Community Grants 2012-2013
The Wychavon Community Grants Scheme has now closed.
Every year Wychavon gives away thousands of pounds to local
voluntary groups and organisations for good causes throughout the
district.
This year the theme was topically the Olympics, although
applications from other areas were still be considered, with
£50,000 up for grabs.
Awards varied from £500 to £9,000 for projects that needed new
equipment to contributions to village halls.
A full list of successful awards are shown below:
| Organisation |
Project |
Awarded |
| Worcester Cricket Club (Norton) |
Training & protective equipment and first aid kits
for 180 young cricketers to help with sudden surge of
membership |
£500 |
| Whittington Village Hall |
Build new Village Hall and car park area (including
demolition of old existing village hall) |
£9,000 |
| Tibberton Parish Council |
Demolition of existing Village Hall and construction of
new one on existing site |
£9,000 |
| Pershore Phoenix Dragon Boat Club |
Improve storage equipment for the clubs training and
safety equipment |
£2,000 |
| Bretforton Memorial Hall |
Replace the chairs in the hall |
£1,000 |
| The PCC of Fladbury, Moor, Wyre, Cropthorne and
Charlton |
Modernising the facilities, installing a kitchenette,
disabled toilet and access ramp |
£1,000 |
| Robert Woodward Parish Hall & Institute,
Birlingham |
Replacement of Village Hall roof, improve drainage and
security |
£5,000 |
| Harvington Youth Project |
To provide equipment and facilities to enable the youth
group to do some Olympic Sports |
£550 |
| Go West (throughout Wychavon) |
To work with communities to create parish history
timelines, create wonder cards and set heritage quests for heritage
detectives of all ages. Will create online training materials and
associated workshops |
£750 |
| 233 (Pershore) Squadron, Air Training Corps |
Upgrade its aging and heavy Air Rifles to new modern
lightweight ones that teenagers will find easier to use |
£750 |
| Eckington Memorial Hall |
New demountable stage (raising £250k to replace the front
gable of the building - including the replacement of Toilets, etc.
Current entry is via side door) |
£4,000 |
| Evesham Arts Association |
Improvement to disabled toilet facilities |
£3,000 |
| Norton Community Games |
Purchase sports equipment for Olympic themed community
games, which will be used in the longer term by the youth club |
£500 |
| South Littleton Playground Action Group |
Redesign and refurbishment of the childrens playground
area located on the recreation ground in South Littleton |
£7,500 |
| 1st Pershore Scout Group |
Archery, sports and play equipment for the scouts |
£1,000 |
| Offenham Youth Club |
Equipment for a media project |
£1,000 |
| Gloverspiece Minifarm (Droitwich) |
Replace old website with up to date marketing tool |
£750 |
| Number 8 Community Arts Centre |
Establish vibrant new singing group for local teenagers
age 12+ as an after school activity |
£1,000 |
| Droitwich Spa Cricket Club |
Purchase a new cricket sightscreen |
£750 |
| Upton Snodsbury FC |
New goalposts |
£500 |
| Lighthouse X-Stream (Droitwich) |
Boy and Girl Mascot Puppets |
£450 |
| Broadway Youth Club |
Improvements to Youth Club |
£500 |
You could also take a look at our Funding
Directory Page or Other Sources of
Funding page which will direct you to other potential funding
that you may apply for
Wychavon Community Grants for 2013/14 will be available from Jan
2013
Wychavon Community Grant Information
If you are thinking of applying for a Wychavon Community Grant
in 2013 you may want to take a look at the criteria needed to apply
for a grant. Details below:
What is
the aim of the Grants Scheme?
Who could apply?
Focus on Wychavon
Play
Grant Conditions
How to apply
How grant awards
are made
Help and advice
What is the aim of the grants scheme?
Grants are available to local voluntary groups and charitable
organisations that aim to:
- Support initiatives that improve services and facilities for
the local community.
- Encourage local actionto improve quality of life.
- Support activities in the local community that the Council
would like to do, but does not have the resources for.
- Contribute towards the council’s priorities, as set out in the
community strategy which can be
found on the website at http://www.wychavon.gov.uk/
- Play Projects will be assessed against how closely they meet
Wychavons Play Action Plan
priorities
We want to fund innovative, new projects that will make
a lasting difference to the community and improve the quality of
life in Wychavon
Projects we have funded in the past include setting up youth
groups, village hall refurbishment, arts initiatives, new play
areas and a wide range of sports projects.
