Adopted 133/25, 06.10.2025 | Amended 059/26, 06.07.2026
1. Policy aim
1.1 St. Agnes Parish Council (‘the Council’) recognises and values the important role local groups, organisations, and charities (‘Community Groups’) play in creating and improving quality of life for parish residents.
1.2 To support and promote community wellbeing, the Council’s annual budget includes a specified sum for the purpose of grant funding to Community Groups.
1.3 All grants awarded by the Council must be in the interests of, and bring direct benefit to, the area, or any part of it, or all or some if its inhabitants.
1.4 Grant applications which further the social, economic, and environmental aims, priorities, and objectives of the Council and that are in accordance with this Grants Policy (‘the Policy’) are welcome; and the amount awarded will be commensurate with the benefit to the community.
1.5 The Policy sets out the fair and transparent process the Council will follow when making its decisions to award grants to Community Groups which contribute to the social, economic and environmental welfare of the community.
1.6 Legal power and public benefit principles: The Council will normally rely on the General Power of Competence under the Localism Act 2011, where eligible to do so, or any other specific statutory power identified by the Clerk/RFO. In exercising its discretion to award grants, the Council will apply the public benefit principles reflected in section 137 of the Local Government Act 1972, namely that expenditure should be in the interests of, and bring direct benefit to, the parish area or its inhabitants, and that the benefit obtained should be commensurate with the expenditure incurred. The identification of a legal power does not oblige the Council to award a grant. All awards remain subject to this Policy, the Council’s budget, the evidence submitted, and formal resolution by the Council.
2. Priorities of grant awarding policy
2.1 The Council awards grants, at its discretion, to Community Groups (and will also consider applications from individuals*) which can demonstrate a clear need for financial support to achieve an objective which will benefit the parish, or its residents by:
• Providing a service
• Enhancing quality of life
• Improving recreation and/or sports
• Improving the environment
*In exceptional circumstances, where it can be robustly evidenced how the priorities of the Policy can be achieved.
3. Who can apply?
3.1 The Policy applies to Community Groups (para 1.1) and individuals in exceptional circumstances, which fall within the eligibility criteria set out at paragraph 5 below and which are based in, or benefits the residents of, the Parish of St. Agnes. To be successful, Applicants must demonstrate how they meet the Policy’s Key Principles (para 4).
4. Key Principles
4.1 The Council’s Policy is based on the following key principles:
• Grants are payments made by the Council to Community Groups or individuals for a specific purpose and where it can be clearly demonstrated how funding will benefit and promote the social, economic, and environmental wellbeing of parish residents and/or the parish area.
• The benefit to the parish area and/or its residents must be commensurate with the expenditure.
• Applicants should operate under the Equality Act 2010 whereby all individuals have reasonable, potential access to the activities, facilities or services offered by them.
• Projects should demonstrate sustainability and/or long-term value for money.
• An overall limit for the annual provision of grant funding will be determined by the Council, in accordance with any relevant legislation and regulations in force from time to time, as part of the budget setting process.
• Retrospective applications will not be funded i.e., where the expenditure has already been carried out.
• Applications should be made for ‘one-off grants’ that will not result in any recurring expenditure for the Council.
• Grant awards are subject to the availability of sufficient funds.
• Applicants will not receive more than one grant in each financial year, unless in exceptional circumstances.
5. Eligibility criteria
5.1 Applications will be considered from the following:
• Not for profit organisations, including voluntary groups and charities.
• Religious groups, where it is demonstrated that there is a clear benefit to the local community, irrespective of their religious beliefs.
• Education, health, or social service establishments, where it is demonstrated that there is a clear benefit to the local community and that the establishment is working in partnership with other local groups.
• Individuals, in exceptional circumstances, where it can be demonstrated that there is a clear and measurable benefit to parish residents/area.
5.2 Applications will not be considered from:
• Organisations supporting or opposing any political party / fund any activities of a political nature.
• Organisations showing any discrimination (in line with the Equality Act 2010).
• Private organisations operating as a business for profit.
• ‘Upward Funders’ – groups or organisations whose fund raising is sent to a central office for redistribution.
