Supporting Communities Fund
2024-2025

APPLY FOR UP TO 100% OF THE TOTAL FUNDING COSTS FOR YOUR       PROJECT / ACTIVITY

MAXIMUM AWARD AVAILABLE PER APPLICATION IS £2,500

The closing date for receipt of application forms IS
18th March 2024 

PLEASE NOTE: THERE IS ONLY ONE ROUND OF FUNDING PER YEAR

We recommend you allow plenty of time for submission of your application as it will only be considered if:

•	It has been received by the above deadline
•	It meets the eligibility criteria (pages 4 and 5)
•	The form has been fully completed
•	All supporting information is supplied (checklist on page 6)

If you would like this document in another language or format, or if you require the services of an interpreter, please contact us.

AN APPLICATION FORM IN LARGE TYPE IS AVAILABLE ON REQUEST BY CONTACTING 01436 658881 or supportingcommunitiesfund@argyll-bute.gov.uk 

Gaelic

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Polish
Jeżeli chcieliby Państwo otrzymać ten dokument w innym języku lub w innym formacie albo jeżeIi potrzebna jest pomoc tłumacza, to prosimy o kontakt z nami.

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Argyll and Bute Council
Support to Community Organisations

Welcome to the Supporting Communities Fund application pack.  

Not-for-profit community organisations who have a constitution or a Scheme of Establishment are eligible to apply.
 
Good luck with your application.

Completing the application form

For your application to be considered, you must return the completed application form, and supply all relevant items listed in the checklist on Page 6, by 18th March 2024. 
If returning your application by email, please include your group name in the email title bar.

The assessment process

After a form is submitted, a Community Development Officer will contact you for more details.  Please note that Council Officers do not make decisions on funding awards. They will assess the application and give recommendations to Councillors to make a decision at a formal meeting by July 2024.  Assessments and recommendations will be based on the scoring matrix which is available on our website. 

There are four separate funds, one in each of the administrative areas of the council. These areas are Bute and Cowal, Helensburgh and Lomond, Oban, Lorn and the Isles and Mid Argyll, Kintyre and the Islands. 

Successful applicants will need to sign a contract before funds are released. Funds awarded will need to be spent within 18 months (by 31 December 2025 at the latest). Groups funded will be required to evidence how they have spent the funds by completing an End of Project Monitoring Report. 

Data protection

The information supplied on these forms will be used for the purpose of assessing your Supporting Communities Fund Application, and appropriate measures are in place to protect your personal data.  A full privacy notice, which provides information about your rights under current data protection legislation and details about what will happen to your personal data can be found in our full privacy notice.  If you need this in an alternative format please contact Community Development on 01436 658881.

Contact

If you would like to discuss your application you can contact 
supportingcommunitiesfund@argyll-bute.gov.uk or call 01436 658881. 

CRITERIA FOR SUPPORTING COMMUNITIES FUND APPLICATIONS

Applicants can apply for up to 100% of the total funding costs for any project / activity.  The maximum award available is £2,500.

The limit on ‘capital spend’ is £500. ‘Capital spend’ is purchase of ‘assets’, the useful economic life of which is greater than one financial year.  The term 'assets' does not include items that are bought, used and replaced, such as: office stationery, small tools and equipment, clothing and toys. These do not have a spending limit.

We are unable to fund sponsorship or marketing appeals, establishment / preservation of endowment funds, activities that collect funds for subsequent grant-making to other organisations and / or individuals and political or religious activities.

The fund does support different projects from the same organisation. However, it does not support a project for more than 2 consecutive years and cannot contribute to projects that receive funding from other sources within Argyll and Bute Council.  

Funded projects are required to use the Argyll & Bute Council logo on any promotional / advertising material. You will be sent these if your application is successful.

Applications to the fund are scored on the following and therefore should evidence:

1.	The direct benefit to individuals and groups in the local community.  

2.	Partnership working, where relevant.

3.	That the applicant has the necessary expertise and resources to deliver the project / activities outlined in the application.

