Coronavirus Crisis Fund £1000 grant

The £1000 community grant can be used to help and support the communities of County Durham, with assistance to set up a new class, new session or other new residential activity for the community. This can include:

• Community activities which can include buying equipment
• Contributing towards marketing and promotional costs to increase participation in activities up to the value of £200
• projects with an element of fixed capital costs up to 60% of the grant.
• Contributing towards venue hire and rent up to 30% of the grant to a maximum of £300
• Supporting activities that encourage social integration, develop sustainable communities and start-up projects.
• Start-up costs for a not for profit community group
• Activities that support people to develop new skills, gain a qualification or to access work experience leading to increased employability.
• Projects that increase levels of health and wellbeing such as healthy eating workshop, events or fitness activities
• Art and craft events leading to improved mental wellbeing and activities leading to reduced isolation.
• Activities that reduce anti-social behaviour and enable people to feel safe in their communities creating an increased sense of belonging.
• Costs can be considered for sessional workers or hiring in coaches, however we are unable to fund existing staff.

We want a number of our customers to be involved in the projects we fund and a minimum of 15% of beneficiaries need to be a believe housing tenants. If you are unsure about this element of the reporting please contact the Funding Office by calling 0300 1311 999 or through our online form, before submitting your application.

• Registered and exempt charities
• Community groups
• Schools
• Social enterprises
• Voluntary groups
• Community Interest Companies
• Town, Parish or Community Councils

• Individuals
• Party political groups
• Those whose objectives and ethos do not meet believe housing’s charitable objectives

To be eligible for the £1000 grant your projects must take place over a minimum period of three months and activities must take place at least once a month.

Shorter projects with higher outcomes and projects that engage long term will be looked upon more favourably.

To apply for this grant your project will need to be over the value of £500 to a maximum value of £1000.

Any group who has received our £500 community grant, won’t be eligible to apply for our £1000 grant within the same financial year.

We are unable to accept applications for the same project or activities across multiple years. Any new applications from a group or organisation must show a difference in what the grant is being asked to fund. 

We are unable to accept applications for the believe housing £1000 community grant to support:

• One off events (unless part of a larger project)
• Requests to buy goods and/or services on behalf of another organisation
• Applications to develop the financial reserves of the organisation
• Core funding which is ongoing running costs of an organisation (including staffing costs)
• Religious, party political or lobbying activities (non-religious and multi-faith activities may be funded)
• Existing activities
• Loans or debt repayments
• Projects and activities for personal profit
• Purchase of vehicles
• Day-to-day organisational running costs, like utility bills and insurance
• Individuals requesting funding

A panel made up of tenants from across the county will meet at the beginning of each month to discuss incoming applications. They will be supported by a believe housing representative.

The panel will give priority to projects that:

• improve access to services
• reduce isolation
• improve employability skills
• improve access to community facilities and activities
• encourage people to taking part in activities
• prevent a group from disbanding
• set up a new group
• Improve levels of skills and qualification attainment.
• Increase household income
• Improve health and confidence

Please make sure you allow enough time for the panel to consider your application at their monthly meetings as we are unable to fund projects retrospectively.

Full terms and conditions are available in the tab below.

1. Grants will be awarded up to a maximum of £1000.
2. If an application has been unsuccessful, organisations may submit new application for an alternative project.
3. Organisations applying must have an up-to-date constitution and their own bank account, with at least two unrelated signatories. Proof of bank details and a copy of the constitution will need to be provided if applicable.
4. Applications will be considered to assist and develop community-based activities which will be of benefit to the community, and where the activity could not go ahead without financial assistance.
5. The grant will be used for the purpose approved by believe housing and no changes can be made to the project/proposal without our agreement.
6. Any part of the grant that is not required for the purpose approved will be refunded to believe housing.
7. Applications for retrospective funding will not be considered.
8. Grants may be used to complement other funding sources; for example, National Lottery funding, the Prince’s Trust and/or local sponsorship.
9. The £1000 grant will not to be used to enable fundraising for a secondary body.
10. Projects should demonstrate that appropriate child and adult protection policies are in place together with any necessary Health and Safety arrangements. If the project involves work with children, young people or vulnerable adults (“vulnerable people”), you will take all reasonable steps to ensure their safety

12. We will use the information you give us during the application process and during the lifetime of any funding for administration, analysis and research purposes. We recognise the need to maintain the confidentiality of vulnerable groups and their details will not be made public in any way, except as required by law. The management of all personal information you will meet the requirements of the Data Protection Act 2018.

13. It may sometimes be appropriate to add additional conditions to an individual grant to take account of particular circumstances. These will be included in the grant offer letter. Any additional conditions will be agreed by both believe housing and the applicant before the award of a grant.
14. The project must start within an agreed time frame no later than 3 months after the date the grant has been paid or if it is delayed, you must write to us giving reasons for the delay and asking for an extension.

15. You will monitor the progress of the project and complete any reports required using the forms supplied. You will update on progress of the project on request and will send believe housing any further information we may ask for from time to time about the project or about your organisation, its activities, the number of users and other beneficiaries and such other information we may require.

16. It is the applicant’s responsibility to make sure all required insurance and permissions are in place for any projects awarded.

17. From time to time you may be contacted by believe housing about your organisation, its activities, the number of users and other beneficiaries and such other information we may require.

18. List all the individual items or activities that make up your project. Make sure that costs are accurate and based on quotations where appropriate. Please give as much detail as you can. Any receipts for goods purchased must be an official receipt which will include company name, goods sold, purchase price, the date, and other pertinent information. It is the grant applicant’s responsibility to make sure the vendor can supply this information.

19. If you have to raise funds from another source to enable your project’s success, you will need to show how you intend to do this. If match funding is not secured, we will contact you for further information. If you are successful in applying for a group grant where match funding is essential, believe housing will not release any funds until confirmation is received from the alternative funder.

20. Projects do not have to be sustainable to be awarded a group grant. Please advise believe housing if your project is likely to continue after the grant ends.

21. Groups with successful grant applications will be required to consent to any publicity and marketing that believe housing may require. This may include, but is not limited to, press and online activities of both funds being awarded and the outcomes of approved projects. Should you carry out future promotion of the outcomes of your grant application, you must reference believe housing (using relevant brand guidelines and logo(s) where required), with approval via the group’s Funding Officer.

22. If a project is turned down for funding the decision is final and there is no appeals process.