Community Buildings Partnership Funding

Who can apply?

• Village halls (not parish-run halls)
• Community associations
• Faith organisations that have a separate open access community programme on their property

Who can't apply?

• Parish Councils
• Other local authorities
• Individual groups: youth clubs; playgroups; lunch clubs; uniformed organisations etc.
• School properties
• Sports Clubs

What do we fund?

• Building repairs, extensions and refurbishments
• Health and Safety issues
• Equipment to improve the buildings and increase usage
• Feasibility studies

What we can't fund

Equipment not directly attributable to the building ie. we will fund stage lighting and sound systems, but would not fund a television or hifi system for a club room. We will also not fund equipment intended for the use of a separate trading arm or commercial organisation using the premises.

Please note we cannot retrospectively fund works that have already been carried out. Grants are issued for works to be carried out in the future.

Funding criteria

1. Projects costing less than £15,000

Hampshire County Council contribution - 1/3rd - up to a maximum of £5,000. The voluntary organisation will be advised to apply to the appropriate District and Parish Council for a contribution. Hampshire County Council will not provide more than 1/3rd except in exceptional circumstances. If granted, payment will be made, on receipt of invoice(s), equal to 1/3 of the actual invoice cost up to a maximum agreed on application. Once the funding level is agreed for a project it cannot be increased.

Note: A minimum project cost applies to this grant. The total cost of the project must be over £1000.

2. Projects costing more than £15,000

• Hampshire County Council may support these projects though it would be expected that the larger share of the contribution be met by the District/Borough Council.
• Voluntary organisations will be expected to contribute at least 25% of the cost of these projects.
• Hampshire County Council's contribution will normally be 50% of the combined District/Borough and Parish Councils' contribution to a maximum of £12,500.

Note: The maximum grant from this fund will not exceed £12,500 irrespective of any other contributions from other sources.

3. Feasibility studies

In order to assist voluntary organisations apply for funds from other sources, Hampshire County Council may support the costs of feasibility studies. Applications will be considered for 50% of the cost of such studies up to a maximum of £500.

Condition of Finding

It is a condition of all funding that organisations in receipt of assistance should acknowledge the support of Hampshire County Council:

• In the organisations next annual audited statement of accounts.
• By displaying signage provided by Hampshire County Council in or on the building.
• In all publicity and media coverage relating to the project

When to apply

Application deadline	Decision Date
Friday 29 July	Tuesday 8 September
Friday 16 September	Thursday 3 November
Friday 18 November	Thursday 12 January 2012
Friday 20 January 2012	Thursday 8 March 2012

What happens next?

Your application will be assessed by the Assistant Community Officer and you will be sent an acknowledgement that your application has been received. Applications will then be referred to the member of the Community Support Service with responsibility for your area, who may contact you to discuss the project.

Once the assessment is complete, your application will be circulated to your local County Councillor for comment. Finally, the report will go to the Executive Member for Recreation & Heritage for approval.

Once funding has been agreed, you will be contacted and informed of how much you have been awarded and any requirements attached to the award.

If details of your project change, or if you receive updated information from other funders during this process, we ask that you inform us as soon as possible so that we can update the information in the report.

Following the authorisation we will allocate funds and hold them until we receive invoices from you. We normally ask that you aim to complete your project in a six month period. Please inform us if your project is unlikely to be completed during this time scale. Funds can be held for a longer period if required.

Please note that the funds allocated can only be applied to the project detailed in the original application. If the works detailed are changed, you cannot use the funds for other works, but should complete a new application.

Where appropriate before and after photographs should be submitted to show what work was carried out along with brief note explaining the impact of the project.

Should you wish to invite a County Council member to any opening event, please approach the local ward councillor who will be happy to attend should they be available.

How Payments are made

1. Projects costing less than £15,000

• Once you have received the invoices for the completed work you will need to send these in to the address on your Grant decision letter.
• Invoices will be checked against your application to ensure only approved works as stated in your application are included.
• Payment will then be made to you at one third of the cost of the invoices up to the agreed grant amount.
• If your project is more than originally stated, you will not receive any additional funds and this cost must be met by yourselves.
• Also, should your project cost less than originally stated, you will only receive funding for a third of the total overall cost.

2. Projects costing more than £15,000

• We will check that all your partnership funding is in place.
• Grants will be paid in 4 tranches.
• Invoices to the total of 25% of the project cost must be received for each payment. (For example, for a project costing £100,000, we must receive invoices to the value of £25,000 before the first payment will be made). Each payment will be 25% of the total grants.
• If your project costs less than originally stated the funding will reflect this.