4.	How the project impacts any, or all, of the following:

a)	Fairer Communities – tackling poverty by sharing opportunities  
Projects funded under this criteria will remove financial barriers for people in communities, particularly children and young people, to provide opportunities for learning, sports, activities, or employment. For example, this may include funding of transport costs, sports equipment or musical instruments.

b)	Resilient Communities – capacity building / rebuilding and repairing from a pandemic
This includes more general resilience in the sense of community-led inclusive economic development, the cost of Community Actions Plans and feasibility studies, as well as the many ways communities want to upskill and increase their capacity to improve their places.

Projects funded under this criteria may tackle the effects of the pandemic on both individuals and groups such as tackling loneliness and isolation, digital exclusion, building skills and confidence in getting online as well as supporting smaller organisations to recover and re-build stronger. We will only make an award where groups were unable to access funds from the Scottish Government for this purpose. 

c)	Greener, Cleaner Communities – environmental action to support addressing climate change

Projects funded under this criteria could be concerned with a range of activities to improve impact on the environment including energy efficiency measures for both organisations and community members, enhancement and restoration of the natural environment, making the countryside more accessible, decarbonisation activities –walking projects, sharing of facilities and resource efficiency initiatives such as community transport.   

d)	Creative Communities - creativity for health and wellbeing
Projects funded under this criteria would deliver activities related to music, art, theatre, Gaelic, history and heritage and in particular where participation in creative projects improves health and wellbeing.

Applications for funding of events, galas, exhibitions, concerts, sporting events and community festivals are expected to meet at least one of the 4 categories above.  These projects are expected to meet statutory obligations with regard to public safety and environmental health. Please contact envhealth@argyll-bute.gov.uk for further advice.

Applications must:

-	Be for activities taking place from July 2024 and completed by end December 2025.  
-	Be submitted by an organisation with an eligible governing document and operating on a non-profit making basis.

-	Disclose details of any sponsorship agreements.

-	Be compliant with the Equalities Act 2010.  

And, all community organisations which work with children and vulnerable adults must: 

-	Have a safeguarding policy in place. If you are working on a safeguarding policy we will accept your application however any award will only be granted on submission of the policy. Safeguarding policy templates are available from Bond and NSPCC. Guidance from Argyll & Bute Council for Development of Child Protection Policy is also available.

-	Meet the legal requirements under the Protection of Vulnerable Groups (Scotland) Act 2007 which introduced the PVG Scheme in November 2010, as amended by the Disclosure (Scotland) Act 2020. 

-	For further information:  Volunteer Scotland: Disclosure Services Information

APPLICATION CHECKLIST
Items to include with your application 

Please tick to show that the following items, where relevant to your organisation, are included with your application. 

Scanned, photocopied or emailed copies of supporting documentation are accepted. Please note we are unable to return any documents sent.

Tick	Items Required	
☐	Constitution or Articles of Association (if you have submitted this information in the last three years only supply a copy if there have been amendments). 	
☐	Include a statement showing how much the organisation has in all bank or other accounts.  
If an organisation has significant balances a statement detailing why they cannot be used for the purposes for which the Supporting Communities Fund is being applied for should be provided.
Bank statements should have the account number, sort code, name of group and logo of bank.  The statement should be from within the last 3 months.  	
☐	Include a signed copy of the most recent audited or independently examined accounts or OSCR return. A financial projection / cash flow forecast can be accepted for new organisations. Accounts and projections must be approved and signed by someone independent of the organisation. This person’s name and address must be supplied. Note: Typed electronic signatures can be accepted. 
For further information please see OSCR accounts and finance guidance.	
☐	Safeguarding or child protection policy for groups who work with children and/or vulnerable adults. Safeguarding policy templates are available from Bond and NSPCC. Guidance from Argyll & Bute Council for 
Development of Child Protection Policy is also available.	
Additional information for community events / festivals only 	
☐	Evidence of appropriate insurance coverage for the event, when it is applicable (please note that funding for events will not be released until evidence of insurance is provided). 
See Information and advice on insurance for community groups.	
☐	Evidence of contact with Safety Advisory Group (envhealth@argyll-bute.gov.uk).	

