Fresh Futures have
developed these FAQ’s from questions that have been raised to staff before,
during and after the launch on 13th June. We hope that they will answer many of your questions, but please
do call Fresh Futures on 0141 222 5630 and speak to one of our team, Celaen,
Melvin and Tracey, if you would like further assistance.
The FAQ’s are
organised under the following headings:
Can we buy land? Will it be owned by NOF or our organisation?
Yes. You will have to show that this course of action represents good value for money, but there may well be schemes, particularly green spaces schemes, where the best way to secure community use in the longer term is to purchase the land. It will be for you to purchase and own the land. If you wish to re-sell the land at any time within a period of 80 years, though, the New Opportunities Fund will wish to reclaim the grant from the proceeds.
Can we create jobs?
Yes, and you will find a section within the application form asking for information on how many jobs as well as volunteer positions are created as a result of the application. You should make clear where these are temporary - just while developing the scheme - or long term jobs created as a result of the scheme.
Can we pay for computers (plus software or licenses for the establishment of websites)?
Yes, no problem. We will be judging the value of the scheme in terms of how it contributes to one or other of the two main objectives, and we are not setting constraints as to what may or may not be done in pursuit of them.
Will you provide insurance for item purchased?
No. Applicants will be responsible for their own schemes. Indeed there will be a clause within the grant contract which requires you either to insure equipment or to otherwise guarantee replacement at your own cost.
Do facilities have to be open to the public or can they be for the sole use of the group developing the scheme?
The general message must be public benefit, not private gain. This does not necessarily mean that facilities must be open to all sectors of the public. There may be some schemes targeting special sectors of the community, which may not be open more widely. Management of some green spaces for the benefit of a community may require some restrictions on access - as for example there are for many public parks. But we will want you to ensure that the benefits of the scheme are as wide as they can be - so we do not want schemes that are unnecessarily exclusive.
Will project applications be refused because
they are not innovative?
Fresh Futures is charged with supporting innovation, and this will be one of
the criteria used to assess an application.
However, projects can be innovative in several ways. They might demonstrate new ways of working,
or apply existing technologies in a new area or at a community level for the
first time, or establish a new use of green space in an area. All projects do not have to bring forward
new technologies, although some may.
Not all projects can be innovative, but aspects of projects may be
innovative e.g. making project sustainable throughout an entire community and
organisations working together. A project
that is assessed well in other areas may still be recommended for grant
funding.
There is a lot of risk involved in making a
grant application. Can any of the costs
be covered?
Fresh Futures is not able to make any contribution to the costs of making an
application, whether or not a project is successful.
Can
Fresh Futures funding be used for purchasing play equipment?
No. The funding of play equipment and
play surfaces is outwith the scope of the Fresh Futures programme. If play equipment is part of a wider
project, Fresh Futures may be able to assist with the funding of other elements
that lie within our remit.
The Application Form doesn’t ask the
applicant to specify what programme they are applying under.
The Application Form is for the Open Grants Programme of Fresh Futures. Applicants should ensure that their project
fits the criteria of one or both of the two themes of the Fresh Futures
programme. The two umbrella schemes of
Fresh Futures are not for open application, instead approaches should be made
directly to either SNH or Forward Scotland.
The Application Form is complicated. Is support and guidance available for
ordinary community groups?
The Application Form has been kept as simple as possible while capturing the
level of detail required to allow Fresh Futures to make grant allocations of up
to £50,000. Two Grants Officers are
dedicated to the Open Grant Programme, and we would encourage all potential
applicants to contact Fresh Futures to discuss their project proposals. The Grants Officers can give advice and
support, but the application must remain the work of the applicant group.
How accurate do the costings need to be?
You should try to make your costings as realistic as possible in your
application, as the grant that you are offered will be based on these
figures.
How should the beneficiaries of a project be
specified?
The Application Form gives a list of ethnic groups in standard categories used
in Scotland. Whether or not your
project is targeted at an ethnic group, you should give an estimation of the
number of people from each ethnic group who will benefit from your project.
Should a community
group assess and prioritise need or should a professional be brought in?
The local community are best placed to identify need. It may also be beneficial to discuss the needs of the local
community with a local authority officer or relevant professional. Grants Officers can make suggestions as to
who might be approached in the context of your project.
