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Here are some questions and answers about Team Hackney Community Grants programme to help you apply. You should read the Objectives Guidance and the relevant Guidance Notes before making your application as these guides contain more detailed information.
These questions cover the following areas:
- For organisations with a registered address outside of Hackney - New!
- Further guidance on on commissioned sources of income
- Relationship between the small grants, large grants, Hackney main grants and commissioning
- Eligibility, including objectives, outcomes, who can apply and support available
- How to apply, including closing dates and amounts available
- The assessment process, including when you will get a decision, how your application is assessed
- Criteria for domestic violence
- Key definitions, Team Hackney, Fit for Purpose.
Need some support? Book an appointment with Maneesha Sharma, our Sustainability & Development Officer - give Popi a call on 020 7923 1962 or email popi@hcvs.org.uk to book an appointment with Maneesha.
For organisations with a registered address outside of Hackney
Team Hackney has clarified what “local base” means. Organisations must have a local address in Hackney, although their registered address could be outside of the borough. However all organisations, regardless of this, must demonstrate a track record of delivery in Hackney. Interested organisations with a registered address outside of Hackney will need to provide evidence of their track record by completing the form Appendix 1, which is available as a download with the application form from the HCVS website.
Please note: This new information is only applicable to those making application to the large grants.
Further guidance on commissioned sources of income
The guidelines currently state the following:
· an annual turnover of under £250,000 unless your organisation does not currently receive funding from a commissioned source of income. If you receive funds from a statutory source but which have not been obtained through a commissioning process and your income is over £250,000 then please indicate this in Section Two.
To add further clarity to this we are offering the following additional guidelines:
We do not wish to exclude groups who may have been in historical contractual arrangements with statutory funders or have competed to deliver outcomes which remain the same each year, rather than being identified and reviewed through a commissioning process*.
If you answer yes to both questions, then we would consider that you have received funding through a statutory commissioned source of income and you would not be eligible for this programme.
1. You have bid through an open competitive tendering process to deliver a specific set of defined outcomes which have been identified by the statutory funder through a commissioning process.* In this case, the strategic context and need for these outcomes should have been set out in the invitation to tender, or the invitation to tender should refer to another strategy or plan where this strategic context is provided.
2. You are closely monitored on a quarterly basis on performance against the outcomes identified by the funder, and payments would be withheld if there was underperformance
* Commissioning means securing the services that most appropriately address the needs and wishes of the individual service user, making use of market intelligence and research, and planning accordingly (Institute of Commissioners).
What is the difference between the small and large grants streams?
Team Hackney Community Grants 2009/10 has been designed to help voluntary and community sector (VCS) groups develop and progress from small grants to larger grants and commissioned services.
The eight objectives for both streams are thesame, with a tougher application and monitoring process, the Large Grants stream enables VCS groups prepare for the commissioning process. Therefore the types of outcomes which applications for small and large grants need to meet are different. See below for more information on hard and soft outcomes.
You should read the Guidance Notes carefully, check the outcomes wanted under each objective and ensure your application addresses this.
Does the Team Hackney Community Grants programme replace Hackney main grants?
No, the Hackney main grants programme is a separate funding stream for Hackney's VCS. Hackney grants used to be managed by London Councils and is now back with Hackney council. It will be open for applications in June / July 2009. For more information on this programme, please contact communitypartnerships@hackney.gov.uk
Is this different to Team Hackney’s commissioning process?
Yes, Team Hackney Community Grants is funding for small Hackney-based VCS organisations not delivering statutory sector commissioned services. One of the overall aim of the programme is to increase VCS delivery of public services, with more rigorous application and monitoring procedures, the Large Grants stream is particularly designed to enable small groups prepare for the commissioning process.
What types of projects are eligible to be funded?
Projects must meet one of the following eight objectives, which have been selected as the most appropriate areas for VCS intervention to contribute to Local Area Agreement (LAA) outcomes.
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Raising educational attainment of pupils at Key Stages 1 to 4
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Supporting 16-25 year olds into education, employment or training
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Improving Hackney’s environment
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Tackling domestic violence
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Supporting older people to live independently at home
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Reducing worklessness
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Reducing health inequalities
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Reducing the rate of first time entrants to Youth Justice System.
What if my project meets more than one objective?
Projects may address more than one objective but applicants must select a main objective, as this will affect the assessment process.
Definitions: Broad goals, Activities, Outputs and Outcomes
Each objective is divided into broad goals, activities, outputs and outcomes.
Broad Goals represent the general aim of the objective and what Team Hackney want to achieve and should be used to inform the overall drafting of the objective.
Activities are purely indicative and are given as a guide for applicants to help them identify the appropriate objective for their work. However they are not prescriptive, we want to attract innovative activities that are genuinely attractive to beneficiaries. In your application, when describing your activities, please ensure you a as clear as possible on what the activity will involve and how it will lead to the outputs and outcomes you identify.
Outputs generally represent the hard numbers of people who have participated in the project, the time they have spent or a similar record of participation.
Outcomes describe the change that beneficiaries or clients undergo as a result of the service provided. These can be either “hard” or “soft”.
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A hard outcome is one that is measurable through an objective method, such as entering employment, increase in levels at key stages, referrals or engagement with mainstream agencies, increase in benefits, undertaking increased levels of physical activity, photographic evidence of changes to the environment or large scale questionnaires, achievement of an accredited qualification or similar achievement.
