Application Guidelines Local Funding

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Please read the following criteria and guidance notes before deciding whether to apply or not and please keep them to hand when completing the application form. All sections of the application form must be completed. Incomplete applications will be returned. Do not state ‘see attached’ on any part of the form as a substitute for information – although if you wish to include other documents (besides your constitution and accounts) with which to support and supplement your application then you are welcome to do so.

To see if your organisation is eligible, please refer to Appendix I of this guideline.

SECTION 1 - YOUR DETAILS

Name of beneficiary organisation

We can only consider applications from constituted organisations. The name of your organisation should be inputted as it appears on your constitution (or governing document or set of rules).

What type of organisation are you?

Please select the most appropriate legal status/structure of the organisation. Your group does not need to be a registered charity to apply for a funding; however your group should be a non-profit organisation with charitable aims and objectives, and this should be reflected in your constitution or governing document, which you must send us (upon request). If you are unsure if your group iseligible, please contact us for advice.

Charity number

If you are a charity, please provide us with your registration number. Your charity needs to be registered with the Charity Commission (England). Note: you do not need to be a charity to apply.

What is your catchment area?

Please tell us what area/s your organisation covers.

Main contact name

This can be the main contact or the person in charge of filling in this application.

Position within organisation

Please state what is your position within the organisation (e.g. admin, chairman, trustee etc)

Main contact number

Please provide a valid telephone number (landline or mobile phone number) on which the person filling in this application can be contacted in relation to the application form.

Address

Please provide the organisation’s address. If you are representing a national charity (e.g. Cancer Research,

British Heart Foundation), please provide the local branch address.

E-mail

Please provide a valid email address on which the person filling in this application can be contacted in relation to the application form.

Website

Please provide the website address of your organisation. If the organisation does not have a website address then please include a link to your social media channel (Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn) or to your fundraising webpage (i.e. JustGiving)

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SECTION 2 - PROJECT DETAILS

Project name

Please state your project’s name, if applicable.

What key theme are you addressing?

Please select at least one option from the list. The examples of activities are shown in Appendix II.

What is the focus of the activity? (e.g. education)

Please tell us on what will the funding be spent. Activities can be focused around (the below list is not exhaustive):

• Education• Health• Economic development• Environment• Arts & culture• Social welfare• Emergency relief• Other

What does the project set out to achieve for the community? (e.g. ensuring children have access to education)

describe briefly the changes it will bring to their lives or to the ability of your organisation to make a

these will make for those who take part. Please be prepared to provide this in detail and break it downfor us, particularly if you are applying for equipment where perhaps the benefits for your serviceusers are indirect. The information you give will help us form a view on the impact of a funding award.

How many people are estimated to directly benefit from the activity?

Please provide a realistic estimate, or exact figure, of those that will directly benefit from the projectto which your application relates to. We will not accept entries such as ‘whole town’ or ‘thousands’.The numbers you provide will go towards our community goal stated on our website.

How can your project work with Southern Co-op

Please outline any potential volunteering opportunities in which our colleagues could get involved.

skillsets or just a willing pair of hands. It is not essential to engage in volunteering to receive funding. Ifthere are no opportunities or it is not appropriate, please indicate this with N/A.

What is the expected start and end date of the project?

When do you realistically expect to start and complete the project? Turn around times for receiving a

sure. Please note we do not fund retrospectively, so please ensure you submit your application well in advance of your project start date.

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How much money are you requesting?

This is the amount of money you are requesting from the fund and not the total cost. You can use this form to ask for any amount from £50, up to and including, £1,000. We request that you round figuresup to the nearest pound.

If the funding provided is part of a wider project, please provide evidence on how the requested amount will be used. You will be required to provide this evidence before you receive the funds orafter the project is completed.

Bank account name:

Please provide the exact name in which your account is held (payee name, as it is usually shown on your cheque book). The account name should match the name on your governing document otherwise we may not be able to make funding. Where applicable please state the reason(s) why it is di�erent. Please provide us with your organisation’s sort code and account number in order to facilitate us to make the payment.

