Down District Grant Aid

Overview

Schemes are open to established voluntary or community groups, as well as new or informal groups of citizens who are or intend by the date of application to become formally constituted

• Arts Development Grant: there are no Arts Grants at present, may be reinstated in 2015
• Seed Grants for New Groups: £200
• Revenue Grants for Groups with Premises: £750 or £3,000
• Festival Grants
• Training Grants: £500
• Special Initiative Grants: £500
• Special One-off Grants: £500
• Seed Grants/Cross Community Groups: £200
• Grants for Cross Community Projects: £500
• Training Grants: £500
• Public Christmas trees & lighting

To be eligible for a grant an organisation must:

• Be established for charitable, benevolent, social, cultural, recreational or philanthropic purposes
• Have a constitution, or set of rules, which define its aims, objectives and operational procedures
• Be able to provide a copy of its latest annual accounts and most recent bank statement. Accounts to be checked and signed by a person independent of the group
• Have a bank account operated by a minimum of at least two joint signatories.
• The application must be made on the official form and will have to be returned to the Council by the date specified

Your project should be something that makes your local community a better place in which to live, work or visit.

Whatever you decide to do, it should be something that will provide a long lasting benefit to your local area.

We are looking for your ideas, but whatever you decide to do, it must be something that will improve the social and/or economic profile of the District.

• It should benefit people who live in Down District and have the potential to be sustainable in the longer term.
• There must be clear evidence that local people support the project and are involved in carrying it out.
• Applications do not have to be from groups that already exist. Help will be given to new or informal groups of people who have come together to undertake new projects and priority will be given to those who are doing something which adds value, rather than applications for running costs.
• With the exception of small community seeding or running costs, no revenue expenditure will be available.
• Projects should be completed within the financial year of award. Council cannot carry over funding commitments.
• The proposed activity should benefit the District.
• Preference will be given to local groups.

The application must be made on the official form and will have to be returned to the Council by the date specified in the enclosed “Grants at a Glance” page.

THE FOLLOWING ARE UNLIKELY TO BE CONSIDERED A PRIORITY:

• Projects where there is a large shortfall in the funding needed.
• Projects where the amount of the grant would be a very small part of the overall cost of the project.