Direct Grants - Small Grants to Voluntary and Community Organisations in Scotland's ESF Objective 3 Programme area
Is the application form available on line?
Yes, you can
download an application from the web site.
It is available in both PDF Format (acrobat
reader required) and in Word format. The
PDF format application form is a large file
and can take some time to download.
You cannot submit your application
on-line, as we require a signed copy of the
form. The PDF application can only be
printed and subsequently completed
manually. The word application form can be
completed electronically. Please do not
alter the font style and size from that
embedded in the file.
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Are there application deadlines?
No, we are dealing with applications on a
continuous basis. Your application should be
dealt with within about eight weeks of
submission.
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We are having difficulty down loading an
application form.
If you are having difficulty downloading an
application form you can request one be sent
directly from SCVO's Glasgow office. Most
CVS (Councils for Voluntary Service) should
have copies available upon request.
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How long will it take to process my
application?
We endeavour to deal with applications
within about eight weeks. Applications for
more than £10,000 may take longer. If we
have any questions on eligibility or other
details have been omitted we will contact
you as soon as possible, but this will delay
the decision making process.
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What happens after our application has been
approved?
You will receive a letter immediately your
application has been approved. This is only
an approval in principle. You will need to
attend a short workshop with a member of the
Direct Grants Development Team or one of our
regional contractors before we can issue a
formal approval agreement.
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Where can we get further information or
support?
Most CVS (Councils for Voluntary Service)
will be able to provide background
information and some support. In the City of
Glasgow, Grampian (Aberdeen City,
Aberdeenshire and the eastern half of Moray)
and across the South of Scotland (Dumfries
and Galloway and Scottish Borders) SCVO has
contracted with local organisations to
provide development support to applicants.
These regional support agencies are:
-
City of Glasgow
GCVS (Alison Davis, DG Development
Officer)
11Queens Crescent
Glasgow G4 9AS
Telephone
0141 4332 2444
Email;
Alison.davis@gcvs.org.uk
-
Grampian
ACVO (Anne Sobey, DG liaison and
support)
38 Castle Street
Aberdeen AB11 5YU
Telephone 01224 212021
Email:
anne.sobey@btinternet.com
-
South Of Scotland
The development
contract for the south of Scotland is with
all eight Councils for Voluntary Service.
General inquiries should be addressed to
Heather Batsch at Roxburgh CVS (tel: 01835
863 554) who shall be able to pass you to
the appropriate CVS.
Where is the Objective 3 Operational area?
The Objective 3 operation area is shown on
the map included in the
information/application pack that can be
viewed by clicking here.
The Objective 3 operational area covers most
of Scotland apart from the Highlands and
Islands.
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Can Individuals apply for a Direct Grant?
No, Direct Grants are only available to
community groups and voluntary
organisations. Applicants must be locally
based and have received no more than
£75,000 in grants or other awards over the
last three years (see guidance note).
Applicant organisations should have a
steering group or management committee of at
least 3 and preferably 5 members. Applicant
organisations need to have a clear set of
“rules” identifying their objectives and
membership.
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Can businesses apply?
No, Direct Grants are not available to
private sector organisations or groups
comprising private sector businesses or
their representatives.
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Who makes the decision on our application?
Independent representatives of our funders
and the wider voluntary sector determine all
applications. Upon receipt SCVO
confirms the application’s eligibility.
The application form is then circulated to a
small panel made up of individuals from
regional CVS and other representatives of
the sector with local knowledge.
The panel may also comprise representatives
of the local authority and the local
enterprise company. Panel members are
invited to make a recommendation on
applications. These recommendations
are then circulated to a wider based network
for confirmation.
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Is match funding required?
No, you do not need to put money toward the
cost of your project. We can pay up to 100%
of project costs and would not wish to fund
less that 60% of the total project cost. The
Scottish Executive through Communities
Scotland and the Scottish Enterprise Network
contributes match funding to the European
Social Funds.
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Can we use Direct Grant as match funding?
No, Direct Grants may not be used as match
funding for any other European grants.
However applicants may submit parallel and
complementary applications to other small
European grant programmes such as Leader
plus and Key Funds.
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Can we apply more than once?
You can make more than one application BUT
no group shall receive more than one
approval within any twelve-month period. If
you make more than one application please
ensure that you indicate which application
is your priority. If your application is
unsuccessful you may be asked to resubmit,
with guidance given as to how your
application may be revised to improve its
chances of approval. You can also include
two small projects within a single
application as long as they are linked in
their outcome and objectives and they total
no more than £10,000
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Our project has started - can direct grants
help?
No, we cannot make any retrospective
payments. You should not commit any
expenditure in advance of receiving your
formal decision letter. Your agreement will
include the formal start date of the
project. We cannot reimburse you for any
expenditure made before this date.
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Who can apply?
Any voluntary organisation or community
group, based in a locality and responding to
a community need can apply for a Direct
Grant. Your group does not need to have a
formal constitution, just a clear set of
rules. However, the group will need to have
a bank account before any grant can be paid
and unconstituted groups may experience
difficulties and delays in opening a bank
account owing to anti-money laundering
legislation.
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Do we need a constitution?
Your group does not need to have a formal
constitution, just a clear set of rules.
However, the group will need to have a bank
account before any grant can be paid and
unconstituted groups may experience
difficulties and delays in opening a bank
account owing to anti money laundering
legislation.
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Is there a local contact ?
