We hope we have anticipated the questions you may have about the Weston Anniversary Fund. Please check our FAQs below. If however you cannot find what you’re looking for, please Contact Us.
Please note that decisions will not be made until October 2018. If you are hoping to fund a project before then, please refer to garfieldweston.org for information about our regular grants scheme, bearing in mind that it takes up to four months from applying to hearing the outcome of an application.
FAQs
Funding
I currently have a grant from the Garfield Weston Foundation – can I still apply to the Weston Anniversary Fund?
Yes! The Weston Anniversary Fund is separate to the Foundation’s Regular Grants scheme and we are happy to hear from any charities with a Capital project that will make a positive impact in their local community, whether or not there is a past or current relationship with us. We welcome hearing from charities that have not applied to us before. If you have a current grant from the Foundation you can still apply to the Weston Anniversary Fund, as long as it is not for the same project. This is also the case if you have a pledge from the Foundation outstanding or even if you have had an application declined within the past 12 months. Please note there is no guarantee of funding, but you do have to apply to have a chance!
I've never applied to the Garfield Weston Foundation before. Should I apply to the Weston Anniversary Fund?
Of course! If your organisation meets our eligibility criteria and you have a project that has the potential to make a big impact for your local community, then apply. We welcome applications from across the country and would love to hear from you!
I don’t have planning permission – can I apply?
Sorry, no. If you need planning permission for your project then this MUST be in place by the time the Fund closes on 30th June 2018. You can work on your application online and save it before the Fund closes, however your planning permission must be secured before you submit your final application to us. If your planning permission is due to be obtained AFTER the closing date for the Weston Anniversary Fund (i.e. after 30th June 2018), you may apply for a grant through the Foundation’s Regular Grants scheme. Please refer to garfieldweston.org for guidance on applying for a Regular Grant and note that our Regular Grants tend to be smaller regardless of the overall cost of a project, as we look to be one of a number of funders.
How is the Weston Anniversary Fund different from your usual Regular Grants?
This is a Capital only, one-off scheme that will consider FULLY funding a project with grants between £30,000 and £150,000. Our Regular Grants form part of the funding required as typically the Trustees are keen that charities are not overly reliant on one or a few sources of funding and therefore tend to be one of a number of project funders.
I have a Capital project that will benefit my local community. Shall I apply to the Weston Anniversary Fund or for a grant through your Regular Grants programme?
If you have the following in place then we suggest that you apply to the Weston Anniversary Fund:
- Planning permission is secured (where relevant) before the Fund closes on 30th June 2018 and you have official documentation to evidence this;
- A grant between £30,000 and £150,000 would fund your project or help to complete your funding;
- You can demonstrate the difference the project will make to your local community;
- You have a robust business plan to show how your organisation will fund any increased revenue costs you may have as a result of the project;
- You will be able to complete the work by the end of 2020;
- You will be ready to submit your application with all the information we require by 30th June 2018.
Can I apply for a Capital grant to both the Weston Anniversary Grants and the Foundation’s Regular Grants scheme for the same project?
While you can make applications to both the Anniversary Fund and our Regular Grants scheme at the same time, you cannot apply for the same project. If you make two applications to us they need to be for different activities or projects and they will require separate application processes. Effectively the Anniversary Fund is a ‘bonus’ fund that is
only operating in 2018.
If you have planning permission in place, the total cost of your project is over £30,000, you can show it will have positive benefits for your local community and will be completed within two years, then do apply to the Weston Anniversary Fund. If however your project is under £30,000 or you do not have planning permission secured by 30th June 2018, you should apply for a Regular Grant. Please refer to garfieldweston.org/howtoapply for guidance on applying for a Regular Grant.
What happens if my application is rejected?
If your application to the Anniversary Fund is declined, you can still apply to the Foundation for another area of your charity’s work of for core costs – NOT for the same Capital project. Please see our main website for details on how to apply for a Regular Grant garfield.weston.org If you are eligible to apply for a Regular Grant, you are welcome to do so as and when you are ready.
How much can I apply for?
Grants will range from £30,000 and £150,000 depending on the size of the project. Sums awarded will be at the Trustees’ discretion.
Our project costs more than £150,000 – can we still apply?
If your total project cost is £300,000 or less, you already have the rest of the funds secured and £150,000 would complete the funding for your Capital project (as long as your organisation is eligible to apply), then yes. Be clear to outline where else your funding has come from in your application.
My organisation has recently received a grant from the Foundation for a local Capital project. Can we apply to the Weston Anniversary Fund for the same project?
We are not able to accept applications for Capital projects that we are already funding through our main or regular grants. You may want to refer to Beehive Giving to search for other funders.
We don't own our community building. Can we still apply for funding?
To be eligible to apply to the Weston Anniversary Fund (or to the Foundation’s Regular Grants scheme), we require a minimum of a 25 year lease to be in place. If you do not have a 25 year+ lease, you may still be eligible to apply for a Regular Grant (please note NOT the Weston Anniversary Fund) for activity that takes place WITHIN the building, but not for a Capital grant.
Applications
How do I apply?
It’s easy! Simply fill in your details on our online form and attach your audited accounts, any plans/drawings for your Capital project, your annual income and expenditure budget and your Capital project budget. You will receive an immediate email acknowledging safe receipt of your application so you can be confident that you have received it.
I already have an online account with the Foundation. Does that matter?
Not in the slightest! Simply click on Apply Now and log in with your existing login details. You will automatically be directed to the Weston Anniversary Fund application form.
What if I can’t apply online?
We expect most people will prefer to apply online as you will receive and instant acknowledgement and you can save your application in draft form while you work on it before submitting your final version. If however, you cannot apply online, then please download our postal application form and send it in the post in addition to the other documents we require to:
Weston Anniversary Fund
Garfield Weston Foundation
Weston Centre
10 Grosvenor Street
London W1K 4QS
We will endeavour to acknowledge receipt of your application within two weeks of receiving it. Please ensure you keep a copy of your application.
What do you mean by ‘Capital’?
By Capital we mean costs for physical equipment or facilities.
This can mean bricks and mortar such as a new building or an extension or the redevelopment of an existing building to create or improve a community facility. We will also consider landscaping or improvements to an open space if it will create a community resource and facilities for sport and exercise. Additionally we will consider items that require a sizeable investment with a direct link to your work in the local community that benefits groups such as a new minibus. We are not able to fund individual pieces of equipment such as a new cooker – we would however consider funding a complete refurbishment of a community hall’s kitchen. The total cost of a project needs to be at least £30,000 for the Anniversary Fund.
We are not a registered charity – can we apply?
We can only accept applications to the Weston Anniversary Fund from the following organisations:
UK registered charities working within the UK
Charitable Incorporated Organisations (CIOs)
Churches or other places of worship if the building is used for wider community activities and state maintained schools.
My project has already started – are we able to apply to the Weston Anniversary Fund?
If your project has already started, we suggest that you contact us so that we are able to give you bespoke advice before you apply. If the project will have completed by October 2018 then it is unlikely an application would be successful.