Ward community grants

Find out how you can apply for a grant to support projects benefiting your local community.

About ward community grants

You can use a ward community grant for one-off projects, equipment or resources that will provide a benefit to the local community and achieve your local objectives.

You cannot use the grant for projects that already exist or for general running costs of your organisation.

Councillors in each ward are encouraged support a variety of groups and projects. For the 2020/21 financial year, each ward in Rushmoor has a budget of £3,000 to award under this scheme.  The minimum grant is £50.

You can check  Ward grants - funding available per ward [104kb] document to see the amount of funding available in each ward's budget.  This document is only updated once grants have been awarded and there may be other applications being processed.

You can also view our  Ward grant awards 2020-21 [132kb] document for details of the grants we have recently awarded.

When you can apply for a ward community grant

You can apply for a grant on this page up to 28 February 2021 or until each ward's budget has been filled up, whichever is first.

Who can apply for a Ward Community grant

We will consider applications from voluntary organisations/community groups who have:

• A written governing document, such as a set of rules, a constitution or a trust deed
• At least three unrelated people on the governing body or management committee
• A UK-based bank or building society account in the name of your organisation that requires at least two people (who are unrelated and do not live at the same address) to sign cheques and make a withdrawal

Ward councillors can also apply for funding for a specific project. Two of the ward councillors must support the application. Where a councillor has a declaration of interest in an application, they must declare it and the third ward councillor must agree to the award.

What we can fund

• One-off projects or events
• Equipment
• Resources
• Projects which benefit the local community and have no ongoing cost issues or maintenance requirements for the council

What we are unable to fund

• Core running costs or salaries of an organisation
• Retrospective applications, or projects that will not be delivered within one year from the date of the confirmation of the award
• The same project year on year

Funding conditions

• You must contact your ward councillors first, before applying for this grant. Where a project covers or benefits more than one ward, we will consider multiple ward funding and councillors from all wards should be contacted for their support
• Each grant must be supported by at least two of the three ward councillors and there must be a connection or benefit to the local ward for each application
• The grant application must be for specific projects or events and cannot be used towards general running costs of the organisation
• We welcome applications from schools for projects which support an additional community benefit and will not be used to supplement the curriculum
• Funding will not be provided retrospectively and projects should not be committed to, until you have received written confirmation of the grant
• The funding must be spent within one year of being awarded. If not, you will need to reapply for the grant
• Payment will be made in arrears by BACS on receipt of evidence that costs have been incurred
• Successful applicants (organisations or ward councillors) will be required to complete a feedback form within three months of the funding being paid. If you do not provide a feedback report, any future funding applications made to us will be rejected, until we receive adequate feedback
• You must must retain financial records in the event of any audits
• Applications cannot be made year-on-year for the same project
• If the grant has been used to purchase equipment and your organisation stops running, the equipment becomes our property and we will pass it onto another charitable group

How to apply

1. Check that your project meets the aims of the scheme listed above
2. Read the  Guidance notes (Community groups) [159kb] or  Guidance notes (Councillors) [147kb] before your start your application.
3. Contact your ward councillors to discuss whether they support the project in principle. You will need the support of at least two of the councillors
4. If the councillors support the project in principle, complete the application form below and submit it with your supporting documents

Your project should not start until you receive a confirmation that you have the grant. You should allow up to one month from submitting your application to receiving confirmation of the grant award

The deadline for receipt of all applications is 28 February 2021.

Once you start your application, you will need to complete it in one go, as there is no 'save' function.

Full details of the information we need from you are in our  Guidance notes (Community groups) [159kb] and  Guidance notes (Councillors) [147kb] documents.

What you will need to provide with your application

All applicants will need to provide a breakdown of your project costs and, if possible, written quotes for items you want to buy or work you will be doing.

Applications from voluntary organisations/community groups you will also need to provide a copy of your organisation's most recent accounts (audited where appropriate).

You will need to upload these as part of the application process. If you are unable to do so, you can email them to them to the email address on this page.

We are also happy to receive other supporting documents and photos to back your application.

If you would like to discuss your application before submitting it, please contact us using the details on this page. 

What happens once you've applied

We will contact you to let you know we've received your application.

We will check your application form, along with the enclosed documents, to see if it is complete and confirm with the councillors and officers named on the application form that they support your project.

If your application is not complete, we will ask you for the missing information. We may also contact you for additional information.

If you don't complete the forms fully or you fail to provide additional information, we will not consider your application for a grant.

All successful applications will be endorsed by the Portfolio Holder for Democracy, Strategy and Partnerships.

What happens if you're successful

If your application is successful you will receive confirmation of the award within one month.

Payment of the grant will be made in arrears on receipt of evidence that costs have been incurred (e.g. receipts).

In exceptional circumstances, and at our discretion, we may pay the funding before you incur costs. It will be up to you to ask us to consider this within a month of receiving confirmation of the grant award.

The funding must be spent within one year of being awarded. If not, you will need to reapply for the grant

You must only use the grant for the purpose you applied for. We will only release funding for the agreed elements as stated on the application form.

Within three months of payment of the grant, you will have to give us a short report. To help with this, we will provide you with a feedback form template.

Details of successful grants will be recorded and published on this website.

Help for your project

If your project involves young people aged between one and 25 years, Community Matters Partnership (CMPP) may be able to provide volunteers to help carry out your project. CMPP's Community Action Days are aimed at supporting local schools, youth groups, charities, colleges and not-for-profit organisations that work with young people in and around Rushmoor.

For more information or for an informal chat, please email hello@cmpp.org.uk or register your interest through the CMPP Community Action Day application form.