Rural Programme –

Community grants

Programme guidance
This guidance is for organisations applying to deliver community grants in Wales
£100,001 - £350,000

About the Big Lottery Fund

Our mission – helping communities and people most in need

We believe that the following three approaches are vital to help us achieve our mission and address inequality in Wales and we want all activity we fund to embrace these.

• People-led – we want the people who will benefit from, or be affected by,your project to be meaningfully involved in the development, design and delivery of your activity.

• Strengths-based – we want to encourage organisations to make the most of, and build on, the skills and experiences of people and strengths within communities.

• Connected – we want to know that you have a good understanding of what others are doing locally, that what you’re doing complements and adds to this and that you have working relationships with other relevant groups.

Accessibility

Please contact us to discuss any particular communication needs you may have. Contact information is at the end of this guidance.

Our equality principles

Promoting accessibility; valuing cultural diversity; promoting participation; promoting equality of opportunity; promoting inclusive communities; reducing disadvantage and exclusion. Please visit our website for more

Information:

We care about the environment

The Big Lottery Fund seeks to minimise its negative environmental impact and only uses proper sustainable resources.

© Big Lottery Fund, November 2016


Contents

Page

What’s it all about?4

Overview of Rural Programme timescales5

Eligibility & what success could look like6

Money available 8

Who can apply9

Application process9

Useful information10

Guidance for your project plan11

Beneficiary Monitoring18

Annex One: Project Budget20

What’s it all about?

The Big Lottery Fund has £13.5 million to help make great things happen in rural communities. This funding will support people and communities in rural Wales to ‘create solutions to address rural poverty’.

Poverty affects people and communities in different ways. We want communities to identify what matters most to them, and develop projects that really meet their needs.

This programme is not just about addressing the financial aspect of poverty. We are looking for projects which tackle the range of issues associated with rural poverty which could include; lack of transport, poor access to services, withdrawal of services, isolation.

What are we looking for?

We are interested in projects that tackle poverty by bringing together people and communities to use their strengths to address what matters to them.

We expect projects to address poverty through the following areas

  • Improving well-being
  • Raising aspirations
  • Building social capital - enhancing the skills that are available within the community
  • Increasing resilience to challenging circumstances.

Some case studies can be found at page six which highlight the type of projects that we may fund and how they address poverty. Further information demonstrating some of the different activities that could be funded through this programme can be found on our website

We are not setting programme outcomes. Projects need to set their own outcomes, making sure ensuring they meet the overall programme aim of ‘creating solutions to address rural poverty’.

You can apply for funding now if you have a project ready to go but future rounds of funding will be available for groups who may need to further develop their ideas. The deadline for Round one is 1pm on the 3rd April 2017.

Please contact us, or sign up to our newsletter, to find out about the support available in your area and the dates of future funding rounds.

Overview of the Rural Programme timelines


Which areas are eligible?

Communities in the following areas can apply:

  • Anglesey
  • Carmarthenshire
  • Ceredigion
  • Conwy
  • Denbighshire
  • Gwynedd
  • Monmouthshire
  • Pembrokeshire
  • Powys.

These areas are eligible as they are defined as the most rural by the Welsh Government’sRural Development Plan.

We want this programme to support the most rural communities, some of which may never have benefitted from our funding in the past. We will only support communities with a population of 10,000 or less.

We will also support individuals spread throughout eligible areas who have a common experience of poverty. We welcome applications for projects that will support communities of interest.

If your community or project operatesoutside these eligible areas, or has a population greater than 10,000 please contact us on 0300 123 0735 to discuss what funding options may be available.

What could a successful project look like?

Success will be different for each project and it will be up to you to decide what that is and propose your own outcomes. The case studies below give an idea as to what it may look like.

Electric car club is just the spark for rural community

The costs and commitments associated with owning a car can really add up. Insurance, MOT, tax, servicing, cleaning, parking charges and repairs – the list is substantial. These problems can be exasperated in rural communities where local amenities and services have ebbed away and where public transport options are few and far between. Many people can find themselves increasingly isolated without a car.
In a beautiful corner of rural South West Wales however, Wales’ first electric car share club is enabling people to share the cost of motoring with their neighbourhood. With a grant of £25,000 from the Big Lottery Fund three years ago, the Cilgwyn Community Group in Newport, Pembrokeshire, was able to lease a brand new electric vehicle and set up a car-sharing club for the area. Such has been the success of the scheme the group has been able to buy a new electric car outright with the profits and has inspired other groups in neighbouring communities to establish a club of their own.
Members pay an annual fee of around £30 and pay £1 an hour and 10p a mile to use the car which can be booked through an online calendar system. Other members can see bookings, so they can arrange to share a lift or request an alteration. Drivers record their miles and time in a book in the car and pay monthly. Good for the environment and easy on the pocket - the car is powered by a solar panel on the roof and can cover up to 90 miles before needing a re-charge. The vehicles can also be chargedwith renewable energy, much of itproduced from wind and solar turbines locally which means they produce no tailpipe emissions.

