Below is our 2010 - 2011 grant application form guidance notes. Once you have read them you will be ready to fill in our online form linked below.
1. Guidance notes
1.1 Each year the Borough Council makes grant aid available to voluntary groups based or undertaking activities in Guildford Borough.
1.2 Applications will be considered from such organisations towards the cost of arts, community and youth, play and sport activities in the Borough. Examples of projects recently assisted through the grant aid scheme include the purchase of play equipment, arts workshop programmes and special sports events. The grant scheme is not intended to assist the annual administrative running costs of organisations.
1.3 To qualify for consideration for grant aid, organisations should usually be based, and the activity must take place, within the Guildford Borough boundary. Applications related to the activities of commercial and profit-making organisations are specifically excluded from the schemes.
1.4 Each year the demand for assistance through the grant schemes is substantial and invariably exceeds the resources available. This will almost certainly mean that your organisation will not receive the full sum requested, or may not receive assistance at all.
1.5 Applications are considered ‘en-bloc’ annually and all documentation should be returned by the deadline as advised for assistance required in the next financial year (commencing 1 April following the deadline date). Requests can be considered at other times only if resources are available. This is extremely unlikely.
1.6 When assessing each application the Council will consider the criteria (section 4).
2. Conditions of grant aid scheme
2.1 Applications will be considered from voluntary, non-profit making organisations, based and undertaking the activity within the Guildford Borough boundary, in respect of arts, community & youth, play and sports projects. The majority of your organisation’s members should be Guildford residents and membership should be open to all and not refused on other than reasonable grounds.
2.2 Retrospective applications will not be considered. Grant aid will not be paid towards expenditure incurred before grant aid has been approved.
2.3 Any misleading statements provided during the application process is likely to render the application invalid and the applicant will be required to return any grant paid to the Council.
2.4 The Borough Council reserves the right to vary the terms and conditions of the grant aid scheme at any time without notice.
2.5 The Borough Council must be identified and acknowledged in all publicity relating to the activity for which a grant has been made.
2.6 General running expenses will not normally be considered. However, the establishment of new initiatives and the development of societies/groups that help to achieve Guildford Borough’s core values and strategic priorities will be positively encouraged.
2.7 Successful applicants must submit evidence of how the grant helped to achieve their objectives and may be asked to participate in an evaluation exercise. The Council would expect the applicant to cooperate with this exercise.
2.8 All organisations applying for sports grants must be a current member of Sport Guildford and have achieved or be working towards obtaining Clubmark and or Active Surrey Club Accreditation.
3. Notes to help you complete your application. (Please read before filling in application)
When completing the form please try to answer all the questions. If accurate information is not available and you estimate any of the answers, please state this. Where a question is not appropriate to your organisation, please state ‘not appropriate’. Do not leave any answer spaces blank.
Should it be necessary, please continue answers on the blank sheets at the back of this booklet or send appropriate documentation. Please ensure this is clearly labelled for identification should any paperwork become separated.
Question 6 to 9
If your organisation is not membership based, please write not applicable and pass to Question 10.
Question 9
Is your membership restricted in any way, such as age, gender, numbers of people that can be accommodated at any time either by venue size/type or help available etc? If this is the case, is there a waiting list and how do you determine the order of the waiting list?
Question 14
Examples of this could be your building or equipment being shared by other groups or members of your organisation helping to run other groups, providing coaching, training, etc.
Question 16 to 18
Please ensure you give sufficient detail of your project/activity for an accurate assessment to be made by the Council. Demand for a project can be established in a number of ways, e.g. a lead body such as Sport England or the Arts Council has established a need or stated support for a provision in your region; your organisation has been contacted by others requesting an activity/facility that you currently do not provide or provide but to a limited capacity; your members wish to have something additional provided or need something to continue operating; a feasibility study has been undertaken.
Question 19
Should your organisation require a Child Protection Policy but not have one at present, help can be given by Guildford Borough Council. Contact the relevant Officer as identified on the form. A model Child Protection Policy is available that could be modified as appropriate for adoption by your organisation.
Question 21
Capital costs are those required to purchase items of a significant or lasting nature, e.g. equipment, structures, tools, materials, etc. Running costs are to cover day to day items, e.g. staff, hire of equipment/buildings, utility bills, refreshments etc.
Question 23
Benefit to your members should be easy to determine. With regard to others, if it is an event or provision of a service/facility that you are planning, you should be able to reasonably estimate numbers you are hoping to achieve. It is understood that for certain projects numbers will be more difficult to estimate. An answer will, however, be required.
Please ensure that you agree to the decleration at the end of the application form.
4. Criteria
The extent to which your organisation meets the criteria below will be a factor in determining the success of your application. (Please note the following criteria are set out in alphabetical order, not in any priority order)
- Demonstration of the need for the activity for people in the Borough
- Demonstration of the quality of the activity for which the grant is sought
- Facilitating and promoting better health and/or sense of wellbeing
- Financial position/stability of the organisation
- Future sustainability of the project/service
- Number of members of the organisation or those using the service, resident in the Borough
- Number of young people (under 18) both in the organisation and as users of the service likely to benefit
- Percentage of the cost of activity being requested from the Council and evidence of fundraising initiatives
- Social inclusion: wide range of users, including those with disabilities or low income
- Support from other relevant organisations/funding bodies Where appropriate,
- Registration of the scheme with OFSTED and the presence of a Child Protection Policy will be considered.
Leisure Strategy Officer
Leisure Services
Guildford Borough Council
Millmead House
Millmead
Guildford
Surrey
GU2 4BB
Tel: 01483 444703
Email: leisurestrategy@guildford.gov.uk