Focus on one element of community life
Every year the scheme focuses on one element
of community life – the theme for 2013 is tbc This does
not mean projects have to be theme based but voluntary and
charitable groups must include people from different backgrounds or
differing abilities and help to make a winning contribution to
their local communities.
Projects could include:
- Development of new and improved facilities or
activities in their community run by local people. This could
include: -
- Village Hall activities / redecoration
/refurbishment
- Youth Club set up/ equipment/ activities
- Sports Club set up/ projects /
equipment
- Arts initiatives
- Play equipment / activities
Whatever your project is, the most
important thing is that:
- It meets local needs and benefits local
residents.
- It has community support.
- It is well planned and involves as many local
people as possible.
- You can meet the full costs of the
project through grant aid and other contributions
- It is sustainable in the long term
Don’t worry if your project does not
come within this theme as there is still money
available for other schemes.
Examples of previous projects include:
-
- Littleton Village Hall
– were awarded £6800 towards a project costing £11,957 to
replace the staging and for redecoration
- Garage Art Group – were awarded £5000
towards a project costing £8000 to project students artwork onto
large screens and produce a DVD.
- Sedgeberrow Parish Council - were
awarded £11500 towards a project costing £21,000 to install and
update the Main Street play area.
- Crowle Searchers FC – were awarded £1000
towards the cost of a new storage facility(£2570) for their ever
growing club.
- Vale of Evesham Camera Club – were
awarded £500 towards the cost of a new motorised projector screen
costing £1250.
Who Can Apply?
Applications for a Wychavon Community Grant are
welcome from groups and organisations across the district.
Applications must be:-
- for projects costing over
£500.
- for projects within the Wychavon District or
for the benefit of Wychavon residents;
- from non-profit making organisations;
- from organisations that are not politically
affiliated or politically active;
- for a specific local project if the
application is from a national organisation or local branch of a
national organisation.
Please Note: The maximum
grant award is £10,000 (only awarded in exceptional circumstances
e.g. a major village hall refurbishment).
Applications from religious organisations must
be for non-religious, community, leisure and recreational purposes
only.
Applications from Parish or Town
Councils must be for substantial projects only, such as
village halls, land purchases or Lottery bids.
Applications from Schools
must be for projects with a wider community benefit that run
outside of school hours and during school holidays. We will
not fund curricular activities.
Grants will not be awarded
to:-
- individuals;
- organisations that are able to fund the project
themselves;
- organisations whose liquid assets in hand exceed one year’s
revenue expenditure unless funds have been set aside specifically
for a capital project.
- Projects where other funding is not being
sought, Wychavon will not award any project asking
for 100% funding (in exceptional circumstances funding in kind may
be considered)
- Organisations whose projects require year on year running
costs, although start up costs would be eligible. (Running
costs include usual venue hire, refreshments, newsletters,
administration etc.)
- Projects that will have taken place or started before
their grant is awarded
Each organisation may only
submit one application for a grant. So if you have more than
one idea for a project you need to decide which is the most
important.
Please note Grants will only
be awarded once in a three year period, e.g. If successful in 2011
applicants will not be eligible to apply again until 2014. If
unsuccessful, applicants may apply each year until
successful.
Grant Conditions
The following conditions apply to all grant
applications and grant awards made.
4.1 All prices given
in the grant application must be the expected
level of costs. No allowance for inflation will be made once
the grant has been awarded.
4.2 Any offer of financial
assistance made by the Council in excess of £1,000 will be subject
to the receipt of three written quotations, otherwise a single
written quotation will suffice.
4.3 Applicants must
demonstrate that any necessary consents can be obtained in order
for their project to proceed (e.g. highway, planning, landlord,
etc).
4.4 In the event that land
purchase is involved, there must be a willing vendor.
4.5 Applicants will be
expected to show other sources of funding towards the total cost of
the project. This could be from local community (e.g.
businesses, Parish/Town Councils and fund raising), the
organisations own funds or from other grant aid. When applications
are made in connection with Lottery funded projects, the Council
will only provide up to 50% of the minimum partnership funding
required by the relevant Lottery body (except Awards for
All).
4.6 Applicants must note that
applications for grant-aid are accepted on the understanding that
in the event of the Council establishing that money is owing to the
Council from an applicant any Grant that may have been approved
will be withheld.
