Preparation form for applications to the Big Society Fund

This document is to help you prepare your application for the Big Society Fund which must be completed online. There are guidance notes in each section setting out what sort of information we are looking for about your project.

All applications to Big Society Fund should be submitted online using the online form at www.oxfordshire.gov.uk/bigsocietyfund. Applications should be completed and submitted in one session (i.e. there is no saving function). Please ensure that you are ready to complete the whole form before you start. The online form is not yet available but we expect it to be live by mid April 2011.

Use this document to prepare your application.

Please note that we are not considering applications to the Big Society Fund for libraries until the Autumn.

Before submitting an application to the Oxfordshire County Council Big Society Fund please read the guidance notes carefully to ensure that you are eligible to apply: http://www.oxfordshire.gov.uk/wps/portal/publicsite/councilservices/bigsocietyfund

If your application relates to a particular area within Oxfordshire we will need confirmation that your local county councillor supports your application. You will be asked to provide evidence of this at the end of the application form. If yours is a countywide proposal you should still seek the support of a councillor. You can look on our website for further information on your local councillors: http://mycouncil.oxfordshire.gov.uk/mgMemberIndex.aspx?VW=TABLE&PIC=1&bcr=1

A. Background

1.  Name of organisation:

Please give the name of the organisation or group that is making the application and will be delivering the project. We will ask for further information about your organisation in Section G.

2.  What type of organisation are you?

Please select the option that best describes your organisation or group.

· Voluntary or community organization

· School

· Town or Parish Council

· Religious/Faith Group

· Other (please state)

B. Your project

3.  Name of project:

Please give us the name by which you would like your project to be known.

4.  What are you applying for?

Please select one option to indicate whether you are applying for a grant only or a grant and asset transfer or just an asset transfer. For more information about what we mean by asset transfer please read the Big Society buildings offer

· Grant

· Grant and asset transfer

· Asset transfer

5.  If you applying for an asset transfer, what is the name and address of the building?

If you are not applying for an asset transfer please continue to question 6.

Please give the full address details of the property you wish to apply for an asset transfer

6.  Where will your project be located?

Please tell us the area in which the project will be. You should indicate the particular village/ town/ locality or district that is expected to benefit from the project. Please note that your project must be in Oxfordshire to be eligible to apply for funds from the Oxfordshire County Council Big Society Fund.

C. Project need

7.  Describe the main aims of the project, and why it is important

Please tell us, in 150 words or less the main aims of the project and the reasons they are important. We are looking for evidence of local need so please provide details of any need you have identified and how the project will meet it. This could include priorities in a local community plan, a lack of or change to existing provision or data/evidence to support your idea.

8.  Describe the desired outcomes and benefits for local communities

Use this section to tell us what you hope will be achieved and the expected benefits for a particular community or communities. Please use 200 words or less.

9.  Describe what is new or different about what your project will do or provide

We are looking to fund new projects not existing work, (existing organisations proposing a new project are eligible to apply). You could be a new organisation starting a completely new project or you could be an existing organisation starting to provide a service you have not done before. You should describe here how you think your project will offer something new to meet currently unmet needs or will meet needs in a different and improved way.

Please use 200 words or less.

10.  Describe how members of the community have been involved in this application.

Please use this section to describe how people in the community have been involved in developing this project. For example by evidence in a community led plan, group discussions, written feedback, one to one conversations, etc. We are looking to fund projects with strong community involvement and support. Please use 150 words or less.

D.Project costs

11.  What is the total cost of your project?

Please tell us the total cost of your project including start up costs and full costs for the first year. You should include here costs for which you have or hope to have from other sources of funding.

12.  How much funding are you applying for from the Big Society Fund?

Put the total figure you wish to apply for from the Big Society fund. Please note that we will consider bids for the total amount of you apply for, but may decide to fund only in part.

One off start up costs

13.  What are your start up costs for this project?

Please complete the table below with as much detail as possible about the costs of your project. In the “Money Out” section in the table below you will need to give a breakdown of the anticipated costs of starting up the project and running it in the first year. In the “Money In” section we need to know about other sources of income that will be used to fund start up costs for your project.

