Grants for organisations - Barnwood Trust

Grants for organisations

Please read through the following points to see if your organisation qualifies.

Are we eligible?

To apply, your organisation must be based in Gloucestershire and provide one of the following services to the direct benefit of people with long-term disabilities:

• Day care
• Respite care
• Support services
• Occupational therapies
• Holidays and play schemes
• Social and recreational activities
• Transport
• Building works to adapt premises for use by a disability organisation
• Other related building projects
• Pre-employment training
• Specialist equipment, such as hoists and baths

What can we apply for?

Grants are available for:

• Specific capital costs
• Revenue funding – usually capped at three years
• Start-up costs for a new project, or to expand an existing service
• Pilot schemes for testing need

The main criteria, is that the product or service you provide, or plan to provide, must seek to improve the quality of life of individuals affected by long-term disability.

It’s also worth noting that the Trustees will look more favourably on applications that demonstrate how the project will continue to operate after the grant has been spent.

How do we apply?

You can download the relevant application forms via this website or contact us and we’ll send the relevant form(s) out to you.

Before submitting your application, we suggest you contact our Grants Manager, Gail Rodway, who can resolve any doubts about your proposal being eligible according to the current policy and concerns of our Trustees.

You can reach Gail on 01452 611292 or email gail.rodway@barnwoodtrust.org

Submitted forms will be considered by our Grants Committee – along with a copy of your most recent set of audited accounts, and any further documents you wish to submit as loose-leaf A4 sheets ready for photocopying.

Together, these materials will help our Grants Committee to understand the nature of your organisation and its finances, the project or service for which you are seeking funding – and the likely benefits.

How long does it take?

There are four annual deadlines for applications. The dates for 2010 are:

11 December 2009 – assessed by 19 January 2010
26 March – assessed by 4 May
25 June – assessed by 3 August
24 September – assessed by 2 November

This quarterly system means that no applicant should wait for more than three months for an answer.

However, we recommend you submit your application in plenty of time as it may be deferred to the next quarterly meeting if a high number of requests are received.

If your application is for £750 or less, it will be ‘fast-tracked’ – and you should receive an answer within 15 working days.

Grants towards holidays and play schemes are also fast-tracked – and have a dedicated application form.

Will we get the money straightaway?

If you are successful, you can either choose to draw down your grant immediately on production of required invoices, or ask us to hold it open for up to 12 months.

Recipients of grants over £5,000 will be asked to complete a feedback form to help us evaluate the impact of our grant making. 

Selected organisations and their service users may also be interviewed as part of this process.

Are repeat grants available?

If you have received a grant from the Trust, you can apply for a repeat grant of up to £750 either by sending us a completed form or by writing us a letter.

What else do I need to know?

Grants may have conditions attached to them, including a legal claw-back requirement in respect of capital grants.

In addition, grants are not normally made in the following circumstances:

• To organisations outside Gloucestershire
• For building or adapting private, public sector or social housing
• To start-up or subsidise services purchased or contracted out by the public sector
• Where the applicant organisation has significant unrestricted reserves
• Where the applicant organisation operates an exclusive policy, e.g. by charging excessive fees
• For core funding to the public sector
• To non-disability organisations seeking to make community buildings more accessible, unless there is exceptional need
• For a management charge applied to a project
• For any work that is not aimed specifically at disabled people

Any questions?

Please contact us if you have any queries. 

You can reach Gail Rodway, our Grants Manager on 01452 611292 or email gail.rodway@barnwoodtrust.org

We will do all we can to help.