Annual Grants
Inverclyde Council provides grant support to associations that are recognised by Inverclyde Council’s Housing Services. To be recognised by the Council a tenants / residents association must:
1. Have a committee that has been democratically elected at a public meeting
2. Have a constitution which takes into account Inverclyde Council’s policy on equal opportunities.
3. Sign and return a copy of the Grant Aid Agreement.
Once an association meets the above criteria it can apply for funding from Inverclyde Council.
What are Grants used for?
Ordinarily an association’s grant is used for:
- Phone Calls & Hall Hire
- Creche, and other childcare Other caring expenses
facilities – for meetings
- Hire of public address systems Public transport or petrol costs to
for meetings relevant meetings
- Translation or interpreting Small items of equipment i.e.
facilities if required cash box etc.
- Modest refreshments for meetings
Sometimes associations become involved in activities that help raise the profile of the group or improve services or information to the area that they work in, such as newsletters, open days etc, and it may be allowable for grant money to be spent on these. If you are unsure of this you should seek advice from the Tenant Participation Officer (TPO).
What Grants are Available?
Continuing Grants
Continuing grants can be awarded to groups. The form should be completed and returned along with the other information requested which is; a current bank account statement, a current balance sheet and a signed copy of the Grant Aid Agreement. This helps to asses how much money the group will need and assess if previous grant money has been spent within the guidelines.
Along with the above information the form asks for similar details to the Starter Grant form and also asks for the date of the last Annual General Meeting. The information helps us to keep up-to-date with the association’s contacts, activities, and lets us know that the democratic process of election of committee members is being observed. The form also requests an up-to-date copy of the association’s constitution if this has been recently amended.
Community Facilities
Extra grant funding is also available for associations who have been given an office which is used for association business. Money towards running costs of such facilities (usually council houses or flats) is available.
If an association has had a request for a grant award turned down it will receive a letter explaining the reasons of this. As mentioned above, this decision is not final and may be reversed if it can be shown that there is a need for extra funding.
Summary
All forms should be completed fully and with the information requested – bank statements, balance sheets and constitution (if necessary). Failure to do so will delay the receipt of the grant cheque. All forms must have a copy of a completed Grant Aid Agreement attached.
If an association wants to request a Continuing Grant, but has a large amount of funds, information should be included with the application form explaining why more money is needed and what it will be used for.
Where no grant award is made a letter explaining the reasons for this will be sent to the association. Groups can dispute this decision and such decisions may be reversed depending on circumstances.
Associations who have raised money themselves should either keep this money is a separate account or identify such funds if they appear on balance sheets included with grant applications. This helps the TPO to make the right decision when awarding grants, and also means that associations who do raise funds themselves are not penalised for doing so.
Queries
Please contact FITRA if you have any queries regarding grants and grant applications
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