Local Papers - Big Lottery Fund

Fund Guidelines 2013

1. Background to the Fund

Every year the Big Lottery Fund(the Fund) gives out millions of pounds from the National Lottery to good causes. Their money goes to community groups and projects that improve health, education and the environment.

The Local Papers programme awards 12 month grants from £10,000 up to £30,000.

In 2011, the Fund ran a pilot scheme with the Manchester Evening News where they offered small grants funding that was publicised by the paper and decided by public vote. They would like to build on the success of this pilot by offering funding across England. The Fund will fund projects that:

  • help talented people make their ideas a reality
  • allow people to develop and use their skills more
  • enable people and groups to work together
  • give groups who have never applied for Big Lottery Fund funding before a simple and accessible opportunity to do so.

There is £250,000 available in Leicestershire and Rutland.

Funding decision

The funded projects will be decided by a voting competition run by The Leicester Mercury from a shortlist of applicants produced by the Fund.

2. Fund criteria

2.1 Who Can Apply?

Voluntary or community groups[1], schools[2] (for after-school activities only), health bodies [3]and parish or town councils.

You must have:

  • at least three unrelated people on your board of directors (companies including community interest companies)
  • at least three unrelated trustees on your governing body (registered charities)
  • at least three unrelated people on your governing body (co-operatives, friendly societies, industrial and provident societies, unincorporated and unregistered not-for-profit associations)
  • a written governing document (for example, a constitution, memorandum and articles of associations, set of rules or trust deed)
  • a bank account in the name of the group (or for schools a local authority bank account), and financial procedures, that require at least two people who are unrelated and do not live at the same address to sign cheques or make a withdrawal (including debit card or internet purchases and cash withdrawals)
  • a record of income and expenditure (if you are a new group with no previous income you will need to provide a bank statement) or set of accounts

2.2Applications from branches of other organisations

Independent branches of larger organisations can apply directly to us. Theymust have their own governing document and be allowed to manage funds andstaff without referring to another body. Dependent branches can also apply directly to us if they:

  • have their own governing document (or have adopted the parent

organisation’s governing document); and

  • produce their own annual accounts (which may be included in the parent

organisation’s annual report); and

  • have their own bank or building society account and are responsible for thisaccount and how the funds in it are spent.

If a dependent branch is awarded a grant, we will ask the parent organisation to

accept overall responsibility for it. For other dependent branches where there is less local control, the parentorganisation will need to apply. If you are a branch and you are unsure whetheryou can apply, please contact us.

2.3 What grants will pay for

You can apply for between £10,000 and £30,000 to pay for some or all of your project costs. The Local Papers programme will not give more than £30,000 to an organisation in any one year period.

There are some things we are unable to pay for and these are listed below.

2.4 What can’t be funded?

  • Activities that happen or start before grants are confirmed
  • Any costs you incur when putting together your application
  • Any expenditure incurred or committed before the grant is confirmed (including deposits)
  • Day-to-day running costs of your organisation (for example, utility bills, council tax, rent, insurance)
  • Contingency costs
  • Endowments (to provide a source of income)
  • Existing activities and repeat or regular events
  • Fundraising activities for your organisation or other items that mainly benefit individuals (for example equipment that is not shared)
  • Items that are purchased on behalf of another organisation
  • Loans or interest payments
  • Political or religious activities
  • Projects or activities that the state has a legal obligation to provide
  • Projects that cannot be completed within 12 months of the date of the letter confirming the grant
  • Projects that take place outside of England
  • VAT that can be recovered
  • Applications made by one organisation on behalf of another
  • Organisations with overdue or incomplete monitoring on a previous grant

2.5 Projects working with children, young people orvulnerable adults

If you are applying for a project to work with children, young people orvulnerable adults, you must have a policy that explains how you will make surethey will be safe. It is your responsibility to have acceptable safeguardingpolicies and procedures in place which we may ask to inspect at any time if weoffer you a grant.

The NSPCC has produced a guide for organisations to safeguard children called‘Firstcheck’. You can find out more at or you can buy a copyby calling 020 7825 7422.

2.6 Insurance and safety

Depending on the type of project, you may need public liability insurance orqualified leaders. It is your responsibility to ensure you have adequateinsurance in place. This should include cover for any assets you buy or events and activities yourun using our grant. We may ask to look at these policies at any time. Your organisation must be affiliated to a governing body if your projectinvolves a dangerous sport or activity.

2.7 Equal opportunities

We expect projects to be open to all who want to be involved, unless you can give agood reason why this should not be the case. If you plan to restrict who can take part you should explain why in yourapplication, so that we can consider whether this is acceptable. Your application should show your commitment to the Fund’s equality principles,which are explained in their ‘Equality Matters’ guide. You can get this from their website or advice line – see

3. How applications are assessed

3.1 Completing the application form

Some helpful tips oncompleting the form are listed below:

  • The main contact person at your organisation should be available during the application and assessment period, to allow staff at our community foundation to contact you for further information if required
  • If you are a new organisation which has been runningfor less than 15 months, you should provide aprojection of your income and expenditure andinclude the amount you are requesting from us
  • Ensure you email a photograph representing your charity that would appear in the local paper for the voting stage if you are shortlisted.
  • Draft your responses before completing the form
  • Make sure that every question has been answered in full
  • Ensure the budget section has a clear breakdown of all the costs associated with your project
  • Ensure that you have completed the checklist of documents and materials that you need to submit with the application form
  • Get somebody to read through the application before sending, preferably someone who knows nothing about the project. This is a great way to pick up on any mistakes or lack of information and rectify it before submitting.

If we receive an incomplete application it will not be considered.

Below is the Local Papers outcome. This outcome is the difference we want the funding to make. During our assessment we will consider how well your project meets the following outcome. You must show how your project meets this outcome.