How much can we apply to Fresh Futures for?
Up to £50,000 grant for a sustainable communities scheme, and up to £100,000 for a green space scheme. However, the number of schemes of this size we can fund will be very limited. There is a lower threshold of £3000. We expect the majority of schemes to seek grant in the range £3-10,000.
What sources of partnership funding are available or eligible?
Virtually any source you can think of. Firstly, your own organisation may be able to contribute - we encourage this and will regard it as a positive sign of commitment. Then there are any number of grant sources - your local authority, local enterprise company, Scottish Executive sustainable action grants, grants from Scottish Natural Heritage, or from a Social Inclusion Partnership. Some schemes may be suitable for the landfill tax credit scheme.
Our Grants Officers can help by offering advice on grant sources. Then you might think of seeking business sponsorship or a gift. And in most areas there is a range of local trusts or foundations that may be able to make donations towards a good cause. Remember that in-kind contributions are as valuable as financial awards, and should be included as partnership funding.
How do we include in-kind contributions to applicants?
In-kind resources - whether it be staff time provided by an organisation, or accommodation provided, or volunteer time - are very important and often can be overlooked as a contribution made to a scheme. So we are adopting an approach where all in-kind costs and support should be quantified and included in the total scheme cost and income. Any reasonable cost basis may be used, but we have standard rates to be used for volunteer time.
What percentage of leverage funding is required?
This is a difficult issue. We are not being prescriptive about the percentage required. However, we have budgeted this scheme on the basis of 30% funding from Fresh Futures, 70% funding from other sources overall. So we will be looking generally at quite a high rate of leverage. We expect that for some schemes funded in association with landfill tax credits, the Fresh Futures funding may provide only 10% of the total cost, with the balance provided out of landfill tax credits. In some areas, other funding may be difficult to secure and Fresh Futures may provide the majority-funding share. We expect the scheme to be competitive, so those applications that offer higher leverage will offer better value for money. The value of in-kind contributions will be included in calculating the level of leverage for a project.
How do you define capital and revenue costs?
You will find guidance on this in the Guidance notes. Capital costs are one-off costs for materials, items of equipment, or land. The costs of developing a facility would be capital. Revenue costs are the costs of running a programme, which might include staff costs, leases, or venue hire.
How does VAT figure in our application?
That depends on whether you are an organisation that can recover VAT or not. If you are a small organisation that pays VAT and cannot recover any, then we will offer grant based on your costs inclusive of VAT. If you are a company registered for VAT, and can recover VAT on your purchases, then we will offer grant based on your costs exclusive of VAT. Some companies may only be able partially to recover grant, so we will base grant on the costs that you cannot recover.
What happens to any profits made from the project, e.g. selling advice or organic produce?
We ask you to declare the income you expect as well as any costs, so these likely incomes should be declared as part of the application. We appreciate that in many circumstances you may not know how much you could make in this way, so a good conservative estimate is probably best. For some types of scheme it may be this sort of income which provides you with the means of keeping the facility open for community use, i.e. these would not be an income against the development itself, but part of the longer term management arrangements.
Is funding allocated on a
first-come-first-served basis or in rounds?
Budgets will be allocated to each meeting of the Grants Panel, so funds will be
available for applications received in the final round (deadline 31 March
2003).
Will grant payments be
made retrospectively or in advance?
Where a local authority or larger organisation is involved in a partnership
making an application, Fresh Futures will make payments of grant monies
retrospectively against evidence of cost incurred. For community groups it is recognised that this can cause
significant cashflow difficulties, and we are able to make payments in advance
where this is the case. Payment in
advance would only be made for costs anticipated within the following three
months.
Can you explain the logistics of drawing down the grant? Do we have to have other funding confirmed before we can start the project?
Yes, you have to have other funding confirmed before the Fresh Futures grant offer becomes 'live'. You will have six months, from the date of accepting our grant, to secure this. If you are prepared to underwrite the funding in some other way, for example from your own reserves, this will be fine. All we need to be sure of is that the finance required to complete the scheme will definitely be available.
