Please
read these guidance notes carefully. If
your application is incorrectly
completed it will be returned to
you.
If
in any doubt please contact us BEFORE
submitting your application.
ALWAYS complete your application in
BLACK. Applications should be typed or
completed in BLOCK CAPITALS. A
copy of the application form in Word
format can be down loaded from this page
for electronic completion. As yet
we cannot accept submission of
electronic copies of your application.
We
are unable to accept "draft"
applications: but we will happily
discuss with you any questions you may
have.
DIRECT
GRANTS operates as a rolling programme
– there are no funding rounds.
Guidance Note No.
1
Eligibility
The Direct Grants Programme has been
set up to provide 100% revenue grants
for new activities from small voluntary
and community organisations, not
previously in receipt of substantial,
mainstream funding (see Guidance Note
No. 2).
However, Direct Grants cannot support all activities of the
community and voluntary sector. We need
to meet the requirements and priorities
of our funders, notably the the Scottish
ESF Objective 3 Programme and the
Scottish Executive.
To be eligible for support you will need
to be able to answer yes to each of the
following questions:
- Is your organisation based and active in the
Scottish ESF Objective 3 Programme
area (roughly Northeast, Central and
Southern Scotland, south of a line
from Lossiemouth to Helensburgh)?
- Are the majority of your management committee
and volunteers members of the local
community?
- Is the organisation’s management independent
of controlling influence or
direction from a local authority,
health authority or other statutory
agency?
- Is your organisation inclusive and do you have
a constitution or clear set of
rules?
- Is membership open to all and do you act with
an understanding of equal
opportunities?
- Does the organisation have independent access
to its own funds, control its own
budget and expenditure and present
its own accounts?
- Does the organisation have, or are you willing
to open, a bank or building society
account requiring two signatures
each with different addresses?
- Is
your organisation prepared to enter
into a formal agreement with SCVO
regarding the delivery of the
project, record keeping and
monitoring of expenditure and
logging of activities?
Ineligible
organisations
For the avoidance of doubt, grants will
not be available to:
- Local
Authorities, including institutions,
organisations or services managed or
controlled by a local authority.
- Schools,
colleges or universities or other
education providers controlled or
managed by local or central
education authorities
- Health
Authority institutions,
organisations or services
- Community
Councils
- Voluntary
organisations
comprising solely or mainly of
private sector organisations or
representatives
- Party
political organisations and
organisations that promote party
political activities
- Activities
promoting sectarian or specific
religious beliefs
- Organisations
holding
large financial reserves not
specifically ring-fenced for other
activity
Guidance Note No.
2
Eligibility
of organisations in receipt of previous
funding
It
is a fundamental principle of the
Direct Grants Programme that the
grants awarded should only be
available to organisations that have
not
previously been able to access
mainstream European Structural Funds.
The
Direct Grants Programme is also committed to
supporting groups and
organisations that have not enjoyed
substantial funding income from other
sources.
The reasons for this are quite
clear.
Firstly, the Direct Grants Programme Committee and
our co-
funders have a specific objective of
developing the capacity of grass roots
organisations to apply for, secure and
manage their own funds.
Secondly, the Programme
Committee is anxious to prioritise the
distribution of the grant fund to those
groups promoting activity not normally
supported by other funders.
At
the same time, it is acknowledged that
in order to deliver the key objectives of the programme:
employability, social cohesion and
community regeneration,
it will be necessary to engage
with many groups that are already
active within disadvantaged
communities and are already delivering
compatible and complementary
programmes.
To
address the above
it has been necessary to establish
a flexible framework setting
out thresholds of support that may or
may not render an applicant
organisation eligible for funding from
the Programme.
The
impact of other funding on Direct
grants
An
organisation will be ineligible to
receive a direct grant if it has
received any
funding from either the
European Social Fund or the European
Regional Development Fund since 1995.
This condition only applies to
European grant lead partners.
Organisations supported as part of a
European funded project, but not a
lead partner should refer to the
criteria listed below.
Direct Grants will not be available
for groups that have received one or
more
lottery awards totalling in excess of £75,000
over the three financial years
preceding submission of an application.
This
eligibility threshold applies to
awards from The Community Fund (or
NLCB), other major funds and Trusts
(such as LloydsTSB Foundation,
Children in Need and Comic Relief),
Local Authorities, Social Inclusion
Partnerships. Health Authorities and
Local Enterprise Companies. Other lottery awards such as
NOF and AWA will be ignored for the
purposes of assessing Direct Grants
eligibility.
In
assessing eligibility for Direct Grant
funding the calculation of the
£75,000 threshold shall include
development and other
"in-kind" support from
statutory agencies over the three
years preceding the application.
Funding received
from all sources listed above,
including income generated through
service level agreements, will be considered cumulatively rather than independently.
Other
regeneration grant programmes
Where ERDF Key Funds, LEADER+ or Rural
Regeneration funds are available
complimentary or supporting
applications for Direct Grants
applications will be encouraged.
