Strengthening DPULOs Programme: Guidance Notes for the Facilitation Fund
Version 1 (July 2011)
Thank you for considering applying to the Strengthening DPULOs Programme Facilitation Fund.
To assist you in completing this form we have created these guidance notes.
Please read these guidance notes before you complete your application form. They contain useful information about the Facilitation Fund. They also have some useful tips and explanatory notes of what each question is asking for.
Accessible versions of this form and the guidance notes are also available. All of these can be found on our website, along with more information about the Strengthening DPULOs Programme: www.odi.dwp.gov.uk.
If you have any questions about the Facilitation Fund or any part of the Strengthening DPULOs Programme please contact us by emailing .
Contents
Contents 3
1. Introduction and background to the DPULO programme 3
2. Strategic intent of the Facilitation Fund 4
3. Principles informing the operation of the Facilitation Fund 5
4. How much can my DPULO apply for? 5
5. What the Facilitation Fund can support 6
6. Limitations and exclusions to the Facilitation Fund 8
Fund limitations 13
Fund exclusions 13
7. Application form guidance and explanation notes 16
Part 1 17
Part 2: Qualification criteria 17
Part 3: What you are applying to the Facilitation Fund for 17
8. Sending us your Facilitation Fund application 17
9. Assessment criteria 18
10. Decision-making process and timescales – the Facilitation Fund Board 16
11. Frequently Asked Questions 17
12. Examples of successful activities / projects 17
13. Examples of project plans and budgets breakdowns 17
14. Other potential sources of funding 17
15. Terms and Conditions 18
1. Introduction and background to the Strengthening DPULOs Programme
In May 2011 the Minister for Disabled People, Maria Miller MP, announced an additional £3million between 2011/12 and 2014/15 for Disabled People’s User-Led Organisations (DPULOs).
The aim of the Strengthening DPULOs Programme is to provide a range of practical and financial support to DPULOs to create strong and sustainable DPULOs. Strengthening the role of DPULOs in their local communities will contribute to delivery of the Coalition Government’s priority of enabling disabled people to have greater choice and control over their lives.
The Strengthening DPULOs Programme also contributes to the delivery of the Department for Work and Pension’s (DWP) Vision to provide opportunity, choice and independence to enable disabled people to take an equal role in society.
The development of the Strengthening DPULOs Programme Facilitation Fund will support delivery of the Coalition Government’s Structural Reform Plan number 5. It will strengthening role of DPULOs, provide disabled people with a voice and support more independent living for those who face the greatest barriers and cannot work.
On launching the Strengthening DPULOs Programme, the Minister for Disabled People, Maria Miller MP, said:
“Disabled people should have choice and independence in how they live their lives. Organisations run by, and for, disabled people play a vital role in making sure they have their voices heard at every level.”
2. Strategic intent of the Facilitation Fund
The principles which inform the strategic intent of the Facilitation Fund were coproduced with DPULOs and are presented below.
The overall aim of the Facilitation Fund is to complement the work of the National Lead, Ambassadors and Experts in supporting the strengthening of Disabled People’s User-Led Organisations in order to increase their sustainability in the future.
For the purpose of the Facilitation Fund we define Disabled People’s User Led Organisations as those organisations that:
· Are led and controlled by disabled people and have a minimum membership of 75% of disabled people on their board
· Actively demonstrate their commitment to disabled people by employing disabled staff and volunteers
· Actively demonstrate their commitment to the Social Model of Disability
· The Facilitation Fund will also consider those organisations which can demonstrate they are working to achieve the above definition.
The Facilitation Fund achieves its aim through providing financial support to DPULOs that they otherwise could not easily secure.
Awards made through the Facilitation Fund aim to:
· Cover all geographic regions of England
· Support the achievement of independent living for disabled people across all aspects of their lives. This includes (but isn’t limited to) covering a range of policy sectors in which DPULOs do or could operate, including health, employment, education, social care, welfare, social justice, transport and culture
· Be made to DPULOs at a range of different points on their journeys towards sustainability, supporting them to reach the next stage of their development, whatever that stage may be
· Reflect different ways in which work can be delivered, eg peer-led models, timebanking
· Support a range of levels of innovation in the activities funded
· Maximise other resources – both financial and non-financial – that can be drawn on in order to encourage the sustainability of DPULOs.
The Facilitation Fund will be outcomes-focused and not focused only on inputs or outputs.
3. Principles informing the operation of the Facilitation Fund
The principles which inform the operation of the Facilitation Fund were also coproduced with DPULOs and are presented below.
· The Facilitation Fund is accessible, inclusive and approaches this work from the social model of disability
· It aims to be proportionate and light touch, as applied to:
§ The application process
§ The approach to accounting for spending
§ The approach to monitoring
· It aims to be open:
§ Decisions will be clearly communicated with applicants, including the reasons why a bid was / wasn’t successful
§ General information that is not bound by the Data Protection Act will be made available, including assessment criteria and general information on awards made (e.g. average values, types of work supported, coverage etc.)
· The Facilitation Fund will be flexible and will learn from practice and develop over time, which may involve targeting future funding at identified specific areas of need.
4. How much can my DPULO apply for?
· There is no minimum amount that DPULOs can bid for
· A typical award is anticipated to be up to £10,000
· Bids for more than this amount will be considered if the associated activity / project justifies this
· DPULOs can receive up to a maximum of £30,000 over the duration of the whole programme (ie until March 2015)
· Funding specifically to meet any additional access needs (for example, BSL Interpreters) will not be counted towards these limits
· Any DPULO successful in a bid would not be able to submit a further bid until at least 6 months after the completion of their supported activity
· Any subsequent bid by a DPULO that had previously been successful must be for a different activity to that previously supported
· Any unsuccessful applicant can resubmit a changed or different bid at any time.
