COMMUNITY FUND 2015

GUIDE NOTES & APPLICATION FORM

Contents

  1. How to apply
  2. About the Community Fund Programme
  3. What we can and cannot fund
  4. Funding criteria
  5. Operating areas
  6. Completing the Form
  7. What happens next
  8. Useful information
  9. The Programme and those involved
  10. Third Party Funding explained

Community Fund Application Form

Form F166 Issue A Jan 2015 Guide Notes Page 1 of 10

A.How to Apply
  • Read the Guidance
    Please read these guide notes in full to find out more about WREN’s Community Fund and the sort of projects we are able to fund.
  • Check your project is eligible
    You can apply for funding of between £2,000 and £50,000under the Community Fund.
  • Check our operating area
    WREN will accept applications for projects situated within 10 miles of a FCC Environment landfill site (see Section Efor details).
  • Complete a Community Fundapplication form
    Please answer all the questions as fully as possible. Do not answer any question ‘see attached’as your application will be returned. We review our application form and guide notes from time to time, so if you have had them for more than three months please check you have the current version by visiting our web site or contacting us. If you send us an old form we may be unable to consider your application and will ask you to complete a new one.
  • Send all the required information
    Please make sure you send two copies of yourcompleted application form and enclosures. Applications that do not contain all the required information will be returned.
  • Make sure you send in a hard copy of your application to WREN House by the deadline

Deadline for receipt of applications for the Community Fund for 2015 are as follows:

18 March 2015

8 July 2015

4 November 2015

You should submit your application and supporting documents as soon as you are able. We can only consider a limited amount of applications in each round and projects are allocated to panels on a first come first served basis, subject to all information being provided.

WREN is happy to provide general advice and guidance to applicants but we are not able to comment on draft applications or enter into correspondence on the detail of applications. If you need any guidance please contact WREN on 01953 717165 or email .

WREN is currently developing an online application process which will mean that applicants will be able to apply and manage projects online please check WREN’s website before completing a paper application. In the meantime please note that to use the new online system all applicants will need an email address.

B.About the Community Fund

TheCommunity Fund is designed to deliver amenity projects within 10 miles of a FCC Environment landfill site in WREN’s operating area (as detailed in section E), under Object D of the Landfill Communities Fund.

Object D – The primary intent of the project must be for the protection of the environment, the provision, maintenance or improvement of a public park; or another public amenity.

WREN defines an amenity as something that a community will use for leisure or recreation purposes.

It should make the environment more pleasant or comfortable and/or improves the aesthetic qualities of an area for the general public. All projects must relate to a park or amenity which protects either the built, natural or social environment. The amenity site must be open and accessible for the general public. It should be somewhere where the general public can go, join or use without any limit or restrictions of use (or with reasonable access costs) being in place. Work must be targeted on a specific amenity at a single location.

Who can apply for funding?

Community organisations, voluntary groups, charities, not-for-profit organisations and groups can apply for funding as long as they have a formal constitution and bank account. In addition Local Authorities can also apply. Please note the project site must be owned, leased or under appropriate management agreement by either the Applicant organisation or secondary Applicant organisation.

How much can you apply for?

Grants of between £2,000 and £50,000 are available for projects with a maximum total project cost of £500,000.

Important information:

WREN cannot provide retrospective funding.

Your project can only start once you have signed and returned WREN’s funding agreement.

Please note the project site must be owned, leased or under appropriate management agreement by either the Applicant organisation or secondary Applicant organisation.

C.What we can and cannot fund

What we can fund:

WREN willonly fund costs which are specific and wholly attributable to a project’s delivery. Work could include physical improvements to a facility, i.e. new windows, access improvements, refurbishment work or landscaping. Physical improvements covers a wide range of work, if you are unsure about your project please call for advice.

Examples of projects eligible for funding under category D:

Replacement doors and windows in village hall or community centre;

Provision of children’s play equipment in public open space;

Construction of footpaths and cycleways in a public park;

Providing all weather play surface for MUGA (multi use games area);

Dipping platform and all weather paths at a local nature reserves

Provision of Skate Park.

Costs which may be included when applying for WREN funding include:

Contractors

Materials

Capital items

The cost of small items of equipment used by volunteers and staff to deliver the project

Architect or design fees up to a maximum of 5% of the WREN funding request.

Whatever type of project you are applying to WREN for it is important that we are able to assess specific and measurable project outcomes to show how your project will make a difference.

Day to day management and running costs, together with routine maintenance costs will not be funded.

What we cannot fund:

WREN is unable to fund the following:

Purchase of land

Revenue or salary costs of staff including training and travel costs

Purchase or lease of vehicles

Construction of new buildings or extensions to existing buildings (see below for guidance)

Projects located in buildings of charities, citizen advice bureaus, statutory service providers and any other building where the primary purpose is other than the provision of a public amenity.

