Calling all Community Projects
Need money to help with your projects? Wealden’s Community Grants Scheme for 2006-07 is now accepting applications.
In order to simplify the procedure and reduce administration costs, only one bidding round will be held for Community Grants each year instead of two. All grants awarded for any one year will have to be spent by the end of that financial year.
For 2006-2007 this means bids of the year’s Community Grants must be received by Wealden District Council by December 30, 2005. The money must be spent by March 31, 2007.
"The new system is now simpler,” said Councillor Mrs Margaret Kirkpatrick, Cabinet Member for Housing & Community Development. “But it is very important that applicants get their bids in between now and December 30 2005 if they need support for a project next year."
Wealden's all-party Select Committee has been reviewing the Community grants procedures to see if the process for applying for grants can be made as easy as possible for the public.
“We have been looking at how other authorities deliver their grant aid. Grant aid is an important area since it allows the Council to support those who are providing extra services within their communities,” explained Select Committee Chairman Councillor Mrs Jane Clark. “We hope that we have made the form easier and simpler to follow. We have proposed the introduction of one bidding round a year and applicants will know if they have been successful or not by the new financial year.”
The limit at which organisations can expect all the grant will be paid in advance has been raised from £1,000 to £5,000. Grants over £5,000 will be paid in two stages – 50 per cent in advance and 50 per cent on completion.
The minimum grant available will be £300, and all grants must achieve match funding of at least 50 per cent. Match funding need not necessarily be in cash but can be in kind and can include an estimate of volunteers time for which time sheets should be kept.
Community Grants support eight themes highlighted in the Wealden Community Strategy: Environment, Health & Social Care, Housing, Learning, Leisure, Prosperity, Safety and Transport. There is no limit to the amount that can be allocated under any one theme but applications for Community Grants must demonstrate how they fulfil the objectives of one, or more, of the themes.
Grant applications can be made online - click on to Community Grants on the Community section of the www.wealden.gov.uk web site. This site also features the new Grantnet service which helps applicants search for all the grants which a project may be eligible for.
The final decision on grants awards for the 2006-2007 financial year will be made at the March 2006 meeting of Wealden’s Cabinet. All groups which are successful in their applications will be required to complete a self-monitoring form.
Grant forms and more information about procedures can be obtained from Regeneration Support Assistant Tim Ison on 01892 602887.
Notes to Editors:
In the first round of the 2005-2006 Community Grants Scheme, £121,485 was awarded to individual projects. These included arts workshops at Uckfield primary schools, a new kitchen for Rotherfield scout hut, a new ceiling for Hooe village hall and improvements in disability access at Forest Row. A further £281,0578 was awarded to ongoing schemes including the Hailsham mediation service, Wealden Citizens Advice Bureaus, Anchor Staying Put - helping older people stay in their homes - and a Wealden Ancient Landscapes Survey.