When we offer grant, we will agree with you the stages in which grant should be paid. Depending on the kind of organisation you are, we will agree with you whether this will be in advance - it can be up to 3 months in advance of incurring costs - or in arrears. Once you have funding confirmed, we will ask to submit claims for grant, accompanied by statements itemising the expenditure and signed by an appropriate person.
How quickly can applications
be turned around?
Each quarter there will be a deadline set for receipt of applications for the next Grants Panel meeting. The first deadline is August 8. Thereafter we are allowing 8 weeks for discussion of your scheme with you and assessment and finally a decision by the Grants Panel. You will be notified of the outcome within 2 weeks of the Grants Panel meeting.
After the first quarter, grants up to £5K may be delegated to the Programme Leader, and this may allow a slightly faster turnaround for such grants, but to be safe you should allow the 10 weeks from each grants deadline.
Who will assess the applications? Is it an independent body with experience in community/environmental projects like ours?
In the first instance, the applications will be assessed by our two Grants Officers who have been recruited for their experience of community schemes and grant awarding. Based on these assessments, recommendations to our Grants Panel will be made by the Programme Leader. We have assembled a Grants Panel which we think offers a good understanding and experience of the kind of schemes we expect. There are seven on the Grants Panel - two nominees from SNH, one from Forward Scotland, and four independent, nominated by CoSLA, the Landscape Institute (Scotland), Heriot-Watt University School of Planning and Housing, and the Scottish Council of Voluntary Organisations.
Will the Grants Panel use a numerical system
of ranking?
A numerical system will not be used to rank applications in the first instance. Fresh Futures is set up to fund a wide
variety of project types, and it is extremely difficult to design a numerical
scoring system that reflects the relative merits of a green space project
compared to, say, a community travel scheme.
Will projects get an easier ride in the
first round?
All successful projects will have to reach the standards set by Fresh
Futures. Applicants will have to
compete with other applications submitted for decision within a particular
decision cycle. Given the relatively
short period of time before the first cut-off date on 8 August 2001 for the
first Grants Panel meeting, it is anticipated that there may be fewer
applications to this Grants Panel meeting.
However, this will be reflected in the grants budget available to this
meeting.
Will the needs of a
particular community to be taken into account in the assessment process?
We would encourage all potential applicants to contact the Fresh Futures Grants
Officers to discuss their project proposals.
This process will ensure that all relevant information to the assessment
of a project will be contained on the application form that is submitted to
Fresh Futures, and allow fair comparisons to be made.
Will my project be disadvantaged if it only
benefits one ethnic group?
The breakdown of beneficiaries by ethnic group is required for reporting to the
New Opportunities Fund. If your project
benefits only one ethnic group, it will not be disadvantaged in the assessment
process. However, Fresh Futures does
aim to engage whole communities, and this information may assist us in
understanding how your project helps to bring about social inclusion.
How will value be assessed?
Value will be considered in two ways.
Firstly, consideration will be given as to whether the stated costs for
a project are reasonable for the provision or services provided, whether the
outputs will be of significant public value, and the degree of lasting change
which they will bring about in patterns of community activity. Secondly, we will look at the level of Fresh
Futures grant in relation to the overall cost of the project and also the level
of financial and in-kind support from the applicant organisation. Projects with higher leverage and higher
commitment levels from the applicant will be assessed more favourably.
How will robustness be assessed?
We will be assessing how robust a project proposal is in terms of there being
clear objectives, sound planning, a practicable timescale, and arrangements for
ongoing management. We will also look at
how robust the applicant organisation, both financially and in terms of its
management.
Can I re-apply (with the same or a new proposal)?
You could re-apply with the same proposal but it is unlikely to receive a more favourable decision. If there are schemes which come very close to being successful in any one round, we will rate them (if you agree) as 'deferred' meaning that they will considered again along with new applications in the next quarterly round. The effect is the same as a re-application. Any scheme will only be deferred for a maximum of two rounds.
Yes you can re-apply with a new proposal.
If I am unsuccessful, can I appeal?
As they all say… decisions of the Grants Panel are final. Fresh Futures will explain the reasons why your scheme has been unsuccessful, and you will be able to speak to a member of staff if you wish for further clarification if you need it. The only circumstances where we will allow an appeal is where it becomes clear that some important aspect of the application has not been considered during assessment, or some key information has been wrongly interpreted. If that happens, we invite you to write to the Programme Leader setting out which information has been ignored or improperly used. If we agree, Fresh Futures will reconsider your application, though this is likely to have to await the next meeting of the Grants Panel.
