Why reading guidance notes before applying for funding is a must
We had a team discussion here at Two Ridings recently about funding applications coming in that we were unable to proceed with.
We realised that there were three key reasons why we couldn’t take those applications forward, and they were because applications:
- Did not fit with our general eligibility criteria
- Did not fit with criteria specified in the fund’s Guidance notes
- Did not have the correct supporting documents
So we decided to get a blog together to explain why these things are important. We hope it is useful for you.
Most importantly you need to know that we cannot make a decision on your application until we have your supporting documents.
General Eligibility
In order to have a successful application with Two Ridings you need to:
- Work primarily for the benefit of people in North and East Yorkshire
- Be ‘not for profit’
- Have a governing document (also known as a constitution, rules, memorandum, or articles of association) outlining charitable objectives and with a charitable dissolution clause
- Have a bank account in your group/ organisation’s name with at least two signatories, who are not related to one another
- Be locally led and run (including locally constituted and managed branches of national charities)
- Have at least three unrelated trustees, directors or management committee members (or two directors for a Community Interest Company (CIC))
You will see a long list of organisations can’t apply in our FAQs
These include:
- Private Businesses
- General appeals or sponsorship
- National Organisations
- Statutory agencies
Guidance Notes
In addition to the general eligibility each of our funds have their own Guidance notes in the How to apply? section of the fund’s web page. These tell you more details about the fund you are applying for and tell you what type of activity can be funded, any priorities that will be given, the geographical area the fund is relevant for and the size of the organisation that can apply.
You must read the Guidance notes associated with the fund you are applying for in order to check that you are eligible to apply. If you send in an application and you are not eligible you will not be successful in gaining funding.
Supporting Documents
We ask for supporting documents in order to do some ‘due diligence’ on your organisation.
Due diligence is the process through which Two Ridings, as a grant maker, learns more about your charity or community group. This helps us to decide whether it is appropriate to take your application to panel.
The due diligence process involves gathering information (supporting documents) and chatting with you, to understand how well your application would fit with the the funding criteria and the goals of the fund.
What we ask for and why:
Governing document:
We need to see your governing document so that we can find out what kind of organisation you run and how you run it. We look at whether you are a Charity, a CIC, or something else and whether you include a charitable dissolution clause.
Annual Accounts:
We look at your Annual Accounts so that we can see what your group’s income is. This tells us the size of your organisation. We look at the financial health of your organisation and if you are a larger organisation, we look at your auditor/ examiner’s comments.
Details of trustees/management committee:
We establish how many people run your organisation and whether any are related. To be eligible for funding from Two Ridings your organisation must have three unrelated trustees, directors or management committee members (or two directors for a Community Interest Company (CIC)).
Safeguarding policy:
If relevant to your organisation (for example if you work with children or vulnerable adults), we look at whether you have a recent, up to date and robust safeguarding policy.
Bank statement
We ask for a bank statement so that if you are successful we know where to pay your funding into.
Alongside agreeing the terms and conditions when you apply, this helps us make payment quicker if you are successful!
We keep all of this ‘supporting document’ information on our secured database, and we are particularly aware that some of this is personal data, and so comes under GDPR.
Get in touch with us
Our Grants team are super friendly and always happy to answer any of your queries.
Call them on 01904 929500 email them [email protected]
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