Applications

GCF runs an open application process. All our applications are received through an online portal. Links to make an application are available by clicking the Apply Now button on the grants page for the programme you are interested in applying to.

For some programmes, we operate a two stage process, including an initial Expression of Interest form which is submitted and reviewed for eligibility by our grants team. Eligible proposals will be sent a link to complete a full application. Non-eligible proposals will be sent feedback.

All applications received are assessed by our grants teams and then shared with our grants panels. This process usually takes between 4 and 10 weeks depending on the programme.

Dates and timelines for receiving a decision are available on the separate grants pages for each programme.

For each application received an assessment paper will be prepared which contains a summary of the organisation, a summary of the project and the need for the funding (taken from the original application) and the grant assessors comments under the following headings:

• About the Group/Organisation/Applicant

• Past Applications and funding from GCF, including the quality of feedback and reports on the impact of previous grants received.

• Project Details (summary of the application, amount requested and for what, as well as any other funds raised for the activity)

• The Need/Issues (view of the need for the project/work and how well this is evidenced and how the community has been consulted)

• Financial Information (brief overview of accounts including financial history, types of income and level of reserves held)

• Fit with the Fund (how well the proposed activity fits with the fund criteria and priorities)

• Assessors Comments (overall summary and key highlights of the assessment)

Decisions and Feedback

All applications will receive a decision via email (please check your spam/junk folder as sometimes emails can restricted by email servers) Successful applicants will receive a grant offer along with a grant acceptance form to complete. This will require the signatures of two bank signatories for the organisation as well as a copy of a recent bank statement.

Unsuccessful applicants will receive notification with the reason why their application was unsuccessful, any feedback from the panel as well as, sometimes, suggestions for other potential sources of funding.

Reporting

At the end of the project an end of grant report is requested to tell us about how the grant was spent and what difference it made and this is reviewed by the Grants team and also stories shared with our funders and the wider community in impact reports and on our website (with permission).

Grants Panels

Our community grants panels are at the heart of our grants decision-making at GCF bringing vital lived experience and knowledge to our grantmaking and sharing the responsibility of what can be quite difficult decisions about how to prioritise awarding grants from our limited funds.

We strive for diversity in our panels welcoming volunteer members from a variety of backgrounds, age groups, geographical locations and types of experience both in the community, voluntary and business sectors.

Panels meet throughout the year to discuss applications and share insight and knowledge into the challenges facing communities and the organisations working in our county.

Panel members read through applications and assessments before the meeting. Panel members will discuss each application, whether they are supportive of the application, and any questions or concerns they have. Panel members may also know of the applicant or project and be able to provide additional information during the meeting. During the meeting we will follow the agenda and work through each of the applications making a decision for each which is recorded by the Grants team ready to feed back to the applicant.

Whilst one of our GCF Trustees sits on each of our panels, for good governance, the board of trustees delegates the making of grant funding decisions to these much-valued groups of volunteers. GCF staff also attend to provide additional information or answer questions as well as recording decisions.

Our Main Grants Panel meet via Zoom

Our Panel Members enjoy making visits to groups as well to gain better understanding of the work organisations are doing – here are Tim and Nigel, two of our Freemasons Grant Panel Members visiting Centred Horseplay

Some of our Panel Members at our Annual Event

In February 2022 we held our first volunteer celebration