Big Lottery Fund Update Herts 2012

1. Big Lottery Fund Update Herts 2012

2. What is the Big Lottery Fund? BIG is responsible for distributing half of the money that the National Lottery raises for good causes. Our mission is to bring real improvements to communities and the lives of people most in need. We want to use lottery money to make changes for communities with a particular emphasis on tackling need

3. The Lottery £

4. What will BIG fund? • The Big Lottery Fund will fund projects that help achieve one or moreof the following BIG outcomes: • People having better chances in life with better access to training and development to improve their life skills • Stronger communities with more active citizens working together to tackle their problems • Improved rural and urban environments which communities are better able to access and enjoy • Healthier and more active people and communities

7. Awards for All • Awards for All is our easy-access small grants programme making awards between £300 and £10,000.

8. What will Awards for All fund? • Awards for All projects must meet at least one of BIG’s outcomes: • people having better chances in life with better access to training and development to improve their life skills • stronger communities with more active citizens working together to tackle their problems • improved rural and urban environments which communities are better able to access and enjoy • healthier and more active people and communities

9. Which small Lottery grants scheme? • Each of the main Lottery distributors runs its own small grants scheme. To decide which to apply for, think about: • Will the main purpose of the project help to achieve one of the four Awards for All outcomes? • or • Is the main purpose of the project to support sports, arts or heritage?

10. What does the outcomes approach mean? • You need to think about: • What changes do we want to make to the lives of the people we want to help? • How will those changes help achieve one or more of the four Big Lottery Fund outcomes?

11. Who can apply to Awards for All? • You can apply if you are a: • voluntary and community organisation • school • parish or town council • health body • You cannot apply if you are a: • individual or sole trader • profit-making organisation • statutory organisation other than those listed above • organisation not established in the UK

12. You can apply if.. • You have: • at least 3 unrelated people on your governing body • a UK bank account in the name of your organisation with at least two unrelated signatories • You can: • send BIG an application at least three months before your project is planned to start • complete your project within one year of when BIG confirms your award

13. How much you can apply for? • Between £300 and £10,000 • Only one application at a time • One Awards for All funded project needs to be completed and the End of Grant report approved before you can apply again • One organisation cannot receive more than £10,000 of Awards for All grants in any one year period.

14. What Awards for All can pay for? • Examples of what a grant could pay for: • equipment hire or purchase • information technology equipment • sessional workers • updating equipment and premises for health and safety reasons • training • volunteer expenses • transport costs • venue hire • building and refurbishment work

15. VAT and buildings • BIG will only fund non-recoverable VAT. • Any planning permission needed must be in place before making an application. • For building projects, applicants must own their own freehold or hold a lease that will continue for at least five years. • Total costs of building works must not be more than £25,000 (including VAT).

16. Awards for All cannot pay for • Activities that happen or start before BIG confirms the grant • Day-to-day running costs • Existing activities and repeat or regular events • Items that mainly benefit an individual • Building and refurbishment work costing more than £25,000 (inc. VAT)

17. Awards for All cannot pay for (continued) • Salaries of permanent or fixed term staff • Projects or activities that the state has a legal obligation to provide • Political or religious activities • Routine repairs and maintenance • Fundraising activities • Used vehicles

18. Application process You read our guide You send us your application 30 working days We let you know our decision 20 working days You send the documents we ask for 10 working days We confirm the grant You start your project

19. Improving your chances • BIG scores applications to help decide who should be funded. Applications will score higher if they: • show strong evidence of need • seek to involve as wide a range of people as possible • meet more than one of our outcomes • are from groups that have never received an Awards for All grant • are from groups with a smaller annual income • are for smaller projects

20. Things to double-check • Is the name of your organisation on your application form, bank account and governing document exactly the same? • Are you asking for an item or activities that Awards for All can fund? • Have you filled in all sections of the form? • Does your main contact know all about your project? • Will your main contact be available during the assessment and grant confirmation period?

