Hertfordshire Welfare Assistance Scheme

Building Community Resilience Programme

Guidance Document

Hertfordshire Welfare Assistance Scheme (HWAS) is delivered through partnerships in Hertfordshire to provide information, assistance and advice to people in financial crisis.

The Building Community Resilience Programme has been set up to enable local groups and organisations to bid for some funding which will support the ethos of HWAS; to support people and families during extraordinary times.

Please ensure that you fully read and understand this guidance as this will enhance the chance of your bid being successful.

Section A: Who can apply?

Voluntary, charitable organisations, community groups and housing associations can apply, including those providers who received funds in the previous bidding round. This fund is intended to be flexible; however, for an application to be considered, the project/initiative requiring funds must have a set of rules and comply with the following conditions.

  • Hold a bank account in the name of the group, requiring at least two signatories

(for applications requesting £20,000 or more, we will request bank statements)

  • Have a Management Committee of at least three people
  • Be non-profit making or a social enterprise where profits are reinvested for community or social benefit
  • Be committed to equality and diversity in employment and service delivery
  • Organisations which are already funded via other funding programmes will not be eligible to apply
  • Applicants must be mindful that this is NOT a hardship/emergency grant fund.

How are the CVSs involved?

They are helping to promote and publicise the opportunities of the funding grant with their members. They can also make bids to the Fund if they wish.

Section B: Project Requirements

B1: Key themes

Priority will be given to projects which address the following key themes:

  • Information and support for individuals, families and children
  • Delivery of schemes for items such as; clothing, furniture and small household goods
  • Sharing schemes such as; toy banks, equipment banks
  • Training and support to prepare for financial security, including mentoring and peer mentoring schemes
  • Schemes to improve the chances of gaining employment to sustain financial security such as; training, mentoring, interview clothing

Applicants must demonstrate how their project will meet one or more of the above themes / aims.

B2: How much can I apply for?

The overall pot of money available for the whole of Hertfordshire is £100,000. Organisations and community groups can apply to Hertfordshire County Council (the Council) for projects/initiatives that cost £20,000 or more. We are aiming to award funding as equitably as possible across the county to cover different districts. Partnership bids are also encouraged.

Small Grants Funds

Organisations can also bid for a ‘small grants’ fund of up to £20,000, which they can then use to coordinate and administer their own small grants process (see the application form for further details).

Organisations or community groups will be able to bid to these small grants funds for smaller projects. To ensure consistency, they will need to do so using the same application form as for applications for projects costing £20,000 or more and this will be sent out by the organisation(s) administering the small grants funds.

B3: Identifying need

For projects costing £20,000 or more, priority will also be given to bids that clearly identify need for the project(s) being proposed. You are encouraged to use a range of data, including Census data, information in Hertfordshire’s Joint Strategic Needs Assessment (JSNA) - - and any other information you have.

B4: What can be funded?

  • Revenue as a ‘one-off’ grant for a specific project, event or programme of events
  • New projects or an extension of an existing project
  • Short term staffing costs which are needed to extend an existing project on a short term basis
  • Volunteer Management expenses
  • Projects delivered in Hertfordshire for Hertfordshire residents

B5: What cannot be funded?

  • Capital items
  • Long term or ongoing revenue costs
  • Activities promoting religious or political beliefs
  • Projects involving improvement or repair to buildings which are the responsibility of another statutory body
  • Capital projects in buildings or other capital cost improvements e.g. bus stop, street lighting
  • Projects that take place outside Hertfordshire

The Fund may not, under any circumstances, be used to support currently commissioned services that may be loss making or have an operational shortfall. It can also not be used to maintain currently commissioned services that may be required to make budget cuts in relation to existing services. The Council will take measures to recover money where there is evidence that financial allocations via this Fund have been misused.

B6: Are there any special conditions on the Project Funds?

All successful applicants will be required to sign a Data Protection Declaration as a condition of receiving funds (see application form). Applicants may be subject to individual conditions, which relate to the application and will be confirmed in their offer letter. In addition:

•We reserve the right to signpost your organisation or community group to local partners that you should work with to ensure a joined up approach across the county.

•We may ask for your support in future to publicise consultation and key Hertfordshire County Council messages to your users.

•Where projects are dependent on another source of funding, the Council may make any funds conditional on the success of the other application(s).

Section C: How do I apply?

