Please click on the following headings for some Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs) with regard the Glasgow Communities Fund.
For information on the Glasgow Communities Fund please refer to the Glasgow Communities Fund Webpage.
Applications are in the form of a Smart Survey. The application process opens on 8 August 2022.
The Smart Survey application will close on 12 September 2022 at 12 midday.
It will not be possible to submit an application after the deadline of 12 midday on 12 September 2022. No extensions to the deadline will be granted.
A link to the Smart Survey application form can be found on the Glasgow Communities Fund website here along with guidance on how to complete it.
This Fund is open to community/voluntary and Third Sector organisations that deliver locally within Glasgow and engage local people in the design and development of services to meet their needs. These can be new or established services.
We will accept applications from the following types of organisation:
We will not accept applications from the following:
No, consortium bids will not be accepted.
Yes - in addition to the package of fund guidance documents available on the website there will also be a series of weekly online workshops to guide you through the application process.
Information on how to book a workshop place is available here.
Glasgow Council for Voluntary Services (GCVS) also has a programme of support available to applicants, including training sessions for 'Making Better Applications' and 'Measuring Impact'.
You can also contact the Grants team with any application related enquiries, including technical queries at cesgrants@glasgow.gov.uk
If you are experiencing problems with the application, please contact the Grants Team, clearly explaining the issue that you are having - cesgrants@glasgow.gov.uk
We anticipate demand for the fund to be high with a large volume of applications and supporting documents requiring to be assessed. Word limits have been applied to certain questions to assist you to answer questions clearly and concisely.
Smart Survey does not have this facility therefore we suggest that you cut and paste from a word document if you want a word count.
You may apply for a minimum of £20,000 and a maximum of £200,000 in each year. It is anticipated that demand for the fund will be high so you should only apply for what you need.
You may apply for 1 year, 2 years or 3 years funding. Applicants should carefully consider how many years they require funding for.
Match funding is not mandatory and will not form part of the assessment of your application.
Once you have completed your application and pressed submit, you will receive an onscreen acknowledgement of your submission. In addition to this, you will be emailed a copy of your application form in PDF format within 5 working days of receipt. Eligible applications will then be assessed and scored using the criteria outlined in the Fund Overview document.
If you have not heard back from us within 5 working days following submission of your application then you should contact us at cesgrants@glasgow.gov.uk Your application will not be considered late as long as we can evidence that it was submitted on or prior to the deadline.
This information adds to our understanding of the project, it will not form part of the assessment of your application.
We are planning for funding decisions being made in December 2022. We will share the funding recommendations with you at that time by sending you a link to the relevant Committee report/s.
It is our intention to formally advise both successful and unsuccessful applicants by January 2023.
We anticipate demand for the fund to be high therefore you may not be offered the full amount you applied for.
We will provide feedback to those that are unsuccessful. Further information on this will be available later in the process.
There is no appeals process. All decisions made are final.
If you require the application information in a particular language or format (non-English) please contact cesgrants@glasgow.gov.uk to discuss your requirements.
Applicants to this Fund should note that Glasgow City Council, as a Scottish public authority, is subject to the provisions of the Freedom of Information (Scotland) Act 2002.
Under the Freedom of Information (Scotland) Act 2002 ('FOI') individuals have a right to access all types of recorded information held by the Council. The Council must comply with these requests unless specific exemptions apply. Any information disclosed under FOI is disclosed into the public domain.
Every type of recorded information is covered by FOI. This includes, letters, e-mails, minutes, reports, file notes, notes of phone calls etc. This means that any information that you provide the Council in connection with your grant application will become subject to FOI. If we receive a request for such information, the Council would be required to release the information unless an exemption applied. For example, commercially sensitive or confidential information would not normally be disclosed. In most cases, exemptions are subject to the public interest test meaning that even if an exemption applies, the Council is required to consider whether disclose is still in the public interest. If the Council received a request relating to information that your organisation had provided us, we would always aim to notify you of the request and would seek your views.
