Grants Support Scheme 2023/24 - Guidance Notes
All activities for which grant moneys are provided must be planned and undertaken in compliance with the Government’s social distancing guidance, to protect everyone from the risk of infection.
Visit the PHA COVID-19 Advice page.
Any awarded projects will require them to be held in accordance with the dates outlined in the scheme guidance notes.
A copy of the information published on this page is also available as a downloadable booklet.
10. Grant Categories and Level of Support
12. Procurement of Goods and Services
Step by Step Instructions for Online Applications
1. PURPOSE
This policy sets out how Mid and East Antrim Borough Council will consider support for any constituted community or voluntary group undertaking activities within its statutory and civic remit where there is a benefit to the Mid and East Antrim Area.
2. BACKGROUND
A total budget of £370,000 has been identified for reinvestment back into the Mid and East Antrim Borough Council community via funding for projects, events and festivals allowing them to become more sustainable, attract more visitors and tourists and support the local business and economy taking place between 1 April 2023 and 31 March 2024.
Groups and, individuals where applicable, are permitted to apply for a maximum of two grants per financial year plus one application for an Automated External Defibrillator (AED) – see page 7 for further information. Groups may apply for additional funding to mark the His Majesty The King’s Coronation under the Small Event Category up to maximum of £500. Events must take place during the period Friday 5 – Monday 8 May 2023, with a closing date for applications for this category of 31 March 2023 at 4pm.
3. SCOPE
To qualify for a grant under this Scheme, applicants must meet the following criteria:
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a) Community organisations should be formally constituted with a current committee (appropriate details are requested in the Application Form) based in the Mid and East Antrim Borough Council area. Organisations based outside of the Mid and East Antrim Borough must demonstrate that the activity provides a clear and direct benefit to the Borough (this relates only to the Events category of this scheme.Organisations based outside of the Mid and East Antrim Borough are ineligible to apply for any other category of this scheme). |
A community organisation is defined as a group constituted to undertake specific duties and responsibilities as confirmed in their constitution for no private or commercial gain. There are a number of ways in which to constitute a community group and this can include groups that have a Memorandum and Articles of Association as long as any profits are reinvested and not for private gain. This includes faith based groups and single identity organisations undertaking community activities. Profit making business, organisations and groups will not be considered for funding.
Or
| b) *Individuals who live within the Council area who qualify under the appropriate categories of this scheme. |
4. EXCLUSIONS
Mid and East Antrim Borough Council will not fund the following under this scheme:
a) Commercial ventures/organisations
b) General running costs of an organisation. This includes salary, electricity, heating, Mobile / telephone, internet, rent costs, subscriptions, bank fees and membership fees, ongoing upkeep of websites. The purchase of equipment relating to the administration of the group, e.g. IT equipment and mobile phones.
c) Items of equipment which would be deemed capital, i.e. non-portable, permanent fixtures etc.
d) Ongoing hire of a Council facility (funding for one-off hire for events will be considered);
e) Hire of a Council facility as part of a wide scale service or programme external to Council’s remit;
f) Single issue organisations whose primary focus is campaigning or lobbying;
g) Parades;
h) Fundraising events for either the group itself or events that are heavily branded with charity branding or deploy potential sources of income from a festival or event to a charity or other third-party organisation;
i) Umbrella groups/branch organisations not represented in the Mid and East Antrim Area by a locally based committee;
j) Activities in a sphere, which are principally the remit of another public sector body, e.g. schools, pre-school groups, childcare facilities, PTAs, activities forming part of a vocational qualification, gap year or outward bound activity for students and residential courses etc.;
k) Projects that have already commenced or expenditure incurred prior to making application to this scheme. Council at its discretion will however consider funding costs associated with payments to secure venues, the booking of transport and accommodation, which are relevant to the project and demonstrate value for money.
l) Events and projects outside of the Mid and East Antrim area (excluding civic representation and other distinctive projects);
m) Creation of books (tourism leaflets and programmes produced as part of an event will be eligible);
n) Groups currently in arrears or in bad debt to Council;
o) *Items of personal team kit, clothing and uniforms, to include purchase of flags and/or emblems
p) Alcohol
q) Profit making businesses, organisations and groups
* See Jonathan Rea bursary for exceptions
5. EQUALITY OF OPPORTUNITY
While administering the Grants Support Scheme, Mid and East Antrim Borough Council will ensure the promotion of equality of opportunity between:
a) Persons of different religious belief, political opinion, racial group, age, marital status or sexual orientation;
b) Men and women generally;
c) Persons with a disability and persons without; and
d) Persons with dependants and persons without;
In addition due regard will be given to the promotion of good relations between persons of different religious belief, political opinion or racial group.