21. Make sure you allow enough time! • BIG will take up to six weeks to assess the application • If a conditional offer is made, additional documents will be requested • BIG will take up to two weeks to assess the additional documents • You must allow at least three months between submitting your application and when you need your grant

22. Further information and advice Website: www.awardsforall.org.uk Phone: BIG Advice Line 0845 4 10 20 30 Text phone: 0845 6 02 16 59 Richard Weller – 01223 449020 Other Lottery distributors: Arts Council England: www.artscouncil.org.uk Heritage Lottery Fund: www.hlf.org.uk Sport England: www.sportengland.org

23. Reaching CommunitiesOverview

24. Reaching Communities The Reaching Communities programme has two strands: Reaching Communities – funding from £10,000 to £500,000 for revenue projects and /or smaller capital projects of between £10,000 and £50,000 Reaching Communities buildings – funding of between £100,000 and £500,000 for large capital projects -

25. Reaching Communities People having better chances in life, with better access to training and development to improve their life skills Stronger communities, with more active citizens, working together to tackle their problems Improved rural and urban environments, which communities are better able to access and enjoy Healthier and more active people and communities

26. Who can apply? • Registered charities • Charitable or not-for-profit organisations or companies • Social enterprises • Statutory bodies including schools

27. What can be funded? • Revenue and capital costs • Up to five years’ funding • Grants between £10,000 and £500,000 • Total project cost (all sources of funding) must not be more than £750,000 • Capital element of the project must not be more than £200,000, of which up to £50,000 can come from Reaching Communities • Associated organisational costs - principle of full cost recovery • Existing projects as well as new

28. Every project needs to show It is tackling a community need It is offering solutions to meet those needs How the community has and will be involved How it will continue after the grant is finished

29. We will look at: • Evidence of need • Extent to which desired outcomes will make a real difference • Project outcomes • Link with programme outcomes • Link between outcomes and activities • Beneficiary involvement • Amount of previous funding to local area • Other relevant funded projects

30. How to apply Stage one – outline proposal form Applicants need to tell BIG about the project they would like funding for, what difference it would make and how they know it is needed. Within 20 working days, BIG will tell the applicant if their project is one that the committee might consider funding. If so, you will be invited to submit a full application If not, Big will tell you why they are not inviting you to submit a full application form and give you feedback about your project Projects can reapply taking account of feedback

31. Case study: The Women’s Project The project This project will work with young women experiencing social exclusion and lacking in aspiration.

32. Case study: The Women’s Project Aim: To reduce social isolation and teenage pregnancy amongst young women. Activities: One-to-one support sessions  Group work  Outings Outcomes: After using the project young women will be more: confident  aware of alternatives to being a young parent  ambitious  able to access training.

33. We will look at: • Evidence of need • Extent to which desired outcomes will make a real difference • Project outcomes • Link with programme outcomes • Link between outcomes and activities • Beneficiary involvement • Amount of previous funding to local area • Other relevant funded projects

34. Case Study: The Befriending Service The project This older people’s befriending scheme has two paid workers and many volunteers. The volunteers visit people at home and organise outings. Overall aim To enable older people to continue living independently.

35. Case Study: The Befriending Service Outcomes for older people Older people are less: socially isolated; lonely; vulnerable to, and frightened of, crime; and anxious

36. How to apply: • Stage two – full application • Projects will have 4 months to submit a full application • Two different application forms for projects depending on amount requested – proportionate approach • ALL projects involving land & buildings – longer route

44. ‘Getting Funding and Planning Successful Projects’ outcomes guide Mind the Gap : Funders guide to full cost recovery Guidance on Child Protection policies Sustainable development Useful reading:

45. We want to make more Reaching Communities awards here. Talk to us about your project. Key messages

46. BIG Lottery Fund website www.biglotteryfund.org.uk Richard Weller 01223 449020 Text phone 0845 6 02 16 59 E-mail general.enquiries@biglotteryfund.org.uk Further information: