financial details, before payment can be made.

When will we get the money?

We will try to pay this as soon as we can but it usually takes at least a week to do this once we have received all of the necessary paperwork.

When must the money be spent by?

Any money given out as part of these grants must be spent by 31st March 2008.

What else will you want to know about our project?

Successful applicants will be sent information on the monitoring requirements as part of the Conditions of Grant form. County Councillors will be responsible for overseeing the monitoring of funding for their Division.

Want to know more?

If you have any other questions, please contact your local County Councillor