4.7 Payment of grants will be made
directly to the organisation undertaking the project and not to a
contractor. Grants will be paid in arrears after submission
of appropriate receipted invoices. Where the full
amount of expenditure, as shown in the costing section of the
Application Form, has not been met the amount of the grant will be
reduced by a proportional amount e.g. if a grant of £100
is given to a project that is estimated to cost £1,000 and the
project turns out to only cost £900 i.e. 10% less, then 10% will be
deducted from the £100 thus giving a grant of £90
4.8 VAT will not be paid to any
organisations that are VAT registered.
4.9 Grants must be taken up
within 12 months of the offer. Extension of this period will
only be made in exceptional circumstances by
application to the relevant grant scheme manager. In the case
of Lottery funded projects the Council may offer an award valid for
up to two years.
4.10 Applications are only valid for
one financial year.
4.11 Retrospective applications may not
be submitted.
4.12 Following an offer of a grant any
modifications to the project must be notified to the Council in
writing and approved in advance of any work being done or
equipment purchased. If such modification is of a
major nature and/or changes the nature of the application, then a
fresh application may have to be submitted to the Council the
following year.
4.13 Loss
in revenue from lettings or any additional costs incurred, e.g. the
cost of using alternative premises while grant aided works are
being carried out, are not eligible for compensation from the
Council. Applicants should plan their projects accordingly to
minimise such problems.
4.14 Applicants must ensure that
any revenue consequences of their project will be met from sources
other than by the District Council.
4.15 The offer of a grant from
the Council does not convey approval of technical,
legal, financial or other matters relating to the project, which
will remain the responsibility of the applicant. The Council
cannot accept liability for any misjudgements by applicants
regarding the budgeting, design, technical standards or any other
aspects.
4.16 Where
projects involve elements of construction, applicants should
endeavour to utilise local labour and local crafts men and
women.
4.17 The
Council will inform all applicants of the result of their
application in writing within seven working days of the Council’s
decision. Successful applicants will receive a letter
detailing the level of grant awarded and any conditions
thereon.
4.18 The
Council reserves the right to inspect the property or organisation
under consideration before, during and after the project and will
wish to be satisfied with the standard of works/materials before
any grant is paid.
The Council also reserve the right to require the applicant to
provide further information about the project at any time and to
participate in joint promotional activities.
4.13 The
Council may require repayment of all or part of the grant if the
asset created is disposed of or undergoes a significant change of
use within five years of completion of the project.
4.14 Capital
awards will be subject to a community use agreement, where
appropriate.
4.15 Where grants are offered for village
hall projects, in return the Council reserves the right to use
village halls for election purposes at an appropriate charge
providing adequate notice is given.
4.16 An Evaluation
Form and case study will need to be completed by all successful
applicants.
How to apply for a Community
Grant
To apply for a Wychavon Community
Grant follow these five steps:-
| 1. Choose your project |
2. get local support |
3. Fill in the application form and the Community
Projects form |
4. Gather supporting information |
5. Submit your application |
1. choose your
project
Decide on a project that you
wish to submit a grant application for. The term ‘project’
can apply to a one-off scheme with a distinct start and finish,
sponsorship of an event, or the purchase of equipment. When
considering your project you should take the following points into
account:-
- does your project have local support
(e.g. from residents; businesses; local schools)?
- will it benefit the community?
- is it achievable and are the timescales
realistic?
- can you raise or secure the required partnership funding
(see section 8)?
- have you got any necessary permissions (e.g. from the
Council, Environment Agency) to carry out the project?
2. get local
support
It is important that
applications are received with appropriate information showing
local support. This can include letters from your District, Parish
and County Councillors (information on councillors can be found on
our website at http://www.wychavon.gov.uk/).
You are also advised to get support from the local community (e.g.
residents, local groups, schools, etc) in planning your project and
gain their support for it. YOU ARE STRONGLY ADVISED TO
APPROACH YOUR PARISH OR TOWN COUNCILLOR AND LOCAL DISTRICT
COUNCILLOR ABOUT YOUR APPLICATION
3. fill in the
application forms
You will need to
complete and submit the following forms:-
- Application Form for Grants
- Community Project Form
If either of these forms is missing from the pack please contact
Tracy Grubb on (01386) 565168. If you have any difficulties
completing the forms or require a large print version, other
languages or Braille please let us know.
4. gather supporting
information together
Please collect
the following documentation together to submit with your
Application Forms:-
- evidence of local support for your project and how it
meets community needs (e.g. letters from local organisations or
residents; petition);
- audited, or independently verified, balance sheets and
revenue accounts for the past two years. If these are not yet
available please supply interim accounts or balance
sheets.
