hebden Royd Town Council: Criteria For Grant Aid to Organisations

INFORMATION ABOUT GRANT AID TO ORGANISATIONS

Application form available to download at the bottom of this page. Please read this information before applying

1 BACKGROUND

Hebden Royd Town Council (HRTC) serves Hebden Bridge, Mytholmroyd and Cragg Vale and is the tier of local government closest to the people. Councillors therefore have close ties to their local community. The council's income comes principally from a precept paid by local residents as part of their council tax. A large proportion of this income is then used to give grants to support local organisations and projects that will enhance the economic, social and environmental well-being of people who live and work in the Hebden Royd area. Grants may be given to new or on-going projects and may be for either capital or revenue funding.

HRTC is a Living Wage Employer (see: www.livingwage.org.uk) and as such would expect that organisations applying for grant support satisfy the principles of this along with nationally agreed rates of pay and conditions.

All Applicants for grants must initially contact the Town Clerk who can offer support and guidance on completing the necessary application forms. Please contact the Town Clerk at Hebden Bridge Town Hall, (info@hebdenroydtowncouncil.gov.uk) or 01422 842181.

2 SIZE OF GRANTS AVAILABLE

The size of the community funding budget varies from year to year. The total amount available in any given year is determined by the Full Council as part of the annual budget setting process.

Grant awards range from £500 to £5,000. In exceptional circumstances awards may exceed this figure, however, applicants would need to clearly demonstrate the extreme nature of the request.

Applications for grants are considered by the Community Funding Committee, which meets every two months. These meetings are capped to a maximum of six applicants. Applicants that demonstrate an impending need and/or importance will be prioritised. Should the number of applicants at that time exceed six an additional meeting would be scheduled for the following week.

More established and experienced organisations applying for financial assistance will be expected to seek funding from other sources in addition to HRTC. The council expects to see evidence of contributions being raised elsewhere to help fund the project. (Such contributions may include in-kind contributions such as time being given free of charge to the project and applications made to other grant giving bodies.)

3. CLIMATE EMERGENCY

Having declared a Climate Emergency in March 2019, Hebden Royd Town Council recognises the serious threat posed by the climate emergency and biodiversity crisis and the need to initiate and support projects which help to reduce carbon emissions and support nature recovery. The Community Grants Committee therefore welcome, and will prioritise, such projects. This could include projects that encourage walking and cycling; develop community energy; support home working; reduce waste; create or improve habitats or raise awareness of environmental issues to the benefit of local people.

We would encourage all applicants to consider how their projects might make a positive impact on this agenda. For example, this could be the inclusion of a climate or nature theme within an arts project.

All projects should seek to minimise their impact on our environment. For example, applicants should think about how they will keep energy usage to a minimum; encourage use of public transport, walking, cycling or carpooling to events; reduce or eliminate use of brochures, single use plastic and other throwaway items; and minimise food waste. We encourage applicants to source materials for their projects locally where possible.

4 EXCLUSIONS

We will not fund the following:

4.1 An application where the sole aim is to raise money for charity or to distribute money to others, whether they be individuals or organisations. Any charity that may benefit as a result of a grant application should be listed in the application.

4.2 An application that aims to support or promote the religious/political beliefs/interests of an individual or organisation. Applications must demonstrate that the project will be of benefit to the wider community. However, this does not necessarily exclude activities on the premises of or organised by a particular religious /faith group or political party.

4.3 An application from a school or business. A project that is in a partnership with a school may still be eligible if it can demonstrate how it meets our priorities and why it cannot be supported through the school budget.

4.4 An application for maintenance costs for buildings or equipment. We will consider applications to improve or modify buildings.

4.5 An application in relation to the provision of food or hospitality.

4.6 An application to fund the salary of a project organiser. HRTC may fund the cost of an entertainer at an event but not the salary of the producer/director of the event.

4.7 A retrospective application.

4.8 Where funding is essential to the on-going viability of a project that addresses the needs of people who are socially or economically marginalised, HRTC may choose to recommend funding in exceptional circumstances.

5 APPLICATION PROCESS AND TIMESCALES

5.1 Contact the Town Clerk for informal conversation and to obtain information pack including application form.

5.2 Complete and submit application form. Organisations will also need to submit their latest accounts as presented and endorsed by their most recent AGM (providing the organisation has been in existence for at least 18 months). Smaller organisations and those in existence for less than 18 months must provide evidence that a separate bank account has been opened. If audited accounts or a separate bank account do not exist the applicant may ask for the grant payment to be made to an identified supplier or nominated organisation. Projects which involve working with children and/or vulnerable adults should provide evidence that they have child protection/vulnerable adult policies. Applicants who cannot submit any of the required information should contact the Town Clerk for guidance.

5.3 Completed applications for grants will be submitted to the next available meeting of the Community Funding Committee. Applicants are required to attend this meeting. Two people may represent the organisation and will be asked to attend at a specified time for twenty minutes to give a ten minute presentation on their project and then answer any questions which councillors may have regarding the project.

5.4 Applications can only be considered at these meetings. If funding is required for a particular date application should be made well in advance. Please check with the Town Clerk if you have any concerns regarding the timing of your application.

5.5 Notification of the decision will be received up to three weeks after the deadline for that particular round.

Round	Deadline Before	Meeting by	Notification by
1	1 June	21 June	25 June
2	1 September	21 September	25 September
3	1 December	21 December	25 December
4	1 March	21 March	25 March

5.6 Successful applicants are prohibited from reapplying within the same financial year, any new application will only be accepted once an end of grant and evaluation form have been completed.

6 FUNDING AGREEMENT

Each organisation awarded a grant will be required to enter into a funding agreement with Hebden Royd Town Council.

All successful applicants will be required to:

Acknowledge receipt of any award by return
Credit the council as a supporter of the organisation in any promotional material including use of the council's logo
Report to the council on how the project is progressing at appropriate intervals.
The Council, when considering the application, may choose to allocate a member of the Community Funding Committee to support the applicant whereby invitation to the applicants management meetings would be expected.
The council reserves the right to request an interim report and for the applicant to give a final report to council reporting on outcomes of the funding.
Ensure that equipment bought with the grant remains the property of the organisation to which the grant was given. Should the group cease to exist contact should be made with the Town Council to discuss disposal of assets.

Failure to comply with the terms of the agreement may result in a requirement to refund all, or part of, the award made by the Council as outlined in the Funding Agreement.

Previous awards do not imply continued funding in subsequent years awards are made on a 'one off' basis and do not carry any commitment to future funding.

Make sure you keep a copy of your application as you may need to refer to it again if we award you a grant.

Grant Application Form
Application form. PDF format (Updated Aug 2023)