Devon council’s revamped grant scheme expecting high demand

An overhaul of a Devon council’s grant scheme that includes hikes in the amount individual groups can bid for is expected to attract high demand when it launches.

A new community grant fund has been established by East Devon District Council which merges three previously distinct pots together and also elevates the amount of funding that can be apportioned to each successful application.
More than £200,000 has been identified in total for the current and next financial years, meaning £102,421 will be available in each 12-month period.
The new fund merges the action on poverty fund, community buildings fund and small community grants fund.
The maximum amount community building projects can bid for is £10,000 – double the previous limit of £5,000 – but the new grant-giving fund has set a limit of half the pot for community buildings.
That means a total of £50,000 will be spent each year on community buildings at most, and there is also a preference for these to be in rural or village locations.
The council’s community grant panel (Wednesday 8 October) heard there had been some concerns from the voluntary sector about the amounts available.
However, officer Sharon Church noted that small grants now ranged between £300 and £1,500, whereas a £500 limit was set before.
Ms Church added that a previous requirement for grants under £3,000 to be match-funded had also been removed due to feedback from the voluntary sector that stated this could be a barrier to some organisations applying.
All grants will be assessed by the council’s officers, with those under £3,000 presented in a summary report for the community grant panel, and those over £3,000 subject to a case-by-case vote by the panel’s members.
“We think demand will be high as potentially we could only support five community buildings and 32 small community groups [if each application received the maximum amount available],” Ms Church said.
“But we will make sure we get the balance right and look at where funding is administered so it is shared across East Devon.”
The panel also recommended adding in a requirement for bidders to disclose the levels of cash reserves they held, suggesting those with more money in the bank might get a lower score than a comparable bidder with more meagre reserves.
Others also requested that bidders returning for a second year provide proof that their previously successful application was spent on the items included in its bid.
Councillor John Loudon (Independent, Sidmouth Rural) welcomed the development of the new fund.
“I think there is anticipation of what will happen when we go live and we will get quite a few applications, and that’s to be expected as there has been a vacuum for 18 months or two years since we last went down a similar track on this,” he said.
“I don’t know what’s appropriate in terms of the amounts being put on offer so we have to be guided by the sector and those who look at ti, but we could always at some point amend it, so it isn’t set in stone.”
The panel unanimously agreed the draft policy for the new fund, which means East Devon’s cabinet will now make a decision about whether to approve it and activate the fund.
The cabinet next meets on Wednesday 29 October, and so could be discussed then.