Application Criteria

• Revenue costs
  • staff costs – relating specifically to the project in question
  • volunteer expenses – relating specifically to the project in question
  • event costs
  • venue hire
  • office/printing costs
  • transportation
  • training/coaching costs
  • qualifications and upskilling
  • project evaluations
  • testing new ways of working
  • staff training and development
  • developing and sharing impact and learning
• Capital costs – equipment and materials relating to the project/activity/service
• A mix of revenue and capital costs
• Core costs as part of Full Cost Recovery.

• Capital costs for buildings or land development
• Loan repayments
• Political or lobbying activities
• Religious activities (unless the project benefits the wider community and does not include religious content)
• Costs that have already been incurred
• Topping up reserves
• VAT that can be reclaimed
• Statutory activities
• Items or activities for individual benefit
• Activities taking place outside Suffolk
• Profit-making or fundraising activities

• New projects, activities or services
• Innovative projects, activities or services
• Expanding existing projects, activities or services

• A bank account in the applicant organisation’s name, with at least two unrelated people needed to transfer money from the account
• At least two board members, directors or committee members who are not related

For the purpose of this programme ‘related’ means:

• related by marriage
• in a civil partnership with each other
• in a long-term relationship with each other
• related through a long term partner
• living together at the same address
• related by blood.

Financial accounts

Successful applicants will be asked to provide one of the following:

• Latest annual accounts or annual report
• Management accounts (if your charity is less than 15 months old)

*If your annual accounts or annual report is more than 12 months old, please provide your management accounts too.

Insurance

Organisations have a duty to protect their assets, employees, volunteers and beneficiaries. Depending on what you are requesting grant funding for, you may be required to have one or more of the following policies in place:

• Public Liability in the sum of a minimum of £5,000,000 (five million) per claim
• Employers Liability in the sum of £5,000,000 (five million) per claim
• Trustee and Officers Indemnity in the sum of £2,000,000 (two million) per annum (or sufficient to cover the organisation’s level of risk)
• Fidelity Guarantee in respect of Trustees/Officers, equivalent to at least the sum of the grant
• Professional Indemnity in the sum of £2,000,000 (two million) – required where the grant recipient is providing professional knowledge, skills or advice.

Location

The project or activity for which you are applying for funding must take place in Suffolk. Please also check the criteria for the individual grant scheme you are applying to, as some may be focused on specific geographic areas within Suffolk.

Grant sizes

The maximum grant size will depend on each grant Scheme but will range from:

• Small grants of less than £20,000
• Large grants of £20,000 and over

The small grant application process is shorter and will require you to submit a SPH&C Small Grant Application for consideration.

The large grant process is more comprehensive. You will first be required to complete a SPH&C Expression of Interest. Once the initial assessment and eligibility criteria are confirmed and accepted, we will send you an SPH&C Large Grant Application and invite you to submit a full application.

Grant awards are limited to no more than 50% of the latest annual income of your organisation.

Equality, Diversity and Inclusion

Tell us how your organisation will ensure the project, activity or service is inclusive and accessible:

• Explain the steps taken to ensure inclusivity
• Identify the intended audiences for your project and their needs using previous learning, community engagement and data sources
• Identify gaps in your approach
• Consider the reasons why certain groups might not engage
• Identify potential audiences you haven’t reached or spoken to
• Explore lessons learned from other projects
• Evaluate if your organisation’s governance, leadership, employees and volunteers represent the communities you serve
• Consider using co-production when developing projects, activities and services to benefit from others expertise and experience.

Co-production

• Involve service users, beneficiaries or those with lived experience in the design, production and delivery of the project, activity or service.

Partnerships

• Collaborate with other organisations that share a common objective.  This collaboration can take the form of a formal agreement (such as a delivery partner), or a more informal arrangement (promoting a project or referring clients into it). Consider the additional value it brings.

Evidence based

• Quantify the issue that your project, activity or service will address
• Identify who it affects, how it affects them and why it affects them
• Baseline evidence is important when evaluating and demonstrating the level of impact and change your project, activity or service will achieve.