Community Assets and Services Grants Pre-Feasibility Grants Guidance Notes

Transcription

1 Community Assets and Services Grants Pre-Feasibility Grants 2013 Guidance Notes

2 Table of contents Section 1 - Context, Eligibility and How the Process Works 4 About the Programme 4 The Strategic Context 5 Assets 5 Challenge 5 Programme Objectives 5 Key Investment 6 Who can apply? 7 What the programme will fund 7 Criteria 7 Assets 7 Services 8 Assets only 8 How you can use the pre-feasibility grants 8 Group / consortia applications 9 About the application process 10 How to apply 11 How your application will be assessed 11 Section 2 - Application Form Guidance 13 Initial Eligibility Checklist 13 Is your organisation a community interest group? 13 Is your organisation based and working in England? 15 Has your organisation has yet received a pre-feasibility grant this programme? 15 Is your organisation unable to finance the proposal from its own funds? 15 Are you applying for a grant of between 5,000 and 10,000? 15 Are you able to complete the work and provide evidence of spend for all the funding requested within 3 months from the receipt of grant funding? 15 Key contact details 15 Who is the main contact for your organisation? 15 Organisation details 16 2

3 Group or Consortia Applications 16 Application form 16 Advice service reference number 16 Funding required 16 Your proposal 17 Assets 17 Services 17 For both Assets and Services 18 Assets only 18 Services 18 What the investment will be spent on 19 Your organisation 20 Management and governance 21 Finances 22 Previous applications 23 Declaration 23 Section 3: Acceptance of investment, drawdown, monitoring and unsuccessful applications 24 Acceptance 24 Drawdown 24 Monitoring 25 If you are not successful in your investment application 25 3

4 These guidance notes have been created to help you to make a pre-feasibility application to the Community Assets and Services Grants Programme. They provide general information about the aims of the programme as well as describing the information you need to provide to answer each question in the application form. This is set out in the following sections Context, Eligibility and How the Process Works Application Form Guidance Acceptance of investment, drawdown, monitoring and unsuccessful applications It is important that you refer to these notes when completing the application form and follow the guidance given. Please note that you will need to specify at the beginning of the form whether you are applying for an Assets Pre-Feasibility Grant or a Services Pre-Feasibility Grant. For most of the questions on the form the guidance notes are the same for both Assets and Services, however in a small number of cases the guidance notes will include specific additional guidance notes for either Assets or Services Grants. Please make sure you address the relevant points in your answers. If you have any remaining queries about the application form or how to apply after reading this guidance, or if you have any particular communication needs (such as Braille, large print or a hearing impairment) please contact us on or info@sibgroup.org.uk. Section 1 - Context, Eligibility and How the Process Works About the Programme The Community Assets and Services Grants Programme provides pre-feasibility and feasibility grants to organisations that either want to prepare to deliver public services or take on the ownership and management of assets or deliver public services, or in some cases both. The grants programme is managed by The Social Investment Business on behalf of the Department of Communities and Local Government. The grants are one component of the Community Ownership and Management of Assets and Community Right to Challenge Support Programmes. The other component of the support programmes is the advice and support service delivered by our partners, Locality. This service can be accessed at This website provides detailed guidance and support on the methods that organisations can choose to use to help them bid to deliver public services and/or take on the ownership and 4

5 management of assets. The website also provides information on organisations that already own and manage assets or are delivering public services. Two types of grants are open to application on a continuous basis - pre-feasibility grants are covered by these guidance notes, and there are separate guidance notes for feasibility grants. The programme will run for three years, finishing in The Strategic Context In 2011 the Localism Act set out a series of measures designed to help move power away from central government towards local people. This included new rights and powers for communities. The Community Assets and Services Grants programme is designed to provide support alongside this. Assets The Community Right to Bid and Community Asset Transfer are tools that are designed to make it easier for community organisations to take over assets which are of importance in their neighbourhood. The Community Right to Bid came into force in autumn It aims to keep valued land and buildings in community use by giving local people the chance to bid to buy them, if and when they come onto the market. Community Asset Transfer already enables local authorities to transfer the ownership of land and buildings to communities for less than their market value. Challenge The Community Right to Challenge in the Localism Act 2011 became law in June The Right enables communities to challenge to take over local council services that they think they can run differently and better. The Right to Challenge can be used to run a wide range of public services. Please note that your organisation does not need to be using either of these Rights to be eligible to apply for a grant. Your organisation needs to be simply planning to either deliver public services or to take on the ownership/management of community assets. Programme Objectives The aim of the grants and support programmes are to build the knowledge, skills and capacity of community-led organisations to help them to deliver local public services and/ or take over the ownership and management of local community assets. The support and advice service will help to raise 5

