Looking for welcoming spaces

The Application Form 

The application form is divided into five tabs:

• Introduction – summary of the grant criteria and application process. Data protection agreement must be agreed to continue the grant application process
• Organisational details – including contact details and organisation’s aims, objectives, and purpose. Tab must be completed to progress to next stage
• About your project or service – an outline of the project / service you will provide with the grant funding. Tab must be completed to progress to next stage
• Bank account details – to be used to make payment of grant if application successful
• Supporting documents – to attach key documents for the application

 The appendices to this guidance contain:

• Appendix A: Grant terms and conditions
• Appendix B: Grant terms and conditions on award of grant
• Appendix C: Privacy notice
• Appendix D: Next steps

Additional guidance and support

If you require any clarification or help to complete the application form process, please email: [email protected] or call Emma Parry, Welcoming Spaces Lead/Co-ordinator, telephone number: 07435 619890 (normal working days Monday to Friday). 

Guidance

This guidance should be read as you complete each question of the grant application form. The application form will be used to assess and evaluate your grant application.

It is important that you:

• complete all the relevant application form sections in full - compulsory fields are marked with a red asterisk (*), and if a question is not applicable to your application, please mark this as not applicable (N/A)
• provide all the documents requested at the same time as your application
• complete the declarations

Incomplete grant applications and grant applications awaiting further information

To be fair to all grant applicants, we will not accept incomplete applications or applications awaiting further information. These will require a new submission. This may result in your application missing the allocated funding round and, as a result, a delay until the next suitable funding round is open.

Grant application form completion guidance notes

The guidance numbers below correspond with the expandable text completion boxes   on the application form. You need to only complete the boxes that are relevant to your application. You can cross reference to other questions to avoid repetition if you wish. 

Tab 1 - Introduction

Grant Aims – defines aims and objectives of grant. To be used to shape grant application.

The Welcoming Spaces Grant has been developed to support the creation and/or enhancement of Welcoming Spaces provided by the voluntary and community sectors across West Northamptonshire. The programme is to provide residents with welcoming community space. Residents are offered a warm, trusted setting for people to socialise and access services tackling social isolation and cost of living challenges.

Application Criteria

• All sections of online application form must be completed to be considered for the grant
• Applications must be between £500-£1500
• Grant applications must be submitted by 1st March 2024
• Organisations may only apply once
• All supporting documentation must be uploaded
• Data protection agreement must be signed to progress All fields marked with red asterisk (*) on each tab must be completed to submit the application.

Tab 2 - Organisational details

Please complete the following:

• The organisations name, organisation type, registered charity / companies' number, and address to be completed
• The date the organisation was set up
• Outline the organisation’s aims, objectives, and purpose
• Lead person’s details including name, email address, telephone number
• Confirm if the organisation acting as a sponsor for a small group or individual
• All fields marked with red asterisk (*) on each tab must be completed to submit the application.

Tab 3 - About your project or service

Please outline the following:

• Confirm that you understand and accept the conditions of the application as set out by clicking on the box indicated
• Confirm the project / service name, a brief description of the offer and how the funding will be used; state how you will spend the money
• Confirm how many residents will access the project / service offered
• Identify which communities in West Northamptonshire will benefit from the project / service
• Confirm when you will deliver your project e.g., October 2023 – March 2024
• Confirm what will happen to the project / service once the funding ends
• Confirm how much funding you are applying for (£500-£1500)

Organisations must provide details of purchases they wish to make

All amounts claimed must be net of VAT if you are claiming back the VAT from HMRC. The council will not pay the VAT element of your costs if you can claim these back from HMRC.

Please confirm the details of what is being purchased:

1. Complete the details below for the first record of what is being purchased
2. Select the ‘Save details’ button to add the purchase information to the form
3. Repeat steps 1 and 2 to add another record or continue with the form

Please select if your organisation is VAT registered or not.

All fields marked with red asterisk (*) on each tab must be completed to submit the application.

