Policies

SCOTHERN PARISH COUNCIL                                                                                            

Grant Applications

1.Introduction

1.1 Scothern Parish Council sets an annual budget for the provision of grants each year and the total amount available will vary from year to year. Grants are made out of the money provided by council tax payers of Scothern and accordingly Council has a responsibility to satisfy itself that grants will provide benefit to the local community.

1.2 A grant is any payment or gift made by the Parish Council to an organisation for a specific purpose.

1.3 This policy outlines the scope, eligibility and conditions of grants provided by Scothern Parish Council.

2 Eligibility

2.1 To be eligible the group must be

• a charity, voluntary or community organisation;
• formally constituted and have a management committee made up of volunteers.

2.2 The group should be based in Scothern or if not demonstrate that the project or objective will directly benefit the parish.

2.3 The Parish Council will not award grants to:

• private individuals;
• commercial organisations;
• upward funders i.e. local groups where fund raising is sent to a central HQ for redistribution;
• political parties;
• religious organisations: unless for a purpose which does not discriminate on grounds of belief;
• projects for which organisations have a statutory duty;
• Arts and sports projects which do not demonstrate a community or charitable element.

3 Grant criteria

3.1 The aims of the Council's Grant Policy:

• To enable local people to participate in voluntary groups and activities
• To help the parish's voluntary groups to improve their effectiveness and reach in supporting local residents with their specific aims
• To support the provision of services, needed by residents, via the voluntary sector
• To improve or enhance the local environment. The Council awards grants, at its absolute discretion, to organisations which can demonstrate a clear need for financial support to achieve a project of objective which will benefit the parish.

3.2 The Council awards grants, at its absolute discretion, to organisation which can demonstrate a basis of need, merit and contribution to the local community.

3.3 Applicants must clearly show how any assistance given will provide direct benefit to the people living in the Parish or will benefit the environment of the Parish. 

For example, if grant funding is sought to assist in the purchase of equipment, the organisation is expected to illustrate how the purchase of equipment directly benefits the local people participating in the group or activity.

3.4 Applicants may be required to attend the meeting to answer any questions councillors may have about the project.

3.5 Grants will be available from £25.00 to a maximum of £5,000 and will not be made retrospectively.

3.6 The parish council may not resolve to fund the full cost of the project to which a grant application pertains and, in such circumstances, should expect to see evidence of other funding sources. (eg. contributions from the district or county council, local business sponsorship, other fundraising events such as jumble sales, etc).

3.7 Applications for grants of less than £250 can be made at any time but at least eight weeks should be allowed a grant application(s) to be considered by the parish council.

3.8 Grant applications over £250 will need to be made prior to 30 September each year for consideration by the council when preparing its budget for the following financial year.

3.9 The council requires all recipients of grants in excess of £500 to provide a written report of how the grant money has been used within 12 months of receipt of the grant.  This may take the form of an annual report or set of accounts that clearly identify the manner of spending.  The written report must be deposited with the clerk to the council and becomes a document which members of the public have a right to inspect under the provision of Section 228 of the Local Government Act 1972 (as amended).

4 The application procedure

4.1 The following items should be submitted by email or post:

• a completed application form and
• a copy of the organisation’s most recent detailed income and expenditure accounts, and of its latest bank statement.

4.2 The application form should clearly state the purpose of the grant and how it will be used. Applications must state how the grant will benefit the parish and residents of Scothern.

4.3 An organisation which has not previously applied to the Parish Council must submit a copy of its constitution. If any organisation makes a change to its previously submitted constitution, a copy of the amended constitution should be included with the next application submitted.

5 The assessment procedure

5.1 The Council will assess all grant applications at a scheduled meeting.

5.2 The Council will consider applications based on the criteria set in this policy and the quality of the application.

5.3 The Parish Council may make the award of any grant or subsidy subject to such additional conditions and requirements as it considers appropriate.

5.4 The Parish Council reserves the right to refuse any grant application which it considers to be inappropriate, or against the objectives of the Council.

5.5 In the event of there being more applications than the council has budgeted for, the successful applications may be scaled down to fit the budget rather than deleting applications which merit a grant.

5.6 Nothing contained within this policy shall prevent the Parish Council from exercising, at any time, its existing duty or power in respect of providing financial assistance or grants to local or national organisations under the provisions of the Local Government Act 1972, Section 137.

6 Conditions of grants

6.1 The grant can only be used for the purpose stated in the application and the Council reserves the right to reclaim any grant not being used for the specified purpose. If a group wishes to change the purpose of the grant they must seek approval by writing to the council who will consider whether or not to approve the change.

6.2 Grants must be spent within one year of the award. Any unspent monies left after this time must be returned, unless an extension is specifically agreed by the Council.  

6.3 Grant recipients are required to acknowledge council support on all promotional material relating to the project to which the grant relates.

6.4 As a condition of receiving a grant from Scothern Parish Council, groups are expected to provide the Council with a written report of what the money has been spent on and the benefit it has brought. The report should be accompanied with evidence of the expenditure such as copies of invoices and receipts, plus attendance numbers, photos, press clippings, etc. where applicable. This information should be submitted within 1 month of the event/project end or by the end of March each year whichever is sooner. The written report becomes a document which members of the public have a right to inspect under the provision of Section 228 of the Local Government Act 1972 (as amended). Grant recipients are also encouraged to attend the Annual Parish Meeting.

6.5 Additional grant conditions may also be attached to any funding from the parish council and these will be set out in the award confirmation letter.

 7 Responsibilities and review

The Full Council is responsible for reviewing this policy. This policy will be reviewed on a biennial basis, in response to changes in the law or through any other identified need. 

8. Application Form

Applicants must request a grant form from the clerk to the council and return it to the clerk, together with appropriate supplementary information.  Only an original, with original signatures, will be accepted.

9. Payments of Grants

In the case of organisations/projects receiving a single grant from the parish council, they have the choice of a single one-off payment, or the funding can be retained by the parish council and released by the clerk on receipt of an authorised request. In the case of organisations/projects in receipt of match funding, of which the parish council is one of the partners/funding agencies, the parish council will only pay its contribution against an invoice.

APPROVED 13th DECEMBER 2023

Send to: Scothern Parish Council, 13 The Close, Sturton by Stow, Lincoln, LN1 2AG or

clerk@scothern-pc.gov.uk

Please return your completed form to the above address/email before 30 September if your application is in excess of £250.00.

Grant applications are considered during budget discussions in November, for payment in the following April. You will be advised by February if your application has been successful.

Organisations receiving grant aid of more than £500 will be required to provide a brief report to council showing how any funding has been used, together with sight of any supporting paperwork requested.