Planning your application

Suite 89, Oxford Chambers, Oxford Place Centre, Oxford Place, Leeds, LS1 3AX,
Tel: 0113 2453111.

Charity Number: 1100520. Company Number: 04614852.

Leeds

Kirklees

Bradford

Calderdale

Wakefield

Planning your application

Identifying learners

All learners must be aged 18 or over and unemployed. At least 80% of your learners must come from one or more of the priority groups.

Community Grants can only be used to support individuals who are legally resident in the UK, or are able to take employment in the EU. Refugees can be supported, but asylum seekers are not usually eligible.

Identifying costs

Grant monies can cover the following costs:

premises used for training

equipment required for the training session

running costs of project, eg stationary, telephone

payment for a tutor or member of staff to deliver training

expenses incurred by learners in training (eg, travel, child care)

Capital purchases

Community Grants can fund purchases of small items of equipment up to £1,000, but cannot be used for to purchase equipment or property over this amount.

Budgeting and grant payments

If successful, your grant will be awarded in instalments, with a percentage paid at the beginning of your project, a further payment midway through, and a final payment made after your project is completed. Therefore it is important to ensure you have enough funds to carry out your project until you receive the final grant instalment.

Policies and procedures

You will need to provide evidence of Health and Safety, and Equality and Diversity, policies, and adequate insurance cover, to provide a safe and inclusive environment for learners.

If your organisation does not yet have these in place, or your policies need further development, a capacity building fund is available as part of Community Grants. This can provide training and support to help you develop your organisation deliver mainstream funded projects in the future.

If you are interested in capacity building, please complete an expression of interest form.

Monitoring and evaluation

There are a number of standard forms to complete, for evaluation and monitoring purposes. These include Learner Attendance sheets, Individual Learning Plans, LSC (Learning and Skills Council) short record forms, case studies, and course evaluation forms. You will receive support in completing the forms, but you will need to ensure you have time to submit the forms on a regular basis.

For more information, see Frequently Asked Questions.