Rushmoor Community Fund grant

Good causes that are signed up as good causes and are selling tickets, can apply for a grant of up to £1,000 from the Rushmoor Lottery Community Fund. 

You will be able to apply for a grant on this page from 10 May to 10 June 2024. 

Grant awards will be announced at the Rushmoor Community Lottery Sixth anniversary celebration event in September 2024 (details to be confirmed). 

What can be funded?

• One-off projects or events 
• Equipment 
• Resources 

Groups wishing to purchase equipment must demonstrate in their application how they plan to use the equipment in future activities which are of benefit to the community. 

You can see the projects which have previously been funded on this page. 

What cannot be funded? 

• Core or routine running costs of a group/organisation or contributions towards the cost of on-going activities 
• Training of trustees or fundraisers 
• Any school curriculum-based activity 
• Activities or events which have happened prior to receiving notification of an award.  Applications cannot be made in retrospect.  Proof of purchase/booking will be required in the evaluation 

Essential criteria 

Your organisation must: 

• Be a good cause on the Rushmoor Community Lottery and currently be selling tickets – for details of eligibility please see Rushmoor Community Lottery - good causes terms and conditions
• Only submit one application per funding round and cannot submit an application year-on-year to fund the same item in subsequent years.  If you were awarded a grant in the last round, you cannot apply for funding for the same project/event 
• Complete any project which was previously awarded funding before applying for another grant from this fund, including submitting the feedback report and receipts 

All applications must demonstrate the following: 

• The grant must be spent in accordance with the purposes for which it was approved.  Any changes to the project/event must be agreed with Rushmoor Borough Council 

• The grant will be used for work that is taking place in Rushmoor or for the direct benefit of the residents of Rushmoor 

What criteria will be considered when assessing your application? 

Aim of the project 

Tell us about the project, including some background, how you will carry out the project, how you will involve the beneficiaries and what you expect to gain from the project.   

Need for the project  

Provide evidence to tell us why the project is needed.  For example, you can include statistics, local knowledge or survey results.  Is there anything else similar happening in your local area? 

Contribution to the community  

Tell us what the project will contribute to the local community, or the wider community of Rushmoor.  Will it provide or improve something for local residents?   Is there a legacy from the project?  How will any equipment purchased benefit the community in the future? 

Clear outcomes  

Tell us about the expected outcomes from the project, how and when these will be achieved and how you will provide this evidence.  For example, before and after surveys or photos. 

Offers good value for money  

Demonstrate that what you are proposing is good value for money.  For example, you may have several quotes that you can provide and say which one you’ve chosen to go with, or you may be choosing to use a local company/supplier. 

Applications will be scored on each of the above criteria, with up to four points available for each criteria. 

We are only able to award grants up to the amount in the Community Fund.  Rushmoor Borough Council reserves the right to award a grant lower than that for which the application has been made.  The application will be scored out of 20: 

Grant conditions 

• By applying to this fund, your organisation agrees to be part of council promotion of the fund on the council and lottery websites and social media 
• A representative from the applicant organisation must attend the Rushmoor Community Lottery Sixth Anniversary Celebration event in September where the grant awards will be announced 
• All funding offers will be subject to the recipients accepting the funding conditions. You will need to return a signed acceptance form before we issue your grant. You must accept the offer within two weeks, or we may withdraw it 
• You should acknowledge the funding award from the Rushmoor Community Lottery in your publicity material and on your website and use the logo which will be provided 
• The funding must be spent within six months, by 31 March 2025 
• A feedback form must be completed after the project has taken place and returned to Rushmoor Borough Council by 30 April 2025 for your organisation to be considered for future grants  
• We may invite you to give a brief presentation to other good causes about your project at a future anniversary celebration 
• If the group disbands/breaks up, any equipment purchased through the Community Fund will become the property of Rushmoor Borough Council 
• All groups/organisations must keep financial records in case there is an audit requirement 
• Any unspent funding must be returned to the council so we can redistribute it.  Receipts should be sent with the feedback report by 30 April 2025 
• We may ask you for a copy of your organisation’s constitution 

Failure to comply with any of the above conditions may result in a request for reimbursement of the awarded grant or exclusion from future rounds of grants from Rushmoor Borough Council. 

Grant application process 

The Community Forum* will meet in the summer to assess applications and decide who is awarded a grant.  Applications and supporting documents must be received by us by 12 June 2024. 

• You will receive an email confirming receipt of your application 
• If extra information is requested, you must provide this by the date specified in the request otherwise your application may receive a low score or not be considered for a grant 
• The Community Forum will assess your application and supporting documents, scoring it against the criteria stated above and make the decision on grant awards  
• The decisions will be announced at the Rushmoor Community Lottery Sixth Anniversary Celebration in September 2024 where a representative from the organisation will receive details of the award 
• Written confirmation of the outcome of your application will be emailed to you after which you can start your project 
• If your application is successful, this letter will include BACS and acceptance forms, which must be returned to Rushmoor Borough Council within two weeks so that your grant payment can be processed 
• Payment will be made by BACS by the end of September provided the signed acceptance and BACS forms have been returned 
• A feedback form will also be sent to you.  This must be completed after the project has taken place and returned to Rushmoor Borough Council or by 30 April 2025 for your organisation to be considered for future grants from this fund 
• If your application is unsuccessful, your letter will give the reason for rejection. Appeals against the process used to award funding will be dealt with using Rushmoor Borough Council's complaints procedure 

* The Community Forum consists of: 

• Portfolio Holder for Democracy, Strategy & Partnerships  
• Assistant Chief Executive  
• Invitee from the faith group 
• Invitee to represent young people 
• Invitee to represent the business community 
• Invitee to represent sport 
• Invitee from local voluntary and community sector 

Forum members with a conflict of interest for a particular funding application will not take part in assessing that application. 

Helping you with your application 

• Check through the criteria.  Do you meet all of the essential criteria?  Does your application include a response about everything that will be considered when assessing your application? 
• Have you consulted?  Please show us you have evidence that the project is needed as we are more likely to fund projects which can prove they will make a difference and will be sustainable 
• Remember to include quotes for items/services you wish to purchase.  Quotes from internet suppliers will be sufficient 
• Include EVERYTHING you need for the project, even if you are not asking us to fund it 

If you would like to discuss an application before completing the form, have any queries relating to your application please contact RushmoorCommunityLottery@rushmoor.gov.uk or call 01252 398772.

Grants from this fund

You can see details of the grants we've awarded from this fund below:

• Lottery Community Fund grants 2023
• Lottery Community Fund grants 2022
• Lottery Community Fund grants 2020
• Lottery Community Fund grants 2019