- copy of the organisation’s Rules and Regulations and/or
Constitution.
- copies of estimates relating to work for which a grant is
sought;
- where appropriate, plans of proposed work.
If you are unable to provide some of the above
documents you must state the reason why on the
Application Form as this will invalidate your
application. Please feel free to include any other
relevant information in support of your application, for example
photographs and diagrams.
If you are requesting a grant of
£2,000 or more, applicants may be called in to give a
short presentation to the working group. This would allow
more detailed questioning of the project, in addition to providing
applicants an opportunity to clearly state the need and outline the
benefits for the community.
If you are applying for a grant for a
building project or any other project in excess of £1,000 please
also enclose any of the following that are relevant:-
- A copy of the organisation’s lease or conveyance
particulars, where an organisation is acquiring an existing
building, will be required. These should include a report on
its construction, age, present condition, drainage, services
available, etc.
- Copies of any letters promising loans, grants or
covenants towards your project.
- Copies of any official/professional reports confirming
the necessity or desirability of the project.
- Where a project involves building work, information
showing the design detail and costs of those works will be
required.
- Copies of any necessary permissions and approvals, these
could include an appropriate planning permission, building
regulations approval, fire officers approval, Charity Commission
consent for asset sales, approvals from landlords, etc.
5. Send in your application
Before you send in your application, do check that you have
completed and included all of the Forms and
supporting information required (see Sections 3 and 4 above).
Send your completed application to: Tracy Grubb,
Community Development, Wychavon District
Council, Civic Centre, Queen Elizabeth Drive, Pershore, Worcs. WR10
1PT. There is a return address label included in this pack
that you can use. Alternatively you can hand your application
into one of the Wychavon Community Contact Centres.
The information in your application will provide the basis for
determining whether you are awarded a grant. It is
important that all sections of the Application Forms are completed
in full and that you do supply all the necessary documentation by
the closing date. Failure to do so will result in rejection
of your application.
No applications will be accepted after the
closing date in any circumstances.
How grant awards are
made
ONLY FULLY COMPLETED AND DOCUMENTED
APPLICATIONS WILL BE CONSIDERED BY THE CLOSING DATE. WE
CANNOT CONSIDER APPLICATIONS WHERE ANY OF THE REQUIRED INFORMATION
IS MISSING.
We aim to acknowledge receipt of all
completed Application Forms within 5 working days of receiving
them. All the applications received will be processed to
check the information provided, cost details, etc. They will then
be dealt with by the Wychavon Community Grant
Scheme Manager. The Manager will go through
your application in detail and provided it meets all the relevant
criteria your application will be considered in accordance with the
grant conditions.
We anticipate that all the grant
applications received will be considered by members of the Council
during June & July They will make a decision
about which projects to fund and what level of grant to
allocate.
Evidence of local support for projects and
the level of Parish or Town Council contributions towards any
project will be significant factors in the decision process.
Parish Councils are encouraged to levy precepts to support local
projects. The following points will also be taken into
consideration when assessing the applications:-
- demand for the project or service;
- benefits to Wychavon residents;
- how innovative and well planned the project
is;
- total cost of the project;
- degree of self help e.g. own fundraising (we are unlikely
to fund 100% of any project and the more that can be raised by the
applicant the better the chance of success).
- any Wychavon Grants previously awarded to your
organisation. Organisations that have not previously
benefited from a Wychavon Grant may take precedence over those that
have;
- other grant assistance provided or outstanding
applications made for financial assistance with the specified
project –
The award of a grant remains at the
discretion of the Council regardless of whether or not an
application meets the grant rules and conditions.
We aim to notify all applicants of the
Council’s decision with respect to their grant application within 7
working days of the decision being made.
Help and Advice
A Grants Help Service is in
operation during January, February and March 2013. If
you wish to take advantage of this, please telephone Community
Development on 01386 565168 with details of your project and they
will arrange for the Scheme Manager to contact you to discuss your
application.
Applicant’s Briefing Sessions will
be held in the Chamber, Civic Centre, Pershore on
These sessions will provide
organisations with further information, which will assist them in
preparing high quality
applications.
If you are
applying for a grant in excess of £1,000, you are
required to attend one of the Applicant’s Briefing Sessions
detailed above.
If you are unable to attend any of the
briefings please contact Tracy Grubb on 01386 565168 or email
tracy.grubb@wychavon.gov.uk
For more information regarding Grants
please contact Jem Teal - Community Development Manager on 01386
565235 or Tracy Grubb on 01386 565168
