Grants & Donations Policy
Adopted at the Annual Parish Council Meeting held on 5 May 2021.
1. Definitions
For the purposes of this policy donations and grants differ only in that a donation is given without the need to be specific about how it is used whereas a grant must be spent specifically for the purpose agreed. For example, a donation may be given to a village hall towards the general running costs without being specific about what it is spent on whereas a grant would be given towards the cost of specific project such as installation of a new security system. In reality most applications under this policy will be defined as a grant and be subject to the following considerations. The parish council’s aim is to ensure that all our award-making activity is:
- open
- transparent
- fair
- competitive
- supports local organisation
2. Parish Council Powers and Section 137 of the Local Government Act 1972
The Council regularly receives requests for grants and donations from a variety of organisations and the aim of the Policy is to encourage and support activities and projects which will benefit the Parish of Blankney.
A parish council has a number of powers granted under various Acts of Parliament which enable it to spend money. Since 2008 the “Power of Wellbeing” and more recently the “General Power of Competence, Localism Act 2011” allow parish councils more flexibility in how they spend money within the local community. In order to use either of these powers it is necessary that the council has a qualified clerk, and at least two thirds of the councillors have been elected rather than co-opted or appointed. Currently Blankney Parish Council does not meet these criteria therefore all donations and grants fall under the statutory power of Section 137 of the Local Government Act 1972, which permits it to spend up to a certain limit on anything which in the opinion of the council is in the interests of the parish, or any part of it, or is in the interest or all or some of its inhabitants. This amount is limited to a figure per head of the electorate on the electoral role on 1st January before the commencement of the financial year. The figure is index-linked and for 2021/21 is at least £8.12 per electorate head (to be revised). The parish council has no obligation to spend all or any of the money available under S.137. This money is not ‘gifted’ to the parish council; it will form part of the Precept which the parish council makes on the District Council. The cost of any grants or donations is therefore reflected in residents’ council tax bills.
.
The normal use to which this power is applied by local Councils is to provide funding to local organisations, e.g., Pre-School Groups, Scout Groups, Senior Citizens Groups etc. but clearly, one of the most important restrictions (as underlined above) is that a grant cannot be made to an individual for their own use, no matter what use and how good a cause that use may be (e.g., sponsorship for studying exchanges).
However, there may indeed be occasions where the grant can be paid to an individual where that individual is carrying out a service which benefits the local population - e.g. A Community First Responder (a NHS trained volunteer) whose role is to be the first on the scene as the result of an emergency call within a designated area (the Parish) to provide immediate life-saving support and who is required to raise funding to contribute towards the cost of the necessary equipment. It is clear that any grant made by the local Council will directly benefit recipients of the service and it is, therefore, our opinion that the grant can legally be given and the cheque made payable to the individual.
3. Background
a) Any grants made available for such purposes are funded directly from the Parish Precept.
b) The Parish Council receives no other significant monies from any source (with the exception of grant monies received for particular projects and ring fenced for that purpose).
4. Policy
a) Any grant made by the Parish Council must directly benefit the Parish of Blankney and its Parishioners. The Parish Council cannot make donations to individuals unless the Community directly benefit. (Thus, the Parish Council cannot, for example, make a grant to a disaster appeal unless the disaster in some way affected the Parish or a substantial number of Parishioners.)
b) Grants and Donations cannot be made to fund political activities.
c) All proposed expenditure must be detailed in the Parish Council’s annual budget meeting, to enable calculation of the Council’s precept.
d) The organisation making a grant request should be a non-profit making voluntary organisation where membership is open (i.e., no discrimination of membership on grounds of sex, race, religion etc.)
e) The Parish Council will not fund events or activities which can be funded by the relevant participants or which can or will be self-supporting by means of donations, or grants from other organisations etc.