Please be aware that we will not issue cheques.

Southern Co-op is committed to supporting organisations and projects aimed at helping their local communities. For this purpose alone we will not support individuals fundraising for themselves or for other organisations.

Are you involving other organisations?

Please state if other organisations will be involved in your project/activity and how will they be involved.

SECTION 3 - REFERENCES

Your choice of referees should be someone who is contactable during the day, who knows about your project and its activities. E.g. someone from the social work department or your Local Council of Voluntary Service, or a previous/other funder. The referees must be independent and must not be a member of your organisation but should be familiar with its work. Please ensure the referees know about this application and is willing to be contacted by an assessor during working hours Monday- Friday.

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APPENDIX I

Examples of eligible groups (not exhaustive list) :

Organisations that are for the benefit of the local community are/include:

• Schools• Community groups/halls• Not for profit organisations• Charities (only local charities or larger charities that are working locally)• Voluntary organisations• Youth clubs• Social enterprises

Exclusions

As Southern Co-op is responsible for distributing members’ money to communities on their behalf, we need to ensure that the money is being fairly distributed and is being used for the benefit of the whole community, therefore Southern Co-op will not provide charitable support for:

• Individuals generally, this includes colleagues past and present (scholarships, grants, stipends, fellowships, personal assistance, wishes for terminally ill).

• Individual’s entry fees for charitable races, excursions, challenges etc, or their expenses, this includes colleagues past and present. (You may support an individual to raise money for their activity either through in-store collections/activities or by displaying their poster)

• Groups with fewer than 3 members on their management committee or board.• The repayment of loans or payment of debts• Costs already incurred or activities which will take place before Southern Co-op has made a

decision on an application (i.e. retrospective funding)• If more than 25% of the total funds will be used on advertising, promotion or marketing of events

or services• Payments towards areas generally understood to be the responsibility of statutory authorities,

including schools (e.g. projects that take place in school, during school hours and/or are only for the benefit of the pupils, will not be considered). PTAs/Parent councils can apply if appropriately constituted but must evidence the project has genuine wider community benefit.

• Groups who will then distribute the funds as grants or bursaries, or third party fundraisers who collect funds and redistribute to other charities after taking an administration fee.

• General fundraising appeals or activities• Religious groups for religious purposes. (We are a religiously neutral society so cannot sup

port one faith over another. However, if a group are fundraising for causes to benefit the whole community, without promoting a religious agenda, this may be supported).

• Lobbying, political or fraternal activities. (We are a politically neutral society so cannot favour one political party other another).

• Individual study, research or travel grants (if this is to raise money for oversees aid or to support oversees volunteering, you may allow an individual to conduct their own fundraising in-store (bag-packing for example) or display a poster to promote their cause but we cannot provide a monetary contribution.)

• Shares into businesses, whether community or co-operatively run.• Organisations that discriminate against a person or a group on the basis of age, political

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APPENDIX II

Love Your Neighbourhood Key Themes & Examples of Projects (not an exhaustive list):

Greener Neighbourhoods

• Helping people to live more sustainably and support, for example, recycling, saving energy, reducing waste, water conservation etc.

• Supporting the creation and/or maintenance of green spaces. For example,• Community gardens• Regenerating urban areas• Wildlife conservation• Wildlife education• Encouraging increased engagement with nature

Healthier Neighbourhoods

• Encouraging engagement in sports and physical activities• Improving peoples’ diets and encouraging healthy eating habits• Education around food provenance

Safer Neighbourhoods

• Addressing the root causes of anti-social behaviour• Supporting people through alcohol (and substance) misuse• Educating young people about underage drinking• Promoting neighbourhood safety initiatives, such as

• High vis jackets for school children• Road safety education

More Inclusive Neighbourhoods

Supporting people to become more engaged with their local community, improving outcomes for them and promoting greater social integration. Examples of groups are those linked to:

• Disability• Special educational needs• Young people who are not in education, employment or training (NEET)• The elderly• Mental health• Homelessness