Welsh Church Acts Fund - Application Criteria

Purpose of the Grant

The Welsh Church Acts Fund is available to churches, chapels, places of public worship, community organisations and charities operating in Caerphilly county borough. It provides support to these organisations in the form of capital grants for the repair or refurbishment of buildings and the purchase of equipment to support the aims of the organisation and meet the identified needs of the local community. It is intended that projects supported will have a lasting effect on the communities in which these organisations and buildings are located. In addition, limited support may be provided for ‘exceptional’ individuals in relation to the advancement of education.

Community organisations and based projects

Community projects must be managed by a non-profit organisation based within Caerphilly county borough, of one of the following types:

Churches and chapels or other places of public worship with an adopted constitution
Unincorporated voluntary/community organisation or club with an adopted constitution or rules
Charities or Charitable Incorporated Organisations (CIOs) registered with the Charities Commission
Community organisations who are Companies Limited by Guarantee (CLG) with no share capital and are registered with Companies House
Community Interest Companies (CICs) which are not established or conducted for private gain: any surplus or assets are used exclusively for the benefit of the community

Please note: All organisations must have their own bank account in the name of the organisation.

The following types of organisations will not be funded:

Any commercial/trading or profit-making organisations where the profits are shared amongst the Directors or members
Any Sole Traders
This list is not exhaustive

For projects which involve the refurbishment, development, extension or construction of land and/or buildings, applicants should be the owner of the land and/or buildings or have a formal agreement in place with the landlord that the work can be undertaken. In addition, where the landlord is Caerphilly County Borough Council and a private contractor will be undertaking the work, a lease or license will be required within a minimum of six years left to run when the application is submitted.

What can be funded?

The restoration or maintenance of any place of public worship and community or village halls
Organisations working to address disadvantage for people on low incomes or those who are sick or disabled
The provision of services or facilities by organisations promoting the welfare of elderly persons
The provision of facilities for recreation or other leisure time occupation which are available to members of the public at large, with a view to improving the lives of individuals. This can include the provision of playing fields, sporting facilities, parks, open spaces and centres/halls for meetings, lectures, classes or training
The advancement of the education and public benefit of residents by promoting their interest in aesthetic, architectural, historical or scientific matters relating to Wales

Applicants will be required to evidence the need for their project or activity and the lasting benefits it will provide for the local community.

What cannot be funded?

The following cannot be funded:

Usual running costs of any organisation e.g. rent, utilities, insurance etc.
Any other revenue costs including the employment of staff, training etc.
Items for a one off or annual use and/or seasonal items
Subsequent grants for the same project, unless the work has distinct separate phases (by this we mean that any new application must be for work substantially different to the original application)
Retrospective costs for any project i.e. costs for work already undertaken or equipment and/or materials that have been purchased or ordered prior to a formal grant offer being made and the Terms & Conditions of the grant being signed and submitted. If using a tender process, tenders cannot be awarded prior to a grant approval being made
This list is indicative only and is not exhaustive

When can an application be submitted?

The grant scheme opens on 1^st April each year and applications can be submitted at any time. Limited funding is available and there is no guarantee that any application submitted will be supported. Applicants will be informed of the outcome of their application approximately 4-6 weeks after submission.

Applicants cannot apply for further grants in successive years i.e. if a successful application is made in 2022, the applicant cannot make a further application until 2024 at the earliest.

How much can be applied for?

The maximum grant available to any organisation is £7,500.Approved projects where the total cost is less than £7,500 can be awarded a grant of up to 100% of the project costs.Larger projects (costing over £7,500) can receive a grant of up to the maximum amount.

Estimates/quotes

Applicants must submit comparable estimates/quotes to support their application.This can include screenshots of webpages which clearly show the website address, the item details and the price.Amazon can only be used as one supplier and please do not use eBay for quotes.

For projects where the total project cost is under £5,000 two written estimates/quotes are required.For projects where the total project cost is £5,000 or over, three written estimates/quotes are required.Applicants must ensure that all costs are inclusive of VAT where appropriate.For very specialist items or where obtaining a second quote is not possible, we may consider a single quote.This must be discussed with us in advance of an application being submitted and will be dealt with on a case-by-case basis.

Estimates/quotes must be itemised, detailed and comparable (in terms of measurements, rates, quantities, specification etc.).They must also detail VAT where applicable and include the VAT number for VAT registered organisations.

Any grant offered is made on the basis of the cheapest quote provided.Applicants can choose a more expensive supplier or contractor to complete the work or provide goods/services, but this will be at the applicants’ cost.

Payments

50% of the grant amount will be paid following grant approval and the return of the signed Terms & Conditions accepting the grant offer. The remaining 50% will be released on receipt of the necessary financial records to show the amount of grant released on grant approval has been spent (e.g. invoices/receipts and full bank statements – transaction listings are not accepted). No further grant will be paid until this evidence has been provided. If this evidence is not supplied, we may seek to reclaim the grant paid. All payments will be made via BACS transfer to the applicant organisations’ bank account.

In very exceptional circumstances we may consider full payment of the grant up front, and this will be dealt with on a case-by-case basis. If this is agreed, we will still require invoices and bank statements to show that the grant has been spent. If these are not supplied, we may seek to reclaim the grant paid.

Project timescales

All approved projects must be completed within 18 months of the date of the formal offer letter. The funding for any projects not completed within this timescale will be automatically withdrawn, and we may seek to reclaim any grant monies already paid.

Applications from individuals

What can be funded?

Applications may be accepted from ‘exceptional individuals’ in relation to the advancement of education. Applicants will be required to provide evidence of what makes them ‘exceptional’ and what purpose any grant would be used towards. Applications can be made for a maximum of £1,500 for up to three years. Applicants will be required to submit a new application each year, in order to evidence their continued attendance and the costs for which they are applying.

When can an application be submitted?

How will applications be assessed?

The Voluntary Sector Liaison Sub-committee will consider all applications from individuals and will make recommendations to the Head of Financial Services and S151 Officer in relation to which applications should be supported and the level of grant to be awarded. The Sub-committee will determine whether an applicant is ‘exceptional’ in nature.

Evidence of costs

Individuals will be required to provide documentary evidence of the costs for which they are applying in order to support their grant application.

Payments

Payment will be made via BACS transfer to the bank account details provided on the application form.

Who to contact?

For more information or if you have any queries, please contact:

Policy and Partnerships Team
Caerphilly County Borough Council,
Penallta House, Tredomen Park,
Ystrad Mynach, Hengoed, CF82 7PG

E-mail: communitygrants@caerphilly.gov.uk
Telephone: 01443 866391

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