Other policies

1 Introduction and purpose

1.1 Bracebridge Heath Parish Council sets an annual budget for the provision of grants each year and the total amount available will vary from year to year. Grants are made out of the money provided by council tax payers of Bracebridge Heath and accordingly Council has a responsibility to satisfy itself that grants will provide benefit to the local community.

1.2 A grant is any payment or gift made by the Parish Council to an organisation for a specific purpose.

1.3 This policy outlines the scope, eligibility and conditions of grants provided by Bracebridge Heath Parish Council.

2 Eligibility

2.1 To be eligible the group must be

• a charity, voluntary or community organisation;
• formally constituted and have a management committee made up of volunteers.

2.2 The group should be based in Bracebridge Heath or if not demonstrate that the project or objective will directly benefit the parish.

2.3 The Parish Council will not award grants to:

• private individuals;
• commercial organisations;
• upward funders i.e. local groups where fund raising is sent to a central HQ for redistribution;
• political parties;
• religious organisations: unless for a purpose which does not discriminate on grounds of belief;
• projects for which organisations have a statutory duty;
• Arts and sports projects which do not demonstrate a community or charitable element.

3 Grant criteria

3.1 The aims of the Council's Grant Policy:

• To enable local people to participate in voluntary groups and activities
• To help the parish's voluntary groups to improve their effectiveness and reach in supporting local residents with their specific aims
• To support the provision of services, needed by residents, via the voluntary sector
• To improve or enhance the local environment. The Council awards grants, at its absolute discretion, to organisations which can demonstrate a clear need for financial support to achieve a project of objective which will benefit the parish.

3.2 The Council awards grants, at its absolute discretion, to organisation which can demonstrate a basis of need, merit and contribution to the local community.

3.3 Applicants must clearly show how any assistance given will provide direct benefit to the people living in the Parish or will benefit the environment of the Parish. 

For example, if grant funding is sought to assist in the purchase of equipment, the organisation is expected to illustrate how the purchase of equipment directly benefits the local people participating in the group or activity.

3.4 The Council will not ordinarily award a single grant over £599 to any one group or organisation

3.5 Grants will not be made for:

• general donations or day-to-day administrative running costs;
• projects or objectives which have already been completed (retrospective grants); or
• Expenditure relating to general building refurbishment or construction. 

3.6 The Parish Council will not normally fund 100% of the cost of a project and evidence of other funding will be required (e.g. contributions from the district or county council, local business sponsorship, other fundraising events such as jumble sales, etc.)

3.7 Ongoing commitments to award grants in future years will not be made. A fresh application will be required on each occasion.

4 The application procedure

4.1 One opportunity for grants is provided each year. To be considered for a grant, applications must be received by the Council by the last working day of May.

4.2 The following items should be submitted by email or post:

• a completed application form (at appendix a); and
• a copy of the organisation’s most recent detailed income and expenditure accounts, and of its latest bank statement.

4.3 The application form should clearly state the purpose of the grant and how it will be used. Applications must state how the grant will benefit the parish and residents of Bracebridge Heath.

4.4 An organisation which has not previously applied to the Parish Council must submit a copy of its constitution. If any organisation makes a change to its previously submitted constitution, a copy of the amended constitution should be included with the next application submitted.

5 The assessment procedure

5.1 The Council or duly delegated committee will assess all grant applications at a scheduled meetings.

5.2 The Council or committee will consider applications based on the criteria set in this policy and the quality of the application.

5.3 The Parish Council may make the award of any grant or subsidy subject to such additional conditions and requirements as it considers appropriate.

5.4 The Parish Council reserves the right to refuse any grant application which it considers to be inappropriate, or against the objectives of the Council.

5.5 In the event of there being more applications than the council has budgeted for, the successful applications may be scaled down to fit the budget rather than deleting applications which merit a grant.

5.6 Nothing contained within this policy shall prevent the Parish Council from exercising, at any time, its existing duty or power in respect of providing financial assistance or grants to local or national organisations under the provisions of the Local Government Act 1972, Section 137.

6 Conditions of grants

6.1 The grant can only be used for the purpose stated in the application and the Council reserves the right to reclaim any grant not being used for the specified purpose. If a group wishes to change the purpose of the grant they must seek approval by writing to the council who will consider whether or not to approve the change.

6.2 Grants must be spent within one year of the award. Any unspent monies left after this time must be returned, unless an extension is specifically agreed by the Council.  

6.3 Grant recipients are required to acknowledge council support on all promotional material relating to the project to which the grant relates.

6.4 As a condition of receiving a grant from Bracebridge Heath Parish Council, groups are expected to provide the Council with a written report of what the money has been spent on and the benefit it has brought. The report should be accompanied with evidence of the expenditure such as copies of invoices and receipts, plus attendance numbers, photos, press clippings, etc. where applicable. This information should be submitted within 1 month of the event/project end or by the end of March each year whichever is sooner. The written report becomes a document which members of the public have a right to inspect under the provision of Section 228 of the Local Government Act 1972 (as amended). Grant recipients are also encouraged to attend the Annual Parish Meeting.

6.5 Additional grant conditions may also be attached to any funding from the parish council and these will be set out in the award confirmation letter.

7 Responsibilities and review

7.1 The Full Council or duly delegated committee is responsible for reviewing this policy. This policy will be reviewed on a biennial basis, in response to changes in the law or through any other identified need. 

8 Version control and amendment history