Tab 4 – Bank Account Details

Please complete the following details to ensure swift payment if successful. Note: Organisation Name field is prepopulated

• Email address for remittance
• Bank name
• Bank account payee
• Bank account number
• Bank account sort code ll fields marked with red asterisk (*) on each tab must be completed to submit the application

Tab 5 – Supporting Documentation

Please upload the following documents:

• Public Liability Insurance (minimum £5 million)
• Constitution or Governing Document
• Equality Policy
• Accounts ((audited accounts, independent examination, or statement of accounts)
• Child Protection Statement (if applicable)
• Vulnerable Adults Statement (if applicable)
• All fields marked with red asterisk (*) on each tab must be completed to submit the application.

Tab 6 – Applicant Declaration

Part D: Declaration

20. Agreement and Undertaking:

Please read prior to completing the declaration to ensure the application is correctly completed

• By signing this agreement, you agree to provide the following reporting:
  • Attendees per month broken down by age groups, ethnicity, gender, and long-term health conditions for example Cardio-Vascular and Respiratory diseases where possible
  • Number of attendees per month who have been referred on to other services for example: CAB, Social Prescribers etc
  • Case studies to illustrate individual stories showing impact of use of Welcoming Spaces to their lives.
  • By signing this agreement, you undertake the conditions in regard to the Data Protection Act outlined in the paragraph ‘Data Protection Act’

21. Declarations: The Declaration should be completed and signed by an authorised signatory of your organisation.

Appendix A

Grant terms and conditions

1. The recipient organisation will not operate for profit for its members.
2. There will be no distribution of assets or funds from this grant to any individual during the existence of the organisation or on its dissolution, other than the payment of salaries or wages that have formed part of the grant application.
3. For grants provided to community and voluntary organisations, the grant recipient shall have a written constitution / Trust Deed, UK Bank Account and Audited Accounts.
4. The grant recipient has not committed itself by purchase, contract or other binding agreement to expenditure relating to the project / service for which the grant is being sought (it is not the Council’s policy to fund retrospectively). If work has already commenced, contracts made, or goods, services or equipment has been purchased, you will be unable to claim grant against those costs. You may only place orders / contracts once a funding decision has been made, you have signed and sent back your acceptance of offer form to the Council, and receipt of your completed acceptance of offer form has been acknowledged by the Council.
5. The Council shall reserve the right to suspend, defer, withhold or clawback any or all the grant payments and / or require repayment of all the financial assistance if:
   1.  all terms and conditions of the grant offer are not met in full
   2. any information given to the Council in connection with the application for the grant is found by the Council to be false, misleading, or there has been a failure to disclose any material fact which would have had a bearing on the initial consideration of the application
   3. there is a substantial or material change in the nature, scale, or timing of the project / service
   4. the project / service extends to purposes other than those specified in the application; or
   5. grant funding is received from any other source, or services are provided in kind, for the same project / service that would result in the total eligible project costs being reduced to those stated in the grant application
   6. All works and activities covered by the grant will conform to all relevant statutory obligations, bylaws, licences, regulations, and consents.
   7. The grant-aided assets / activity will be adequately insured, and the organisation will maintain adequate insurance covering public liability. Evidence of insurance cover must be produced for the Council if requested.
   8. The Council reserves the right to require the applicant to comply with any relevant recommendations or requirements imposed on the Council by Internal Audit, External Audit or other statutory inspectorate or regulatory body in relation to the grant.
   9. By signing the grant application form your organisation is declaring that the project / service is exempt from State Aid Regulations.
   10. Grant payments will be made by the Council in line with the request for payment procedures.
   11. The Council may require its grant to be recognised by the use of the Council’s logo or appropriate wording on promotional literature, website, social media, or via either a poster or a plaque being installed on the premises in a location to be agreed by the Council.
   12. The Council reserves the right to use photographs, videos, or other promotional material to publicise the grant aid projects / services.
   13. The Council reserves the right to inspect the assets and / or activities for which the funding has been sought on giving reasonable notice to the applicant or organisation.
   14. If required by the Council, six months from the date of the award, grant recipients will provide the Council with a monitoring report on the use to which the financial assistance has been put, including any metrics or deliverables that may be specific to the project
   15. If required by the Council, not more than twelve months from the completion of the project, grant recipients will produce a monitoring report on the use to which the financial assistance (grant) has been put.
   16. The organisation must have security of tenure on the facilities (including playing facilities) through the ownership of the freehold or by means of a long lease.
   17. Beyond anything shown in the application, the property will not be subject to a mortgage or loan secured on it without prior consent of the Council.

