Severn Trent Community Fund

Grants are available to local not-for-profit organisations for local projects that support the wellbeing of communities in the Severn Trent region.

Current Status Open for Applications

Maximum value:£ 250,000

Objectives of Fund

The funding is for local projects, charities and community groups across the Severn Trent region.

Projects should improve the wellbeing of Severn Trent communities by helping:

• People to lead a healthier life and gain new skills.

• Create better places to live in and use.

• Look after the natural environment, give people greater access to that environment or help look after water.

Value Notes

A total of £10 million is available over a five-year period (2020-25).

Three levels of grants are available:

• £2,000 to £10,000

• £10,001 to £75,000

• £75,001 to £250,000

Applications for more than £10,000 will only be considered from a registered charity, a business registered with Companies House, a local authority or parish council.

Match Funding Restrictions

Match funding of at least 10% is required for grants of £10,001 or over. It is not ‘mandatory’ for applications of less than £10,000.

The funder, however, encourages match funding for all applications and those that secure match funding may find their applications are more likely to be successful.

Match funding does not have to be in the form of cash. In-kind contributions for services or volunteering can also add a great deal of value to lots of projects.

Who Can Apply

Registered not-for-profit organisations with a governing document can apply.

This includes but is not limited to:

• Charities

• Organisations with a charitable purpose (not for profit status)

• Publically funded schools

• Local authorities

• Parish councils

• Sports clubs

Both the applicant organisation and the project’s beneficiaries must be located within the Severn Trent region, which stretches from Scunthorpe in the north, to Stroud in the south, and from Oakham in the east to Llanidloes in the west.

Projects must benefit Severn Trent customers. A Severn Trent customer is somebody who receives their water supply from Severn Trent, or whose waste is taken away and treated by the company.

Applicants who are unsure if their project is eligible should check the WaterUK water supplier finder.

Restrictions

The following are not eligible for funding:

• Projects located in the Hafren Dyfrdwy region

• Individuals

• Any organisation that makes a profit (eg, limited liability partnerships, limited companies, sole traders)

• Work that is too closely linked to Severn Trent's core services (et,. new or replacement water or waste pipes, new water supplies, or new connections)

• Projects where Severn Trent is not the majority funder

• Permanent water fountains

• Projects or organisations not within the Severn Trent region

• Projects that are not sustainable

• Retrospective costs (project or work that have already taken place)

• Fundraising activities or challenges (eg, costs for a sky dive)

• Running costs and organisation overheads

• Conferences or seminars

• Sports sponsorship

• Any organisation that cannot demonstrate appropriate governance

• Any project that is to the detriment of Severn Trent and its interests

• Activities which collect funds for redistribution to other charities or individuals

• Overseas appeals

• Expeditions or overseas travel

• Projects that have already received funding from Severn Trent.

• Political or religious causes. (Consideration will be given, however, to religious organisations if projects are for wider community benefit and not faith based).

• Permanent water fountains. (The Fund will be able to support a limited number of community events with temporary plastic-free water through temporary water fountains to a limited number of public events each year, such as marathons, carnivals and sporting events, as part of Severn Trent’s plastic-free water pledge.)

Eligible Expenditure

The funding is intended for projects that link to at least one of the three key elements of community wellbeing:

• People - projects that help people to lead a healthier life and gain new skills.

• Places - projects that help to create better places to live in and use.

• Environment - projects that will help look after the natural environment, give people greater access to that environment or help look after water.

There is also interest in applications for projects that have a connection to the water cycle. This might mean creating sustainable drainage, installing grey water recycling or creating water efficient green spaces.

Application will be assessed and scored against the following criteria:

• Community need: What is the need for this project in the community and have the community been involved in the planning?

• Planning: Is the project planned well and have a sufficient budget breakdown?

• Sustainability: Will the project be sustained and bring benefit beyond the investment period?

• Value for money: Does the project seem like good value for money in comparison to similar projects?

Projects must start within three months of the grant offer date and be completed within 12 or 24 months of award date, dependant on grant size.

The funding can be used for both capital and revenue projects as long as the project can evidence it will be sustained.

The grants can support the following:

• Staff costs (where not already funded).

• Running costs of the project, eg, stationery, room hire, marketing etc.

• Skills training and other course costs.

• Administration costs directly associated with the project.

• Clearly justified capital purchases under £1000 ie, small capital items (a computer, monitor, keyboard, printer and software counts as one item).

• Costs directly associated with the beneficiaries/volunteers’ involvement in the project, eg, travel costs, childcare, subsistence while taking part in project activities.

• Capital costs of improving a site or building.

How To Apply

This is a rolling programme and applications can be made at any time.

The Community Fund Panel will review applications for:

• Large grants (over £10,000) on a quarterly basis, with panel meetings held in March, June, September and December. The cut-off date is the middle of the previous month.

• Smaller grants (under £10,000) on a more regular basis, in between the quarterly meetings.

It is recommended that applicants allow a minimum of four to five months between submitting their application and project start date to allow time for processing and decision making. The size of the grant and the date the application is submitted will determine how long the decision process takes, but the final decision should be within five months of submission.

The criteria and full details of how to make an application are given in the guidelines which can be downloaded from the Severn Trent website.