Supporting Communities Fund Application Form 

Please make sure you refer to the guidance in the application pack. 

Your application will be assessed using the scoring matrix available on our website.  
Please consider this when completing the form. 

Please complete the form clearly in black ink or type.

Section 1: Your details.	
Q1 Your organisation	
Name of organisation		
Name of main contact (to whom correspondence will be sent) 
(*this question must be completed)	(Title, first name, surname)

Title / role in organisation		
Address for correspondence	

	
Postal town		Postcode		
Telephone number		
Email address
(*this question must be completed)		
Organisation’s website / media link (if applicable)		
Section 2: About your organisation.	
Q2
	Please provide a summary of your project / activities to be funded. Note that the limit on capital spend is £500. See page 4 for more information.	

	
Q3	Please provide the start and end date of your project. 
All funding must be spent by 31 December 2025.	
Start date:
	End date:	
Q4	What are the main activities of your organisation? These can normally be found in the governing document e.g. constitution, articles of association. You can also add a web link to your social media here.	

	
Section 3: Who this project is for?	
Q5	Which area of Argyll and Bute is your application for? Please select as required.	
Helensburgh and Lomond                      ☐     	Mid Argyll, Kintyre and Islands             ☐         	Oban, Lorn and the Isles                          ☐	Bute and Cowal                
                             ☐                 	
Is this application for a community event or festival?                         Yes    ☐            No   ☐
If yes, please provide the additional information required listed in the checklist on page 6.	
Q6
	Please provide evidence of need for this project. If you would like help with demonstrating evidence of need please contact supportingcommunitiesfund@argyll-bute.gov.uk or 01436 658881.	
☐  Survey / research	☐  Facebook / website / social media	
☐  National policy	☐  Meeting minutes	
☐  Community-led Action Plan	☐ Other	
Please give details:

	
Q7	Does the proposed activity specifically target any of the following?
Please select as required. Note: You will be asked to report on this at the end of the project.	
☐  Ethnic minority	☐  Low income	
☐  LGBTQ+	☐  Disability	
☐  Young people (up to 24 years)	☐  Older people (over 65 years)	
☐  General community	

Section 4: Key information about your project.	
Q8
	If applicable, is your organisation compliant with the Vulnerable Groups (Scotland) Act 2007?  Information on Protecting Vulnerable Groups Scheme (PVG)     
  ☐  Yes                ☐  No
If your organisation works with children, young people or vulnerable adults then a safeguarding policy is a required to be eligible for this grant.  	

Q9
	Which of these categories does your project align with? Please read the guidance notes on pages 4 and 5.	
☐   Fairer Communities – tackling poverty by sharing opportunities	
☐	Resilient Communities – capacity building / rebuilding and repairing from a pandemic	
☐   Greener, Cleaner Communities – environmental action	
☐   Creative Communities – creativity for health and wellbeing	
Please provide detail of how your project aligns with the chosen category(ies):

	
Q10
	Partnership working: are you working with any other community groups or organisation to deliver this project?                             ☐  Yes                ☐  No	
If yes, please provide further details including what money is being contributed and / or what benefit this will bring?

	

Section 5: Barriers or challenges.	
Q11
	Other than funding, what barriers or challenges have you thought about in achieving the aims of your project and are there contingency plans in place?	
☐  Weather	☐  Illness	
☐  Road closure	☐  Volunteer recruitment	
☐  Insurance - Information and advice on insurance for community groups	
Please detail any contingency plans or risk assessments that you have in place:

	
	
Section 6: Evaluating the success of the project. If you are successful you will be required to complete an End of Project Monitoring Report.	
Q12
	How will you know your project has been successful? Give details of methods you will use to evaluate. Please select as required.	
☐  Attendance numbers	☐   Evaluation forms / surveys	☐  Online feedback  (Facebook, Twitter)	
☐  Economic impact	☐  Other	
Please give details: (If you would like further information about evaluation methods please contact your local Community Development Officer)