6 awareness and understanding of the ways in which organisations can deliver services / own and manage assets. The grants element of the programme provides specific financial support to community-led organisations to help them use these service delivery and asset opportunities effectively. Please note that you do not need to be planning to use either the Community Right to Challenge, Community Right to Bid or Asset Transfer to be eligible to apply for a grant. In the case of services you simply need to be planning to develop your capacity to deliver local services and in the case of assets planning to take ownership and or management of a local asset. Key Investment Pre-feasibility grants are available to help organisations to build their capacity and potential to prepare and bid to buy community buildings and facilities or to bid for and deliver public services. Successful applicants may go on to apply for feasibility grants to support the development of investment proposals and carry out feasibility studies equipping them to take on asset ownership and management or to prepare Expressions of Interest and tenders for public service contracts. Successful applicants will be those that can best demonstrate ambition, commitment and relevant expertise to deliver public services or for asset management or ownership and clearly show how their plans will meet community needs. These are the key facts that you need to know about the investments we will make. Your proposal needs to fit this structure and your organisation needs to meet these criteria. Please be sure that this is the case before you make an application. There are more details on all of the criteria in the following pages. Investment size 5,000 minimum 10,000 maximum % project costs we will fund Maximum 100% Criteria Your organisation needs to meet all the criteria listed below 6

7 Who can apply? What the programme will fund: Community interest groups. What the programme will NOT fund: individuals and sole traders; organisations that distribute profits for private benefit; organisations that are applying on behalf of other organisations unless as part of a consortium or as a lead organisation for a group of organisations where a joint application can demonstrate benefits from making a joint application, which would not otherwise be achievable; organisations that are in poor financial health; organisations that have not satisfactorily managed investments from either ACF or the Social Investment Business in the past. Criteria Organisations that meet all of the following criteria can apply for pre-feasibility grants: Organisations established for charitable, benevolent or philanthropic purposes. Our usual expectation will be that applicant organisations have one of the following types of legal structure. Assets 1. Community interest groups with well evidenced local connections as set out below - Registered charity; Community interest company; Company limited by guarantee that are non-profit distributing Industrial and Provident Societies that are non-profit distributing, or a parish council 7

8 Services a voluntary or community body, or a body of persons or trust established for charitable purposes, or a parish council, or two or more employees of a relevant authority who are seeking to deliver services within that authority through the establishment of a social enterprise (sometimes referred to as a spin out) 2. Based and working in England; 3. Organisations that have not previously received a pre-feasibility grant from this grants programme; 4. Not able to finance the work required from the organisation s own funds. Assets only 5. Able to demonstrate good levels of control with local people and local representatives making the majority of decisions How you can use the pre-feasibility grants Grant funding is available for revenue expenditure which relates to internal capacity building and management capability. Examples of the types of revenue expenditure that qualify are: Work to assess and address the capacity of the organisation to manage an asset / bid for service delivery contracts Improvements in governance and management. Supporting the costs of incorporation or the formation of consortia. Coaching and mentoring to existing staff to build their abilities to bid for and to manage assets or to deliver public services 8