• National organisations or groups with access to funds from a national ‘umbrella’ or ‘parent’ organisation; unless funds are not available from the national body or are inadequate for a specified project.
6. Application procedure
6.1 Grants must be submitted on the application form to the Parish Clerk (available from the office or downloaded from the Council’s website).
6.2 Applications will normally be accepted quarterly within the financial year and considered at Full Council meetings in June, September, December and March. The Council’s annual grant budget will normally be divided into four indicative quarterly tranches. The quarterly tranche amount is a guide for budget management only and does not create an entitlement to funding. Any unallocated balance from an earlier tranche may be carried forward for consideration in later tranches within the same financial year. Applications considered outside the normal quarterly timetable will be assessed against the same eligibility, evidence and scoring criteria, together with the exceptional circumstances provisions set out below.
6.3 Exceptional circumstances (out-of-cycle applications)
Outside the quarterly meetings the Council may, at its absolute discretion, consider an application only where all of the following are met:
a) Foreseeability — the need could not reasonably have been anticipated before the last meeting;
b) Time-critical detriment — deferring to the next meeting would cause material detriment to parish residents/the parish area (e.g., loss of an essential community service or a significant community asset); and
c) Policy compliance — all other eligibility and determination criteria in this Policy are met.
Examples of exceptional circumstances (non-exhaustive)
– Match-funding with a fixed external deadline that falls before the next meeting and would unlock substantially greater benefit for the parish;
– Emergency repair/replacement of critical equipment or facilities to maintain delivery of an established community service;
– Public safety or statutory compliance issues requiring urgent action;
– Time-limited opportunities with demonstrable, parish-wide benefit that would be lost if not taken before the next meeting;
– Event or programme scheduled before the next meeting where the date was set by a third party after the last meeting and cannot reasonably be moved.
6.4 Process for out-of-cycle consideration
Applicants must submit written evidence of urgency e.g., external funder deadline, quotes, risk/impact statement, alongside their completed application form (6.1). The Clerk will place a recommendation before the next available Council meeting (or an extraordinary meeting if justified) and the reasons for exceptional treatment will be minuted.
6.5 All applications must be supported by the requested documentation, i.e. the latest balance sheet, a copy of the constitution and a statement showing how the project or activity will promote or improve the social, economic, or environmental well-being of the residents of the parish / parish area. Other supporting documentation, including photographs and plans are welcome.
6.6 Applicants who cannot provide a copy of a balance sheet are asked to submit a business plan or strategy with other supporting documentation.
6.7 The Council reserves the right to request any additional information to aid determination of the grant. If there is insufficient documentary evidence, the application may not be considered or deferred to the next consideration meeting (6.2) unless exceptional circumstances can be demonstrated (6.3, 6.4).
6.8 The Council reserves the right to refuse any grant application; or offer an alternate amount to that originally requested.
6.9 Grant awards will be made in a single payment; or released in stages, upon authorised request, as work proceeds depending on the nature and size of the project.
7. Determination
7.1 Each application for grant funding will be considered on its own merit. The Council will take account of the following:
• The level of own fund-raising activities.
• The level of grant funding sought or secured from other sources.
• The level and frequency of previous grant applications to the Council.
• The level of benefit to the community (see 1.3, 2.1 & 4.1 above).
• Preference is usually given to projects which can be completed within one year of the funding being awarded.
7.1A Eligible applications will be assessed using the Grant Assessment Matrix at Appendix A. The matrix is intended to support fair, transparent and consistent decision-making and to help the Council compare applications where demand exceeds the available budget. The matrix is a decision-support tool and does not remove the Council’s discretion. The Council may resolve to award a different amount, defer an application, reject an application, or attach conditions to an award, provided that the reasons are recorded in the minutes.
7.2 The application must relate to some specific item of capital expenditure or project, and not to any regular item, or maintenance, or other revenue item such as utility, legal bills or staffing costs.