We are working closely with local Councils
for Voluntary service and they should be
able to provide you with general support and
information on Direct Grants and other
sources of funding. In the City of Glasgow,
Grampian (Aberdeen City, Aberdeenshire and
the eastern half of Moray) and across the
South of Scotland (Dumfries and Galloway and
Scottish Borders) SCVO has contracted with
local organisations to provide development
support to applicants.
These regional support agencies are:
-
City of Glasgow
GCVS (Alison Davis, DG Development
Officer)
11Queens Crescent
Glasgow G4 9AS
Telephone
0141 4332 2444
Email;
Alison.davis@gcvs.org.uk
-
Grampian
ACVO (Anne Sobey, DG liaison and
support)
38 Castle Street
Aberdeen AB11 5YU
Telephone 01224 212021
Email:
anne.sobey@btinternet.com
-
South Of Scotland
The development
contract for the south of Scotland is with
all eight Councils for Voluntary Service.
General inquiries should be addressed to
Heather Batsch at Roxburgh CVS (tel: 01835
863 554) who shall be able to pass you to
the appropriate CVS.
You can also get further information from
the Information Notes
Where is the money coming from?
The Direct Grants Programme is part of the
European Union's Global Grants initiative to
distribute some of its structural funds to
grass roots community and voluntary groups
that have not previously benefited from
mainstream grant assistance. The Direct
Grants Programme is funded from the Scottish
European Social Fund Objective 3 Programme.
Match funding, allowing for the
distribution-of 100% grant aid, is provided
by Communities Scotland and the Scottish
Enterprise Network as part of their
contribution to the Scottish Executives
inclusion agenda.
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What is the SCVO?
SCVO, the Scottish Council for Voluntary
Service, is the umbrella organisation for
the voluntary sector in Scotland. Further
information on the organisation can be found
on their website (
www.scvo.org.uk)
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Why are SCVO managing Direct Grants?
The European Union requires that funds such
as Direct Grants be distributed through
"intermediary" bodies, separate from the
statutory structures of local and central
government. These Intermediary bodies must
display a knowledge and understanding of the
voluntary and community sector at the local
level. SCVO is the managing agent for the
Direct Grants programme on behalf of the
funders. Applicant groups and organisations
do not need to be affiliated to SCVO.
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Do we need to be members of SCVO?
No, any locally based voluntary organisation
or community group can apply for support.
SCVO is acting as the managing agent for the
programme on behalf of the funders.
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Are there Direct Grants available in
Highlands and Islands?
Not at present. Direct Grants are funded
through the Scottish ESF Objective 3
Programme that covers southern, central and
northeast Scotland (see map included in our
information pack) The Highlands and Islands
are not supported through this fund.
Inquiries about support to the voluntary and
community sector in the Highlands and
Islands should be addressed to SCVO’s
Inverness office (tel: 01463 225 633)
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Can we use Direct Grant funds to buy
equipment?
No Direct Grants are only available for
revenue expenditure. However, we can fund
the purchase of sundry small items. No such
item may cost more than £350 and the total
of all such items should normally be no more
than 20% of the total applied for.
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What is the
difference between revenue and capital
expenditure?
REVENUE:
(Direct Grants can fund)
expenses arising from operational
activities,
eg:- fees for services, rents,training
programmes, salaries, wages, and allowances, running expenses,
printing, heat, lighting and utility
charges, purchase of
consumables such as stationery etc and minor
items costing no more than £350
CAPITAL:
(Direct Grants cannot fund)
outlay of funds/expenditure to acquire fixed
assets or enhance value of existing assets, eg:-
purchase of buildings,
purchase of depreciating assets such as
vehicle, computers etc (for the purposes of
Direct Grants purchase of any goods or
equipment costing LESS than £350 is deemed
to be revenue expenditure), adaptations
or alterations to buildings, new building
works or engineering works to land.
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How long can our project run?
We encourage you to include a reasonable
timetable in your application; indeed this
will be one of the assessment criteria.
Normally we would not expect to fund a
project lasting longer than 12 months from
commencement. Our current funding expires in
mid 2004 so we need to ensure that all
approved projects are completed and
expenditure confirmed by the end of May
2004.
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Is there a maximum/minimum grant award?
There is no minimum level of grant. However,
we do expect all applications to have some
sustainable impact within the community so
we do not encourage applications for very
small amounts. The maximum level of grant is
£10,000. In exceptional circumstances we can
raise the maximum to £15,000. Examples of
exceptional circumstances include
specialised training programmes,
applications from rural areas where travel
costs are higher than normal, consortium and
partnership bids and phased applications.
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How much is available?
The total grant fund is £3.2 million. SCVO
is committed to an equitable distribution of
funds across the operational area taking
into account demand, alternative sources of
funding, and need.
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When will Direct Grants finish?
Our current funding closes in mid 2004,
coinciding with the mid term revue of all
Objective 3 funding. There will be a further
round of Objective 3 funding running through
to the end of 2006 but as yet the SO3
partnership has made no decisions on whether
direct grants shall continue in its present
form. All European funding post 2006 will
be reviewed in due course. In broad terms
there is no doubt that funding to the UK in
general and Scotland in particular will
reduce significantly with the accession of
the new candidate states all of which have
poorer economies.
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Can we appeal if unsuccessful?
Yes an appeal process is available on
request, however we would always encouraged
unsuccessful applicants to review their
decision letter and, where appropriate,
submit a revised application as a first
resort.
Can we apply if the
Community Fund, Awards for All or the New
Opportunities Fund have turned us down?
Yes, consideration of
a Direct Grant application is independent of
the decision-making processes of the Lottery
distributors.
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