6. SCORING CRITERIA
To qualify for a grant under this Scheme, applicants must clearly demonstrate the following in completing the relevant application form:
I) What the project is
II) The need/demand for the project
III) The benefits of the project to the group/individual and Borough
Each answer will require a minimum of 50% in scoring for the application to be successful.
N.B. It is crucial that the applicant provides as much relevant detail as possible within their application in order for it to be successfully scored. Guidance on the type of information required for a successful application can be found in the online application by clicking on the 'Info' buttons.
7. PAYMENT OF GRANT
Payment of grant will be made after the project or activity has taken place and upon submission of the Claim Form and the completion of Council’s vouching and monitoring process.
All applicants will have the opportunity to request a 50% advance payment should their application be successful. This can be done online via the Grants Portal.* No further payments will be made until completion of the project and satisfactory vouching has taken place.
Please consult the Grants Officers if you require any additional information.
* 100% Advance payment is available for Seeding Grants only.
N.B. Council, at its discretion, may contact suppliers directly to verify expenditure has taken place in accordance to the application for funding and any offer of funding by Council. Tutors/Coaches/Facilitators must be external to the organisation. Cases of suspected fraud involving Mid and East Antrim Borough Council funds will be reported to the police.
8. HOW TO APPLY
Before completing an application, applicants should make sure that they are eligible to apply and have read these guidance notes in full. Applicants are encouraged to submit the application at least eight weeks in advance of the project commencing to facilitate in Council making a timely decision.
Applications are made online by going to the Grants section of our website.
Further Information on the grant process is available by contacting the Grants Office at:
T: 028 2563 3530 or 028 2563 3198
E: grants@midandeastantrim.gov.uk
A step by step guide for the online application process is available at page 12 of this document.
9. MARKETING
Successful applicants will be required to acknowledge the contribution made by the Council, in proportion to the level of funding awarded. Therefore council’s branding and messaging must be included in all relevant marketing materials including flyers, programmes, posters, banners, advertisements, press releases and social media posts. Further detail will be provided in the Letter of Offer.
Further information on marketing and branding is available by contacting the Communications Team at:
T:028 2563 5041
E: communications@midandeastantrim.gov.uk
10. CATEGORIES AND LEVELS OF SUPPORT
An annual budget of £370,000 has been allocated to this grants scheme for 2023/2024 for projects taking place between 1 April 2023 and 31 March 2024. Council reserves the right to open or close the scheme as required throughout the financial year. The scheme will close upon full allocation of the budget.
Approval of applications will be in accordance with the following procedures:
- Grants of £2,500 and under– Approval will be granted by the Operational Management Team, meeting on a fortnightly basis.
- Grants over £2,500 – Approval will be granted by the Policy & Resources Committee, meeting on a monthly basis and ratified by the succeeding Monthly Full Council Meeting.
Grants in this category are open to Community Groups, Sports Clubs, Arts & Heritage Groups, Single identity Organisations and Church Groups. These groups are permitted to apply for a maximum of two grants per financial year. Applicants cannot apply for the same category twice in the same financial year.
In addition Groups may apply for funding to mark the His Majesty The King’s Coronation under the Small Events category up to maximum of £500. Events must take place during the period Friday 5 – Monday 8 May 2023. The closing date for receipt of completed application forms is Friday 31 March 2023 at 4pm. Late applications will not be accepted.
Council will consider an additional application only for the purchase of an Automated External Defibrillator (AED) and associated storage box to be applied for under the Mid & East Antrim Borough Council Equipment Grant, i.e. 100% up to a maximum of £1200
In order for Sports clubs to be eligible to apply for a grant they must fall into one of the categories defined by SportNI as a sport. Sports activities by any group must also fall into one of the categories defined by SportNI as a sport. A list of recognised sports for the purposes of this policy is available on the Sport NI website.
Seeding/New Group (100% funding up to a maximum of £500)
Groups making application for a seeding grant for a new group will be considered for funding to cover running costs for the first year which may include initial outlay costs and administration.
In order to be eligible under this category groups should be established for not more than one year and have not received funding from this category previously.
