The Grassroots Fund

Guidelines and Notes

For maximum grants up to £5,000

If you need advice or support to complete your application form, please contact one of our Grants Team who will be happy to discuss your project or idea.

Please be aware that organisations that have an outstanding End of Grant Form relating to previous funding from us, will be unable to submit any new applications for funding until you have returned the information requested and CFGM are satisfied that the terms of the grant offer have been met.

Telephone: 0161 214 0940

Fax: 0161 214 0941

Email: enquiries@communityfoundation.co.uk or visit www.communityfoundation.co.uk .

Address:
The Community Foundation for Greater Manchester
Beswick House
Beswick Row
Manchester
M4 4LA

We are pleased to bring you news of Community Directplus from The Co-operative Bank which offers community and voluntary groups free banking with no strings attached - which means there are no charges for cheques, standing orders, direct debits or cash deposits/withdrawals. Please see the enclosed leaflet. or call 0800 783 4741 quoting reference 32711

Please read this information carefully before completing the application form.

What fund are you applying to?

The purpose of The Grassroots Fund is to encourage and support small local informal voluntary and community groups and organisations, many of whom are dependent on volunteers. This may be the first grant for many of the groups that apply to the Grassroots Fund.

The Grassroots Fund programme will be available for local organisations for a period of three years from summer 2008 to March 2011

Who can apply?

The application form can be used by community groups and organisations aiming to improve circumstances for people in communities within one of the following boroughs: Bury, Manchester, Oldham, Rochdale, Salford, Stockport, Tameside, Trafford and Wigan.

Types of groups that are eligible

The types of group or organisation that can be funded though The Grassroots Fund will:

• have either been in existence for at least 24 months prior to the date of applying to the fund (i.e. groups formed in January 2008 can not apply until January 2010)
• or will have previously managed a Community Foundation grant and have satisfactorily completed all monitoring and evaluation requirements
• have an evidenced income of less than £20,000 per annum, taken as an average turnover for the last three financial years (or over the life of the group if it is less than three years old), and net of any grants received through the Grassroots Grants programme
• be volunteer led (i.e. with largely volunteer based input)
• be connected with and/or meeting the needs of the local community
• have a governing document that has as a minimum the name, aim/purpose, objects, a dissolution clause for the organisation, a list of Trustees/Committee members, and Trustees/Committee member signatures

If you do not meet all the above criteria, there may be other funding programmes managed by CFGM that may be more appropriate or you can get advice from local Councils for Voluntary Services. Further details can be found on our website www.communityfoundation.co.uk.

How much can you apply for?

The maximum grant request that will be considered is £5,000 and the minimum is £250.

For maximum flexibility groups or organisations can apply for either a one-off grant payment or a grant spread over a maximum of the three year period (2008 – 2011), but with no portion of that spread being less than the minimum grant amount.
Please be aware that the maximum amount of funding that individual groups or organisations can receive during the lifetime of this programme is £5,000.

This means groups or organisations can apply for:

• up to £5,000 spread over the three year period (by making a single application)
• a single one-off payment up to £5,000
• or a number of grants (multiple applications over time) that total no more than £5,000 up to March 2011
  

Examples of what can be funded

The Grassroots Fund is intended to respond to the diverse needs of community organisations and can be used to fund a wide range of activities. This may include:

• the purchase of equipment, like a computer, oven, or furniture
• the costs of putting on a local event or workshop
• staff or sessional costs to enable the employment of individuals
• contribution to rent costs (related to activities/service delivery)
• the cost of attending a conference or event
• training for volunteers
• additional activities to expand an existing funded project
• activities that support community activity
• activities that meet an identified need in the local community
• funding to support an organisation to achieve a quality or other standard relevant to their activities.
  

Priority is given to projects that:

• Are run by local volunteers who wish to improve the circumstances of individuals and communities in economically/socially excluded and/or deprived areas
• Do not have access to a professional fundraiser and experience difficulty in attracting funding from other sources.
• Encourage involvement of local residents in improving, designing, identifying and implementing community activities.
• Promote voluntary participation and social inclusion as well as community involvement and self-help.
• Meet and demonstrate an emerging or immediate need and serve to build the community’s awareness.
• Do not duplicate an existing provision or service. (If the project resembles an existing provision, you will be asked to explain why their services are needed in addition to existing provisions or clarify how they are different?)
  

Who and what cannot be funded?

• The grants must be used for activity within local communities in one of the boroughs of Bury, Manchester, Oldham, Rochdale Salford, Stockport, Tameside, Trafford and Wigan.
• There are some restrictions on the types of activities that can be supported for Asylum Seeker groups. This funding cannot be used for the provision of services to asylum seekers when those services are inconsistent with immigration laws or Home Office policy. For the purposes of this fund, an ‘asylum seeker’ means a person who has brought an asylum or human rights claim in the UK which has not yet been determined by either the Secretary of State or, as applicable, any relevant appellate authorities. It also includes a person who is a dependant on such a claim. Further information can be found at http://www.ind.homeoffice.gov.uk .
• Individuals
• Statutory organisations, such as Local Authorities, schools and the Police Force
• Regional or local offices of a national organisation
• Arms length public sector organisations that are controlled wholly or in part by, for example, a Local Authority, a Primary Care Trust or agencies of these
• Any party political activity or religious activity
• Commercial ventures
• Organisations that are for the sole benefit or relief of animals or plants. Grassroots Grants are for the direct benefit of communities of people only. (This does not preclude City Farms or other groups and organisations that work with animals and/or the environment to benefit people.
• Organisations and projects outside the Greater Manchester area.
• Organisations trading for profit or intending to redistribute grant awards.
• Academic or medical research & equipment.
• Overseas travel or activities
• Retrospective Grants – (Projects/activities that have already taken place or have been paid for.)
• Sponsorship or fundraising events unless profits are to be put back into the organisation.
• Contributions to larger/major appeals.
• Holidays, trips and social outings. (Except in cases of specific disablement or proven benefit to a community or group of people)
  