7.3 The Council will not commit to ongoing grant funding; a fresh application must be made each year.
7.4 The Council may attach conditions to the award of a grant if it is considered appropriate.
7.5 Grants may be awarded for less than the amount requested.
7.6 The Council will require surplus funds to be returned.
7.7 The Council’s decision will be final.
7.8 Year-end review of grant budget underspend: At the March grant round, or at the final Full Council meeting before the end of the financial year, the Clerk/RFO will report any forecast unallocated balance remaining in the community grants budget. At the first appropriate meeting after the end of the financial year, normally April, the Clerk/RFO will report the actual year-end position, including any unallocated balance carried forward or transferred to an earmarked Community Grants Reserve by Council resolution. Where there is a forecast or confirmed underspend, the Council will consider whether further awards should be made to eligible applicants from the same financial year who received less than 50% of the amount originally requested. The Council’s aim is to allocate the annual community grants budget for community benefit wherever there are eligible, evidenced and policy-compliant applications, and not to finish the financial year with an avoidable underspend. Before any further award is made, the applicant must confirm that the project remains live, that funding is still required for the original purpose, and that any additional award can be spent in accordance with this Policy. Applications previously rejected or deferred due to insufficient evidence or non-compliance with the Policy will only be reconsidered if the outstanding information has been supplied and the application is then considered policy-compliant. Further awards will normally be prioritised by reference to the original assessment score, continuing community benefit, remaining funding gap, deliverability, and the amount required to bring the total Council award up to 50% of the original request. If funds remain after eligible applicants have been considered up to that level, the Council may consider further top-up awards in score order. If an unallocated balance remains at 31 March, the Council may resolve to transfer all or part of that balance to an earmarked Community Grants Reserve for consideration in the following financial year. Any grant award approved after 31 March will be treated as expenditure in the new financial year unless it has been properly committed or provided for by Council resolution.
8. Successful applications
8.1 Successful Applicants will be: –
• Notified in writing shortly after the meeting determining the application.
• Asked to provide written details of the bank account into which the award will be deposited.
• Required to acknowledge the Council’s contribution on any publicity.
8.2 The Council will request confirmation that the funding has been spent for the purpose for which it was granted within six months of the grant being awarded.
8.3 Successful applicants agree to attend, upon invitation, the Annual Parish Meeting to present to the community how they have spent the grant award; or, upon request by the Council, submit an article for publication at Council events and/or in the Council’s Newsletter.
8.4 The Council reserves the right to withhold, withdraw or recover the grant if the receiving body ceases; its aims and objectives vary to the extent that the application would not have been eligible for consideration at the time of the application; or the funds are not used for the purposes stated in the application and within 12 months of receipt, unless authorised by the Council in writing.
9. Data
9.1 The information provided in the application form will solely be used to determine the grant funding and will be kept for a maximum of six years.
9.2 Application forms may be published on the Council’s website and/or be summarised in Officer reports for the decision-making meeting.
9.3 Award information will be published on the Council’s website.
10. Contact
10.1 Should you have any questions or require additional support to complete the application form please contact the office: clerk@stagnes-pc.gov.uk | 01872 553 801
11. Review of the Policy
11.1 Every four (4) years unless changes in legislation and/or requirements of the Council require earlier review at the Council’s discretion.
Appendix A – Grant Assessment Matrix
Each eligible application will be scored from 0 to 5 against the following criteria:
0 = no evidence / does not meet criterion
1 = very weak
2 = limited
3 = acceptable
4 = strong
5 = exceptional
Criterion
• Direct parish benefit and alignment with the Council’s grant priorities – Weighting x6, Maximum score 30
• Financial need, including reserves, own fundraising and other funding sought or secured – Weighting x4, Maximum score 20
• Value for money and proportionality of benefit to expenditure – Weighting x4, Maximum score 20
• Evidence, deliverability, project readiness and risk – Weighting x3, Maximum score 15
• Inclusion, sustainability, fairness and previous Council grant support – Weighting x3, Maximum score 15
Total: 100
Applications scoring below 50 will not normally be funded.
Applications scoring below 3 out of 5 for direct parish benefit or evidence/deliverability will normally be rejected or deferred pending further information.
Where the total value of eligible applications exceeds the grant funding available, the Council will normally prioritise higher-scoring applications.
The Council may depart from the scoring outcome where there are clear reasons to do so, including urgency, safeguarding, essential safety works, match-funding deadlines, or exceptional parish-wide benefit. Any departure from the matrix will be minuted.