Successful applications will receive 100% of their grant upfront on return of the signed Letter of Offer form.
Equipment (100% funding up to a maximum of £1200)
Grants will be considered for the purchase of items of non-capital equipment that will promote and develop the work being carried out by locally-based groups.
Council will consider an additional application only for the purchase of an Automated External Defibrillator (AED) and associated storage box to be applied for under the Mid & East Antrim Borough Council Equipment Grant, i.e. 100% up to a maximum of £1200.
Please note Council will not be responsible for funding the costs associated with maintenance of the AED nor for the replacement of expired batteries, electrode pads and other consumable items (such as razors, gloves, scissors, facemask and paper towels).
Useful information is contained within the British Heart Foundations' website section on “Advice and Best Practice Guidance for the use of Automated External Defibrillators (AED)” which will advise on Buying Tips, training and weekly checks required.
If successful, it will be a condition of the Letter of Offer that the acquired AED is registered with The Circuit (The National Defibrillator Network). Evidence of this will be required as part of the vouching process.
Village Christmas Lights (Maximum funding up to £1,500 for large villages and maximum funding up to £750 for small villages)
Grants will be considered towards the purchase of Christmas festoon lighting, decorations and trees.
- Small Village: Population of less than 1000
- Large Village: Population of greater than 1000
Groups who manage the Village Christmas Lights in a number of different villages whereby no constituted community group currently exists and can demonstrate a previous working relationship in those villages may apply for the relevant additional funding per village up to a maximum of three villages (£4,500 maximum for large villages; £2250 maximum for small villages).
Funding is subject to Northern Ireland Electricity approval, Road Service licensing, Competency Certification and appropriate Public Liability Insurance.
Coaching Courses and First Aid Training (Maximum funding of up to £200 per person attending, up to a maximum of £800 for the group. A group is defined as anything over and above 2 persons attending the same course).
Sports clubs and community groups who wish to improve their coaching and first aid capacity through attendance at courses.
Clubs and the individuals participating in the courses must be based in the Council area or affiliated to a club in the Council area; must be involved in the chosen sport in an amateur capacity; and be recognised by SportNI.
Developmental Projects and Training (100% funding up to a maximum of £1,000 for groups)
Grants will be considered to help groups undertake appropriate projects or training which will directly further the objectives of the organisation or build towards developing it in terms of capacity building, sustainability and governance.
Groups may be required to work with Council Development Officers to identify the objectives and outcomes to be achieved by the project or training.
Courses that result in a vocational qualification are ineligible.
Civic Representation (Maximum funding of up to £400 per person attending up to a maximum of £1600 for the group. A group is defined as anything over and above 2 persons attending the same course).
The purpose of this category is to give special recognition to groups and individuals within the Council area who will act as effective ambassadors for Mid and East Antrim in their chosen activity.
To be eligible under this category, applicants must be competing or representing at least at Ulster Level in a one-off event under Council’s remit for support. Applicants must demonstrate at application stage that they have participated in a selection process which has identified their suitability to represent at the required level.
Residential courses and training associated with the civic representation project are ineligible for funding.
Only individuals actively participating or competing in the event or coaches for those actively participating or competing in the event will be eligible for funding.
Governing Bodies must provide written evidence to confirm competing or representing at least at Ulster Level.
Other Distinctive Projects (funding up to a maximum of £750 for projects inside the Borough and funding up to a maximum of £500 for projects outside the Borough)
Council, at its discretion, may consider grants for any project within its remit not covered by this scheme.
Council will consider funding events being organised by groups that fall under the following categories:
Major (50% funding up to maximum of £3,000)
Events with more than 2,000 but less than 10,000 people in attendance (participants and attendees combined)
N.B Funding for the event will be reduced on a pro-rata basis if profit** exceeds £1,000.
Medium (50% funding up to a maximum of £1,500)
Events with more than 500 but less than 2,000 people in attendance (participants and attendees combined)
N.B. Funding for the event will be reduced on a pro-rata basis if profit** exceeds £500
Small (100% funding up to a maximum of £750)
Events with up to 500 people in attendance (participants and attendees combined)
N.B. Funding for the event will be reduced on a pro-rata basis if profit** exceeds £200.
His Majesty The King’s Coronation ( closing date for applications by 31 March 2023 at 4pm )
(100% funding up to a maximum of £500) for events taking place during 5 May 2023 – 8 May 2023.