f) The Parish Council will consider applications for funds in situations:
- where there is no other way of obtaining the relevant funds;
- The funds will enable the relevant group or organisation to access or “unlock” funds or assistance from third parties; and
- Monies have been donated or raised but these are insufficient and funds are needed to bridge the resulting gap.
g) The Parish Council will endeavour to provide assistance and support where appropriate to groups and organisations in the Parish wishing to access grants and other funds from third parties and local authorities. 3 February 2019
5. Applications
a) All applications for grants or donations shall be made in writing to the Clerk to the Council who shall arrange for those applications which meet the Council’s criteria to be considered at the next meeting of the Finance Committee of Council.
b) The grant available is limited to a maximum of £500 per application.
c) Only one grant will be given to any group or organisation, or for any particular purpose, in any financial year (1st April to 31st March).
d) If the Council considers that there are exceptional circumstances then it can decide to exceed these limits in b and c.
e) Grants cannot be awarded after the relevant event or project has been completed.
f) Applications must complete the Council’s application form.
g) Applicants whose application meets the criteria will be considered at the next any Committee meeting and submitted to Full Council for ratification, or directly to Full Council; applications will be notified in due course. Successful applicants shall provide details of to whom payment should be made and acknowledge receipt of the payment.
6. Conditions
a) The Parish Council will assess applications with particular reference to the number of Parishioners likely to benefit, or whether any particular category of Parishioners would receive specific benefit (e.g., children, the elderly, persons with any form of disability etc.)
b) Where a request for a grant/donation is agreed, the Council shall determine the amount, using the figure stated by the applicant as a guide only.
c) The grant or donations shall be used only for the stated purpose otherwise the monies shall be returned to the Council, except where the Council’s prior written consent has been given for the funds to be used for another purpose.
d) The Council may request that applicants provide written feedback explaining how the grant/donation has benefited their group/organisation. If feedback is required, this will be communicated in the decision letter.
e) The Council reserves the right to request repayment of any grant/donation where an applicant does not comply with these conditions.
Notes
a) The Council’s decision on any application is final and there is no right of appeal.
b) The Council reserves the right to decline any application without giving reasons for its decision.
c) The Council will not commit to any continuing expenditure.
d) Nothing in this Policy prevents the Council from providing a grant for donation to a group, organisation or project without application where the Council considers that the giving of such a grant or donation will bring benefits to residents of the Parish.
e) Where a Member of the Council is a member of a group/organisation applying for funding, that Member must declare, in accordance with its Code of Conduct, an interest in the matter and refrain from voting. Advice may be sought from the Monitoring Officer. To be reviewed May 2022
Blankney Parish Council
Application for Grant/Donation for Voluntary Organisations
(Local Government At 1972, Section 137)
Please note that this application will not be considered unless it is accompanied by a copy of the latest set of annual accounts showing the organisations income, expenditure and level of balances. If the organisation does not prepare annual accounts, copies of the bank statements covering the previous six months must be enclosed.
Description Details
1. Name of Organisation
2. Name, Address and Status of Contact
3. Telephone Number of Contact
4. Is the Organisation a Registered Charity?
Yes: Please state Registered Charity Number N0__________________________
5. Amount of grant/donation requested £______________________________
Should your application be successful, please complete your bank details below for electronic payment:
Bank Sort Code Number_________________________________________________
Bank Account Name _____________________________________________________________
Bank Account Number ___________________________________________________________
6. For what purpose or project is the grant/donation requested? _____________________________
____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
Description Details ________________________________________
7. What will be the total cost of the above project? £______________________________________
8. If the total cost of the project is more than the grant/donation, how will the residue be financed? __________________________________-
9. Have you applied for grant/donation for the same project to another organisation?
If so, which organisation and how much? ____________________________________________
10. Who will benefit from the project? _________________________________________________
11. Approximately how many of those who will benefit are parishioners? You may use a separate sheet of paper to submit any other information which you feel will support this application.
Signed___________________________________. Date ___________
Name of Applicant or Organisation__________________________________________________