Amount
Money Out (£)
Breakdown of costs
Money In (£)
Identify amount and source of funding
Total Cost of the Project (include funding already in place)
Total amount of funding requested from the Big Society Fund

Ongoing costs

14.  What will be required to enable the project to continue?

The Big Society Fund is only for 2011/12. We need to know how you propose to continue the project once it has been set up. It is essential that you provide enough information to demonstrate that the project can be sustained for the period of time the project is planned to run.
In order to demonstrate this you should provide evidence of a sustainable business case.
You can give an overview here but we would also like you to send us your supporting business plan. Send this to Big Society Fund.

15.  Set out your costs in subsequent years.

This section is for you to set out the ongoing costs of your project. In the “Money Out” section in the table please give a breakdown of any anticipated costs that will be ongoing for the life of the project (part of business as usual as opposed to the start up costs). In the “Money In” section please give a breakdown of any income which will be generated by the project or funding that is intended to support daily running costs.

Money Out (£) / Year 2 / Year 3
Breakdown of costs / Money Out / Amount / Money Out / Amount
Money In (£) / Year 2 / Year 3
Identify amount and source of funding / Money In / Amount / Money In / Amount
Annual Cost of the Project (£)

16.  Please tell us about any resources that will be available for use as part of the project.

You should include details of staff and volunteers (giving staff hours available and particular skills and expertise), assets such as buildings, vehicles or equipment that will be used to support the project.

E. Assets (NB. You only need to complete this section if you are applying for an asset transfer).

17.  Why do you require a transfer of the asset referred to in question 5 above?

Please tell us why this particular building is critical to the success of your project and what other options you explored. It is important for us to be able to understand whether use of the building in question is necessary for the project to be a success.

F. Timescale

18.  What is the timescale for this project?

Start: / Finish:

G. About your organisation

Name of Organisation / This should be the legal name of the organisation that is making the application and will be delivering the project
Contact Name
Primary Contact / Please give the name of someone nominated to answer any queries that we may have relating to the project and your application.
Secondary contact / Please give a secondary contact if necessary.
Address / This is the main address of the applicant organisation
Telephone Number / Please ensure this is the number we can use to speak to the contact(s) named above
Email / This is the email address of the person making the application.
Any specific communication needs we need to be aware of / We will normally contact you by email. However, if you have specific communication needs please tell us about them here.
Registered Charity Number (if applicable) / This refers to those organisations registered with the Charity commission. If this applies to your organisation then please state the Registration number(s) and what the registration relates to.
Do you have a written governing document? / Yes
No
Not Yet / Please select one option
Do you have at least three unrelated people on your governing body or management committee? / Yes
No
Not Yet
Do you have a UK based bank or building society account in the name of your organisation that requires at least two people from separate households to sign cheques and make a withdrawal? / Yes
No
Not Yet
If your project involves working with vulnerable groups,do you have safeguarding policies and procedures in place? / Yes
No
Not Yet / We do not expect you to have these in place at the application stage but if we agree to fund your project will expect you to have these before your project starts
Do you have the following policies in place?
Equality / Yes
No
Not Yet
Health and Safety / Yes
No
Not Yet

19.  If you are a voluntary or community organisation we need the following information:

Otherwise continue to section H.

What the does your organisation do? / Please describe in a few words the main purpose of your organisation
Year formed / Tell us the date when the organisation was formalised
Staff/volunteers total / Number of paid staff (inc total hours worked) / Number of volunteers (inc total hours worked) / Give the total number of people usually employed or working as volunteers at any given time and the total hours worked or if this varies from month to month then tell us the average number over the last year
Annual Income/ Expenditure / Income / Expenditure / Please tell us the total income and the total expenditure for the most recent year
20 to 20

H. Support of your local county councillor

If your application relates to a particular area within Oxfordshire we will need confirmation that your local county councillor supports your application. You can look on our website for further details of your local councillor.

Please identify which County Councillor you have involved and how:

Name of your local County Councillor:

I. Is there anything else you’d like to tell us in support of your application?

Only complete this section if there is any additional information that will support your application.

This form is for guidance only DO NOT use this guide as your final application form to apply for the Big Society Fund.

Applications are only accepted via the online form www.oxfordshire.gov.uk/bigsocietyfund