5. What the Facilitation Fund can support
The Facilitation Fund will provide one-off or short-term payments which will support strong and sustainable DPULOs that can support disabled people to have more choice and control over their lives.
Examples of activities / projects that can be supported include (but are not limited to) the following:
· Training to build skills within DPULOs to provide disabled people with more choice and control over their lives
· Strengthen the role of DPULOs in the local community to enable disabled people to have a voice by building the skills of the employees to participate in the community
· Provide training to enable DPULOs to become more competitive in the commercial environment and be able to tender for service delivery contracts
· Fund DPULOs to run enterprise schemes to generate income
· Support DPULOs to widen their customer base by providing high quality services, and to meet the needs of disabled people
· Advertising and promotion of the DPULOs (Please note: the ODI logo should only be used with the express written consent of the Director of the ODI)
· Support disabled people back into work by helping DPULOs provide the necessary support to work through all the funding packages of support available and opportunities to undertake work experience opportunities
· Strengthen the skills of DPULO staff to provide services for disabled people, such as advocacy
· Flyers and promotion materials for prospective participants
· Radio or press promotion (being mindful that this can sometimes be available without charge)
· Equipment essential to the running of DPULOs. This includes updating computers below the £1,000 capital threshold and other potential capital assets below £5,000 (as per DWP’s Capitalisation Policy).
6. Limitations and exclusions to the Facilitation Fund
Fund limitations
The Facilitation Fund constitutes State Aid as defined under Articles107 and 108 of the Treaty on the Functioning of the European Union and is being granted as ‘de minimis’ aid under the De Minimis Aid Regulation.
Whist supporting capability building, the Facilitation Fund Board will bear in mind that any expenditure which might be novel or contentious, or which could potentially bring the Office for Disability Issues into disrepute, does require advance approval by colleagues within Government. Such ideas are not automatically prohibited but should be referred to the Office for Disability Issues. Funding can only be agreed and made to a DPULO that has auditable accounts. The only exception to this rule will be where a DPULO is being set up.
If a problem arises after funding has been awarded, ODI reserves the right to recover any funding that has been fraudulently claimed. A fraudulent claim for these purposes includes submitting false receipts, submitting receipts for purchases that are unassociated with building capability of the DPULO or submitting receipts that are not duly reflected in the DPULO’s auditable accounts.
The decision to award funding may be revoked if the DPULO closes before funding is awarded or where an invoice is not submitted within an appropriate timescale of the decision notification and no reasonable explanation for delay is given.
Fund exclusions
For the purpose of the Facilitation Fund the following, which is not an exhaustive list, will not be funded:
· To fund any other Government Department or any body funded from central government
· To fund contributions in kind
· For ongoing running costs
· To cover wage/salary costs
· Interest payments or service charge payments for finance leases
· To buy services from a Third party
· To reimburse customer travel/childcare costs
· To pay for rent/estates
· To fund IT equipment in excess of the £1,000 capital threshold
· To pay for refreshments
· To pay for gifts
· To fund working capital or retained to cover future running costs and expenditure.
7. Application form guidance and explanation notes
To assist you in completing the Facilitation Fund form we have created these explanation notes.
Please read this section before you complete your application form. It contains some useful tips and explanatory notes of what each question is asking for.
Throughout this section, the text in bold format indicates the part / section / question on the application form. The text that immediately follows then describes what the information is we would like.
Part 1
Please tell us the full name of your organisation and who is completing the application form. We will use the contact details provided in this Part for all future correspondence with you about your application.
Part 2: Qualification criteria
Section 1: About your organisation
1.1 We would like to know how many of the members of your Board, or main governing body, are disabled people. This should be as of the date you make your application. This will help us to identify if you are a Disabled People’s User-Led Organisation.
1.2 We would like to know how many of the staff of your organisation are disabled people. This can include full-time and part-time staff. This should be as of the date you make your application. This will help us to identify if you are a Disabled People’s User-Led Organisation.
1.3 If you have volunteers we would like to know how many of them are disabled people. This will help us to identify if you are a Disabled People’s User-Led Organisation.
1.4 We would like to know what type of organisation you are. You can say “yes” to more than one of the organisations in the list. Unfortunately, if you are a public or private sector organisation we will not be able to support you through the Facilitation Fund.
1.5a We would like to know what area you work in. This could be a County Council, Metropolitan Council, in a Unitary Authority or a District / Borough Council. It could also be in one or more Primary Care Trust or Job Centre Plus area. If you work across more than one area, please let us know all the areas you work in.
1.5b It’s possible that your proposed activity / project may not be in the area you normally do your work. For example, you may want to support a DPULO from another area, or a lot of your members live in neighbouring areas. If your proposed activity / project is in a different area, please use this question to let us know why.
Section 2: Other funding
2.1a, 2.1b We want to make sure that the funding available through the Facilitation Fund has as much impact as possible. In these questions, we would like you to tell us what other sources of funding you’ve considered for your activity / project.
2.2 As well as looking at external sources of funding, your answer to this question will let us know if you’ve considered using any resource you may have within your organisation.
Section 3: Our requirements
3.1 Because the Facilitation Fund uses public money we have to ensure that it is used correctly and appropriately and meets all the requirements that govern the ODI, DWP and other relevant government departments. We may ask you for a copy of your audited accounts.
3.2 Please refer to “6. Limitations and exclusions to the Facilitation Fund” and “15. Terms and Conditions” of these Guidance Notes.
3.3 Please refer to “6. Limitations and exclusions to the Facilitation Fund” and “15. Terms and Conditions” of these Guidance Notes.