Community

Festivals Fund

Guidance Notes

1.Introduction
Aim

The Community Festivals Fund (CFF) was established in 2006 in recognition of the potential contribution that festivals could make to communities, to the local economy and wider Government policy priorities. The primary purpose of the CFF is to improve the capacity of community festivals and make them less reliant on public funding by providing support and training in addition to funding towards the cost of festivals. The Fund enables Community Organisations to celebrate their cultural identity and to strengthen community relations.

Definition of a Festival

A community festival is defined as a series of events with a common theme and delivered within a defined time period. It is developed from within a community and should celebrate and positively promote what the community represents. Community festivals are about participation, involvement, and the creation of a sense of identity and are important in contributing to the social well being of a community.

Equality of Opportunity & Good Relations

While administering this Scheme,Mid & East Antrim Borough Council will ensure the promotion of equality of opportunity between:

  • persons of different religious belief, political opinion, racial group, age, marital status or sexual orientation;
  • men and women generally;
  • persons with a disability and persons without;
  • persons with dependants and persons without.

In addition due regard will be given to the promotion of good relations between persons of different religious belief, political opinion or racial group.

General Principles Applying to the CFF

The following general principles will apply to Mid & East Antrim Borough Council's administration of the fund.

  • This is a competitive scheme and applications will be determined on the basis of merit
  • Applications to this scheme will be open to all festivals that can meet the core criteria of the scheme irrespective of whether the proposal is for an established or emerging festival
  • Festival organisers will continue to be able to apply to other sources of public funding support, however will not be eligible to apply to other Council grant schemes to support the proposed festival
  • All festivals must demonstrate their commitment to promoting social cohesion, social inclusion, equality of opportunity, and good relations
  • Festivals should contribute to the promotion of a positive image of Northern Ireland and organisers must take steps to avert anti-social behaviour
  • Organisations in receipt of public funding must comply with all statutory obligations regarding thedelivery of and access to their festivals
  • Festival Organisers will make every effort to increase capacity within the community through e.g. skills training and volunteering
  • Festival Organisers will be expected to make efforts to maximise income through ticket sales and sponsorship. They should develop a plan to improve their sustainability and reduce reliance on public funding
  • It is a prime responsibility of Government to ensure the proper and efficient use of and the accountability of public monies. To this end, festival organisers will be required to provide relevant supporting information when applying for funding.
  • Festival Organisers will be required to demonstrate the effectiveness and impact of their festival and that public funding is put to good use and shows a positive and measurable impact on the local community or economy; a method of formal evaluation is therefore required in all applications

Exclusions

Mid & East Antrim Borough Councilwill not ordinarily fund the following under this Scheme:

  • Festivals taking place outside of Northern Ireland
  • Festivals of a commercial nature, organised to make a profit
  • Trade or professional conferences/conventions
  • Festivals that are primarily fundraising events, are heavily branded with charity branding or deploy potential sources of income from a festival to a charity
  • Awards ceremonies or industry events
  • Residential courses and associated events
  • Festivals that are social events for an organisation

2.Who is Eligible for Grant Aid?

To qualify for grant aid under this Scheme applicantsmust meet the following criteria:

Groups should be properly constituted with an elected committee (appropriate details are requested in the Application Form).

Groups should be based in the Mid & East Antrim Borough Council area or provide a service that is of a clear and direct benefit within the Mid & East Antrim Borough Council area.

3.Application Process

Applications will be invited once annually following public advertisement of the scheme through a combination of the Council's Website and the local press. The application period will be limited to four weeks. The Grants Officer will administer the scheme, with all applications and Officers' recommendations being presented to the Policy & ResourceCommittee for consideration.

4.Criteria and Scoring

In order to deliver the fund's purpose and general principles, festival organisers will need to demonstrate how their festival meets the criteria shown below. These have been broadly set by the Department of Culture, Arts and Leisure as a condition of funding; however Council has been given the flexibility to develop its own application process for assessment and selection.

The festival must meet ALL of the following eight measurable criteria; applicants who fail to demonstrate how their proposal meets any one of these will have their application rejected; the responsibility to provide sufficient detail in any application for Council's consideration rests with the applicant:

1.Demonstration of need, and level of demand - has the applicant conducted the research (effective) to demonstrate that there is a need for such a festival, and if so what is the level of demand likely to be?

