Grant Application Guidance Notes

The council has received Shared Prosperity Funding (SPF) from central government, which is being used to support Fast Funding Community Grants.

Qualifying community organisations are invited to apply for a Grant to run a project or activity that meets the aims and outcomes of the Council’s work and the Government’s SPF Fund requirements.   

Application and assessment process

Subject to funding remaining available applications can be submitted at any time between:

  • 1st April 2024 and 16th March 2025.

Processing of Applications:                                              

  • On receipt by EBC all applications will be subject to pre-grant due diligence and checked for eligibility and completeness. Additional information may be requested for this purpose;
  • As soon as practicably possible, all applications will be considered by the Award Panel;
  • No expenditure should be incurred before the organisation has been informed that the Grant award has been approved.

Assessment of applications

The Award Panel will be looking for applications to include:

  • Clear evidence of need for the project, including an explanation of how it has been identified;
  • Details of appropriate costings;
  • The benefits and positive impact that the project will have on Erewash residents and communities;
  • Where applicable, how the project will be funded in future years.

Award Panel Decisions

  • All applicants will be notified of the Panel’s decision in writing. Their decisions are final and will not be subject to any appeals process;
  • Grant awards are issued subject to the terms and conditions of EBC’s 2023-25 Fast Funding Community Grants Policy;
  • Payment of grant awards will be made by BACS transfer at the earliest opportunity.

The Application Process

Tell us about your organisation

Please provide details about your organisation including the individual responsible for completing the Grant Application. 

Eligibility for funding

Organisations or groups must be formally constituted or in the process of setting this up. (Individuals are not eligible to apply).  Community organisations or groups must have:

  • A governing document such as a Constitution or Memorandum and Articles of Association;
  • A bank account with two unrelated signatories.

Full eligibility criteria can be found on the EBC website (insert hyperlink) or are available on request: This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.  by contacting the council’s Community Engagement Officer: 0115 907 2244.

Safeguarding

If you are applying for a grant which involves working with children or vulnerable adults, you will need to provide evidence of the organisation’s Safeguarding Policy, appropriate training and DBS checks where relevant.

Insurance, and Health and safety

The organisation should provide evidence of any insurance that it has, and the level of liability.  The organisation should also confirm that it has the appropriate health and safety procedures and assessments in place, including any in relation to activities or events that the organisation is running.

About the Project

Please outline the details of the activity or project that you are hoping to run with the grant funding.  This will need to include which groups of people you are hoping will benefit from this project or activity. 

Who will benefit?

Please consider who your project / activity will benefit – is this a specific community or neighbourhood?  Or a group (such as people with the same health condition)?  Will it support those at most risk of social and/or economic inequality or isolation (maybe caused by age, health, disability, gender or ethnicity)?

Applications which aim to have a positive impact on the following would be welcomed:

  • Tackling the cost-of-living crisis
  • Improving community cohesion
  • Improving mental and physical health
  • Reducing social and economic inequality
  • Reducing barriers for people attending activities

Please consider how communities will benefit from the activity or project.  As examples, will this be increased connections to other people in the area?  Or those who have the same challenges?  Will it bring the different generations or the community together?  Will it promote services so that people can access them with more confidence or easier?

Funding

Please detail what you would like the Grant to pay for.  Evidence or a written quote (including on emails) will be required for expenditure, and these can be uploaded as part of your application.

The council also needs to know if the organisation has any other funding for the project in the form of funding already secured or applied for.  The council will not be able to double fund a project, but would look favourably on match funding with another funding source.  An example is a project that costs £500, and the organisation will use £250 of its reserves or has secured this from another organisation, and asks for £250 in grant funding from Erewash BC. 

Outcomes

Applicants must demonstrate how their project or activity will achieve one or both of the Fast Funding Community Grants Policy outcomes and explain how the related outputs will be achieved.  These are:

Outcomes

Outputs

Increased engagement

Organisation or project increases their public engagement by at least ten percent (10%) as a result of the funded project or activity.

Impactful volunteering

Organisation or project increases their volunteers by at least ten percent (10%) as a result of the funded project or activity.

 To be able to identify an increase, please consider similar projects or activities that the organisation has run over the past 6 months and on average how many people engaged or attended these, AND / OR how many volunteers were involved with these. 

As part of the application, please detail how you will increase public engagement or volunteers by 10% based on the average figures identified.

Example:

3 similar activities run by the organisation in the past 6 months, with attendances of 15, 16 and 19 at the activities, and 3 volunteers at each.  The average of these would be 17 attendances and 3 volunteers.  The application needs to detail how attendances will be increased by 2 to a minimum of 19, and volunteers to 4.  (Figures rounded up.)

Further Support

Read the council’s Fast Funding Community Grant Policy.

For further support, please contact the council’s Community Engagement Officer:

Tel: 0115 907 2244

Email: This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.

Postal address:

Erewash Borough Council, Ilkeston Town Hall, Wharncliffe Road, Ilkeston DE7 5RP