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Grant Awarding Policy and Application Form

General Information

Grants are primarily funded through the precept.  Each year the Parish Council will set a grants budget and grant applications are therefore to be considered within the financial constraints of the Parish Council. The maximum grant to any one organisation will normally be no more than £1000 in any financial year. The Clerk will advise the council on whether it has the power to make a grant. The Parish Council must be satisfied that there is a legal power to make a grant.

Eligibility

1.     Any Registered Charity, Voluntary Group, Community Organisation or agency that operate within the Parish and are of benefit to the local community, with the following provisos:

▪ The Council will not fund activities that it considers to be the responsibility of a Statutory Authority.

▪ The Parish Council will not usually be able to consider applications from schools for an activity that takes place within the school day (this is the responsibility of the statutory authority or MAT) though there may be instances where the Parish Council can consider grants from organisations associated with the school and where there is a wider benefit beyond education alone.

2.     To qualify for an award the applicant must be able to demonstrate that any funding from the Council will benefit the Parish, or residents of the Parish.

3.     The Council cannot fund activities outside its legally defined powers and functions.

What you can apply for

·        Grants are normally awarded for a specific purpose. This is intended to be for an event, activity or project that will be completed in less than 12 months from the date the grant is awarded.

·        The council specifically welcomes applications where other sources of funding have been identified. These may be from an organisations own reserves, grants from other bodies, or targeted fundraising.

·        Where a project is dependent on other funding, the council may delay the awarding of an approved grant until remaining funds have been secured or there are sufficient funds to allow an agreed part of the project to complete.

·        Grants will not be considered for projects that have already been completed.

Guidelines

·        Grants may be submitted at any time but will normally only be considered at the April and October Parish Council Meeting. Deadline for applications are two weeks before the meeting date.

·        Additional applications within a 12-month period will not normally be considered.

·        Temple Cloud with Cameley Parish Council will consider applications for grants that they consider are permissible within their powers from Registered Charities, Voluntary Groups or Community Organisations. 

·        Extended Grants i.e. grants that run over a period of more than one year will not normally be considered.

·        All grant applications must be in writing in the form of a fully completed application form and supported by a financial statement (e.g. statement of accounts, income & expenditure) and sent to the Clerk.

·        The applicant is welcome to attend the meeting at which the application is to be considered and at the Chairman’s discretion may address the Councillors to give background and further information for a maximum period of three minutes.

Conditions

1.     The award must be used for the purpose for which the application was made.

2.     Upon completion of the project, any remaining funds should be returned to the Parish Council where it will be held as an earmarked reserve.

3.     If the group is unable to use the award for the stated purpose, all monies must be returned to the Council.

4.     All grant recipients must use monies within that financial year.

5.     Grant recipients will be required to provide evidence of how the grant was spent to the Parish Council.  Recipients of grants in excess of £250 will need 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, set of accounts or letter to the Parish Council which clearly identify the manner of spending.  The written report must be deposited with the Clerk of the Council and hence becomes a document liable for inspection by the general public under the provision of Section 228 of the Local Government Act 1972 (as amended). If no report is provided, is incomplete or does not satisfactorily set out how the money has been spent, the Parish Council reserve the right to request a refund of monies awarded. 

6.     Recipients of grants will be asked to acknowledge Council support appropriately.

7. Funds and support are provided on the basis that the Parish Council is not held responsible for any liabilities resulting from how the funds or support are used and is indemnified by the applicant for any such liabilities.

[1] For example, the Parish Council can also make a capital grant or loan to a non-profit making voluntary organisation to provide recreational facilities which the council would also have power to provide,

[2] The conditions for eligibility are that the council must pass a resolution, employ a ‘qualified’ clerk who has passed a specified sector qualification, and have two thirds of Councillors elected or have stood for election, even if unopposed (but not co-opted or appointed).

[3] This act empowers a local council to spend up to a prescribed amount in any one year. This ‘free resource’ must be for the benefit of the inhabitants of the area or part of them. This figure is agreed annually by the Government using the Retail Price Index.

APPLICATION FORM


All grant applications must be supported by a financial statement (e.g. statement of accounts, income & expenditure) Any figures should be for the last financial year of the organisation. 

Completed applications must be sent to the Clerk by email: info@templecloud.org.uk