9 Please note pre-feasibility grants cannot be used for equipment purchase, building works or for general running costs such as existing salaries, utility bills, rent, etc. If you are applying for additional salaries, e.g. to pay for additional hours, volunteer time or to backfill existing staff you should include information on the number of hours and hourly rate and how you plan to backfill existing staff time. If you apply for ineligible costs your application will not be considered. Group / consortia applications Group applications can be made for up to 5 different organisations to carry out pre-feasibility work. Such applications will be expected to demonstrate that the organisations covered by the application have characteristics in common, e.g. geographical location, similar development needs, sector focus. Grouping the organisations in one application will be expected to demonstrate value for money and also the potential for increased learning and dissemination. In such group applications the lead organisation can either be the lead member of the group or can be an organisation that can offer specialist knowledge and expertise, e.g. a local or regional infrastructure body or a national membership or sector body. Consortia applications can cover more than five organisations but we will expect to see clear evidence that there is a plan in place to develop a formal consortium. A group application does not need to demonstrate this but will be expected to meet the requirement detailed above. If you have questions about which approach is the right one for you, please contact our enquiry line on

10 About the application process The table below sets out what you need to do at each stage of the process - Stage What you need to do What we will do Stage 1 If you are thinking about applying for a pre-feasibility grant please contact the Locality advice service before making an application. They will be able to advise you on which type of grant will best suit your needs and whether you need to do any further thinking before applying for a grant to ensure that you maximise your chances of success. The advice service can be accessed at Read the guidance and check that you meet the eligibility for funding by completing the online checklist. Complete the application form referring to the guidance notes and send it to us at mycommrights@sibgroup.org.uk. Provide initial advice and support as part of the application process. Acknowledge receipt of your application form within 10 working days. We will check your application meets the eligibility criteria. If you pass these checks we will proceed to assess your application. As part of our assessment process we may contact you and potentially ask you to provide further information. Our Investment Team Panel will make a decision If you are unsuccessful at this stage we will send you a letter explaining we have decided not to proceed with your application. 10

11 Stage 2 If your investment is agreed Sign and return the offer letter together with a signed Board Resolution by the required date. Submit the required pre-conditions for your agreed funding. Start your project. Send you an offer letter Acknowledge receipt of your offer documents, advise you of the draw down process and provide information about what monitoring information is expected of you and when. Send us any monitoring information you have agreed to provide within the timescales stated. Spend the investment in the agreed way and within the agreed timescales and send us proof of spend (management accounts and Board Certification) and an End of Grant report. How to apply To submit your application please the completed from to mycommrights@sibgroup.org.uk. Please insert your organisation name in the subject line of your . This is crucial to enable us to collate your documents and if you do not do this your application will not be considered. How your application will be assessed Once we receive your application we will carry out the steps outlined above. If you fail to meet the requirements at any of these stages your application will be rejected and no further assessment will take place. 1. Initial check to ensure that the form has been completed (step 1) 2. Validation and confirmation of eligibility to ensure that your organisation, project and costs meet the programme requirements (step 2) 11

12 3. Assessment to establish how strongly you meet the criteria of the fund in relation to other applications we receive. We may ring you to discuss the proposal. (step 3) Please note that progressing to this stage does not guarantee that we will decide to make an investment and that the Investment Team s decision is final. 4. A panel will meet on a weekly basis to review applications received and assessed and a decision will be reached as to whether to invest or not. (step 4) 5. The Panel s decision will be communicated to you in writing. (step 5) We have limited funds available for pre-feasibility grants and expect to make no more than 180 investments per year subject to availability of funds in that financial year. As the fund is open on a continuous basis we will be applying a minimum quality threshold which applicants will need to reach in order to be awarded a grant. We will score each application received using a standard scoring system which will look at the following aspects of an application: Proposal Funding required Organisation Finances 12

13 Section 2 - Application Form Guidance There are word limits in place for a number of questions on the application form. It is important that you do not exceed the word limits as words in excess of these will not be considered as part of your application. Please insert your details accurately and complete all the relevant sections of the form. If you do not answer all of the required questions your application will not be considered Initial Eligibility Checklist Both Assets and Services Is your organisation a community interest group? For example: a registered charity, or a community interest company, or a company limited by guarantee that is non-profit distributing, or an Industrial or Provident Society that is non-profit distributing, or a parish council Our usual expectation will be that applicant organisations might have one of the following types of legal structures, e.g. registered charity, company limited by guarantee, Industrial and Provident Society, community benefit society, or community interest company. Unincorporated organisations may apply for pre-feasibility grants but no other products. If an unincorporated organisation makes an application for a pre-feasibility grant their planned programme of work must include incorporation as a first step. Newly constituted organisations are eligible for all products. Parish councils may apply for any of the grant products provided that they are able to demonstrate that they would not be able to access funds for the work required from other sources, e.g. through the parish 13

