Grants
Guidance Notes 
Application Form
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About Aberystwyth Town Council grants
Aberystwyth Town Council grants are made for the benefit of people and projects local to Aberystwyth.
Applications will be considered for financial assistance towards a specific project or activity from community associations, cultural, educational, sporting and charitable organisations, which are non-commercial and whose membership and field of activity is based within the council boundary for the Town of Aberystwyth.
The Council it is prevented by statute from giving financial assistance to individuals.
The scheme provides start-up grants for new organisations as well as grants to existing organisations.
The maximum figure payable for grants will be £5,000
**Any applicant wishing to apply for continuing revenue funding in excess of £5,000 should contact the Town Clerk to discuss the option of applying to the Council for a 3 year (maximum) Service Level Agreement.
Any group awarded a grant of £5,000 will be allocated a Council Member who will act as an observer and link with the Council and will attend the groups committee meetings.
When considering your application
We will look at:
how well the grant will meet the needs of the community
how effectively your group will use the grant
whether the costs are appropriate and realistic
level of contributions raised locally
whether the applicant could reasonably have been expected to obtain sufficient funding from a more appropriate source
how the group is managed
Groups working with young people and/or vulnerable adults will be required to have protection policies in place and all staff are to be have valid police checks. Applicants will also be expected to demonstrate that they have adequate public liability insurance for their activities. Information on where to obtain information on public liability insurance is available from the Town Office.
Please do not hesitate to contact the Town Clerk if you would like to talk through the application form before completing it.
When to apply?
Grants are made annually in May . All applications must be received at the Town Council Office by 30th April at the latest. (Note: This date can change without notice and you are advised to contact the office for confirmation).
Who can apply?
You can apply if…….
you are a not for profit group operating for the benefit of the community in Aberystwyth.
you must use the grant within one year. We recognise that project timescales can slip for good reasons – we would expect to be informed of any problems. If a project does not ultimately proceed as planned we would expect the grant to be returned.
your group is set up for charitable purposes, however you don’t have to be registered as a charity or recognised by the Inland Revenue to apply for a grant. You will need to have some form of management committee or steering group with a bank account with more than one signatory;
you are a group of people, not necessarily constituted who/that has specifically come together to run a project without having a separate constitution. However, you must have a separate bank account. Grants in these circumstances will be made on a one off basis and if you wish to apply again in the future, your group must be constituted;
your aims and objectives are clear and well defined and are real benefit to the community of Aberystwyth;
ideally you have a constitution or set of rules which you must include with your application form;
you have a bank or building society account with at least two joint signatories
you have annual accounts or a statement of income and expenditure, which you must include, with your application;
your group is working towards an equal opportunities policy and constitution and can demonstrate that it is working within the Disability Discrimination Act and is aware of health and safety requirements
You have a working child protection and/or vulnerable adults protection policy if you are working in this area
you are a school association/PTA applying for a grant which is for an extra curricular activity subject to funds being ring-fenced and to applicants establishing separate bank accounts and constitution.
New groups
Applications from new groups are welcome. We will need to know:
why you want to start the group and how it will be continued
have you any support from people wanting to join or run the group
how you know there is a need
As new a new group you may not be able to provide a set of accounts for last year, however we would need to see bank statements and an estimate of your income and expenditure for your first year.
Branches
If you are a branch of a larger organisation you must have:
a constitution or set of rules of your own;
a separate management committee;
your own bank account
your own annual accounts approved by the management committee;
control over your own income and how it is spent
a specific brief for activities benefiting some or all of the community of Aberystwyth.
Individuals
Individuals wishing to run projects that would be of benefit the community are eligible to apply if the following criteria/conditions are met:
a bank account separate from the individuals personal account is set up with two independent signatories;
evidence of the level of support from the intended beneficiaries of the project;
Is there any limit to how much can be applied for?
The maximum figure payable for grants will be £5,000. An applicant applying for more than £2,000 will have to provide evidence in the form of a business plan and financial forecasts.
What will not be funded?
activities that are part of statutory obligations or replace statutory funding, including curricular activity in schools;
endowments;
Salaries of any description
loan repayments;
rates, council tax and utilities;
insurance costs;
second hand road vehicles;
projects with high ongoing maintenance costs – unless your group can show that you have the funds/skills to maintain them once your Aberystwyth Town Council grant runs out
religious / political groups
When a grant may have to be repaid
If there is a serious breach of the terms and conditions, or the group ceases to operate before the funds have been spent, or if a project does not proceed as planned, the grant will have to be repaid.
Anyone found to be acting dishonestly in making the application or spending the grant will be reported to the police and the Council will press for prosecution.
Data Protection Act 1988 Information
In signing the application form, you give permission for Aberystwyth Town Council to use the information that you provide:
for establishing your entitlement to a grant;
inclusion on a computerised register maintained by Aberystwyth Town Council; and, during the life of a grant, if awarded, to administer and analyse applications and grants.
We aim to make our grant making and assessment process as open and clear as possible. To achieve this aim we may:
hold open committee meetings, where we discuss individual applications in front of the public or media; and
allow your representatives to see information about the way in which we reach decisions on your application.
However, we would always want to respect the confidentiality of information given by any other person. We would judge on a case-by-case basis what it would be appropriate to reveal.
We recognise the need to maintain the confidentiality of vulnerable groups and individuals, and their details will not be made public in any way, except as required by law. If you think your application falls within this category, please let us know.
Terms and conditions of receiving a grant
Please read carefully…….
This section is important because it is a condition of any application that you have read, understood and accepted it.
All applications will go to the Policy, Finance & Economic Development Grants Sub Committee who will make budget recommendations to the full Town Council for approval. All decisions made by the full council are final. Please note that the meetings of the Policy, Finance & Economic Development Grants Sub Committee and the Town Council are open to members of the press and the public and that minutes of the meetings are available from the Town Office.
If you receive a grant, it may only be used for the purpose set out in the application form and it cannot be given to any other group. We will not give grants to cover costs that have already been incurred and the grant cannot be increased. Your grant will be paid by cheque made payable to the bank account detailed on the application form.
We will ask you to complete a short report to tell us what you achieved with the funds. We will also ask you for proof that the money was spent for the intended purposes.
Recognition of the grant from Aberystwyth Town Council must be made in any publicity and in the group’s accounts
We will use the name of your Group (not personal data) and its project in our own publicity material.
When a grant expires, Aberystwyth Town Council has no commitment to provide any further funding for the project.Maximum grant payable will be £5,000. Any group awarded a grant of £5,000 will be allocated a Council Member who will act as an observer and link with the Council and will attend the groups committee meetings.
The information in these notes could change from time to time. Policy and regulations on distributing funds may also change. We reserve the right to amend any policy, procedures and assessment criteria and will aim to inform actual or possible beneficiaries.
The application form does not necessarily reflect all the information used by the Committee to decide on applications. The Committee may seek additional information to check your application and organisation.
Please submit all enquiries and completed application forms to:
The Town Clerk
Aberystwyth Town Council
Council Office
11 Baker Street
Aberystwyth
Ceredigion
SY23 2BJ
Tel: 01970 624761 e mail: council@aberystwyth.gov.uk
Please let us know if you would like to get this form in any other format, including large print or computer disk
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Revised June 2010