To find out more about FOI, please refer to the Glasgow City Council Freedom of Information webpage.
In addition, if you consider that the information contained within your application should not be disclosed, please ensure that you complete the FOI certificate on completion of your grant application (a link to this FOI certificate will be provided upon completion of your grant application). The Council will take your views into consideration when dealing with an FOI request but ultimately the Council would make a decision on whether information is disclosed.
No, we will not penalise you or score you down when assessing your application. If successful in your application to the Fund, we will seek to get an understanding of any barriers you face that prevent you from paying the Real Living Wage. This will be picked as part of the Monitoring Framework.
You can get more information here on (the real Living Wage) and also on the Scottish Government's Fair Work First Framework.
Yes, new organisations are eligible to apply as long as they meet the criteria set out in the guidance.
The fund can support project delivery costs and/or core support costs.
At the moment, the city/sector demand is unknown, we will take account of this during the assessment process via input from strategic leads and local funding review panels.
We've had quite a lot of questions around the submission of accounts. We are advising that you send us your latest approved accounts.
Your Board meeting minutes will form part of the overall assessment of your Governance. Any sensitive information can be redacted. We want to ensure that you are working in line with your governing document and that meetings are recorded properly. A partial minute would be acceptable as long as the date, sederunt and some text around the discussion is included.
Information on the type of accounts that are required to be submitted can be found in the Standard Conditions of Grant document on the website.
No, it has to be a number of service users however we understand that it may be an estimate at this stage.
Yes, if that's to be part of your overall project.
If organisations are including inflationary increases to salaries in their budget, then it would be for the organisation to determine these amounts.
No, please only submit the documents requested in the application. You may be able to incorporate a case study within the application questions. However, please use the space within the application to provide as much detail as possible and only include a case study within the text limit if space allows.
All requested documents should be uploaded as part of the application process. With the exception of any documentation to support a change in governance arrangements which can either be uploaded as part of your application or emailed to cesgrants@glasgow.gov.uk making reference to your application.
Although schools are not eligible to apply, funding can be awarded to other organisations to deliver activity within schools.
Yes, just over £6m will be ringfenced to support the delivery of the Council's Financial Inclusion Strategy in partnership with the Glasgow Advice and Information Network (GAIN).
No, only organisations in GAIN will be funded from the ring-fenced allocation.
It is expected that 'city-wide' organisations would demonstrate that their project is accessible to users from all wards in their application.
Please do not email documents separate to your application. If you have a technical issue with the application, then please contact cesgrants@glasgow.gov.uk
The application process allows for one project to be submitted but this can involve different programmes of activity in each year.
Organisations should account for all applicable operating costs related to the project in their budget submission.
Collaboration can take place across Scotland, however, we would also encourage local collaboration. No, you do not have to be delivering in Glasgow currently however the funding you are applying for should relate to activity that will be delivered within Glasgow.
You will not be penalised if you have not had equalities training prior to making an application to GCF. GCVS are currently working on how it can support successful applicants to access relevant equalities training.
No each application will be assessed on the same criteria.
The fund will not be open again next year therefore if an organisation requires funding for years two and/or three, an application should be submitted before the closing date.
Yes, you should include the total project costs in the budget template.
Your application will be assessed on the information provided.
We want to know who you are working with so please tick the target group box if a significant proportion of people from the target group will participate in your project.
Yes, the total number of service users should be included for each year.
A community led organisation is one that is driven by the community.
If you operate a full costs recovery model then you can include a proportionate share of your organisation's overheads in your costs.
No, costs should be broken down as per the headings on the budget template.
We recognise that poverty takes many forms hence the fund is underpinned by two priority areas of Improving Communities and Resilient Communities. Please see the Fund Overview document on the website for further information.
Applicants will not be penalised at assessment stage for applying to multiple funding streams. We would ask you to indicate what other funding you have applied for at questions 30, 40 and 41 on your application form and mark the status as 'unconfirmed'.
