Application form guidance

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 provision

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 provision will start?

If you are not yet sure when your provision will start, please do highlight this option, you are not scored based on this, however it is important to remind you that all provisions must start before 01 April 2025.

If you are a successful applicant but fail to meet the specified date for provision commencement, we have the right to withdraw our offer of funding.

Our main focusses

It is important your provision supports a minimum of one of these focusses, we will not offer funding to provisions that do not meet at least one. If you feel your provision meets more than one please select all those relevant. 

You must supply details on how your provision 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.

Please 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 this is a hired facility and for provision 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.

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.

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.

Page 5 - Provide a breakdown of which days and times your service or activity will be available (if known)

We require all provision to be fully inclusive, in most circumstances we require provisions 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 provisions 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 provision must support all the four priorities below

• Emotional Resilience, Mental health and Wellbeing
• Sustainable Provision
• Meeting an evidenced community need
• Value for money

Each priority equates to 20% of your overall score, consideration needs to be given to these areas, and you must answer each of the four priority questions. All four equate to 80% overall.

Provide evidence and examples of how your organisation and project will deliver and meet the Emotional Resilience, Mental health and Wellbeing priority?

Tell us how your provision 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 provision is sustainable? How will your organisation and project deliver and meet this priority?

How do you intend to sustain this provision 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 project deliver and meet the evidenced community need?

 We expect you to tell us why this provision 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. 

Note: All panel members review community needs data and current active provisions Island wide. This research is used to determine your evidence community need, this equates to an additional 10% of your overall score.

How are you offering good value for money to IWC? Provide evidence and examples of how your organisation and project 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 provision will meet Inclusivity and accessibility needs.

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 project?

Consider how will you monitor the success of your provision. How will you identify if a change is required?

Have you applied for any other funding towards this project?

You need to let us know if you have already applied for or received any funding for the provision.

Return to the Community Capacity Grant Application to check your eligibility and apply online.