Opening new doors to independent living for older and younger people

Six pilot projects offering a positive solution for younger people seeking affordable accommodation and older people wanting to live independently in their own homes received more than £1.3 million from the Big Lottery Fund.

The projects around the UK were funded in early 2016 as part of Homeshare, the UK’s first national home-sharing initiative developed by the Big Lottery Fund and Lloyds Bank Foundationas a new and sustainable model for people with particular housing needs in local communities. It matches younger people looking for reasonably-priced accommodation with older people who are lonely or isolated and can offer a spare room.

The younger person typically pledges around 10 hours of companionship and light domestic help to their host in return for accommodation, bringing practical, financial and emotional benefits for those who take part. Studies show that young people are leaving rural areas in record numbers for a range of reasons, including lack of affordable housing. One solution could be Homeshare and Alex Fox, chief executive of Shared Lives Plus, which has been involved in the scheme as an advisory partner, said it has the potential to work in Wales.

He said: “Homeshare is rapidly becoming a real option to help areas solve housing challenges, support older people to stay in their own homes for longer, reduce isolation and build stronger communities by bringing together older and younger people in a positive way. We know that there is significant appetite to expand Homeshare in Wales and Shared Lives Plus is committed to supporting further expansion and development of the Homeshare model across Wales and in Welsh rural communities.”

Visit to read more about these rural poverty case studies and others, including themes like community growing, disability, community shop and domestic violence.

How much money is available?

Round one has approximately £2 million available. Grants of between £10,000 and £350,000 will be awarded, and we want these to go to organisations based in the communities they serve, or communities of interest.

Grants are available for up to five years.

What we will fund

Revenue funding

The programme is mainly for revenue funding which can cover the operating costs of your project, and a contribution towards your organisation’s overheads.

For help in completing your budget and in working out your overheads, please refer to our guide on ‘Full cost recovery’ on our website.

We won’t pay for:

  • your day-to-day running costs, current or regular activities, general appeals, endowments or fundraising
  • anything you start, spend money on or agree to spend money on before we confirm our funding
  • activities that are statutory obligations or will replace statutory funding, including activities on the curriculum in schools
  • items that only benefit one person
  • loans or interest repayments
  • activities to promote religion or belief
  • political activities
  • any costs which someone else is paying for, if in cash or in kind
  • funds to build up a reserve or surplus, whether distributable or not
  • routine repairs and maintenance
  • general improvements to public areas unless they are essential to your project
  • equipment which is not essential to the project.

Capital funding

Applications are allowed to include capital up to a maximum of 10 per cent of your overall project budget.

In exceptional circumstances capital requests of more than 10 per cent may be considered. Please contact us to discuss your proposals.

Who can apply?

To apply, you need to be:

• a formally constituted voluntary / community sector organisation, such as a charity, community group, cooperative or social enterprise

• working with other organisations and groups in your community, which could include public, private and third sector organisations.

  • based in the community (or one of the communities you wish to serve if you are working with a community of interest).

We won’t accept applications from:

•branches where you don’t control how you are run and how your money is spent

•organisations applying on behalf of another

•organisations awarded / involved in delivering the Community Development Support Grants through this Rural Programme

•public sector organisations, as the lead applicant.

The application process

If you are asking for £100,001 to £350,000 you will need to submit a completed project plan, an organisation details form and any supporting documents such as a draft partnership agreement.

Please contact our Advice Line on 0300 123 0735 to discuss your project, and have an organisation details form sent to you.

If you have any queries, or wish to discuss your project further before you submit your application, please contact us at the number above.

All completed applications are to be received no later than 1pm on Monday 3rd April 2017 at the following address:

Big Lottery Fund, 10th Floor, Helmont House, Churchill Way, Cardiff, CF10 2DY

Or by email to:

When we receive your submission we will check that you have sent everything we asked for. If not, we will contact you and give you five working days from the date of the letter to send us any missing information. If you cannot meet this deadline, please contact us.

