1. Introduction

  1. Padstow Town Council has an established community grant scheme which aims to encourage and support community associations, and cultural, educational, sporting or charitable organisations, which are not for profit and which will directly benefit the community of Padstow Parish.
  2. A grants budget is agreed annually by the Council as part of the budget for each financial year.
  3. Decisions related to the Community Grant Scheme have been delegated to the Finance and General Purposes (FGP) Committee. The Committee will consider and decide on all applications annually.
  4. The scheme will be publicised on the Council’s noticeboards, website and social media. Organisations will not automatically be written to on the basis of previous expressions of interest but can opt-in to the Council’s email mailing list for this purpose.
  5. For the purpose of this policy, the term “organisation” applies to any organised body.

2. Eligibility

  1. The scheme is open to applications for start-up grants as well as applications for grants towards existing organisations.
  2. The following organisations are eligible to apply (subject to sections 2.3, 2.4 and 2.5):
    • An organisation serving the needs of the local community;
    • A club, association or charity organisation serving some or all of the community;
    • A Padstow or Trevone based charity;
    • A local branch of a national organisation/charity which serves the needs of the local community.
  3. Organisations must be able to demonstrate they are properly managed and can run their affairs responsibly.
  4. Organisations must have a bank account in their own name. Grants cannot be paid to individuals.
  5. The scheme will not fund retrospective projects, events or purchases and grants will not be awarded to meet general salary costs.
  6. The scheme is not open to individuals, statutory bodies (including schools), political parties or charities/not for profit organisations whose work does not directly benefit the local community.

3. Applying for a Grant

  1. Applications must include:
    1. Details of the organisation’s aims and purpose;
    2. A specified amount of grant funding detailing the specific purpose of the grant supported by:
      • a current estimate or quote which clearly evidences how the grant amount requested has been arrived at; AND
      • for any event/project which is the subject of the application, a detailed explanation of the event/project including timescales.
    3. Where only a contribution to costs is sought, details as to how the remainder of the funding will be provided.
    4. Evidence of a clear need for funding. Organisations which hold reserves should provide sound rationale as to why these cannot be used for the purpose of the grant amount requested.
    5. A copy of the previous financial year’s audited accounts. New/start up organisations should instead provide a financial statement containing their proposed budget and an estimate of the expected income and expenditure for the first year.
    6. Bank statements for the last 2 months.
  2. Applications for smaller grants of up to £300 are exempt from providing the information in 3.1(e) above.
  3. Applications which do not meet the eligibility criteria in section 2, are missing the detail required in section 3 of this policy, or are in any other way incomplete will be rejected and returned. A revised application may be submitted provided it is received before the closing date for applications.
  4. The closing date for applications will be detailed on the Grant Application Form and on all literature inviting applications.

4. Grant Application Decision Process

  1. The FGP Committee will consider all grant applications at a public meeting held specifically for this purpose, usually in April.
  2. Organisations are not guaranteed assistance and past awards do not guarantee future support.
  3. All applications will be considered fairly and equally and all decisions are final. When assessing your application, the Committee will consider:
    • Whether there is a specific power under which the grant can be awarded;
    • How well the grant will meet the needs of the community;
    • How effectively your group will use the grant;
    • Whether the project costs are appropriate and realistic;
    • The level of contributions raised locally;
    • Whether the applicant has sought support from other sources;
    • How the group is managed;
    • Any funding received from other sources; and
    • Accounts details and bank account balances.
  4. Further information in addition to your application may be sought in order to make a decision.
  5. The FGP Committee may make the award of any grant subject to such additional conditions and requirements as it considers appropriate.
    At the grants meeting, it will give specific consideration to imposing release conditions on any grant of £3,000 and above.
    Such conditions may include payment of the grant in stages through the year, part payment on commencement of the work, and/or regular progress reports.
  6. Following the grants meeting, organisations will be notified of the FGP Committee’s decision in writing. For successful organisations this will include details of how the grant can be claimed.

5. Payment of Grants

  1. Grants can be claimed immediately upon notification of the award.
    A Grant Release Form must be submitted and any conditions met as per 4.5 above before the payment is released.
  2. Payment will be made to organisations (not individuals) by BACS transfer using the information detailed on the Grant Release Form.
  3. Grants are awarded for one financial year and must be expended by the end of the financial year in which they are awarded, being 31 March.
    There is no provision under the Community Grant Scheme for ongoing funding and organisations wishing to receive future funding will need to submit a new grant application each time applications are invited, bearing in mind 4.2 above.
  4. Where a project/event is delayed beyond 31 March for reasons outside of an organisation’s control, a written request for an extension can be made.
    The request must be received at the Town Council Office 6 weeks prior to 31 March and will be taken to the next appropriate meeting of the Full Council for consideration.
  5. The Full Council may agree to “ring fence” an unclaimed approved grant to enable the organisation to claim the grant by a revised date in the new financial year.
    The decision to “ring fence” a grant is discretionary and the Council’s decision will be final.

6. Receiving a Grant: Terms & Conditions

  1. Acceptance of the following terms and conditions is a requirement of any grant application and the receiving of a grant award:
    1. Organisations are responsible for ensuring they are compliant with all legal and statutory requirements.
    2. A grant award may only be used for the purpose set out in the application and, when requested, organisations must provide proof that it was spent on the intended purposes.
    3. The Council reserves the right to inspect any work or purchase funded by the Community Grant Scheme with prior notification of its intention to do so.
    4. The Council reserves the right to withhold, withdraw or recover a grant if the operation for which the grant is awarded ceases, its aims and objectives vary to the extent that the application would not have been eligible for consideration at the time of the application, or the funds are not used for the purposes stated in the application.
    5. Organisations may be asked to complete a short report setting out what it has achieved with the grant award.
    6. Recognition of the grant from the Council shall be made in any publicity and in the organisation’s accounts.
    7. In its own publicity material, the Council may use the name of any organisation awarded a grant and details of the grant’s purpose.
      It will not use personal data without express permission.
  2. The Council reserves the right to amend the Community Grant Scheme policy, procedures and assessment criteria as necessary from time to time
    and will aim to inform actual or possible beneficiaries as appropriate.