14 council precept, loans via the Public Works Loans Board or capacity building grants from the National Association of Local Councils. Services Grants Only In addition the following are also eligible to apply for a services pre-feasibility grant: Two or more employees of a relevant authority. A relevant authority is a county council in England, district council, a London borough council, or a metropolitan count fire and rescue authority, the London Fire and Emergency Planning Authority or a fire and rescue authority that is constituted by a scheme under section 2 of the Fire and Rescue Services Act 2004 or constituted by a scheme to which section 4 of that Act applies. Both Assets and Services Group or Consortia applications may be eligible provided that: an eligible community interest group acts as the accountable body for the investment; the partners between them meet all the core criteria; a statutory body or a private profit business may be one of the partners provided that they do not receive any of the grant funds or have a controlling vote (excepting parish councils); the main reason behind the formation of the consortium is that will enable the organisations to be better placed to manage an asset or to bid for service delivery contracts. It should also support the delivery of services demanded by the local community and lead to improvements in the quality and sustainability of these services. Group applications can be made to support pre-feasibility work for up to 5 organisations that common aims and development needs e.g. asset ownership plans, plans to bid for similar public service contracts, and would all benefit from support from a specific infrastructure body. Private profit businesses will not be eligible to apply. We are particularly looking to encourage grant applications from organisations that can demonstrate strong well evidenced local connections. If you are applying for a Services Grant and are based outside the area for which the contract opportunity exists you will be expected to demonstrate local knowledge and understanding. 14

15 Is your organisation based and working in England? Is your organisation able to demonstrate good levels of local control with local people and local representatives making the majority of the decisions (Assets) or good local knowledge and understanding (Services)? Has your organisation has yet received a pre-feasibility grant this programme? An organisation can only receive one pre-feasibility grant from this Grants Programme (either Assets or Services) during the three years the funds will be open. Is your organisation unable to finance the proposal from its own funds? If an organisation has the equivalent of more than 6 months running costs held in the form of unrestricted/free reserves and is able to cover the costs for which they require the grant from the reserves they hold in excess of 6 months running costs they will not be eligible. Are you applying for a grant of between 5,000 and 10,000? The minimum grant that we can consider is 5,000. The maximum amount you can apply for is 10,000. Are you able to complete the work and provide evidence of spend for all the funding requested within 3 months from the receipt of grant funding? All grants must be drawn down and spent within 3 months from receipt of funding. If an unincorporated organisation is applying for a pre-feasibility grant the 3 month time period will begin after incorporation. If you do not answer yes to all of the questions above please do not submit an application form as it will not be eligible for funding and will not be considered. Key contact details Who is the main contact for your organisation? This should be the key person involved in your proposal and application. They should be able to talk about your proposal in detail if required and be able to supply contact details for someone who has expertise on specific areas, if also required. It is very important to us that you provide the correct and phone number. 15

16 We expect to be able to reach the main contact at the phone number quoted in the application form during the working day. Please let us know if the main contact has any particular communication needs. We use for communication for environmental reasons. If this will cause problems please tell us your preferred alternative. It is very important that your addresses are correct and that your account is active and checked regularly. Organisation details We need full details of the organisation requesting the investment so that we can carry out due diligence checks. Group or Consortia Applications If the application is for work covering more than one organisation please complete the organisation details section for the lead organisation. You will also need to provide names of the other organisations involved in the application in the Group/Consortia application box. Application form Advice service reference number As the Community Assets and Services Grants and associated support programmes are new it is important that you have a full understanding of how the various mechanisms that you can use to take ownership and management of assets and bid to deliver public services and which are suitable for your organisation. The advice service will be able to help you to decide whether you need to do some further thinking and work before you make a grant application and also advise you on which grant is most suitable and how best to use it. Once you are ready to make a grant application the advice service will provide you with the reference number which you will need to have to make a grant application. Funding required 1. Please tick which type of grant you are applying for - Assets or Services? 2. Please complete the box by inserting the amount requested from Community Assets and Services Grants Programme? 16

