Guidance Notes. About the Independence, Choice and Control Fund - Small Grants Award 2015/16

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1 Guidance Notes About the Independence, Choice and Control Fund - Small Grants Award 2015/16 The Independence, Choice and Control Fund (ICCF) will enable Essex County Council (ECC) and local CVSs to work with their partners in the voluntary and community sector to support Essex residents to achieve greater independence, choice and control and good health and wellbeing. In total 30,000 is now available to fund local community projects in Mid Essex. The ICCF Small Grant fund 2015 is available to constituted voluntary and community groups based or delivering services in Braintree, Chelmsford or Maldon and will fund up to 1,000 towards project costs. Organisations eligible to apply for this grant are as follows: A voluntarily organisation or group/ association with an annual income of less than 25,000. Purely volunteer led organisations. Administered by CVS and evaluated by a panel made up of local representatives on behalf of CVS and ECC, this grant scheme is part of an Essex County Council initiative to improve the lives of local people and build resilient communities. The closing date for completed applications is 4pm on 2 nd November Applications should be returned to your most local CVS at the below addresses: Braintree district Braintree District Voluntary Support Agency, Room 5, Colne House, 96 Mount Chambers, Coggeshall Road, Braintree, Essex, CM7 9BY Chelmsford district Chelmsford CVS, Centre Supporting Voluntary Action, Burgess Well House, Chelmsford CM3 4JH Maldon district Maldon & District CVS, Unit 1A Benbridge Industrial Estate, The Square, Holloway Road, Heybridge, Essex CM9 4ER ICCF Small Grant Criteria: All applicants should read the guidelines before beginning the application process. Please also be mindful that we expect to receive more applications than we can fund so we may only fund part of your project, or not at all. All panel decisions are final. To be considered for an award you should demonstrate in your application how your project will achieve one or more of the following outcomes: 1 Children in Essex get a better start in life.

2 2 People in Essex enjoy good health and wellbeing and healthy life styles. 3 People have aspirations and achieve their ambitions though education training and lifelong learning. 4 People in Essex live in safe communities and are protected from harm. 5 People in Essex experience a high quality and sustainable environment. 6 People can live independently, remain at home as long as possible and exercise control over their lives. 7 Individuals can make informed decisions, express their own needs and concerns and make their voice heard. 8 People learn how to manage their health and social care needs 9 Community social networks, community services and activities are enabled, supported and developed in order to improve the lives of local people. Timescales for the ICCF Small Grant scheme: ICCF Small Grant timescales are as follows: Receipt of completed grant applications - 4 pm on Monday 2 nd November 2015 Judging panel s decisions - throughout November 2015 Notifications of awards by mid December 2015 Award of grant funds to recipients - January 7 th 2016 Notification of successful project spend and impact made to your CVS by 30 th June 2016 Return of impact monitoring to your CVS 31 st July 2016 Who will make the grant decision? Local Panel Members All eligible applications will be assessed and scored by a panel comprising representatives from: the District/Borough/Town/City council, the local Clinical Commissioning Group, the Voluntary and Community Sector (VCS) (a representative will be drawn from a VCS organisation that is not eligible to apply for the Small Grants Fund), Parish Council, Essex County Council. The local CVS will not be eligible to apply for a grant as their role will be to support the panel with local intelligence. Due to the volume of applications anticipated and to keep the administration of the scheme manageable, we are unable to provide individual feedback on applications which are not successful. Decisions regarding applications, shortlisting and awarding are final and we will be under no obligation to enter into correspondence. ICCF Small Grants Programme 2 of 5

3 The award may be withdrawn or recovered if we discover that you have provided incorrect information, or if you cease to exist (are dissolved, liquidated, are struck off or censured by a charity regulator) or the project ends for any reason, or you use the award for a purpose other than that set out in your application. Funds will also be withdrawn in the event of disqualification, corruption or collusion. Project Selection Process: When selecting proposals for funding we will use a scorecard to assess whether the application meets the grant criteria. Consideration will be given to the following questions: Does the project effectively demonstrate that it will meet and deliver one or more of the 9 outcomes? Has the applicant demonstrated why the project is needed? Has the applicant clearly explained what the grant will be used for? Have the applicant demonstrated who will benefit from the project and how the beneficiaries will be engaged in the project? Has the applicant demonstrated how the project will make a difference? Has the applicant provided adequate and realistic timescales and demonstrated that they can meet the deadline? Have suitable costings and quotations been provided where applicable? Has the applicant demonstrated why the project provides value for money? Each application will be assessed according to the information provided on the form. We will not be able to contact groups for missing information, so incomplete applications will be rejected. If your application is successful, you will be notified by sent to the address entered on your application form by w/c 7 December It is your responsibility to provide an operational address and to check your regularly after making your application. Please note that if you exceed the word count limit where specified on the application form that the text provided in excess of this limit will be discounted. To receive ICCF small grant funding any group or organisation must: Be a not-for-profit, third sector voluntary or community group with: a turnover of less than 25,000 or purely voluntarily run Be connected with and/or meeting the needs of the local community in the City / District / Borough of Braintree, Chelmsford or Maldon. Have a bank account with 2 unrelated signatories OR nominate an organisation which has a bank account with 2 signatories to hold funds on its behalf Have a governing document or constitution ICCF Small Grants Programme 3 of 5

4 Agree that all grant monies awarded to successful grant recipients are spent or impact can be demonstrated by 30th June 2016 What Type of Groups and Organisations are Eligible to Apply? The ICCF small grant fund invites applications from not for profit organisations such as: Registered voluntary and charitable organisations (including Local Delivery groups of schools with charitable status) Community groups Tenants and residents groups Parish and town councils Faith groups Housing associations (not for profit only) Most sports organisations (voluntary and charity only) Private clubs (voluntary and charity only) Most co-operatives and social enterprises (provided profits are retained for the benefit of the members or community served) Mutuals Community interest companies Not for profit trade associations Charitable trusts Unincorporated groups We welcome creative solutions to meeting local need. Some examples of what could be funded are: the costs of putting on a local event or workshop training for volunteers Disclosure and Barring Service (DBS) Checks additional activities to expand an existing funded project Website design costs Tools and equipment activities that support community activity activities that meet an identified health need in the local community The fund cannot support the following: Capital expenditure not related directly to the project Rent or utility bills not directly related to the project Management fees Core staff salaries ICCF Small Grants Programme 4 of 5

5 Goods or services received before the award of the funding Activities that promote one particular religious belief or political cause Loan repayments Individuals. Funding for this programme is only available to groups, so if you have an idea to improve your neighbourhood you must form a group to apply for funding. For some useful advice on how to set up a project, please contact your local CVS statutory organisations, such as Local Authorities, Schools and the Police Force any party political activity VAT or other taxes which can be recovered Monitoring: Monitoring will consist of a short article explaining the impact of the project along with a photograph submitted by 31 st July 2016 both of which funders may use in publicity material. Help and Information: We have tried to make the form as simple as possible to use, however, if you have any questions about the grant or completing the application form please contact BDVSA on or Chelmsford CVS on or Maldon & District CVS on ICCF Small Grants Programme 5 of 5