Appendix B

Grant terms and conditions on award of grant

If you are successful and you are awarded funding, a confirmation letter will be sent to you. All terms and conditions attached to your grant offer have been issued on the grant application form. The Council will not cover any additional costs or overspends above the amount of the grant award. In exceptional circumstances, the Council may consider additional funding on completion and approval of a new grant application.

Appendix C

Privacy Notice

The Council is committed to protecting the privacy and security of your personal information. The personal information we collect will include your name, address, contact details and other relevant information to process the grant application and make grant payments.

How we use your information collected by the Welcoming Spaces Grant application process

The Council processes applications and makes decisions for the management of the Welcoming Spaces Grant programme, draws up offer letters, project manages the grant claim process and makes payments of grant. The Council, in liaison with the grant recipient, reserves the right to enter publicity and press releases with regards to the project.

Who will have access to my personal data?

Council staff and Councillors involved in the grant application, decision- making and project / service monitoring processes.

What information is processed?

In order to ratify that a grant applicant has a bank account set up in the organisation’s name, at the application stage, for bank or building society accounts we record the account holder’s name, the branch address, sort code, account number and signature and the name, address and contact details of the organisation / applicant.

What is the data retention period?

The Council will retain data for five years from the date of receipt of the application and thereafter all personal data will be redacted, leaving the organisation’s data only to be retained for a further period of five years for grants awarded up to and including £5K. And 21 years for grants over £5K or as set out in the terms and conditions of the grant offer letter. Thereafter, once the retention period has expired all documentation shall be securely disposed of by the Council.

Appendix D

Next steps

1. Once an application has been received it will be acknowledged by website receipt or email receipt.
2. Your application will then be assessed for completeness. To be fair to all grant applicants, we will not accept incomplete applications or applications awaiting further information. These will require a new submission. This may result in your application missing the allocated funding round and, as a result, a delay until the next suitable funding round is open.
3. The Council’s Sector Specialists’ will be emailed a copy of your application for their views on the viability and need for your project / service.
4. You may be asked to provide some additional / information or clarify some points on the application form to assist with the assessment of the application.
5. Complete applications will then be assessed by a Panel of Council’s Sector Specialists’ against the objectives of the Welcoming Spaces Grant.
6. If your application is successful, you will be sent an offer letter and an acceptance form to sign and return.
7. Once you have returned an appropriately completed and signed acceptance form to the Council, and any other duly completed legal documents required by the Council, you will be sent a Payment Request Pack which sets out how to claim your grant award.
8. Please note, it is not the Council’s policy to fund retrospectively. The grant recipient should not commit itself by purchase, contract or other binding agreement to expenditure relating to the project / service for which the grant is being sought. If work has already commenced, contracts made, or goods, services or equipment has been purchased, you will be unable to claim grant against those costs. You may only place orders / contracts once a funding decision has been made, you have signed and sent back your acceptance of offer form to the Council, and receipt of your completed acceptance of offer form has been acknowledged by the Council.
9. Follow up questionnaires / inspections may be required on completion of the project for monitoring purposes. The details of this will be explained in your offer letter.
10. Successful applications will be promoted through various communication channels to help promote the project / service and the Council’s grant scheme.
11. If your application is refused, the reasons for the refusal will be contained within a notification letter.
12. There is no right of appeal.
13. You cannot reapply for a grant for the same project / service if your initial application has been submitted and refused and you are not asked to resubmit by the Council in writing. Any subsequent grant applications for the project / service will only be accepted, for a following appropriate grant round, if there has been a material change to the application or the amount of funding being requested.