17 This is the amount of funding you are requesting from this Fund in this application. Please note: the minimum amount is 5k and the maximum is 10k. 3. Please provide a short description of your proposed project? We will use this description to explain your project on our website, should you receive funding, and in any other publicity that we may provide about the programme. We will also use it in reports to the Department for Communities and Local Government. Your proposal What are your organisation s plans for either asset ownership or management or for delivery of services? How will these plans meet community needs? Assets In your answer to this question you will need to provide specific details of the asset your organisation has identified for community ownership and how the asset will be used to meet community needs. If you are considering a number of different asset options you should cover all of them in your answer to this question. We are looking for evidence that demonstrates that your organisation has a clear sense of how asset management/ownership will help to meet specific community needs. If you are planning to take on the asset through discounted transfer from a public body please tell us which public body you will be receiving the asset from and what stage your discussions with the public body have reached. If you are planning to make use of the Right to Bid provisions please state what area you operate in, whether you have already nominated the land or building as an asset of community value and if it has been registered by the local authority? Please also tell us who currently owns the asset. Services Please tell us what services you have ambitions to deliver, e.g. library, youth or leisure services, and what public authority is currently delivering these services. We want to know what stage your plans are at, e.g. is there a specific contract opportunity coming up or are you at an earlier stage of developing your plans? Why do you think you can deliver the service and improve on current delivery? Will you be working with delivery partners? 17

18 For both Assets and Services If you are submitting a group or consortia application please provide brief details on all the organisations that are part of the application and why you are making a joint application. Assets only 4. Please specify what type of asset you are planning to take on through either ownership or management? (Tick box) Community centre Town hall or other council offices Parks or other open spaces Library Other, please state in text box 5. Please specify which of the following methods you are planning to use to take on the asset? (Tick box) Asset transfer from public authority Right to bid Purchase on open market Asset transfer from other body Other, please specify in text box Services 6. Please indicate what type of services you are planning to deliver? (Tick boxes) 7. What do you need the pre-feasibility grant for? Please specify how you intend to spend the funds including details of what steps you need to complete to take on an asset / deliver services and the timetable for completing these steps. You should include details of what steps you have identified that you need to complete to take on an asset or to build service delivery capacity and the timetable for completing these steps. We want to 18

19 know how these steps will specifically help improve your ability to manage an asset or deliver services and how you have identified the need for this work. We need to ensure that funds are drawn down and spent within 3 months of agreement. You should include details about how projected timescales have been estimated and how you will ensure that the project completion date is achievable. Please explain how this work will be managed internally and whether you will need to work with external providers to help you achieve the outcomes. If you have already identified the external provider(s) please include details here and why you have chosen to work with the provider(s). Please describe how you plan to manage and deliver the work you have described in your answer to question 3. Please provide state who will be responsible internally for managing the work and what tools and /or experience they have to do so effectively. If you intend to work with an external provider(s) as part of the Pre-feasibility grant proposal please indicate this and tell us who they are, how you have identified them and on what grounds. For example, do they offer best value for money, have you worked with them previously, were they recommended to you? Services only 8. Have you completed the Contract Readiness Checker tool available at Yes/No If yes please send a copy of the report with your completed grant application and explain here how you have used the results of this report to inform your grant application. We strongly recommend that you complete the Checker. It should only take about 20 minutes to complete and will provide you with a report summarising strengths and areas for improvement across 14 indicators grouped into 5 areas (Capability, Market Position, Compliance, Finance and Social Value). This report will be useful in determining the next steps for your organisation. It will show you where you to need to develop and help you to identify how the pre-feasibility grant might be most usefully be spent. What the investment will be spent on 9. Please provide a breakdown of expenditure for the full project for which you require the grant. 19

