Glasgow Communities Fund Frequently Asked Questions

Frequently Asked Questions

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.

When does the application process open and what is the closing date?

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.

Who can apply?

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:

• Company Ltd By Guarantee
• Community Interest Company (CIC)
• Scottish Charitable Incorporated Organisation (SCIO)
• Constituted Charity/Voluntary Sector Organisation (including unincorporated)
• Housing Association/Friendly, Mutual or Registered Societies
• Colleges

We will not accept applications from the following:

• Individuals or Sole Traders
• Organisations that generate profit for private distribution
• Statutory/Public Bodies such as Glasgow City Council and its Arm's Length External Organisations, Community Councils, NHS, Police Scotland etc

Will consortium bids be considered?

No, consortium bids will not be accepted.

Will there be assistance available to organisations to complete the application?

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

What if I experience technical difficulties with the application?

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

Why are there word restrictions on some of the text boxes in the application?

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.

Why does it not inform me that I have reached the word limit in each box?

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.

How much can I apply for?

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.

How many years funding can I apply for?

You may apply for 1 year, 2 years or 3 years funding. Applicants should carefully consider how many years they require funding for.

Is match funding required?

Match funding is not mandatory and will not form part of the assessment of your application.

What happens after we submit our 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.

What if I don't hear from you in 5 working days after I have submitted my application?

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.

Why are you asking if the project is already up and running?

This information adds to our understanding of the project, it will not form part of the assessment of your application.

When will we know if our application has been successful?

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.

If our application is successful will we receive the full amount we applied for?

We anticipate demand for the fund to be high therefore you may not be offered the full amount you applied for.

Do you provide feedback on unsuccessful applications?

We will provide feedback to those that are unsuccessful. Further information on this will be available later in the process.

Is there an appeals process?

There is no appeals process. All decisions made are final.

Is the application/guidance available in alternative formats?

If you require the application information in a particular language or format (non-English) please contact cesgrants@glasgow.gov.uk to discuss your requirements.

Will the information we provide be made available to others via an FOI request?

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.

You are encouraging funded organisations to pay the Real Living Wage, will we be penalised if we are paying only the National Living Wage?

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.

Are new Community Interest Companies eligible?

Yes, new organisations are eligible to apply as long as they meet the criteria set out in the guidance.

Will the fund relate solely to project delivery or is there the opportunity to secure core support for our organisation?

The fund can support project delivery costs and/or core support costs.

What is being done to mitigate the issue of higher demand for city wide funding not matching up with city wide vs local sector funding allocations?

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.

When it says the accounts are more than 15 months old, am I right in thinking that it's 15 months since the point those accounts were signed, rather than 15 months since the year end?

We've had quite a lot of questions around the submission of accounts. We are advising that you send us your latest approved accounts.

Why is a copy of the board minutes required? What is it you want to see on this? Can we include a limited section of this (i.e. just the first page)?

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.

Our organisation only has Independently Examined accounts, will these suffice?

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.

Can we use a percentage for Ward breakdown?

No, it has to be a number of service users however we understand that it may be an estimate at this stage.

Can we add new activity into our current programme?

Yes, if that's to be part of your overall project.

Will inflationary increases to salaries be eligible this year, are there any specific details around this?

If organisations are including inflationary increases to salaries in their budget, then it would be for the organisation to determine these amounts.

Can we put case studies in with our application?

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.

So everything is uploaded through the form with no extra attachments to send?

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.

Can the projects be delivered in schools during school hours?

Although schools are not eligible to apply, funding can be awarded to other organisations to deliver activity within schools.

Has any of the £55m been ringfenced for certain orgs? 

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).

If an organisation delivers financial inclusion but is not asking GCF to fund that particular part of the project would they be considered in the ring-fenced amount?

No, only organisations in GAIN will be funded from the ring-fenced allocation.

Should city-wide projects work with every ward, or can they work with some wards?

It is expected that 'city-wide' organisations would demonstrate that their project is accessible to users from all wards in their application.

What if a document is too big to upload, can it be emailed?

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

Can multi-projects be applied for. i.e. different project for each year of the fund cycle?

The application process allows for one project to be submitted but this can involve different programmes of activity in each year.

Is the Council taking cognisance of the rise in energy costs?

Organisations should account for all applicable operating costs related to the project in their budget submission.

Does evidence of collaboration need to be within Glasgow currently or across Scotland? Also, do you need to be delivering within Glasgow currently to be eligible to apply to the fund?

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.

If we need equalities training is this something that GCVS can help with?

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.

Will new projects be favoured over projects that are already up and running?

No each application will be assessed on the same criteria.

Will the fund be open for applications next year for 2024-2026 or is this the only chance to apply for this 3-year period?

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.

In terms of the budget sheet, if we are only planning to apply for salaries, do we still have to include an extensive budget for the total cost of the project?

Yes, you should include the total project costs in the budget template.

We were awarded funding last year when our project was new, this time we would like to add another staff member. Will our application be compared to previous application? Will this be looked at unfavourably?

Your application will be assessed on the information provided.

If the project isn't specifically targeted at some of the target groups listed but will include their participation, would we still tick those boxes, or not?

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.

If people are going to attend in more than 1 year, do you still want us to count them in each year? This will be a participant number, but not a unique beneficiary number?

Yes, the total number of service users should be included for each year.

How does the fund define community led organisation?

A community led organisation is one that is driven by the community.

The management fee has been removed as an eligible funded cost. This seems to conflict with costs being fully recoverable.

If you operate a full costs recovery model then you can include a proportionate share of your organisation's overheads in your costs.

Can organisations simply put a figure against Full Cost Recovery in the budget template? Previous GCF budgets have asked for operational costs to be specific i.e.: 'Heat & Light', 'Rent/Rates' etc. Will there be the ability to explain FCR percentages?