N.B. Funding for the event will be reduced on a pro-rata basis if profit** exceeds £100.
** Profit is defined as surplus revenue generated by the event through ticket sales and admission fees. This surplus is restricted and can only be used for the development of future events organised by the applicant organisation. At no point will the applicant be permitted to forward this profit to a third-party, e.g. a nominated charity.
Donations towards the running of the event should be declared in the application form and as part of the claim. Donations will be considered as income towards the event.
Individuals are permitted to apply for one grant per financial year from one of the following two categories:
Civic Representation (Maximum funding up to £400 per individual. Each individual participant is required to complete a separate application).
The purpose of this category is to give special recognition to individuals within the Council area who will act as effective ambassadors for Mid and East Antrim in their chosen activity.
To be eligible under this category, applicants must be actively competing or participating at least at Ulster Level in a one-off event under Council’s remit for support. Applicants must demonstrate that they have participated in a selection process which has identified their suitability to represent at the required level.
Funding will be restricted to expenses incurred for accommodation and travel only (funding for personal fuel receipts will be capped at £100)
Residential courses and training associated with the civic representation project are ineligible for funding.
A maximum of five individual applications will be permitted per organisation, per financial year.
Only individuals actively participating or competing in the event or coaches for those actively participating or competing in the event will be eligible for funding.
Governing Bodies must provide written evidence to confirm competing or representing at least at Ulster Level
Coaching Courses and First Aid Training (Maximum funding up to £200 per individual. Each individual participant will be required to complete a separate application).
Individuals who wish to improve their coaching and first aid capacity through attendance at courses which have been identified by their club. Evidence of this selection will be required at the stage of application.
The individuals participating in the courses must reside in the Council area and affiliated to a club in the Council area; must be involved in the chosen sport in an amateur capacity; and be recognised by SportNI.
A maximum of five individual applications will be permitted per club, per financial year.
Individuals are permitted to apply for the following additional opportunity if applicable.
Jonathan Rea Bursary (Maximum funding up to £1000 per individual. Each individual participant will be required to complete a separate application).
The purpose of this new category is to give additional support to individuals within the Council area who will act as effective ambassadors for Mid and East Antrim in their chosen sporting activity.
To be eligible under this category, applicants must be competing or representing at least at Ulster Level for support. Applicants must demonstrate at application stage that they have or will be participating in a selection process which has identified their suitability to represent at the required level.
Council will consider this additional application from individuals for this grant for items such as equipment, training facilities, coaching support, and kit. Only these four areas will be considered under this grant.
Governing Bodies of Sport must provide written evidence to confirm competing or representing at least at Ulster Level
11. SPECIFIC CONDITIONS
Groups are permitted to apply for a maximum of two grants per financial year plus one application for an Automated External Defibrillator (AED) – see page 7 for further information.
Groups may apply for additional funding to mark the His Majesty The King’s Coronation under the Small Event up to maximum of £500. Events must take place during the period Friday 5 May 2023 – Monday 8 May 2023.
Individuals are permitted to apply for a maximum of one grant per financial year plus one application for Jonathan Rea Bursary.
Applicants/projects that have been awarded funding through other Council grants schemes will not be permitted to obtain additional funding under this scheme for that particular project or through another applicant.
All projects awarded funding within the 2023/24 financial year must have their final claims submitted before 30 April 2024.
Proposed activity ends: By 31 March 2024
Final Claims/Paperwork to be submitted by: 30 April 2024
N.B. It is the responsibility of the applicant to ensure that all statutory licences and permits are in place prior to an event taking place. Typical licences required for a community event include Entertainments, Street Trading etc. For information on licences and fees, please visit our Business Licensing section.
Full terms and conditions are available on the Council website.
12. PROCUREMENT OF GOODS AND SERVICES
The following procurement procedures must be adhered to when purchasing any individual good or service relating to the project or event. Applicants are required to upload the necessary written quotations as outlined below to the application form. Failure to do so will result in the application not moving to the next stage of evaluation and may be deemed ineligible for funding.