Projects located on allotments

Any work relating to car parks

Projects located at leisure centres, swimming pools or sports facilities that are owned and managed by a Local Authority

Projects located at leisure centres, swimming pools or sports facilities that are of a maintenance focus

Projects located within schools or on school grounds

Scout Halls and other uniformed group HQs where there is no evidence of wider community use

Any works to public highways, roads (either on or off project site, adopted or un-adopted) pavements beside highways, roundabouts. This does not include recreational footpaths, bridle paths or cycle ways.

Litter bins, dog bins and lampposts

Projects involving Membership-only organisations where the general public (i.e. non members) are unable to use the facilities

Village or town centre enhancements such as walkways, street works or signage

Administration posts

Projects in hospital grounds, hospices, day care centres, residential homes or sheltered accommodation

Projects to provide or enhance overnight accommodation or residential areas of any amenity

War Memorials that do not have full public access or are not located within a public park

Community building/extension projects:

WREN is unable to accept applications for funding towards the fabric of any new build and/or extension projects. This list includes but is not limited to:

foundations,

drainage,

bricks and mortar,

roofing,

the provision of any mains supplies, (water, gas, electricity, oil) to the building.

WREN will consider applications for funding for the internal fittings of a new building or extension, but you should demonstrate that you have the build costs secured. The list of internal finishes includes:

kitchens

toilets

floor coverings

decorating,

lighting

heating,

renewable energy technology e.g. ground source heat pump, photovoltaic panels
You should note that if you wish to apply for the Government’s Feed in Tariff in respect of energy generating technology WREN will not fund that aspect of your project.

WREN is still able to award funding towards the refurbishment of an existing community building.

SECOND & SUBSEQUENT APPLICATIONS

Applicants that have been awarded funding fromthe Community Fund must wait at least 12 months from submission of the Completion Report before we can accept a further application for a project on the same site.

Declined applications may have one further opportunity to re-present their case for funding by means of a new application. This should not be seen or implied as a confirmation or guarantee that funding will be awarded on a second attempt to secure WREN funding.

D.Criteria

Assessment criteria

WREN will consider eligible applications on their merits and in light of the funding available. Due to high levels of applications WREN is often unable to fund all the projects it would wish to.

Questions on the application form relate directly to the assessment of your project so you will need to ensure that all questions are answered as fully as possible.

Assessment of applications is based on the following criteria:

The project should benefit a wide range of users of all ages and abilities;

The project should make significant improvements to a facility, which should enhance existing activities or enable new ones to take place;

There is clear evidence of need for the project

Additional funding opportunities or resources in-kind from within the community or from other funders, have been explored.

Your project has support from the local community and other local organisations

Projects are self-sustaining once the initial project funding has been invested. This will include ensuring that the project can be managed and maintained after the funding period ends

Applicants have considered and where appropriate demonstrate how the project:-

  • Promotes social inclusion
  • Minimises the environmental impact of the project

All applications must be able to demonstrate specific and measurable benefits for the local community.

E.Operating areas

WREN is able to accept applications for projects sited within 10 miles of the following FCC Environment sites

AreaLandfill Site NamePostcode

ENGLAND

Buckinghamshire & Milton Keynes BletchleyMK3 5JU

CalvertMK18 2HF

CambridgeshireBuckdenPE195UH

DogsthorpePE1 3TD

March PE15 8QN

MiltonCB24 6DQ

CheshireArpleyWA4 6YZ

Danes MossSK11 9QP

GowyCH2 4JP

Maw GreenCW1 1NG

CumbriaBennet BankLA14 4QH

LillyhallCA14 4JH

HumberGallymoorYO43 4ED

ImminghamDN40 1QR

WintertonDN15 9AP

LincolnshireColsterworthNG33 5QT

Kirkby on BainLN10 6YN

North HykehamLN6 3QZ

NorfolkAldebyNR34 0BL

Blackborough EndPE32 1SW

NottinghamshireDaneshillDN22 8RB

Dorket HeadNG5 8PU

Eastcroft NG2 3JH

Staple QuarryNG24 3JJ

OxfordshireDix PitOX295BB

Sutton CourtenayOX14 4PW

Warwickshire & West MidlandsBubbenhallCV8 3BN

Yorkshire Allerton ParkHG5 0SD

SkelbrookeDN6 8LX

WelbeckWF6 2JA

SCOTLAND

LanarkshireGreengairsML6 7TD

WALES

ConwyLlanddulasLL22 8HP

West GlamorganPwllfawatkinSA8 4RX

WrexhamPen-Y-Bont (Chirk)LL14 5AR

F.Completing the Form

Please provide as much detail as you can for all sections. Enclose any relevant documents where requested and supporting information if useful. A checklist of enclosures is included at the end of the application. Please attach everything requested to avoid unnecessary delays.

Please make sure you send us 2 copies of your application form and all supporting documents and remember to keep a copy for your own records. Applications that do not contain all required information will be returned. Other than the information requested please keep additional enclosures to a minimum.

Please do not bind or glue your application or use ring binders/dividers or plastic folders. Applications should be fastened using a staple or treasury tag. Please remember to take a copy of your application for your own reference.

Submit your application by the deadline date. Deadlines for the Community Fund for 2015 are:

18 March 2015

8 July 2015

4 November 2015

You should submit your application and supporting documents as soon as you are able. We can only consider a limited amount of applications in each round and projects are allocated to panels on a first come first served basis, subject to all information being provided.