C1: When you can apply

Applications for:

  • projects costing more than £20,000; and
  • ‘small grants’ funds of up to £20,000

will open on 24th March 2015 and must be submitted by NOON, 13th April 2015.

Please note:

1.Bids received after this deadline will not be considered.

2.No application will be considered which is not on the form supplied.

Applying to SmallGrants Funds for smaller projects

If we receive and accept applications for small grants funds, organisations will then be able to apply for smaller projects/initiatives costing under £20,000. Further details and timescales will be available in April 2015.

C2: How to apply

All applications must be submitted using the Hertfordshire Welfare Assistance Building Community Resilience Fund application form. You will also need to send in the following documentation:

  • Set of rules which govern your group (or constitution)
  • Charity number
  • Recent bank statement or 1 year’s accounts
  • Safeguarding vulnerable people policy or statement
  • Equality and diversity policy or statement

For applications for projects costing £20,000 or more, or for a Small Grants Fund: please return the application form and all documents to:

or by post to: Tracy Webber, Community Wellbeing Team, Hertfordshire County Council, SFAR202, Farnham House, Six Hills Way, Stevenage, SG1 2FQ.

For applications for projects costing UNDER £20,000: please return to the organisation that sent you the form, together with any information they have requested.

Section D: Making a decision on applications

D1: How will my application be assessed?

Applications for projects/initiatives costing £20,000 or more will be assessed by a grants panel and will be scored according to how well they meet the following criteria:

•How well your application demonstrates that the project will address the Hertfordshire Welfare Assistance Scheme priorities and key themes as set out in Section B1 above (including how well you have identified the need for the project being proposed)

•The extent to which partnerships between different organisations and agencies are developed though the project/initiative

•The extent to which your application demonstrates value for money

•How your project will be sustainable beyond March 2016.

Priority will be given to bids submitted by organisations who are not currently funded by the Council and which support locality based services which will meet the key themes in Section B1 above. The panel will also be looking for bids which demonstrate new and innovative ways of engaging with the most vulnerable members of the community.

Applications forSmall Grants Funds will be scored according to how the bidding organisation will:

  • Ensure that projects meet the Hertfordshire Welfare Assistance Scheme priorities and key themes
  • Develop a simple, proportionate and accessible grants process
  • Use their networks to promote the fund to a range of organisations/groups
  • Report on the outcomes achieved in a simple but robust way

Applications to Small Grants Funds for smaller projects under £20,000 will be assessed by the administering organisation. However, bids for these projects will need to clearly set out how they will meet the Hertfordshire Welfare Assistance Scheme key priorities and themes.

D2: Who will assess my application?

The grants panel who will be judging the applications will be made up of members of the steering group who do not qualify to apply to the fund - e.g. statutory organisations such as district councils.

If your proposal remains viable following consideration by the panel, contractual papers will be issued to the nominated lead organisation, outlining the funding purpose, the expected outcomes and measures and general terms of the agreement. At any stage of the process, you may be asked to more fully explain and clarify certain aspects of your proposal.

D3: When will I be informed about the outcome of my application?

We will send you a decision by Monday 20th April 2015. Any grant offer is subject to the availability of funding and approval by the Council. The decision of the grants panel is final. Unsuccessful applicants can request feedback and are welcome to reapply (if appropriate) in future rounds.

Section E: Project monitoring / evaluation

Any money awarded via the Fund must be spent wholly on the project outlined in the bid proposal. Council and panel members will meet within six months of the end of the projects to review and evaluate the success and effectiveness of the project funded using evidence presented by successful bidders.

All successful applicants should take photographs and keep evidence of the success of the project. You will be required to submit an update report within 6 months of the funding being received. Additional controls may be put in place and the Council may request receipts/invoices/other proof of spend so ensure that records are maintained.

Any underspend will be subject to review at the end of the funding period and may be reclaimed by the Council.

Section F: Summary Timeline

Applications for projects costing £20,000 or more open: 24th March 2015

Applications for ‘small grants’ funds of up to £20,000 open: 24th March 2015

Applications for the above close: NOON on 13th April 2015

All projects must be able to start in May 2015

Applications for projects costing under £20,000 open:

TBC – further details will be available in April 2015

Applications for these smaller projects close:

Exact date TBC but all bids will need to be submitted by the end of May 2015

All projects must be completed by the end of March 2016

Evaluation must be submitted by the end of April 2016

Herts Welfare Assistance Scheme Building Community Resilience fund

Guidance Document27.02.2015