Quotations:
| Estimated value of individual item of expenditure (exc. VAT) |
Number of Quotations Required |
|---|---|
|
£0 - £2,999.99 |
Minimum of 1 telephone / email quotation |
|
£3,000 - £7,999.99 |
Minimum of 3 written / email quotations |
|
£8,000 - £29,999.99 |
Minimum of 4 written / email quotations |
Tendering:
| Estimated value of individual item of expenditure (exc. VAT) |
Procedure |
|---|---|
|
£30,000+ |
Publicly Advertised Tender |
Regulations to note:
- The Public Supplies Contracts Regulations 1991
- The Public Works Contracts Regulations 1991
- The Utilities Supply and Works Contracts Regulations 1992
- The Public Services Contracts Regulations 1993
- It is good practice to have a system of opening and evaluating tenders.
- Claims: Please use the proforma provided and submit by the target date. Original invoices and receipts should be submitted and a copy retained for your records.
- Any legal agreements should only be made following professional advice.
- When renewing insurance always check with alternative firms to obtain the best quote. Voluntary organisations like NICVA have favourable group arrangements in place.
- Applicants are advised to maintain records of small purchases in a petty cash book and to ensure that cheques are not signed in advance.
- Where it is evident that one supplier can provide the product or service as one itemised invoice as opposed to a series of invoices, the project promoter should treat this as such and seek quotations according to procurement thresholds. This will ensure the best value for money. Separating the scope of works into sections for the purpose of invoicing below the procurement threshold, will be deemed by audit as purposely splitting work values to avoid due process.
N.B. Council, at its discretion, may contact suppliers directly to verify expenditure has taken place in accordance to the application for funding and any offer of funding by Council. Cases of suspected fraud involving Mid and East Antrim Borough Council funds will be reported to the police.
Step by Step Instructions for Online Applications
1. Visit the Council's Grants page on this website.
2. Select ‘Resident’ at the top of the main screen and then ‘Grants and Funding’.
3. Select the scheme for which you wish to apply to and select ‘Apply here for funding’
4. The Council’s Funding Hub will load up. If you are new user to the system (i.e. have not made application since 1 April 2015) select the Blue box to ‘Register for a new Account’. Users who have previously registered on the system can select the Green box to ‘Login’ to their account.
5. To start a new application, select any of the blue ‘Apply for Grant’ buttons.
6. If you want to continue a previously started application, select the ‘Draft Applications’ tab and find the application desired.
7. Upon selecting to start a new application, the next page you will find is a list of the grants currently open along with the closing dates and an electronic copy of these guidance notes.
8. Select the grant you wish to apply for by ticking the box on the left of the grant name. N.B. only one grant can be selected per application.
9. You now have two options at the bottom of this page; either to start a blank application from the beginning by selecting ‘Create New Application’ or to clone a previously submitted form.
10. To clone an application, first select the previous application from the drop-down box. Then select ‘Clone Previous Application’. The information submitted in the group details and upload documents will automatically enter into the new form. The applicant will be required to enter the information specifically relating to the new project. If any of the uploads require updating from the last application, please do this manually in the ‘Documents’ tab.
11. In either instance, the application form will now load and you must complete all sections with as much relevant detail as possible. Boxes marked with a red * are mandatory and must be completed to allow submission of the form.
12. Applicants can navigate through the form by using the tabs at the left side of the page or by using the blue boxes at the bottom of each page. Moving from page to page will automatically save the information entered up to the point where one of these is pressed.
13. The ‘Documents’ tab allows applicants to upload electronic or scanned copies of the required supporting documentation for the application, such as the constitution, accounts, bank statement etc. Once again the sections marked with a red * are mandatory for the submission of an application. If you require assistance with the upload of documents, you can contact a Grants Officer by email on grants@midandeastantrim.gov.uk.
14. The final page of the application is the Submission page in which you should read the terms and conditions of the scheme and statement regarding equality of opportunity. The tick boxes indicating that you agree to the conditions must be selected before the application can be submitted.
15. Complete the Declaration section at the bottom of the page and when ready press ‘Submit’.
16. If the application is complete, a box will appear to confirm a successful submission.
17. If there are any omissions from the form, a box will appear to inform you of the sections missed. Press ‘View’ and the system will take you to the section, which requires attention. Once all areas are complete, press the ‘Submit’ button once again.
Should you wish for Council to investigate sources of match funding for any project, please contact the Grants Officer at grants@midandeastantrim.gov.uk requesting a GrantFINDER ™ search to be carried out.
You need to provide brief details of:
- the applicant organisation;
- the project;
- the approximate cost;
- who will benefit from it.
A funders report will be emailed to you with details of potential funders and schemes that may be applicable to your project.
Please be advised that not all searches will guarantee positive results or funding.