What is the Funding Hub?

The Funding Hub was established in early 2007 and is delivered through the Argyll and Bute Community Planning Partnership, with members drawn from statutory, community and voluntary sectors within the local area.

One of the main objectives of the Funding Hub is to help develop and maintain sustainable projects in the local area by providing the opportunity to engage with funding and support agencies and receive feedback from their expertise. Projects are invited to submit their business plan or project outline, and then ‘pitch’ their idea to the Hub members. Constructive feedback and advice is then given that could make the difference between success and failure when it comes to bidding for funds for real!

How will it work?

The process has been agreed as follows;

• The group submit their own business plan/project outline depending on the stage of their project.

• The group are invited to consider which organisations/individuals they wish to be present at the support and advice process.

• The group are invited to consider any questions they wish to be addressed by the Funding Hub.

• The group identify a key organisation who will be their mentor through the process - this should be the organisation most relevant to their project.

• The group’s business plan/project outline is then circulated to Funding Hub members 3 weeks prior to the Funding Hub meeting with a request for feedback prior to the day. This is to ensure that members not attending have the opportunity to feedback. This will be done electronically.

• The example prompt sheet is sent to the group for consideration and the Funding Hub members consider the project using the prompt sheet for guidance.

• At the Funding Hub the Chair facilitates discussion based on questions raised by the group and strengths, weaknesses, opportunities and threats identified by the Funding Hub members.

• A feedback form and letter is sent to the group within 2 weeks of the pitch.

• A short report is sent to the Community Planning Partnership Management Committee for information and when appropriate, with recommendations.

• Follow up of the project and monitoring will be provided by the key organisation identified by the group and reported to the Funding Hub as an agenda item.