Community

Who can apply?

Constituted community and voluntary groups in the National Park.

What will the grant pay for?

We are inviting projects costing between £500-£20,000. For constituted community and voluntary groups grants are available for up to 100% of the total eligible costs of proposals.  Funds, however, are limited, so these amounts are not guaranteed as levels will depend on the number and quality of successful applications.

Grants are available to support community-led projects that:

• Link directly to a local Community Action Plan’s priorities
• Take a defined step towards a larger project
• Support the development of a social enterprise
• Support the enhancement of places and public spaces within the National Park.

Funding may be used for initiatives such as:

• Contributing towards a feasibility study or options appraisal
• Follow-up technical work after a Charrette or Community Action Plan
• Contributing towards a business plan or marketing strategy.

Examples of projects that could be funded:

• Consulting and assessing viability of creating a heritage trail to support local tourism
• Assessing the viability of a bike-hire social enterprise
• Commissioning and involving the community in designing a play park and event space
• Commissioning technical and design elements of a community-run pontoon.

We cannot fund:

• Revenue costs such as ongoing staff costs
• Small scale village enhancements
• A piece of work that does not take your project idea to a clearly identified next stage
• Projects that cannot show community support or need.

Remember that:

• At application stage you must provide evidence that your costs provide good value for money; so for purchases, works or services that cost:
  • £5,000 or less, where value for money can otherwise be demonstrated, at least two quotes is recommended but one quote may be acceptable, at the discretion of the National Park Authority.
  • £5,000 to £10,000 at least three quotes are expected.
  • Greater than £10,000 at least three quotes should be provided and submitted on the basis of a written specification.
  • The National Park Grant will not normally be awarded to a recipient in advance of need, and will not normally be made available until the recipient has spent the funds and claimed reimbursement. However, ‘pre-funding’ (i.e. awarding funds before delivery and expenditure) may be appropriate in the case of voluntary sector bodies as long as they have demonstrated need (i.e. they can show us that they do not have their own funds to deliver the project).

Making an application

	Read the guidelines Please read the guidelines above. Projects that deliver multiple benefits to the National Park will be supported. Priority will be given to projects that meet Outcomes in the National Park Partnership Plan and Priorities set out in your local Community Action Plan (click on the green community action plan box).
	Expression of Interest – submissions now closed We’re keen to see ideas at an early stage, so the first step was to submit an Expression of Interest by Friday, 8 September. We asked you to explain your project and will now assess it against criteria.
	Application We will inform you of the outcome of the Expression of Interest stage by Friday, 22 September 2017. The highest scoring applicants will be invited to submit a more detailed Application. At this stage, you will need to submit a fully worked-up proposal, including quotes for costs or services, by Friday, 20 October 2017.  If your expression of interest is not successful, we will provide you with feedback.

What happens next?

• By Friday, 17 November 2017: grant offers sent out
• By Thursday, 15 March 2018: claims received from private sector/individual applicants
• By Friday, 30 March 2018: claims paid to private sector/individual applicants
• By Friday, 15 March 2019: final reports from voluntary sector applicants