How to complete the Application Form

Please complete all sections of the application form, even if you are enclosing supporting or corresponding information, as this speed up the assessment process. If your application is incomplete this will delay the processing of your application and may be returned to you if incomplete.

Please note that only applications providing all the required documentation and details can be submitted to panel. Missing information may lead to a delay in processing your application.

Contact Details

Please give all your contact details accurately as we aim to keep our records as complete as possible. If you are making this application on behalf of an organisation, please provide details for a second person including contact telephone numbers. We often try and communicate via the telephone or email if available to ensure the swift progress of your request. Having the ability to contact two representatives from your organisation can help us to process your application more effectively. (If there are certain times in the day when it would be best to contact you, please indicate these.)

About your organisation

In this section you will help us understand the structure and purpose of your organisation. You can tell us what you actually do and who is involved. You may wish to enclose leaflets and other information that illustrate your activities, but please keep these to a minimum.

About the project/activity

Please describe the project your organisation is proposing and what exactly you are planning to do once the grant has been received. It is also important to show how the need for the project or activity has been identified within the respective community, that members of that community have been involved in the process and that they will be involved in delivering the project or activity.

Project Outcomes

If your application is successful, you will be required to monitor and evaluate the project or activity. In this section please give details of how you will monitor the project and evaluate its success. This may include; taking attendance registers, questionnaires, or photographs.

Cost of the project

In this section you are asked to provide a clear idea of how much money you need for your project/activity. Please give as thorough a breakdown of costs as possible using the table provided on page 7 of the application form. Should your project/activity cost more than the maximum you can apply for, please tell us how you plan to raise the remainder of the funding you require.

Full Cost Recovery

Full cost recovery means securing funding for all the costs involved in the delivery of the work. Your budget should reflect the full costs to your organisation, including the direct costs of projects, and all the overhead costs associated with running them.

After you have worked out the costs of each project, look back over it to make sure that you budget all the proportionate running costs of that activity such as rent, electricity, telephones etc. You should try and apportion some “core” costs such as rent (share the costs between projects / activities) because it will apply to many projects at the same time.

It is easy to focus upon developments and forget that you need to cover the core costs of your existing work. Remember, many sources of funding can be used for core costs, including Grassroots Grants.

Finances of your organisation

We ask you to provide a brief summary of your income and expenditure within the application form. You will also need to provide copies of your organisation’s 3 consecutive bank statements If you are a new organisation. If you have no banking arrangements in place - please contact our office on 0161 214 0940)

Please note that to be eligible to receive a Grassroots Fund grant your group or organisation must have an evidenced income of less than £20,000 per annum, taken as an average turnover for the last three financial years (or over the life of the group if it is less than three years old), and net of any grants received through the Grassroots Grants programme.

If you are successful and have no bank account in your organisation’s name, we will ask you to find another community group that is willing to accept the grant into their account for you. You will need to ask this group to sign and complete the statement on the application form.

Please note that we cannot make cheques payable to individuals.

Beneficiaries and Timescale

We would like to know how many people are going to benefit from your project and what age range your proposed project/activity will cover. It is also important to indicate when the project/activity will start.

Please be realistic about the speed at which we can provide you with a decision. We try to turn around all requests as quickly as possible. However, we have to adhere to agreed procedures with our donors and therefore you need to take this period into account when planning your project/activity and apply well in advance.

Referee Details

We can only process your request once all the required information has been received. This includes your referee completing and signing your application on page 13 to confirm that they have read the application. Please read the notes on page 13 of the application form relating to Referee Details: (Should you need further advice on who can act as your referee, please contact our Grants team on 0161 214 0940)

What Happens Next?

1. Return your completed application form to the Community Foundation. Please remember to include any supplementary information requested.
2. Your application will be checked to make sure your request fits the funding criteria.
3. We will contact you to confirm receipt of your application & advise if further information is required, or we will confirm the date that your application will be submitted to a panel.
4. Following receipt of all information requested including a response from your referee, your application will be considered by a panel who will decide if your request can be funded. In the case of Micro Grants your application will be assessed by CFGM’s Grassroots Fund Team.
5. The Community Foundation Trustees must then approve any decisions taken at panel before we can contact you.
6. We will then contact you to advise you on the panel’s decision and issue a grant-cheque.
   

The following items are included in this application pack:

• Grant Application Guidelines (see above)
• A Grassroots Fund Application Form (This includes a checklist of information that you will have to provide)
• A Grassroots Fund Application for Micro Grants under £900

Please send your completed application to:

Community Foundation for Greater Manchester
Beswick House
Beswick Row
Manchester
M4 4LA