  • Local groups and charities are better enabled to make positive change to their locality through lottery funding

During our assessment we will look at the followingfactors to help us reach a decision:

  • The need for your project
  • Who will benefit (you seek to involve as wide a range of people as possible)
  • How you will achieve our outcomes
  • If we have funded you before
  • Your organisation’s income
  • The total project cost

At times we find we do not have enough funds tosupport all the applications we would like to. When thishappens we need to make some difficult decisions.

You will be notified if your organisation has been shortlisted. A public vote will decide who receives funding.

4. What happens if you are offered a grant?

If you are offered a grant we need you to confirm whatyou told us in your application before we will pay thegrant to you. This means that the grant offer isconditional on you and a senior contact from yourorganisation signing and returning the offer letter,accepting the terms and conditions of grant and sendingus documents that allow us to check how yourorganisation is run.

4.1 Confirming the grant

If everything you send us meets the requirements wewill write to you,telling you when we will pay the grant. Your grant will be announced in the Leicester Mercury.

4.2 Withdrawing the offer

If what you send is unsatisfactory we will contact you ifwe think you may be able to resolve the problem. Ifthere is a major problem or something that cannot beresolved, we will withdraw the conditional grant offerand write to you telling you the reasons why.

4.3 Monitoring your grant

If your project is funded we will need you to complete six month and end of grant reports to confirm how the grant has beenspent and what you achieved. You will be provided with the forms when you are awarded a grant. Please make sure thatyou get receipts for all the items or services you buywith the grant and that you keep them somewhere safeas we may ask you to provide them. We may also visityou to check how the grant has been spent. Please keep us up to date if your project or any of yourcontact details change at any stage of your grant.

Further information and tips on monitoring your work can be found at the

Charities Evaluation Services website:

Conditions of the grant will stipulate that you must allow the Fundand its representatives to publicise funded work and agree to take part in any publicity around it.

5. What we will ask you to send us

What we will ask for depends onthe type of organisation you are. Part B of the application form provides further details of what you need to send us.

5.1 Voluntary and community organisations

We will need a copy of your organisation’s latestapproved annual accounts, signed and dated by yourchair, secretary or treasurer and by your auditor or

independent examiner, where appropriate. If yourorganisation has been running for less than 15months, you may not be able to give us this so inthese cases we will accept a 12-month financialprojection for the year when you will spend the grant.

We will need three consecutive pages of an originalbank (or building society) statements. Depending onthe number of transactions, these may cover one,

two or three months but the most recent page yousend must be less than three months old. If you use abuilding society passbook, we will need copies of

three consecutive pages from your passbook, whichhave been certified by your building society with astamp and signature as ‘true copies of the original’. The pages you send must include your most recenttransactions and your account details.

Unless you are a registered charity or a companylimited by guarantee (or a registered charity that isalso a company limited by guarantee) we will need a

copy of your organisation’s governing document,constitution or set of rules.

If you are a branch of a larger organisation that hasmanagement and financial control over your work wewill need a letter, signed by a senior officer from the

larger organisation, confirming their support for yourapplication and accepting overall responsibility for it.

5.2 Parish or town councils

We will need an original bank (or building society)statement that is not more than three months old, ora copy of the most recent page from your building

society passbook that is stamped and certified bythem as a true copy of the original.

We may ask you to send a copy of your latestaccounts or audit report.

5.3 Schools

If your school has its own bank or building societyaccount we will need an original statement that is notmore than three months old, or a copy of the most

recent page from your building society passbook thatis stamped and certified by them as a true copy ofthe original.

If your school uses a local authority bank or buildingsociety account we will need a letter signed by asenior officer in the local authority with details of the

account the grant will be paid into and confirmationthat our grant will only be used for the projectdescribed in your application.

5.4 Health bodies

We will need a letter signed by a senior officer fromyour organisation with details of the bank or buildingsociety account the grant will be paid into and

confirmation that our grant will only be used for theproject described in the application.

6. If your application is unsuccessful

All applications are considered in competition with eachother and we know that you will be disappointed if you are not offered a grant. If your application is not successful we will write to you telling you the reasons why.

7. Other information

7.1 Closing dates for applications

Please return your application form and all supporting documents by the deadline listed below, no later than 5pm.

Closing date / 15th July 2013
When voting will commence / 2nd September
When you will hear the outcome / 23rd September 2013

7.2 What happens next

Eligible applications which meet the criteria and best fit the Local Papers outcomes will be shortlisted.

Shortlisted applications will be presented to a regionalpanel which will make recommendations on grant awards. These applications will be published in the Leicester Mercury with a voting coupon. Applications that receive the most votes will be awarded a grant. Successful and unsuccessful applicants will be notified of the decision in writing.

7.3 How to apply

The application form is downloadable from our website. It should be completed in full and sent to the address at the bottom of the form before the closing date.

If you do not have access to the internet, you can callLeicestershire and Rutland Community Foundationon 0116 2624 916for support.

7.4 Need Help?

Please do not hesitate to contactLeicestershire and Rutland Community Foundation if you would like to discuss your proposal prior to making an application, if you need help with completing the form or providing the supporting documents.

1

[1] These include registered and unregistered charities, co-operatives, friendly societies, industrial and provident societies, not—for-profit companies, not-for-profit unincorporated associations

[2]We welcome applications from schools but we will not pay for activities or services that schools have a statutory responsibility to provide for example, curriculum based activities, or any activity taking place during curriculum time. We expect projects to take place before or after school, during lunchtime or in the holidays unless you can provide us with a good reason in your application why this is not possible.

[3] These include Primary Care Trusts, NHS Hospital Trusts and Foundation Hospitals