2.Have strong community participation - defined in the range and scale of community participation.

3.Provide opportunities for people to improve skills or receive training - defined in the range of skills or training, and the inherent benefits to participants and communities.

4.Promote social inclusion and improve community relations - to what extent does the festival proposal promote social inclusion and improve community relations?

5.Contribute to community regeneration - defined in the extent, nature and legacy of the regeneration.

6.Attract visitors to the area - higher numbers will attract a higher score relevant to any particular year's applications.

7.Provide opportunities for development; this includes capacity building, links with other organisations and diversity of activities - defined in the range and quality of development opportunities, and the numbers of people who will benefit from these opportunities.

8.Financial viability and organisational governance - defined as the extent to which an applicant has demonstrated that they have secure financial backing, and the experience/skills to ensure effective delivery of the festival.

Assessment of applications will be made using a system that measures and scores each of the

criteria listed above out of a total five points. Weighting will apply to questions 4 and 6. Theminimum scoring threshold for funding is 50%. In additionto meeting the above criteria, applicantsmust also meet/comply with the following conditions.

5.Specific Conditions

Applicants. Only groups can apply to the grant scheme. Groups must meet the following conditions:

  • Be constitutionally correct (a copy must be submitted with the application)
  • Be managed by an elected committee; the Office Bearing positions of Chairman, Secretary and Treasurer must be held as a minimum
  • Demonstrate a fair and equitable ethos through their established aims and objectives in accordance with Section 75 if the Northern Ireland Act (1998)
  • Demonstrate that proposed festivals are not a duplication of other activities
  • Produce an annual statement of independently audited or certified accounts, or a bank statement where this is not available
  • Agree to Mid & East Antrim Borough Council's monitoring, evaluation, and training procedures if required
  • Adhere to Mid & East Antrim Borough Council’s Guidelines for Procurement of Goods and Services

Guidelines for Procurement of Goods and Services

Quotations:

Estimated value of order (exc. VAT )
£ / Number of quotations
Less than 1,000 / Min of 1 telephone / email quotation
from 1,000 – 2,999 / Min of 2 written / email quotations
from 3,000 – 7,999 / Min of 3 written / email quotations
from 8,000 – 29,999 / Min of 4 written / email quotations

Tendering

Estimated value of order
£ / Procedure
From 30,000 + / Publicly advertised tender

6.Amounts

Major Festivals
50% funding up to £5,000.00 / Events with more than 2,000 people in attendance (competitors and spectators combined)
N.B. Funding for the event will be reduced on a pro-rata basis if profit* exceeds £1,000.00.
Medium Festivals
50% funding up to £2,500.00 / Events with more than 500 but less than 2,000 people in attendance (competitors and spectators combined)
N.B. Funding for the event will be reduced on a pro-rata basis if profit* exceeds £500.00
Small Festivals
50% funding up to £500.00 / Events with up to 500 people in attendance (competitors and spectators combined)
N.B. Funding for the event will be reduced on a pro-rata basis if profit* exceeds £200.00

* Profit is defined as surplus revenue generated by the event through ticket sales and admission fees. This surplus is restricted and can only be used for the development of future events organised by the applicant organisation. At no point will the applicant be permitted to forward this profit to a third-party, e.g. a nominated charity.

In the event of the scheme being over-subscribed, Council may be required to apply additional criteria to ensure that it stays within the allocated budget. In previous years, funding to applicants was reduced on a pro-rata basis.

If at the end of the financial year there is an amount of unclaimed funding, consideration will be given to either returning the appropriate amount to DCAL or to seek permission to reallocate it to successful applicants of the scheme who have had a shortfall in funding for their event.

