Application form guidance
Community Capacity Grant application guidelines
Help and tips to complete the Community Capacity grant application form
Before you begin your application ensure that you read the guidance as this will aid you to complete your application and provide you with guidance of what panel will expect to see within your application. This guidance has been created to help and guide you page by page of the application process.
Page 2 - Location of your group, club or activity
Having a determined location helps you to provide evidence on identifying and meeting the evidenced community need and also ensuring that the venue is accessible. You are scored on evidence of community need so failure to provide decreases your chance of success.
Page 3 - Do you know when this group, club or activity will start?
If you are not yet sure when your group, club or activity will start, do highlight this option, you are not scored based on this, however it is important to remind you that all group, club or activity must start after the 1 April 2026 but before 30 April 2026.
If you are a successful applicant but fail to meet the specified date for group, club or activity commencement, we have the right to withdraw our offer of funding.
Our main focusses
Our main focusses are groups, clubs and activities:
- For children aged 5 years and above
A regular positive group, club or activity for children and young people. - In the school holidays for children transitioning from Year 6 to Year 7
1:1 or group, club or activity to support children who maybe struggling with change. - Focusing on youth outreach
A regular positive group, club or activity for young people within the community. - Focusing on family wellbeing sessions for all ages
A regular positive group, club or activity for the whole family. - Focusing on supporting Young Carers
positive group, club or activity to support children who are Young Carers caring at home for a family member. - Focusing on Perinatal Mental Health for 0 to 2 years and their families
A regular positive group, club or activity for parents/carers pre-birth and post birth.
We will not offer funding to group, club or activity that do not meet at least one. If you feel your group, club or activity meets more than one, please select all those relevant.
You must supply details on how your group, club or activity supports your selected focusses. Failure to provide the supporting information will decrease your chance of success.
The information supplied equates to 10% of your overall score.
What will you charge individuals / families?
To help us to determine the value for money we need to know how much you
will charge (if anything) to individuals and families. You are scored on value
for money so failure to provide decreases your chance of success.
Bear in mind for value for money we also consider the value to us as the funders on the amount requested for your grant. To work this out we use the amount you are applying for, multiplied by the total number of sessions over the 12-month grant period, then multiplied by the number of individuals benefitting (a family is an average of 4 individuals).
Page 4 - Costs
Costs
We do not fund for any of the following
- Building refurbishments
- Training (additional training not provided by the IOW Council as part of the agreement)
- Insurance costs
- DBS checks
- Marketing costs (we will support you for free)
All costs must be added in pounds and pence and broken down and details exactly what they are for.
We will not consider your application if costs are submitted as whole amounts.
DO NOT EXCEED TO MAXIMUM OF £5,000
Staff costs
List each staff member individually and break down the cost per hour and how many hours per session.
Senior staffing hourly costs will be considered based on skills/qualifications evidence provided. If this is not supplied you may be asked to provide evidence before the grant is offered.
Venue costs
Venue hire can only be paid if it is a hired facility and for group, club or activity you are applying for. Please note that you may be able to access Family Hub and centre buildings free of charge in your local area. Contact Barnardo’s direct to enquire before you submit your application to determine if spaces are available at your chosen location, selected day and time.
Upfront funding
These costs will be paid as a one-off payment at the beginning of your agreement. You will then receive the rest of your grant payment in four instalments throughout the first year of delivery please note this is paid in arrears. You need to be clear with costs that you require upfront, these costs will be discussed at panel and if accepted you may need to provide receipt evidence of purchase 30 days after the upfront funding has been paid. Upfront funding is usually for venue hire if needed to reduce the costs and equipment. We can re-negotiate upfront costs if we feel this is appropriate.
A maximum of 10% of the overall funding offered, is available for capital costs which can be paid in advance.
Be specific with your costings panel need to know exactly what you are requesting the funding for. The overall costs and how the funding is spent contributes towards the value for money priority, which your application is scored on.
Please evidence why you need the money to be received as an upfront payment instead of a quarterly payment within the application form.
Page 5 - Provide a breakdown of which days and times your group, club or activity will be available (if known)
We require all group, club or activity to be fully inclusive, in most circumstances we require group, club or activities that are for children aged 5 years and over to take place outside of school hours and at a suitable time to ensure the offer is inclusive as possible. We want the group, club or activity to be available to everyone, not just those within your community.
How many people do you expect to attend a session?
We need to know an approximation of the numbers of individuals you feel will be able to attend each session. This can be worked out as an average if needed.
Your group, club or activity must support all the four priorities below
- Promoting emotional resilience/ mental health and wellbeing
- Creating and developing sustainable group, club or activity
- Meeting an evidenced community need (taking a community led approach to groups, clubs or activities)
- Value for money
Consideration needs to be given to these areas, and you must answer each of the four priority questions. All four equate to 80% of your overall score.
Provide evidence and examples of how your organisation and group, club or activity will deliver and meet the Emotional Resilience, Mental health and Wellbeing priority?
Tell us how your group, club or activity will help and support the attendees resilience, mental health and wellbeing, what will you offer attendees to support with this over the 12 months?
What will you consider when ensuring that this club, group or activity is sustainable? How will your organisation and club, group or activity deliver and meet this priority?
How do you intend to sustain this group, club or activity once you funding ends? What measures will you have in place? What other options have/will you consider?
What activities have you undertaken to identify a community need? How will your organisation and club, group or activity deliver and meet the evidenced community need?
We expect you to tell us why this group, club or activity is required, what had led you to identify a need for this? What research have you completed to determine the need? Providing us with evidence of your research helps improve your score.
An additional 10% is scored based on community needs data. All panel members review data and current active groups, clubs or activities Island wide. This research is used to determine your evidence community need.
How are you offering good value for money to IWC? Provide evidence and examples of how your organisation and club, group or activity will deliver and meet this priority?
Consider your costings when you answer this question and how much funding you require, also your charge to individuals/ families. How many families will benefit from you receiving your proposed funding?
Ensure you attach ALL evidence you hold to support any, some, or all of the above priorities.
Tell us how your club, group or activity is inclusive and accessible
When you answer this question consider what inclusivity and accessibility means to your provision and how this benefits potential attendees. Your answer will contribute to your final score.
How will you evaluate your club, group or activity?
Consider how will you monitor the success of your club, group or activity. How will you identify if a change is required?
Have you applied for any other funding towards this club, group or activity?
You need to let us know if you have already applied for or received any funding for the club, group or activity.
Return to the Community Capacity Grant Application to check your eligibility and apply online.