	
FINANCE SECTION

Section 7: Finance – activities and costs.	
Q13
	Tell us how much money you need to fund the project you are applying for. Please provide a breakdown.   	
Item / activity	Amount	
1.		
2.		
3. 		
4. 		
5.		
6.		
7.		
8.		
9.		
10.		
A.	Total amount requested in this application.  Amount requested, up to a maximum of £2,500.		
B.	How much of this total are you funding from your existing group resources?  		
C.	How much is coming from other Funders / Sponsors?		
D.	Total cost of project.  D = A + B + C		
Section 8: Finance – other sources of funding	
Q14	What are your unrestricted cash reserves?  Please detail for each bank account held. Restricted reserves are monies given by grant or donation for a specific purpose, which cannot be used for other activities. All other funding should be classed as unrestricted reserves. 	
1.	Bank A/C		
2.	Bank A/C		
3.	Bank A/C		
Q15
	Does your organisation receive any funding from Argyll and Bute Council or have any pending applications with the Council? This includes Service Level Agreements.                                                                  
☐    Yes         ☐    No

Q16	Is your project reliant on any other funding?                    ☐    Yes         ☐    No	
If Yes, please provide the source of other funding and the status of any applications.	
Source	Status	
	☐ Secured	☐  Pending	
	☐ Secured	☐  Pending	
	☐ Secured	☐  Pending	
Q17	How will the project continue in the future?  Is this a standalone project or are there plans in place to continue? If so, please tell us how this will be funded?	
Please provide details: 

	
Q18	Please tell us your bank details. Please provide details of the account any funding award would be paid to. This must be noted here as we cannot copy these details from your bank statement.	
Account name		
Sort code (6 digits)        	 	
Account number (8 digits)		
Building society roll number (if applicable)		
Q19	Details of independent examiner of accounts. A signed copy of the most recent audited or independently examined accounts must be submitted - see checklist on page 6. Please give the contact details for the examiner below.	
Name:		
Address:	
	
Q20	Your signature. Must be the main contact as stated in Section 1.	
I confirm that to the best of my knowledge and belief, all replies given on this application are true and accurate. I understand that the supporting information may be requested at any stage of this application. 
(*this question must be completed)
Signature:                                                        Date:   
(electronic signature acceptable)                                            	
Q21	Assessment contact availability	
As part of the assessment process a member of the Community Development team will contact the person noted at Section 1 to discuss the application further.  
Please provide an indication of the preferred times and days, between Monday and Friday, for us to make contact. We will do our best to accommodate the days and times specified.

	
Q22 	Preferred format for assessment contact.
Phone Call  ☐                      Microsoft Teams Video Call  ☐  	

Declaration

Q23	Another person from your organisation must sign below. This must not be the main contact as mentioned in Section 1 Ques 1.	
I confirm that I am authorised to sign this declaration on behalf of the applicant.
To the best of my knowledge and belief all information provided in this application is true and accurate.
Groups who received SCF funding in 2023/24 will need to submit and an End of Project Monitoring Report before any funding is released if successful in this round. 	
Role / post held in organisation	
	
Name	
	
Address

	
	Postal town  	Postcode  	
Telephone number		
Email
(*this question must be completed)		
Signature  
(*this question must be completed)
(electronic signature acceptable)                                              	
	Date:  	

Thank you for your time in applying and considering this fund for your project. 

Please e-mail your application form with all required documents (see checklist on page 6) to:
supportingcommunitiesfund@argyll-bute.gov.uk

Or Post to:    

Service Standards Officer, 
Argyll and Bute Council,
Community Planning and Development, 
Helensburgh and Lomond Civic Centre, 
38 East Clyde Street,
G84 7PG

Due to the large volume of applications received, we are unable to send acknowledgement of receipt.  You will be contacted by a Community Development Officer as part of the assessment process.

If you have not heard from an officer within 3 weeks of the closing date, please contact us at supportingcommunitiesfund@argyll-bute.gov.uk or 01436 658881.

If your project is successful we may ask to share photographs of your project on our website and we will contact you regarding this. We may also ask about evidence of the success of your project from your social media. We encourage you to use the hashtag: #abplace2b and the Council logo (which will be provided).