7. General Conditions for Grant Aid

All applicants should note the following:

  • Successful applicants of the Grants Support Scheme, Good Relations Grants Scheme, Traditional Festival Scheme or any other Council scheme will not be permitted to apply for additional funding under this scheme for that particular project. However, these groups may apply for funding for a different activity that qualifies as eligible under this above.
  • Festivals will only be assessed if there is evidence that they fulfil a clearly defined need for the festival and for Council support, and they show a degree of community support or clear benefit.
  • Any assistance we offer you must only be used for the purpose stated on the application.
  • Retrospective festivals will not be considered; these are those that have taken place before we have considered the application.
  • Award of grants will be strictly limited to a maximum of the sum offered by the Council. No supplementary grant will be allowed.
  • Group applicants must have a bank/building society account and must declare details of their account/s to the Council. Groups will be required to provide evidence of their financial position with their application.
  • It is the Group’s responsibility to ensure that any individuals or organisations it engages prior, during or post festival activity, are adequately insured. The group must be completely satisfied that all insurance documents are up to date and adequate liability cover is in place for the duration of the festival.
  • The Council can choose to interview a representative of the group or organisation making the funding application, and we can deal directly with the applicant’s parent organisation or governing body (as applicable).
  • Previous funding does not guarantee further funding.
  • If the festival involves publicity this should be co-ordinated with Mid & East Antrim Borough Council, our support should be acknowledged in all publicity material relating to the festival through display of the Council logo.
  • The Council will only accept applications made using the official online funding hub.
  • Because of the Council’s remit, it may not be possible to award the full amount requested in order to make effective and efficient use of its funds.

Certification

  • The Government’s financial directions require the Council to obtain from award applicants whatever information may be necessary to safeguard Mid & East Antrim Borough Council funds, and to carry out random validation checks. Proper records should, therefore, be maintained and correct details given, records being made available to the Council subject to reasonable notice being given.
  • Any misleading statements (whether deliberate or accidental) given at any stage during the application process will render the application invalid, and you will be liable to return any money already paid out as an award.
  • All cases of suspected fraud involving Mid & East Antrim Borough Council funds will be reported to the police.
  • Information on applications is stored on computer and, in accordance with the Data Protection Act, such information is confidential. Government bodies/agencies that dissemination funds share information stored on a computer database to enable them to prevent fraudulent applications and to co-ordinate processing of complementary applications. The database service is operated on the distributing bodies’ behalf by a specialist contractor. Some of the information you supply on the application form will be provided to the database.
  • Any approach, be it direct or indirect by an applicant, its officers, servants, contractors, personal or professional representatives or advisors made to members of the Mid & East Antrim Borough Council, its Committee or officers which, in the view of the Mid & East Antrim Borough Council or their advisors, constitutes an attempt in any way to influence the outcome of an application will, at the absolute discretion of the Council, render the application ineligible for further consideration.

Disclaimers

It will be a condition of the application to Mid & East Antrim Borough Council that the applicant has read, understood and accepted the following:

  • The Mid & East Antrim Borough Council’s policies on funding are subject to change from time to time, including variations required to comply with government directions on the distribution of Mid & East Antrim Borough Council funds. The Mid & East Antrim Borough Council reserves the right to amend, supplement and/or discontinue at its absolute discretion, for whatever reason, any or all of the policies, criteria and application procedures set out in its publications.
  • All applications are made entirely at the applicant’s sole risk and the Mid & East Antrim Borough Council shall not be liable to any applicant or any other party in respect of loss, damage or costs of any nature arising directly or indirectly from:

a)the application or the subject matter of the application or any part thereof; and/or

b)the rejection for any reason of any application or any matter arising there from; and/or

c)any delay in processing any application however arising.

  • All decisions as to the acceptance or rejection of applications are at the Mid & East Antrim Borough Council’s sole discretion.
  • The Mid & East Antrim Borough Council has used its best endeavours to provide clear and helpful guidance for potential applicants to the fund. Mid & East Antrim Borough Council, its servants and agents shall not, however, at any time in any circumstances be held responsible or liable in relation to any matter whatsoever or howsoever arising in connection with the development, planning, construction, operation, management and/or administration of individual festivals.

8.How to apply

Before completing an application, applicants should make sure that they are eligible to apply and have read these guidance notes in full.

Applications are made online by going to

Further Information on the grant process is available by contacting the Grants Office at:

 0300 124 5000

Please note the following:

  • The Council may defer applications if further information is needed.
  • The Council will not consider a claim that your application was lost or delayed in the post, unless you have proof of posting.
  • It may not be possible to support all applications even if they are eligible to apply.

Co-funded by

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