Rochdale Township Fund
Grants criteria, terms and conditions 2008-09
Who can apply?
Local community, residents' groups, voluntary or activity
organisations.
The organisation must be non-profit making, and either have a
constitution or terms of reference. If your group is less
than 12 months old and you do not yet have a constitution or terms
of reference, you must enclose details of who is involved with the
group and minutes/notes of your first meeting(s).
Organisations applying for funds must have a bank account as
payments are made by
BACS
transfer directly
into the organisation's bank account.
What can I apply for?
Funding towards equipment and items for schemes/projects that
will be running within the Rochdale Township boundaries. A
maximum of £1,000 can be applied for.
Where applications for boroughwide initiatives are received,
Rochdale Township Action and Resource Committee will consider
granting a pro-rata cost of the overall project. This will be
either 46% of the total award, or a pro-rata amount reflecting the
membership of a group from each Township. (Only submit one
application form to one Township Office, staff will liaise with the
other Townships if appropriate).
Schemes which both benefit and involve the community.
Equipment which will help to develop your organisation.
Schemes which result in environmental improvements.
Schemes which are not duplicating existing services.
What or who cannot be funded?
An application will not be considered if alternative funding is
available, eg schools with a Council budget. (Groups such as
PTA, Governors or 'Friends of' may be considered providing that the
application concerns a specific scheme/project, which would also
benefit the wider community).
Applications from groups or organisations which promote
religious or political activities.
Staffing expenses and general running costs (eg utility
bills).
Hire/rent of venues.
Support for the general work of charities, including fundraising
events.
Funding for parties or day trips out.
Schemes which the Council should do as part of its duties.
Applications from individuals.
Applications must be restricted to one application per one
scheme/project. Applications from different user groups of
the same centre, which relate to the same scheme/project at the
same time are not eligible.
Applications for schemes/projects that are already up and
running or have already been funded or for items already
purchased. All approvals must be obtained before a grant is
spent.
Applications from groups or organisations seeking assistance in
promoting a campaign or other activity designed to influence the
Council when taking a decision in the exercise of its statutory
functions.
Schemes to fund improvements on unadopted roads cannot be
considered.
Boroughwide applications which do not clearly state how the
project/scheme will benefit the community of Rochdale Township are
not eligible.
The organisation's responsibilities
Applications must be submitted on the relevant application
form.
Applications must be submitted prior to the closing date.
Applications received after the closing date will be deferred to
the next meeting.
Applicants are responsible for ensuring that all necessary
permissions (such as planning permission), regulations (such as
health and safety) and insurance relating to their scheme/event are
in place.
The grant must be used for the purposes for which it was
approved. Payment of the grant will only be made upon receipt
of invoices/receipts. Payment on receipt of pro-forma
invoices will be at the discretion of the Township Manager.
Decisions made by Rochdale Township Action and
Resource Committee are only formally agreed after a ten day
call in period, therefore, all notifications to organisations will
be made no sooner than ten working days after the Committee
meeting. Applicants must not make arrangements to spend the
grant until they have received formal notification of the
award.
Where relevant, written estimates should be included with the
application form.
Conditions of the grants
Applicants are limited to one Rochdale Township community grant
in any two year period.
Applicants will be asked to indicate if they have or are seeking
funding from other sources. The Committee looks favourably on
schemes/projects where a contribution in cash or kind is being
provided from other sources.
Following approval a time limit will be set for the spending of
the grant. This timescale will take into consideration the
circumstances, but will not exceed six months. (Committee
approval must be sought if an extension to this period is
required).
The Council is not liable for any damage or loss arising from
the use of any item purchased with grant monies, or arising from
any activity funded by the grant. Nor is the Council liable
for any defect in any item purchased, or default by a
contractor.
The Council reserves the right to withhold or reclaim the grant
money or items purchased with the grant, if the terms and
conditions are not adhered to.
The Council's approval must be sought for the disposal or
transfer of any items acquired with the grant.
The Council reserves the right to add specific conditions
relating to payment of the grants, the purpose of the grants and/or
the activities to be funded.
Meeting the Township priorities
Rochdale Township's vision is to create a friendly, clean and
safe Township characterised by harmonious and diverse
communities. We want the town to be proud of its co-operative
spirit and industrial heritage and look to build on these qualities
for a prosperous future as part of the city region. Efforts
to increase community cohesion and involvement including people
from different generations, backgrounds and cultures must permeate
all activities. Therefore, we are seeking to support all
applications which contribute to Rochdale Township's
priorities. When completing your application form, please
ensure you demonstrate how your application meets one (or more) of
the Township priorities.
Community Cohesion - 'closing the
gap' between different communities, generations and cultures.
"Create a sense of belonging; value diversity and encourage
positive relationships between communities"
"Focus on lifestyles and develop initiatives to encourage
healthy living"
Young People/Older People -
focussing on the needs of young and old people as raised in the
Area and Ward Forums.
"Review and improve services for older people"
"Improving the quality and access to youth services, and
increase provision of youth diversionary activities"
Environment/Sustainability -
addressing the issues raised in Area and Ward Forums.
"Increase recycling and waste minimisation. Raise quality of
Township parks and countryside facilities. Provide
environmental education and promotion in schools. Facilitate
community engagement in clean ups/litter picks. Promote
awareness of environmental issues and events. Provide more
regular estate clean-up schemes (using skips) and re-examining bulk
refuse charging policy. Reduce litter and graffiti.
Promote walking and cycling"
"Improve public transport network, provide a safer environment
by ensuring that the infrastructure is as good as possible
including good street lighting and footways to meet the needs of
both pedestrians and vehicles"
Rochdale Town Centre - creating a
'vibrant' Town Centre
"To regenerate, restructure and re-establish Rochdale Town
Centre as the main focus for shopping, culture and leisure"
Safer Communities
"To reduce the fear of crime and look at ways of reducing the
impact of anti-social behaviour, disorder, drug and alcohol misuse
by:
- Building and promoting safer communities
- Reducing crime
- Reducing the harm caused by crime and disorder
- Building respect in communities
- Preventing offending by children and young people
- Reduce adult re-offending"