20 As far as possible, the table should be completed in chronological order to show project expenditure as it will be incurred. For each item of expenditure, we need to know the amount and the basis of the costing, for example, Quote from suppliers, hourly/daily rate charged and the anticipated date of spend. The total project cost will automatically be calculated at the foot of this table. Please make sure that this total matches the total in the box at question 1. As much as possible any external costs should be based on estimates or quotes received from third parties. If this is not possible please state this in your application and be ready to answer some follow-up questions on these costs. Please note that the following costs are considered ineligible: contingency software purchase unless it can be clearly demonstrated that it will be an important step in building your capacity to own/ manage assets or deliver public services. contributions towards existing on-going running costs Your organisation 10. Please describe the services / facilities provided by your organisation at present and any new services that you intend to deliver (as a result of either asset management / ownership or through contract delivery). If you are a new or start-up organisation please describe the services / facilities you are planning to provide. Please provide a clear, concise summary of the current services / facilities your organisation delivers or intends to start delivering. This description should include details of the track record your organisation has in delivering these services. We expect your organisation or the key people involved in your proposal to have a successful track record in the delivery of these services and of working with proposed beneficiaries. In your answer you should provide specific evidence of the relevant expertise and experience your organisation has in either managing assets or delivering contracted services. 11. Please provide details of your track record of working in the local area / relevant authority area and evidence of your local connections/partnerships. If you are applying for a Services grant you should include details of your organisation's experience of building relationships with local public sector commissioning agencies. For the question above we wanted to know about your experience and track record in general. Here we want to know about your track record in the local area including how long you have worked there, 20

21 what key local connections and partnerships you have developed and how you engage the local community and encourage them to participate in the activities and services that you provide. If you a applying for a Services grant please also tell us which authorities your organisation either already delivers services for or proposes to, and the track record you have in that authority area. If you do not have a track record in that area please explain why you propose to work there and what local knowledge and understanding you have. Please also tell us what experience your organisation has in establishing relationships with local public sector commissioners, including local authority officers and councillors. What have you previously done to raise your profile amongst key individuals or departments within a local authority, and what evidence can you provide to show that the organisation has been actively encouraged to tender for local contracts in the past? Management and governance 12. Please give details of your Trustee Board / Board of Directors and Senior Managers / Key Staff including their skills and experience. Please ensure you include staff members with key responsibility for financial management. We need to know that your Board and staff team have the capacity to undertake and complete the proposal successfully as well as run the organisation. The Board of Trustees / Directors should have the right balance of skills and experience to lead the organisation, ensure operational effectiveness and act in the best interests of the organisation and its beneficiaries. In addition, leadership and staff should have the appropriate skills, knowledge, qualifications and experience to deliver the organisation s vision and mission. Details should include a brief summary of the people and how their skills and experience relate to this particular organisation and project. If you are a start-up organisation please explain how you intend to structure your management and governance. 13. Please describe how local people exercise control over the direction and priorities of your organisation. If your organisation is based outside the area in which you plan to take on assets / deliver services operate please describe how you propose to ensure that local people have a say in what you do. These grants are particularly aimed at organisations that can demonstrate good local control and local knowledge and understanding. This can be demonstrated in a number of ways: local control with local people or representatives of local groups making the spending, staffing and other decisions around priorities. 21

22 being independent and community led, and not controlled by the private or public sector, (excepting parish councils). Please note organisations that are owned and controlled by the private or public sector are not eligible to apply for grants. have a clear majority of local people or representatives of local groups on their Board, able to demonstrate control is exerted by local people and groups on the direction of the organisation in some of the following ways: some local people on their board membership drawn from their area of benefit number of local groups and/or local volunteers running services and activities accountability to their community through newsletters, public meetings, open days, etc examples of recent local consultation influencing their services or direction We may ask for additional evidence to verify the above, e.g, your legal and governing documents. 14. Please describe your financial management controls. We need to know that any organisation to which we award funds has robust financial controls in place, not only to make sure that the investment is properly spent and accounted for, but also because these financial controls are important to an organisation s financial sustainability. We want to know how often you produce management accounts, what statements are included in your management accounts (i.e. Budget, Income & Expenditure, Balance Sheet, Cash flow Forecast) and how management accounts are reviewed within your organisation? Finances 15. Please complete the summary table to show your organisation s recent financial track record and give us an understanding of anticipated performance in the near future. We will only fund organisations that are solvent and in a position to continue to successfully deliver services over the longer term. It is therefore essential that we assess your organisation s financial position, both in terms of income and expenditure and the balance sheet position. To be successful in your application you should demonstrate your organisation is in good financial health. If you are a start- 22

