Community Investment Fund - application notes

To apply electronically, you must have a valid email address.

Your organisation (Questions 1 – 6)

Question 1 Department/Grant Programme

Department: Enter Culture, Communities and Business Services (CCBS)

Grant Programme: Please select Community Investment Fund

Question 2 Contact details of your organisation

This is the main organisation that would be responsible for the grant.

Your Service/Project/Activity (Questions 7 – 10)

Question 7 Title of project or service

Please state your organisation name.

Question 8a Summary of your project

Please provide a brief overview of your organisational services/projects/activities which the application relates.

Question 8b Details of your project

This is an opportunity to describe in the services, projects and activities your organisation delivers to your community in more detail. Please detail the local governance arrangements within your organisation. Include details of what type of services, projects and activities are provided, for whom these are targeted (which community) and how, the total number of people benefitting and how these services, projects and activities meet the Fund’s Criteria.

Also state what the funding will pay for, for example core running costs, salaries, volunteer expenses, marketing, consultation, outreach services.

Question 8c Project outcomes

This is an opportunity to describe what differences and impacts your services, projects and activities will make to those accessing them, both participants and volunteers. Consider this in terms of the Hampshire ‘Open for Business’ Plan 2011. Also give details of how your organisation will target or promote the service or activity to the residents of Hampshire.

Question 8d How you involved service users in the development of your project

This is an opportunity to describe how you engage and consult with your community on the service/project/activity design and delivery and how you use this information. How do you know that the community want/need this? Does it tie in with local plans or strategies? Here you can tell us about any local feedback you have received.

Question 9 Project dates and frequency

As your services/projects/activities are likely to be ongoing, please select this option.

State the start date of your organisation (you will not need to complete the ‘date to’ option as your services/projects/activities are ongoing).

State the venue, including any outreach venues, from where your services/projects/activities are delivered.

Tell us the general timings of your services/projects/activities are delivered/accessed by your community and how often (for example 09.00 – 15.00 Monday to Friday, 50 weeks per year).

Finance (Questions 11 – 15)

Question 11 Financial reserves

The reserves referred to in this section are free reserves i.e. funds your organisations holds that are not required for the running of your organisation during this financial year i.e. savings.

Question 12 Cost detail

Please provide a breakdown of the expenditure of your services/projects/activities – all your organisational costs. Provide details where appropriate of staff costs, volunteer expenses, rental costs, utility costs, maintenance costs, insurance and accountancy costs, training costs, marketing and promotion costs, administration costs. Also list any specific one-off projects which are separate from the core programme of activity. List any other miscellaneous costs that do not apply to the previous categories. Please note that for applications under £5000 we would not expect a high level of detail.

Question 13 Income

The Community Investment Fund awards grants as a contribution towards organisational/service/project/activity costs. Please give information on all sources of income and funding you receive for your services/projects/activities. Your organisation is expected to find additional funding from other sources. This may be by securing grants from other organisations, through member contributions, using your organisation’s own funds, or contribution in kind e.g. through volunteer time. We recognise volunteers offer a range of skills and experience, but in order to keep it simple, to calculate their time, please use the national minimum wage.

Question 14a Project finance summary

Please state how much funding you require from the Community Investment Fund. Grants awarded are a contribution to the overall cost of the services/projects/activities. The amount you are applying for should therefore be less than the total expenditure of the services/projects/activities.

Question 14b How the project will be sustainable

Please tell us how your organisation manages its financial risks to ensure longer term service/project/activity sustainability. Do you have any funding strategies in place?

Question 14c partially awarded or unsuccessful application

Please tell us how your organisation would deliver its services/activities/projects if it was unsuccessful or awarded a smaller amount of funding than requested.

General information (Questions 16 – 20)

Question 16 Quality Mark

Please list any quality marks your organisation has attained or is currently working towards, for example Visible. An organisation does not need to have a quality mark to receive a grant. We are aware that you can work towards high quality standards without such a mark, and that a quality mark may not be appropriate for your service. Please use this section to tell us about any quality systems you use to demonstrate how you ‘ensure the delivery and improvement of high quality services’.

Question 20 Equalities

Please answer all three parts as best you can. We are not looking for comprehensive policies – just some bullet points, for example: thorough training; information sessions, staff guidebook etc. In addition to information about your policies and procedures please outline how the aims of your project will contribute towards a, b and c.

Examples of things which may be relevant to include are:

• We have an equality and diversity policy. We ensure our staff receive equalities and diversity training. We actively encourage and support all sectors of the community including those having protected characteristics to take part in this project.
• We have an open and transparent recruitment and promotion policy.
• The organisation’s culture fully embraces diversity.
• Our constitution/ this project focuses on fostering good community relations across all sectors of society by...
• This project will advance equality of opportunity for everyone by…

Supplementary Questions

If you are currently operating at a deficit please state how your organisation is planning to address this, and in what timeframe.

Documentation to be submitted

You only need to send the same document once over 12 month period. If you have sent us your documents in the last 12 months please tell us the grant reference number to which they were attached if possible.

We would appreciate electronic document attachments. If, however, you only have a paper copy please write this in the documentation section and send a paper copy in to the Grants Officer (details at the end of these notes).

Where appropriate, depending on the grant sum requested, the organisation will be expected to submit the following supporting documentation. For grants up to £5,000, there are no additional supporting documentation requirements.

Grants of £5000 and over

• Annual Accounts
• Adults Safeguarding Policy
• Child Protection Policy

Grants of £15000 and over

Grants of £15000 and over require the above documents plus:

• 3 Year Business Plan

Grants of £25000 and over

Grants of £25000 and over require all the above documents plus:

• Equal Opportunities Policy
• Health & Safety Policy
• Public Liability Insurance
• Employers Liability Insurance

Monitoring Information (Questions 21-22)

This information will help us to plan and fund areas of work where there are significant gaps and needs. If you need to collect this information from your staff or service users then it is important that you give them a choice as to whether they choose to give this personal information.