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A soft outcome is less easy to observe or measure, and often involves some form of change inside people, such as a change in their attitude or in the way they see themselves. These are often measured through self assessment by the client through evaluation forms, although other media may also be used (film, essays, voice recording).
Small grant applications need to demonstrate that they are achieving outputs and soft outcomes, although if an applicant feels a hard outcome is more appropriate they may suggest one.
Large grant applications need to demonstrate that they are achieving all three; outputs, soft outcomes and hard outcomes.
Who can apply?
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Grants will be for VCS groups that have a governing document that clearly shows they are a not-for-profit governed by a management committee or similar and with a bank account in the name of the group. Applicants must demonstrate that they are run according to equal opportunities principles.
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Team Hackney Community Grants awards are particularly targeted at small voluntary and community groups whose registered address is in Hackney, based in and working in Hackney (not statutory organisations). The Assessment Panel has discretion to prioritise these organisations and those delivering within the most deprived neighbourhoods and to “need to reach” communities such as: Young people · Black and minority ethnic (BME) groups · Refugee community groups · Tenants & Residents · Estate based projects · People with disabilities · Gypsy Travellers · Older People · Women groups · Lone parents · Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual and Transsexual
Applicants who have received a grant in previous years through the Community Investment Programme, Local Network Fund or Grassroots Grants will be ineligible if they have failed to fulfil the funding requirements of the previous grant (including return of required monitoring forms).
We don’t have a bank account, constitution or management committee, can we apply?
No, unfortunately you do need to have all of this in place before you make an application. Maneesha Sharma, our Sustainability & Development Officer can help you - give Zelina or Popi a call on 020 7923 1962 to book an appointment with Maneesha.
How much is available?
There is a total of £750,000 available under the Team Hackney Community Grants programme. Out of this, up to £200,000 is available for small grants of £1,000 to £5,000, up to £500,000 is available for large grants of £5,000 to £50,000. The remaining £50,000 was distributed last year, through the Team Hackney Fast Track Grants programme.
How much can I apply for?
Small Grants: You can apply for between £1,000 and £5,000 for projects meeting one of the objectives of the grants programme.
Large Grants: You can apply for between £5,000 and £50,000 for projects meeting one of the objectives of the grants programme.
When can I submit my application and when will I get a decision?
Small Grants: You can submit your application any time up to 27 March 2009 and your application will be processed within 12 weeks.
Large Grants: You can submit your application any time up to 1 May 2009 and your application will be processed within 12 weeks.
When do we need to spend the money by?
If you are awarded a grant, the money would need to be spent by 30 July 2010.
Can I apply for a small and a large grant?
Yes, you can make one application to each of the funding streams. If you made an application to the Team Hackney Fast Track Grants programme last Summer you can also apply to this programme.
How can I apply?
You can get an application form and guidance notes for by clicking on the link below:
 Click here for the Application Form and Guidance Notes
If you would like a paper copy of these documents please call our Grants Manager Elizabeth Adebola on 020 7923 1962 or email elizabeth@hcvs.org.uk
Please remember that you will need to submit both an electronic and hard copy version of the application form as well as hard copies of all the supporting documentation.
How will my application be assessed?
Once we have received your application and supporting documents, it will be initially assessed by the HCVS Grants Team for eligibility. Those that are eligible will be passed to an assessment team made up of members from Team Hackney and HCVS Grants Team. This assessment team will score each application using method outlined in the Guidance Notes.
The assessment team will pass their recommendations to a Grants Panel made up of representatives from Hackney Partnerships, Team Hackney and the Community Empowerment Network. No member of the Grants Panel will have sat as an assessor.
The Grants Panel will then make a final decision considering the range of scores and the balance of applications across the objectives and the geographical and social distribution of services delivered by the funding. If the panel approves the project it will decide on the amount of the grant where an applicant has indicated the budget is open for review, as well as the conditions under which it will be awarded You will be notified of the Grant Panel’s decision 8 - 10 weeks from the closing date.
Where do I find out about the criteria for domestic violence to ensure my proposal meets the criteria?
Read the Objectives Guidance, on page 8 there is an outline of the required outputs and possible outcomes under Objective 5: Tackling domestic violence. The scope is extremely broad. The main issue is violence against women but applications addressing issues of violence against men would be considered as well as those with no specific gender element - children, older people or those with disabilities.
Sadly, domestic violence is an issue that cuts across all social groups and the key point for any application would be to demonstrate the need for the service within the specific community or area the work is proposed to occur and how the proposal will realistically provide a service that helps reduce the rate or ameliorate its impact.
 Download the Objectives Guidance here (114 KB)
What does Fit for Purpose mean?
A fit for purpose VCS that is one capable of delivering a quality service which does what it is funded or commissioned to do and is responsive to the needs of the user.
What is Team Hackney?
Team Hackney is Hackney’s local strategic partnership (LSP), dedicated to improving the quality of life for everyone in the borough. Bringing together people from the public, private, community and voluntary sectors, to develop new ways of working and speed up improvements in service delivery and outcomes.
Team Hackney Community Grants are one way of helping Team Hackney (the Local Strategic Partnership), to meet its core objectives and priorities, which aims to reduce inequality and poverty in Hackney.
Click here for more information from www.teamhackney.org
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