Improvement Grant
Request Form
This funding stream is about supporting organisations to develop in order to build a more resilient and sustainable service in the future.
Please note: Successful applicants will no longer be eligible for support via other Canterbury City Council grant schemes and may also be ineligible to apply for contracts and commission for the duration of the improvement grant.
Application under £5000 will be assessed based on this application form only.
Applications of £5000 and over will be assessed in two stages.
This application is the first part of the two staged process. If your initial application is accepted you will be invited in to attend an interview with a Development Officer to discuss the detail of your request before a final decision is made.
It is advisable to seek advice from Canterbury City Council’s Development Officer before an application is made. To book an appointment for an informal discussion about your application
please email
Eligibility
Please note, you must be able to answer NO to the following questions to make an application.
(please delete as appropriate)
Are the services or activities that you are applying for the responsibility of statutory bodies? / Yes /NoAre you applying to fund political activities? / Yes /No
Are you applying to fund worship led activities? / Yes /No
Are you a private sector business? / Yes /No
Are you applying to cover the costs of activities that have already happened? / Yes /No
Are you applying as an individual? / Yes /No
For the last two questions you must answer YES to make an application
Does your organisation have a UK-based bank or building society account in your organisations name as shown on their governing document? / Yes /No
Are cheques, internet and other withdrawals signed or authorised by at least two people who are not related to each other and do not live at the same address? / Yes /No
About your organisation
Name of organisationAddress
Postcode
Website
Name of main contact
Position within organisation
Email (if different from above)
Phone number
What type of organisation are you? (Please X as appropriate)
Unincorporated association / Charitable trust
Charitable incorporated organisation / Charitable company
Social enterprise - limited company / Community interest company
Other (please state)
Charity number (if applicable)
Company number (if applicable)
Which sector does your Organisation mainly represent?
Please X as appropriate
Culture / SportVoluntary / Mixed
Please attach a copy of your organisation's governing document to your application.
Your Organisation’s Financial Position
Describe your organisation’s predicted financial position for the current financial year.
Total income for the yearTotal expenditure
Surplus or deficit
If your organisation is running at a deficit, please explain why (200 words maximum)
Total reserves at the end of the year
Total unrestricted reserves
Does your organisation have a reserves policy? / Yes /No
Describe how your organisation implements its reserves policy (200 words maximum)
Please attach a copy of your organisation's reserves policy
Please attach a copy of your organisation's most recent accounts with your application
Previous Support from Canterbury City Council
Is your organisation currently receiving any of the following support?(Please include the value of any/all that apply)
Organisation currently operates out of CCC owned building/land / Y/N / Value: £ / Duration of current agreement:
Organisation is currently receiving a rent concession / Y/N / Value: £ / Duration of current agreement if applicable:
Organisation has received funding via a grant in the past 2 years / Y/N / Value: £ / Duration of current agreement if applicable:
Organisation has delivered a CCC Service Contract in the past 2 years / Y/N / Value: £ / Duration of Current agreement if applicable:
Other Support e.g. loans, training, partnership projects etc. Please describe below
Value if known: £ / Duration of Current agreement if applicable:
About your request
Please give a brief description of your organisations work?
(No more than 250 words)
Please give a summary of your improvement/development need
This should include a description of the problem you are trying to solve.
(No more than 250 words)
Which areas of the business does your improvement specifically relate to?
Please X all that apply:
Governance / FinanceOperations / Buildings/Equipment
Other (please describe)
Please explain what you are proposing to address this need?
Describe how the funding will help you address your development need including any supporting research, changes or preparation that has already taken place in your organisation?
(No more than 500 words)
How do you plan to measure your project?
Please explain what measures you have put in place to monitor and manage this improvement project? You should explain how this will be different to business as usual and how these improvements will be integrated with your day to day operations once the project has ended.
(No more than 500 words)
General Monitoring:
Project Duration
Start date / Expected end dateWill your project include any Volunteers? If so how many
Number of volunteers / Estimated Hours over the duration of the projectWill your project have any long term benefits or implications for staff/employment?
Please complete only if applicable
Number of existing paid jobs included in the project / Number of new jobs included in the projectNumber of jobs that will exist following the conclusion of the project
Other staff benefits from the project
What will be different for your organisation at the end of your project?
About the district
Improvement support will be considered based on two factors firstly how your work contributes to our corporate ambitions and secondly consideration of how many other organisations are offering similar services to the public locally.
Please select from the below list the areas that your organisation, or this project, contributes towards (please delete as appropriate):
Quality Housing / Working to achieve enough high quality housing to meet everyone’s needs / Yes /NoGood Health / Contributing to the good health of local people / Yes /No
Community Support / Focussing our community support on those in most need of it / Yes /No
Protect Communities / Acting with others to protect communities from flooding, crime and anti-social behaviour / Yes /No
Inspiring People / Inspiring people through a wide range of cultural activities and opportunities / Yes /No
Places to be Proud of / Making our city, towns and villages places to be proud of / Yes /No
Clean District / Keeping our district clean / Yes /No
Protecting & Enhancing / Protecting and enhancing our open spaces, heritage and wildlife / Yes /No
Supporting Business Growth / Supporting Business Growth / Yes /No
Enabling Infrastructure Improvements / Enabling infrastructure improvements to regenerate our urban spaces and deliver economic growth / Yes /No
What percentage of your users will be based in the following wards?
Barton / Beltinge / Blean ForestChartham and Stone Street / Chestfield / Gorrell
Greenhill / Herne and Broomfield / Heron
Little Stour and Adisham / Nailbourne / Northgate
Reculver / Seasalter / St Stephen's
Sturry / Swalecliffe / Tankerton
West Bay / Westgate / Wincheap
None of the above
How many people annually does your organisation benefit?
Please attach a copy of your organisation's customer profile
How your project will be funded
Please describe your income and expenditure
Income / ExpenditurePlease list what sources of income your project or service will have. Please indicate if other funding sources have been confirmed. / £ / Please list what your project or service will cost under appropriate heading e.g. Salaries, room hire etc. Please show how you have calculated your figures. / £
How much are you asking for from the Improvement Grant Fund?
Total / Total
Please note: Your project income and expenditure MUST balance at the end of the project
If it does not please explain why below:
Before you submit your application
Is there any other information that you think we should be aware of when assessing your application? If so please include it below.
No more than 200 words
Please make sure you have completed all the sections within the application form otherwise we may be unable to consider your application.
(Please circle as appropriate)
Have you attached a copy of your most recent accounts? / Yes / NoHave you attached a copy of your governing document? / Yes / No
Have you attached your reserves policy? / Yes / No
Have you attached your customer profile? / Yes / No
By submitting this application form you confirm that all of the information you have provided is accurate and true. If successful this application will form the basis of any funding agreement between your organisation and Canterbury City Council.
Please confirm that you have read and understood the above statement / Yes / NoOnce you have completed your application form please email it to
1