23 up organisation please provide as much financial information as you have available, e.g. income and expenditure in the management figures year to date column. Please complete the table at question 12 to show your organisation s recent financial history, current financial situation and projected performance. The Annual Accounts columns of the table should be completed with reference to your organisation s last two years of annual accounts. In the case of a March year-end these will be the 2010/11 and 2011/12 figures. In the Management Figures YTD column, please complete as much information as possible from your latest management accounts on the performance to date for this financial year. Not all management accounts will include all of the information listed, but we would expect to see income and expenditure entered in this column as a minimum. Please make sure that the date of the management accounts is entered at the top of the column. In the Projected Full Year Figures 2012/13 column it is important to know your projected results to yearend which should also be shown in your management accounts. This is because, due to the timing of income and expenditure, the management figures to date (as above) may not be easily comparable to past performance for full years, making it hard to judge the current financial health of your organisation. Again, it may only be possible to enter income and expenditure. Previous applications 16. Have you previously applied for / are you currently applying for funding from the Social Investment Business Group? 17. If so, please complete the table specifying which fund you applied to and whether or not your application was successful. Whether you have previously applied to the Social Investment Business Group for funding will not in itself influence on our decision. However, this information allows us to deal with your application in the most efficient manner and use any existing knowledge we may have about you as an organisation. Declaration Please read this declaration carefully before submitting your application and ensure that you are happy to agree to it as a representative of your organisation. 23

24 Section 3: Acceptance of investment, drawdown, monitoring and unsuccessful applications Acceptance If you are successful in your application you will be required to accept the offer of funding within one month of the date of the offer letter. Any offers not accepted within this timescale will be withdrawn unless we have agreed an extension to the offer acceptance period in writing ( or letter). To accept our offer you must sign both copies of our offer letter and terms and conditions, returning one copy to us and keeping the other for your records. You must send us a certified copy of a Board resolution accepting the investment offer and authorising specific individuals to sign the Offer Letter(s) and draw down requests. We can provide a sample Board resolution to successful applicants on request. In addition, we will require: an original bank statement (less than 3 months old) for the account into which funds will be paid. This account must be in the legal name of your organisation. We will copy it and return it to you. two pieces of identification for the people within your organisation who are designated signatories per the Board resolution submitted to comply with anti-money laundering legislation. This requires that we see photo-id and recent proof of address for these people. We need to see original documents, or copies certified by a solicitor. We will copy and return original documents to you. As well as this general documentation we may require other evidence as specific pre-conditions relating to your investment and this must be provided before the drawdown of funds. For example, we would require confirmation that any other funding that the proposal is reliant upon is secure. Drawdown When you have fulfilled your pre-conditions you can then start to draw down the money. All agreed funding must be drawn as agreed and spent within 3 months of receipt of funding. A Drawdown Request Form will be included with your offer letter(s). When you are ready to drawdown the money you need to complete this form, attach any evidence requested and ensure it is signed by 24

25 someone who is authorised by the Board Resolution / Management Committee minutes before submission to us. Funds will be transferred to your bank account within 6 to 10 working days after the receipt of your Drawdown Request form. Monitoring It is a condition of any investment awarded that recipients must submit information relating to expenditure, achievement of objectives and any other subject related to the investment so that we may monitor the impact of pre-feasibility funding. We may also ask you to take part in follow up surveys and provide materials for case studies and other publicity so that other organisations can learn how to take up similar opportunities. If you are not successful in your investment application Due to the high volume of applications that we are likely to receive we will not be able to provide detailed verbal feedback on unsuccessful cases. We will however write to unsuccessful applicants indicating the key reason(s) for the application being unsuccessful. Please note that our decision is final. If you have a complaint about the way your application is handled we suggest you contact your Grants Executive in the first instance and if the matter cannot be resolved then follow our complaints process as detailed on our website.. 25