Lanarkshire Community Led Local Development Funding Programme

The online application process stages are outlined below: The level and detail of information required should be proportionate to the small grant, for example, short or single sentences are sufficient in most boxes.

Stage 1 - Applicant enquiry 

Applicants must register their organisation and web address on the application website to access the enquiry page. Please give us a summary of the project so we can assess the eligibility. Complete this and submit using the blue box bottom right. A confirmation email will be sent to the email address provided confirming receipt. Applicants will receive a reply stating the enquiry has been received and details of the officer delegated to manage your enquiry

Stage 2 - Initial assessment by the council

The officer delegated to manage the enquiry will process the enquiry and can undertake three actions:

• Request further information on the enquiry and or provide advice
• Reject the enquiry giving information on the reason
• Accept the enquiry

Stage 3 - Application

If the enquiry is assessed as meeting the fund criteria the applicant will proceed to stage 3 the applicant will receive an e-mail confirming this and the full application form will become available to you on the Grantvisor system. You are required to complete all sections of the application form. The graphic to the left on Grantvisor will show which sections still need information and it will not allow you to apply until all sections are complete.

Documents and photos can all be uploaded onto the application form at different parts.

The application form consists of 6 main areas which are guided within the form but the key requirements within each are summarised here:

1. Contact details

Name, full address, email address, contact phone numbers

2. Organisation details

Including Constitution, Audited Accounts if available or any annual accounts

3. Project details

• Summary of the project (what you need)
• Summary of links to the Fund Priorities (how it will help)
• Evidence of local need and local support (who will benefit)

Keep the answers short we only need a couple of sentences.

4. Project costs

The costs for the equipment need to be set out here along with VAT. No match funding is required and projects must be completed by 14 March 2025. Where the system shows “Upload” a document must be uploaded. This can be a screenshot of estimated costs or a PDF of a quote. If these are already uploaded a Word document explaining your costs may be required to be uploaded against each of the 3 boxes.

Projects should seek to show the best value and efficient use of public funds.

For purchases over £1,000 from a supplier 2 quotes should be “Uploaded”.

Where costs are below £1,000 no quotes are required we will assess the value.

Where quotes are difficult to receive, or a specific supplier has been used for a reason It may be helpful for applicants to include a short Word document in the “upload” along with additional documentation to explain the method of achieving costs.

A copy of the organisation's latest bank details will also need to be “uploaded”.

5. Bank details

Information on the account the grant will be paid into.

6. Additional documents

This is an area where any supporting information can be added including: For these small grants we do not expect significant additional documents to be required.

If the applicant requires additional information or support, all queries should be emailed through the Grantvisor system to allow an audit trail to be maintained.

Stage 4 - Submission 

Once all sections and downloads are inserted the application will show as complete. Applicants should then submit by pressing the blue button. This will lock your application so please make sure all details are correct before this. The application will then be reviewed. A confirmation email will be sent informing you of this. Any additional information or alteration to the application will be advised by the appointed officer who will unlock the application to allow this to happen. The officer will confirm once the application is complete and passed for assessment.

Stage 5 – Assessment

Applications will be assessed within 7 working days against the following criteria:

• Fit with the CLLD priorities
• Deliverability within the timescale
• Value for money
• Need for funding

Stage - 6 Approval or rejection and next steps

Approved projects will receive an offer of grant with the relevant conditions to accept the offer you must sign and return the acceptance form.

Rejected applications will receive a letter with the main reasons for rejection. There are no right of appeal and all decisions are final. Feedback can be provided on the project and guidance given.

All rejected projects will not be re-accepted unless substantial changes to meet the feedback and criteria required have been discussed with a council officer.

Stage 7 – Claims

Claims are made through the Grantvisor system, this is available once the offer has been accepted and returned.

Advance payments of grants

Successful Community Fund projects may receive an advance payment of 50% of the total grant award if requested and justification provided. The remainder of the grant will be paid retrospectively on the production of receipted original invoices, a completed grant claim and completion information.

Claims

Most small grants will be paid as an advance and a final payment.

Completion paperwork must be submitted to process and issue the final payment. This consists of final grant claim(s)

Essential

• evidence of payment in the form of a bank statement or verified/stamped bank transaction list
• a PDF copy of original invoice/s

Desirable

• evidence of publicity activity (photos or copies of publicity)
• evidence of equipment(photos)
• evidence of outputs and outcomes achieved

Payment

Payments once approved may take up to 14 days to be paid into the group's bank account.

General conditions of grant

The general conditions of the grant cover all funds included in the list above and proof of compliance will be required before any funds will be provided:

• All awards are conditional on the applicant securing the relevant statutory consent and permissions
• VAT is only paid if the organisation cannot reclaim (only enter VAT as a separate total if you are not claiming it as part of the grant)
• Equipment and work must not commence before Community Benefit funding being awarded
• Awards are not available retrospectively
• Applicants must not restrict access to the project from an equal opportunities perspective or promote specific political or religious purposes

Application timeline

The closing date is Tuesday 7 January 2025

All award letters will be sent out as soon as possible and by Wednesday 15 January 2025 at the latest.

Data protection

We will use the information you give us during the assessment and the life of your grant (if awarded) to administer and analyse grants and for our research purposes. We may give copies of all or some of this information to individuals and organisations we consult when assessing applications, administering the programme, monitoring grants and evaluating funding processes and impacts. These organisations may include accountants, external evaluators and other organisations or groups involved in delivering the programme.

We may share information with organisations and individuals with a legitimate interest in Lottery applications and grants or specific funding programmes. We have to protect public funds so we may also share information with other Lottery distributors, government departments, and organisations providing matched funding or for the prevention and detection of crime.

We might use the personal information provided to conduct appropriate identity checks. Personal information you provide may be disclosed to a credit reference or fraud prevention agency, which may keep a record of that information.

If you provide false or inaccurate information in your application, or at any point in the life of any funding we award you and fraud is identified, we will provide details to fraud prevention agencies to prevent fraud and money laundering. If you are a company this will include the names of the Company Directors at the time of the fraud. You must inform all Directors, Trustees and Committee members of this notice.

You can obtain further details explaining how the information held by fraud prevention agencies may be used

Equal opportunities

As part of each application, the applicant should provide robust information and policy details from your constitution about your organisation's attitude to equal opportunities. This needs to be reflected in the project outputs and outcomes.

Freedom of Information Act

The Freedom of Information Act 2000 gives members of the public the right to request any information we hold. This includes information received from third parties, such as, although not limited to grant applicants, grant holders, contractors and people making a complaint.

If information is requested under the Freedom of Information Act we will release it, subject to exemptions; although we may choose to consult with you first. If you think the information you provide may be exempt from release if requested, you should let us know when you apply.