Applicants are reminded that as Direct
grants are funded through the ESF they
cannot be used as match funding for
any other European funds.
If you have any questions about funding your organisation has
received in the past, please contact
the Direct Grants development team at
SCVO.
Guidance Note No. 3
Your
application
DIRECT GRANTS are available for a wide range of new activities.
These activities should be delivered locally and you should identify
how they will make a positive contribution to social inclusion. We can
only provide revenue costs or very limited funds for associated
capital purchases.
All activities and expenditure relating to your project will
need to be completed by the end of September 2004.
All applications should be submitted by an authorised member from
the applicant organisation. We cannot accept applications submitted by
consultants, professional advisors or development workers from the
statutory sector. You can, of course develop your application with the
advice and participation of such individuals.
All applications should be drawn up in consultation with the
relevant community, including where appropriate potential
beneficiaries. Members of the organisation and beneficiaries should
also be involved in delivery and management of the project if
approved.
Your application should represent value for money. There is no
benefit in underbidding. We wish to see you deliver your project in a
way that suits your needs and provides the most benefit to the local
community. We will be looking to see that your application represents
value for money rather than taking the cheapest options. However,
applications for funding over and beyond a sum considered
"reasonable" by the appraisal panel will not be approved.
You should robustly research the costs of your application – we
will be unable to provide any further funds beyond the figure in our
initial offer letter. You should bear in mind the following:
- Staff appointments should include costs of an open recruitment
procedure
- "Events" should include cancellation insurance costs
- Associated childcare requirements should be included to ensure
maximum participation, particularly where training is involved
- Remember to include VAT where appropriate
Your application should identify how you would spend any grant.
Areas of expenditure you may wish to consider include:
- Staff salaries (including sessional workers and volunteer
expenses) -Remember to include all employee costs including
National Insurance and superannuation. Whilst it is acceptable for
members of your organisation, including volunteer management
committee members to be offered out of pocket expenses these
should relate directly to the applied for project and, in all
cases, be kept to minimum, realistic and verifiable levels.
- Rental of premises, heating and lighting – This should be
actual costs incurred; we cannot subsidise costs associated with a
building you already occupy.
- Hire and lease of equipment - This should account for no more
than 20% of the total project costs.
- Printing design work and photocopying.
- Consumables and stationery.
- Advertising publicity and recruitment.
- Publications and other training materials.
- Telephone, fax, Internet charges and postage.
- Postage.
- Small items of equipment – No single item may cost more than
£350 and the total sum claimed should be no more than 20% of the
project cost. You may include aids and minor adaptations to
premises or equipment to facilitate participation of people with
disabilities.
- Professional fees – You will need to identify the basis upon
which the charges are calculated. The fees charged should be no
more than the equivalent of £350 per consultant day. Where
professional fees are claimed in support of project delivery (eg
legal, accountancy or technical advice) the total sum claimed
should be no more than 20% of the project cost.
- Venues, accommodation and catering costs.
- Training Fees and travel.
- Childcare and dependent care – You should include only direct
care costs incurred by volunteers and beneficiaries so as to
permit their participation in the delivery of a wider project.
Remember that directgrants are only available to support the
delivery of revenue based projects therefore areas of support
expenditure, notably equipment hire, purchase of small items and
supporting professional advice, should always be incidental to direct
delivery costs.
Activities we cannot support
We cannot support applications for projects that replace actual or
potential funding from any government, local government, heath
authority or any other statutory agency. In addition we will not
support any activity where this could create precedence for the
removal of current funding to similar organisations. If you have a
service level agreement or other contractual relationship with a
statutory agency we will not subsidise the delivery of this service.
Expenditure Items we cannot support
Specifically directgrants will not pay for:
- Ongoing general or day-to-day running costs of an organisation
- Capital purchase of depreciable premises and equipment including
vehicles and computer systems
- Repairs, refurbishment or adaptations to vehicles or buildings
- The purchase or refurbishment of any second hand equipment
- Regular on going rentals
- Endowments, prizes, scholarships or bursaries
- Deposits and down payments
- 100% costed leases
- Any retrospective payments, debts or ongoing finance charges;
loans or business finance charges
- Celebrations, festive events or meals of a purely social nature
- International travel and expeditions
- Hospitality for foreign visitors
- Any activity promoting party political interests or religious
beliefs
- Statutory, legal or contractual requirements
- Subscriptions or membership fees which are not inherent to the
delivery of the project
Appeals
Where an applicant disagrees with the outcome of their application,
there is a written appeals procedure to the Programme Committee. If
the application has not been supported for reasons of technical
deficiency or because it has been deemed ineligible, then the
Programme Committee will not accept further appeals.
If an applicant believes there are grounds for appeal, then these
should be submitted in writing to SCVO within 14 days of receiving
notification of the outcome of the application. Representations should
be limited to no more than four sides of A4 and information should be
directly relevant to the submitted proposal; and the stated grounds
for non-approval.
A copy of the full appeal procedure is available here or on request from SCVO
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