Grants
Applying for a Grant from Epping Town Council
Epping Town Council encourages local voluntary organisations which provide services to local people and which require funding to apply for grant aid. The Council must ensure that grants (which are all funded by local taxpayers) provide value for money. Therefore the following criteria will be taken into account when considering applications:
Will the grant benefit Epping residents?
The Town Council will only give grants for purposes which directly benefit Epping residents and will give priority to organisations which are based in the town. The Council may consider grants to organisations that cover a wider area than Epping (e.g. the Epping Forest district or West Essex) if the organisation provides services to Epping residents or which benefit the Epping area.
The Town Council will not generally give grants to organisations that operate chiefly for the social enjoyment of their members. The Town Council will not contribute to general national appeals or to appeals that benefit only a single individual.
Can the applicant organisation show that it needs the grant?
The Town Council has only limited funds and therefore will only give grants to organisations that can demonstrate that a grant from the Town Council will make a difference and that there are not alternative ways of raising the money. You are therefore asked to provide a copy of your most recent accounts (including a balance sheet), annual report if you produce one and details of other organisations approached for funding and whether you were successful.
The Town Council will not normally provide grants to organisations which, for example, have large unallocated reserves or where funding should be available from another source. In some circumstances the Council may provide advice and information, or request that your organisation re-applies after exploring alternative options.
Does the applicant organisation follow basic organisational rules?
The Town Council will only give grants to properly constituted bodies and charities. This usually means that, at a minimum, the organisation should have clear officers or points of contact and produce annual accounts. All grants will be paid by cheque made payable to the organisation's accounts. Cheques will not be made out to any individual's personal bank account.
What purposes must the grant be used for?
Applicants must identify a specific purpose for which funding is sought. Acceptable examples include capital grants for a specific project or purchase, upgrading existing facilities, training costs, and start-up costs for new initiatives/projects. Grants are not given towards activities that are part of statutory obligations, or research costs. Retrospective applications where an event or activity has already taken place will not be considered. Organisations with a business or profit making remit are not eligible nor are religious/political activities unless it can be shown that the event will be open to and for the benefit of the community as a whole. The list above provides examples only, for specific clarification please contact the Town Council.
How much can be applied for?
The Town Council sets aside money within its budget each year for awarding grants to local organisations and applicants are advised to refer to the annual budget to see the level of allocation for the relevant year. Applications for grants are assessed bi-annually (see Application deadlines section below) and the total allocated funding for each six month period will be 50% of the set annual allocation.
How to complete the application form
Please complete all sections of the form; applications may be rejected if incorrect or incomplete information is supplied.
The Council will only consider requests for specific sums. You should submit copies of:
- your organisation’s constitution, rules or statement of purpose.
- the year-end accounts or in the case of a new organisation, please provide a business plan showing your projected costs and expected income for at least one year.
All accounts relating to the organisation must be disclosed, not just those relating to the specific purpose associated with the application.
If your latest accounts show that a surplus was made during the year (after discounting any previous grant) and there was also a balance in reserve at the start of the year please explain the reason why you are applying for additional funding.
Conditions of grant
The application should be supported by estimates for the project where appropriate, or a price list for items of equipment to be purchased and any further information requested by the Town Council.
Normally only one grant per year will be made to each applicant and although year on year financial support from the Town Council will not be considered, applicants are not precluded from applying for a grant annually (provided eligibility criteria still apply). Acceptance or refusal of a particular application does not determine, predicate or influence the outcome of any further applications by the Town Council at a later date.
All successful applicants will be required to:
- account for how the grant money has been spent.
- provide to the feedback detailing how the Grant was used.
Your organisation must acknowledge the support of Epping Town Council and include the Town Council logo in any promotional material. This helps let people know where the Council’s grant aid is being spent and to encourage others to apply.
You will be asked to forward to us any publicity and photographic evidence of the project/purchase where appropriate and this may be used on the Town Council’s website. The Council reserves the right to attach conditions to your grant. Any such conditions will be explained in your notification of grant letter. You must state if you are applying to other funding organisations for match or part funding.
The Council reserves the right to reclaim any award not spent for the purposes it was granted and/or not spent during the financial year it was awarded.
All decisions regarding applications are final and non-negotiable.
Useful Documents
Grant Application Form Guidance
Application deadlines
Please note: there are no grants available at the current time (2024-2025). This will be updated if grants become available again.
When grants are available, applications received on or before 1st September each year will be considered in the first round of grant funding at the Ordinary Meeting of the Town Council in September each year. Applications received on or before1st March each year will be considered in the second round of grant funding at the Ordinary Meeting of the Town Council in March each year.
Please return completed application forms and supporting documentation to the address above, marking the envelope: ‘Grants’. Electronic submissions should be in pdf format.
All applications are considered fairly and on individual merit at Town Council meetings which are open to public.
The final decision on applications and the level of any grant made lies with the Town Council.
The Town Council reserves the right to amend these guidelines, and in exceptional circumstances to award grants that do not meet all the criteria.