If any applicant is awarded funding from the Glasgow Communities Fund (GCF) and also from another funder for the same purpose, we would expect that applicant to contact us Immediately to discuss their GCF award.
Smart Survey should work with any browser.
No. Please only uploaded the documents requested. Any additional information supplied will not form part of the assessment of your application.
No, not specifically but will be covered more generally under project outcomes and impact which will include an assessment of the intended outcomes, how these will be measured and the difference the project will make.
An up and running project is one that is currently being delivered whether or not it is currently funded by Glasgow Communities Fund.
The cover page of the bank statement with balances is sufficient. The Account name, number and sort code should also be visible and the account should be in the name of the organisation applying for the funding.
National charities are eligible to apply to the fund for services being delivered in Glasgow.
You cannot apply to the fund for costs that you already receive funding for from another source.
We expect organisations (excluding SCIOs) to review, sign and date their governing document annually as best practice.
Yes.
You can apply for funding that contributes to the overall operation of the organisation.
No. You should upload a copy of the minutes from your last Board/committee meeting with your application.
The main aims, outcomes and priorities of the fund remain the same for Phase 2.
No.
Please provide information on those who directly participate in the services you deliver.
Following assessment by the Grants Team, applications will be considered by strategic lead officers across the Council family and the Glasgow City Health and Social Care Partnership. The input from the strategic leads will identify opportunities for joint funding, duplication of funding, over provision of funding or gaps in funding.
The theme your application sits within will be determined at assessment stage from the information contained throughout your application.
The weighting is not attached to the themes but to the criteria outlined in the Fund Overview document.
No.
This will be determined by your governing document and what the requirements are within that.
Social media provide a good overview of how much organisations involve communities/service users in the planning and delivery of services and how they interact with service users. The content, however, is not factored in during the assessment process.
You should provide information on those who directly participate in the services you deliver.
Yes, as long as the match funding from the other organisation didn't overlap with the funds you are requesting from GCF.
A copy of the Monitoring Framework will be sent to successful applicants early in the new financial year to allow preparations to be made to collect the data required.
You can include details of 'in kind' contributions at Q26 Please tell us how your project works with others to provide services or activities within the community. Only financial information can be included in the Budget Template.
Only funding directed towards the project requesting GCF should be counted as match funding.
Yes - this will be required as part of the monitoring framework.
While Community Interest Companies are eligible to apply to the Glasgow Communities Fund, the documents required to be submitted as part of the application process includes board/management committee minutes. If these are not available, the application would then be deemed ineligible.
No, sub-contracting is not permitted.
Please do not add diagrams, charts or upload additional material or links to the form as this adds to the digital size of the document and can make it difficult to download the information for assessment.
Further information regarding the appropriate strategic links can be found in the Fund Overview document.
The associated admin costs should be broken down within the budget template e.g. stationary, postage etc. and not allocated as a percentage or lump sum to a management fee. All costs including overheads/core costs must be shown under the appropriate heading in the budget template.
A list of the protected Characteristics can be found in the Step--by-Step document.
Service users are all those who benefit from the project.
You can choose to work towards one outcome without it affecting how funds are allocated.
You are being asked to demonstrate how you have identified that the project you are applying on behalf of is what your service users want/need. Further information can be found in the Step-by-Step document.
In this case 'community' is both geographic and communities of interest.
You should select no in this case.
No, match funding is not prioritised within the assessment process.
No, all applications will be assessed based on the content submitted regardless of whether they have been funded previously or not.
Only one application will be accepted on behalf of an applicant organisation. If two partners are applying to GCF for their contributions to a joint project, they would need to apply individually for their share of the costs.
Consortia and sub-contracting/grants are not permitted as the governance of these structures would not be sufficient in terms of our application process.
You can provide an estimate of costs during the application process, and if your application is successful and the costs change, you can contact the Grants Team to discuss how to re-arrange your award to better reflect your actual costs.