Adult Services Main Grant Programme and HIV Grants

The Adult Services grant programme funds projects and proposals which support the priorities and outcomes of Hampshire ‘Open for Business’ Plan 2011-13 which are most relevant to Adult services. These are:

• Improve quality of life for all, particularly those who are vulnerable or disadvantaged
• Enhance community engagement and partnership working – strengthening/empowering communities
• Develop new models of service provision, meeting the challenges of reduced resource and evolving national policies, whilst improving the quality of services for users.

When to apply

The Adult Services grant programme is an annual programme and has one grant round per year.  The grant programme is now closed and it is anticipated that it will open again for the 2014-15 round in early August 2013.

Grant criteria and eligibility

We will fund organisations and services who fulfil our criteria, and comply with mutually agreed reporting and monitoring requirements. It is intended for voluntary and community organisations in Hampshire. We are unable to award funding to businesses or individuals. Our criteria are:

• The services, projects or activities of the organisation support the priorities and objectives
• The services, projects or activities are for people living in Hampshire
• The organisation has a clear management structure within its constitution.

And where appropriate, depending on the grant sum requested, the organisation shall:

• have relevant policies in place depending on the level of funding applied for
• have an appropriate adult / child protection policy which includes obtaining checks carried out by the Disclosure and Barring Service (DBS)
• have in place insurance arrangements in respect of staff, volunteers, users and third parties.

What is funded?

The grant can be awarded to contribute towards service/project costs and/or core costs including salaries.

What isn’t funded?

• Services and organisations that don’t meet the programme’s criteria.
• Services provided by an organisation under contract to the Adult Services Department
• Capital grants (i.e. for equipment)
• Generic counselling services
• Services provided solely within the unitary authority areas of Portsmouth City Council and Southampton City Council
• For organisations to publish material which appears to be designed to affect public support for a political party.

Financial eligibility

Organisations will not normally be eligible for grants where they hold unallocated reserves in excess of one year's running costs, or where it is judged that these reserves are unreasonably in excess of what is required or not allocated for legitimate purposes. Those organisations receiving recurring funding which hold unallocated reserves in excess of three months' running costs may receive a reduced grant.

The Adult Services Grant Programme has adopted the Charity Commission’s reserves policy in this respect. The Charity Commission’s definition of reserve is:

"Reserves are that part of a charity's unrestricted funds that is freely available to spend on any of the charity's purposes. This definition excludes restricted income funds and endowment funds, although holding such funds may influence a charity's reserves policy. Reserves will also normally exclude tangible fixed assets held for the charity's use and amounts designated for essential future spending”.

Safeguarding Adults/Children

There is an expectation that Adult Services funded projects undertake  appropriate safeguarding adult measures, including carrying out CRB checks as appropriate. Guidance regarding CRB checks for volunteers is available from Volunteering England

Hampshire County Council also publishes practical information on protecting vulnerable adults from abuse.

Application guidance notes and online form