Our project is a partnership initiative covering both themes. What should we do?
No problem. We welcome schemes which address both themes or which mainly address one but partially the other. They will be assessed just like other schemes and of course they may benefit from meeting a wider range of objectives.
How do I find out about local/national strategies for sustainable development?
Contact your local authority to ask for your Local Agenda 21 Plan which is a local strategy for sustainable development. There is not a published national strategy at Scotland as yet but the key themes are waste, energy and transport.
How can you help with
our business plan?
We do not know you business, so it is up to you to develop your business plan. However, we will help by pointing you to the kind of questions that a business plan should answer, and the kind of information it should provide. There is nothing terribly mysterious about a business plan - it is a plan which makes clear how the programme or development will happen; who is responsible for what, how much different elements cost, and where the funding is coming from and with what conditions, etc. Most importantly, it will show how the facility will run once Fresh Futures grant has ceased.
How will you ensure that under-represented groups are reached by the programme?
We will be undertaking a series of local roadshow events to raise awareness of the scheme. Also, the two umbrella schemes - Greenspace for Communities and Sustainable Communities - will be actively seeking communities interested in developing schemes, and we expect a lot of publicity and help to be provided through these mechanisms.
Can we submit multiple applications?
You can only submit one application for decision at any one Grants Panel meeting. If unsuccessful, you are free to submit revised or new applications at later meetings. If your first application is successful, you can also submit further applications but we will seeking to ensure a spread of resources, for different communities and different types of provision, so depending on your proposals you may be less likely to be successful a second time.
How will the system be transparent?
All decisions of the Grants Panel will be posted onto the Fresh Futures website
at www.fresh-futures.org.uk. Reasons for a decision will be given to each
applicant, and further feedback can be received if requested.
What do you mean by 'good practice'?
We would need a day or two to answer that one! There are lots of sources describing good practice in green space schemes, and many sources of professional help. There are also sources describing good sustainability practice - we have reprinted a sustainability checklist at the end of the Guidance Notes. We will be developing a list pointing to sources of good practice guidance, so do pose this question to the Grants Officers whenever you are assembling an application.
Why is the scheme called Fresh Futures?
Our ambition is to help create a future which is sustainable. In a sustainable future, people will have access to a fresh, clean environment, there will be strong communities, and there will be adequate economic well-being. A lot to put in two words, but Fresh Futures seems to us to capture a lot of it!
How will you monitor projects?
By a variety of means. We will ask you to outline progress made at each stage - and to provide evidence including photographs where appropriate. At stages during progress of a scheme, we may contact you to discuss progress on the scheme, or we may visit (by arrangement) to see the scheme for ourselves. When the scheme is completed, we will ask you to submit a completion report with your final claim. This completion report will certify that the scheme is completed. Again we may visit to see for ourselves. Following completion, we will monitor completed schemes on a sample basis to check that the conditions of grant relating to operation of the scheme are being satisfactorily met. This will continue throughout the lifetime of the scheme.
What evidence do you require that communities have been 'engaged'?
There are no hard and fast rules here. We want to know who or what community groups you have consulted over your proposals, and what they said about it. We want to know whom you intend to involve in delivering the scheme. We expect that schemes may vary a great deal in the extent to which community engagement is appropriate.
Is it a requirement that we publicise the project or will you/NOF arrange publicity? What assistance will you give us to promote the project?
Basically it is your project so promoting it is up to you, though we can offer advice on how best to do that. We will want schemes to be recognised as funded by Fresh Futures and we will have available some small standard signs, suitable for display at the entrance to a green space scheme. Costs of promoting the scheme should be included in the scheme budget. We encourage good publicity. If you have an official launch event for the scheme - which we would encourage - then we ask to be invited and we can advise on the arrangements you might need.
Is there a publicity
pack available?
Yes, we have guidance on what we expect successful applicants to do by way of displaying recognition of Fresh Futures funding.
Can we use FS, SNH and NOF logos?
This is all made clear in the publicity pack that will be distributed to successful applicants.