Applications should be received at WREN House by 5.00pm on the deadline date to be considered for inclusion in the next panel round. Please note that we cannot accept applications by fax or email

If any of the information requested is not relevant to your project please mark the appropriate box N/A.

Declaration The declaration is very important and no application will be assessed until a signed declaration has been received. The declaration must be signed by at least one authorised signatory of the applying organisation.

G.What Happens Next

When we receive your application we will send you an acknowledgement.

Each application willbe assessed by our Administration Team at WREN House and we will let you know if we need any further details,subject to all necessary information being supplied, we will allocate it to the next available panel meeting and you will be notified of the decision date.

Your project will then be assessed by a WREN Grant Manager who may contact you if there are any queries and a site visit may be arranged.

Projects meeting the criteriathat have provided all requested details will be considered by the WREN Advisory Panel in their area, and recommendations made to the WREN Board of Directors who will decide whether the project should be funded.

WREN will notify applicants whether or not their application has been successful within 2 week of the WREN Board Meeting. WREN is unable to give decisions over the phone. It should be noted that the decision of the WREN Board and the level of grant allocated is final.

If your application is successful, WREN will apply for your project to be registered with ENTRUST the Scheme’s regulator.

Following a successful registration, and providing WREN has all of the project information required, a formal contract will be issued to you together with a ‘Now that you have a grant’ pack which will explain the process from the contract stage to project completion.

IMPORTANT: Any project which fails to go to contract within 6 months, or complete and claim the funding within 18 months, of the date of the offer letter from WREN will have its offer of support reviewed and funding may be withdrawn.

PLEASE NOTE: Your project can only start once you have signed and returned WREN’s formal contract. If you start your project before this time your funding will be withdrawn.

H.Useful Information

Going green
As an environmental fund, we support the protection of the environment we live in. In order to reduce our carbon footprint, we want to encourage our applicants to incorporate as much green technology in their projects as possible.

What is green technology?

Green technology uses environmental science to conserve and protect our natural environment. Green technology initiatives are viewed as helping to reduce the level of carbon emissions society produces.

The field of "green technology" covers a wide range of products and ideas that are continuously developing, from very simple tasks that can be performed in the home to highly specialised systems that are used in industry.

Green technology initiatives aim to achieve:

  • Innovation - developing alternatives to technologies that have demonstrated they can damage health and the environment we live in.
  • Sustainability - meeting the needs of our society through methods that can continue indefinitely into the future without damaging our natural resources and environment.
  • Source reduction - reducing waste and pollution by changing patterns of production and consumption.

WREN funding and green technology

WREN wants to encourage potential applicants to incorporate green technology into their projects where possible. Here are some of the more common types of renewable energy technologies that you may be able to incorporate into your plans:

  • Photovoltaic solar panels
  • Ground source heat pumps
  • Domestic scale wind turbines
  • Biomass electricity and heating generators
  • Solar water heating collectors
  • Rainwater harvesting systems
  • Conversion systems and/or upgrade to a central heating/lighting system to utilise any of the above.

Applicants should note that WREN does not fund all types of renewable energy technologies and will only consider projects for replacing old equipment with greener technology when the current equipment is no longer functioning properly. Additionally, WREN does not fund the installation of equipment that will not have a direct impact on the users of the facility eg installing a wind turbine to reduce running costs. This is partly to reduce waste (taking out a perfectly working boiler doesn’t make green sense either) and partly because there are other funding streams out there available for this type of work.

You should note that if you wish to apply for the Government’s Feed in Tariff in respect of energy generating technology WREN will not fund that aspect of your project.

If your project is in respect of energy saving measures or green technology you must undertake an energy audit and enclose a copy with your application.

Find out more from those in the knowWe are not experts on this so below are a list of useful websites where you can find out more:

DISABILITY ACCESS GUIDANCE

We support applications where the benefits for people with disabilities can be clearly quantified, however the obligations to meet the statutory requirements of the Equality Act 2010 where there is no proven need for the work to be carried out is contrary to WREN grant giving policy.

Guidance
On any new build WREN expects your project to meet the statutory requirements of the Equality Act 2010.

If you are upgrading an existing facility in order to meet the statutory requirements of the Equality Act 2010, WREN expects your organisation to have carried out a disability audit.

The following areas should be considered during the disability audit:

  • Approach and car parking
  • Routes and external level change, including ramps and steps
  • Entrances, including reception
  • Corridors, internal doors, internal ramps and assembly
  • Lifts, stair lifts and internal level changes
  • Toilets
  • Fixtures and fittings
  • Means of escape
  • Providing information

WREN expects you to have consulted with current users of the facility and to provide evidence of what consultation you have undertaken. The consultation must specifically address the need to upgrade the disabled access to the facility. WREN expects you to have made contact with the Local Authority to establish whether they have a Disability Officer who can provide help and advice on complying with the Equality Act 2010 or to approach another local organisation that can provide advice in this matter, such as your local CVS.