Community Grants Programme

What is the Community Grants Programme?

Fareham Borough Council operates a Community Grant Scheme to support and assist voluntary groups, clubs and organisations in actively providing opportunities to benefit the residents of the borough whilst supporting the achievement of the Council’s Objectives.

You can apply for an award of between £250 and £2,000. It is intended to be a one-off award that will contribute towards, or top up existing funds. It is expected that applicants will also raise additional funds for the project from other sources.

 

• Who can apply?
• What are grants available for?
• What have grants been awarded for in the past?
• Who decides about awards?
• When can I apply?
• What won't the Council fund?
• How can I get an application pack?
• Where can I get help completing my form?
• Other sources of funding
• Community Grant Application Form (201 Kb)
  

 

Who can apply?

• Not for profit community groups and voluntary organisations.
• Non-commercial, recreational/sports clubs, societies and schemes.
• statutory organisations supporting Fareham residents
• Sports competitors representing the borough.

 

Applications from national and regional organisations will only be considered if their project is shown to have direct benefit for the residents of Fareham.

 

What are grants available for?

Grants are available to support voluntary groups and non-profit making organisations that operate within Fareham and provide direct benefit to local residents. The Council is particularly keen to support organisations that work with minority groups in the community, as well as new groups and organisations which seek to meet a community need not previously addressed or established.

Applicants should be aware of the Council objectives. Overall priority is given to first time applicants and projects that support and relate to these aims:

• Strong and inclusive communities  - to support the people and communities within the Borough enabling them to take a full part in society
• A safe and healthy place to live and work - promoting a safe and healthy Borough
• Protecting and enhancing our environment - to protect and enhance the local environment for current and future generations
• Leisure for health and for fun - to help meet the social and recreational needs of the Borough
• Maintaining and extending prosperity - to promote economic success, making the best use of both local resources and  those available to the Borough
• Balanced Housing Market – providing good quality housing with a range of dwelling types to meet social needs.
• A Dynamic, Prudent, Progressive and Best Practice Council – aiming to achieve excellence in all the services we provide.

There are currently three main areas of focus within the new Community Grants programme.

• Community buildings
• Children with disabilities
• Young people and reducing anti-social behaviour.

 

What have grants been awarded for in the past?

The types of grants that have been awarded in the past include those that:

• provide or develop facilities for children and young people;
• develop and enhance the community’s use of public meeting places and social facilities which are accessible and available for hire by the community at a reasonable cost, this could include the development of new groups or activities which meet local need;
• support sports and recreational opportunities, for example through the funding of coach training and young / better training schemes;
• support groups who wish to undertake improvements to the local environment, supporting nature and sustainability,
• contribute to the reduction of crime through safety initiatives, this includes projects which seek to reduce the effects of crime in the community;
• develop the skills of those involved in the running and work of voluntary organisations;
• provide social or other facilities for groups and individuals with special needs.

 

Who decides about awards?

Applications are initially assessed by Council officers who review the application form to check that the form is fully and accurately completed. The officer will also check to see that the application supports the Council’s objectives (see ‘What are grants available for?’).

The completed application is then sent to the local Ward Councillor/s for comment. Following this consultation a report is presented to the Executive Leader for consideration and final decision.

 

When can I apply?

You can apply at any time. There are no closing dates for applications. Only one grant may be awarded in any financial year (April – March). Applications will take approximately 8-10 weeks to be considered.

 

What won’t the Council fund?

The Council will not fund or support the following:

• retrospective grants, therefore applications are unable to be considered for: 
  • events that have already occurred
  • equipment that has already been purchased
  • building works that have already commenced or been completed.
  • the repayment of loans that have been secured in anticipation of grant funding.
  • the cost of services, equipment or provisions booked in the anticipation of an award.
• trips, holidays and expeditions.
• the purchase of computer equipment.
• the activities of political organisations.
• the activities of religious organisations unless for wider community benefit.
• recurring running costs.

 

How can I get an application pack?

You can request an application pack in the following ways:

• in person from the Civic Offices
• by telephoning 01329 236100
• emailing customerservices@fareham.gov.uk
• or by downloading a Community Grant Application Form (201 Kb)

 

Where can I get help with completing my form?

If you have any queries, problems or require assistance with completing your form you can contact the Community Development team on 01329 236100 or Fareham Community Action on 01329 231899

 

Other sources of funding

If you feel that your application does not meet the criteria for a Community Grant award or you were unsuccessful with your application, you could try applying for the following sources of funding:

• Community Action Team or telephone 01329 236100
• Awards for all - www.awardsforall.org.uk (this is an external hyperlink) or telephone 0845 600 20 40
• Big Lottery fund - www.biglotteryfund.org.uk (this is an external hyperlink) or telephone 0845 4 10 20 30

 

Or you can try searching for UK Grants and funding information on www.grantsnet.co.uk. (this is an external hyperlink)

A copy of the information booklet is also available in large text format. Please contact the Leisure and Community Division on tel: 01329 236100 or email: customerservices@fareham.gov.uk if you would like a copy.