Small grants scheme

Application process and timescales

When we receive your application, we will check to make sure it is complete. If it is not complete, we will try to contact you to ask for the missing information. Please make sure that you give us a contact name and number where we can reach you during office hours. If you are applying from a Parent-Teacher Organisation (PTA) or organisation linked to a school, especially if you are applying over the summer, please make sure you give us details where we can reach you even if the school is closed.

Incomplete applications will not be considered for funding. Please use the checklist to make sure your application is complete before you send it to us. We will assess your application to see if it is eligible.

If it is eligible, your application will be ranked by Council officers according to priority as high, medium, low and very low priority.

High	Meets both of the priority criteria
Medium	Meets one of the priority criteria
Low	Does not meet either of the priority criteria
Very low	Might meet the priority criteria but has received a Small Grant within the last twelve months

You can only be awarded one Small Grant within a twelve month period.

The Small Grants Panel will then consider all of the eligible applications and make a decision on which should be awarded grants, and how much they should receive. The Grants Panel is made up of Council Members (Councillors) and representatives from voluntary and community groups.

This decision is passed to the Head of Neighbourhoods and Community Engagement, who has delegated authority for this scheme.

You will need to complete a monitoring form once the grant is spent, and return it to us with evidence of expenditure. We send you the monitoring form in advance, so that you know what records you need to keep during the project.

Timescales

The Small Grants Panel meet once every three months. Money is divided up between the four meetings, so there will still be money left to apply for in the last round of the year.

Applications can only be considered at that meeting – we will not consider applications outside of this schedule. So if you want funding for a particular date, please make sure you apply in time, and that your application contains all of the information we need.

You will receive notification of the decision up to six weeks after the deadline for that particular round.