On receipt of your completed submission it will be allocated to a funding officer to assess. The assessment process will consist of either a telephone conversation or visit to ensure a thorough understanding of your proposed project.

What else do I need to know?

Working in partnership

Organisations can work on their own or in partnership with public, private and other third sector organisations. If you are working in partnership, please send us a draft partnership agreement. If you are awarded funding the draft partnership agreement must be approved by us and finalised prior to any funding being released. We may request changes to the draft agreement before it is finalised.

Annual accounts

You don’t need to send us your annual accounts with your application, but we may ask to see them during the assessment of your application.

How do I find out more?

Before you apply please contact us to talk through what you want to do, so we can discuss with you whether or not it’s something we may support.

Phone 0300 123 0735 between 9am and 5pm weekdays, or email . If you have a hearing impairment you can contact us by text relay on 18001 plus 029 2067 8200.

Guidance for your project plan

If you are requesting £100,001 or more then your full application is made up of the following documents:

  • an organisation details form
  • a project plan
  • a draft partnership agreement (if applicable)
  • a detailed project budget

This guidance tells you what we would like to know about your project. Please keep your plan and any appendices concise and number each page.

Your project plan should include the following information:

a)Project name – front cover

This should be the same as that provided in the‘organisation details’ form.

b)Executive summary

Provide a short summary of around 300 words telling us what your project will do. By project we mean the events or activities you plan to deliver using our funding. It should include:

  • what your project will do
  • where you will deliver your project
  • who will benefit
  • how it will work with other people and services.

c)Your organisation summary

Tell us about your organisation. You should include:

  • your aims, objectives and legal status
  • the services or activities you provide, including how these are delivered and who benefits from them
  • list of your board members or trustees and senior management team and their responsibilities
  • your experience of running similar projects
  • management structure, including decision making processes and key lines of communication or reporting.

d)Your community

Tell us about your community and the poverty issues your community faces.

Your community may be a place, such as a village, or a group of people with shared interests or experiences.

Tell us:

  • the number of people in your community. (Remember to check whether your community is eligible at page six of this guidance)
  • what your community has already. This may include services, other projects and organisations, buildings, equipment, public spaces. But also knowledge, skills and experience of people
  • what poverty issues your community facesand the impact of these,(include any recent and relevant research you or others have done)
  • who (people and organisations) you have spoken to, when and what they said.

e)Projectbackground

Tell us more about your project:

  • why your project is the best way to meet the poverty issues in your community
  • how your project will complement what is already in the community
  • what you have done to develop your project so far
  • how you are involving others in your community to develop and deliver the project. Please consider the three approached of people-led, strengths-based and connected, as detailed in page two of this guidance
  • any other information which supports what you want to do.

f)Project Outcomes

Tell the difference your project will make by listing your project outcomes. What will your project do to make things better for your community, and how. We will use these outcomes to monitor the success of your project.

Provide indicators for each, using a table like the one below, to explain how you’ll measure and track that your project is making progress as planned and the outcomes are being achieved.

Project outcome:
Indicators: Give up to five change indicators, describing how you’ll know you are achieving each outcome. At least one needs to show the total change by the end of the project.
Example:
Reduced isolation for older people / Indicator level: For each indicator show how much change you expect to see.
Example:
50 older people report that they feel less isolated / Timescale: Tell us what year of your project you would expect to see that change.
End of Year 1
End of Year 2
End of Year 3
End of Year 4
End of the project

For more guidance on completing this part of your project plan please read our funding guidance which is available on our website at the following address:

g)Project delivery

Tell us about the activities you will deliver during your project and how they will help you to achieve your project outcomes.

  • provide a timetable of activities for the first year of your project showing when key tasks, activities or services are due to happen, and how long they will take
  • how your project activities will meet the needs of the community and overcome the causes and/or impacts of rural poverty
  • how your project will be open and accessible to the whole community.How any barriers to participation will be addressed
  • how you will make use of the strengths and skills of the local people that exist within your community, and how they will contribute to this project
  • if you are working in partnership tell us who they are, the types of services they deliver, their relevant experience, the role they will deliver in this project, why they were selected. If their role is fundamental to the delivery of this project, and will contribute to the overall achievement of the project outcomes, you may be required to put in place a partnership agreement, agreed by the Fund, for the duration of this project
  • if this funding is part of a bigger project, with funds coming from another source, please tell us which parts of the project we will be funding, and how it contributes to the overall picture.

h)Project resources