No, costs should be broken down as per the headings on the budget template.

How poverty is defined? Is it only income poverty?

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.

Regarding match-funding: how would you view an overlap between what we've asked GCF for and what we've asked another funder for (taking into account that statistically the chances of getting both are low)?

 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.

Does it matter what IT platform you use to complete online form?

Smart Survey should work with any browser.

Would letters of support be an advantage?

No. Please only uploaded the documents requested. Any additional information supplied will not form part of the assessment of your application.

Will there be a £per beneficiary element to the assessment?

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.

If you are currently funded but are making tweaks to the application due to demands or other issues, is this considered a new project or up and running? What is the definition of up and running?

An up and running project is one that is currently being delivered whether or not it is currently funded by Glasgow Communities Fund.

Do you need the whole bank statement or just the cover page with the balances?

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.

We are a UK charity but we're not registered with SCVO. Are we eligible? We have an existing project in Glasgow.

National charities are eligible to apply to the fund for services being delivered in Glasgow.

The guidance says thatitems funded by someone else are not eligible. The Scottish Government funds arts, education, fuel poverty programmes so where is the list of items that are eligible for funding?

You cannot apply to the fund for costs that you already receive funding for from another source.

Can you explain the signing of the Governing Document?

We expect organisations (excluding SCIOs) to review, sign and date their governing document annually as best practice.

One specific project is delivered in various addresses so can we insert our organisation address?

Yes.

Does the funding have to focus on a specific project or can it contribute to overall operation of the organisation?

You can apply for funding that contributes to the overall operation of the organisation.

Would the minutes from our recent AGM count as Trustees Meeting Minutes?

No. You should upload a copy of the minutes from your last Board/committee meeting with your application.

What are the main changes of the fund since phase 1?

The main aims, outcomes and priorities of the fund remain the same for Phase 2.

Will we be marked down if we only select one Fund Outcome?

No.

We don't work directly with service users, but we train and support those who do. How do we calculate the people who benefit - as trained staff and their service users all benefit?

Please provide information on those who directly participate in the services you deliver.

How will you assess the spread of grants offered geographically? Will there be consideration given to how many grants you are offering in certain communities?

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.

I am a bit confused regarding the guidance on assessment in relation to equalities, arts, supporting communities. Your theme is not asked for in the form, so how is this decided?

The theme your application sits within will be determined at assessment stage from the information contained throughout your application.

Is there a weighting attached to the themes (equality, arts, communities)? Is one receiving higher attention than another?

The weighting is not attached to the themes but to the criteria outlined in the Fund Overview document.

Can we use subcontractors to deliver the services we receive funding for?

No.

Are you expecting all trustees to sign the governing document or does the signature of the chair suffice?

This will be determined by your governing document and what the requirements are within that.

The form asks for details of social media channels. I'm interested in why are these requested, do they have a function in the assessment?

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.

Can 'service user' be defined as a voluntary sector organisation?

You should provide information on those who directly participate in the services you deliver.

We intend to apply for a project we have delivered in partnership with another organisation, but we want to apply for staffing and resources for our service to deliver our part of this project. The other organisation is applying separately to a different fund. Would something like this be considered?

Yes, as long as the match funding from the other organisation didn't overlap with the funds you are requesting from GCF.

How do we report on the outcomes and how often? What evidence will be expected?

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.

Can you put in funding in kind, or only finance?

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.

If different strands of your organisation are funded through different sources do they count as match funding or is that match funding just for the GCF project?

Only funding directed towards the project requesting GCF should be counted as match funding.

If you work citywide will we have to report by ward?

Yes - this will be required as part of the monitoring framework.

We are a CIC just 4 months old, and I as the sole director have just started to recruit board members, is it an issue if we don't have a board and/or minutes?

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.

It says consortium bids are not allowed but we would like to work in partnership - should that relationship be presented as a sub-contractor?

No, sub-contracting is not permitted. 

Through the application process is there an opportunity to add diagrams, charts or is it purely text based? Is there a facility to upload additional supporting information eg promotional material, case studies?

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.

Is it important to make links of your project to the GCF overall aims or linking it to Scottish Government priorities e.g. Fairer Scotland Action plan?

Further information regarding the appropriate strategic links can be found in the Fund Overview document.

Admin costs I would see as part of full cost recovery - how would you suggest we include these costs which are important to delivery of a project?

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.

Is there somewhere we can find list of protected characteristics?

A list of the protected Characteristics can be found in the Step--by-Step document.

On the question of Service users per ward, how would you deal with a project that has service users who directly volunteer to provide a service that is also available to the public as a resource. Could both be considered as service users?

Service users are all those who benefit from the project.

Is it ok to just work towards one outcome? Would that affect the level of funding received?

You can choose to work towards one outcome without it affecting how funds are allocated.

On the evidence of need question, can success of reach in our existing project be used as evidence of need or is evidence of need only about gaps in existing provision?

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.

What is the Council's definition of "community"? Is it geographical or community of interest or both?

In this case 'community' is both geographic and communities of interest.

Question 10 asks if staff received training but doesn't have a 'not applicable' option for organisations that don't currently have staff.

You should select no in this case.

Will projects that can provide match funding be advantaged in the assessment process?

No, match funding is not prioritised within the assessment process.

Are existing recipients of the fund less likely to be successful than new applicants?

No, all applications will be assessed based on the content submitted regardless of whether they have been funded previously or not.

Just to be clear on partners/consortia/subcontracts - a partnership application with one organisation as the lead and a second as a partner delivering elements of the project under a sub-grant is ok, but a subcontract relationship is not ok and a consortium is not ok?

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.

Did you say rental costs for premises can be covered as well as some heat and light, at the moment we have no premises but that would be important to deliver the project.

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.