Business Development Fund Guidance Notes Version: V0.1 Date issued: 01.04.2017 Author: The Hyde Foundation The Hyde Foundation The Hyde Foundation w orks w ith vulnerable people to sustain their tenancies and preempt w ider community issues - addressing them before they become a problem. The Foundation is staffed by a core team of experts w ith diverse professional skills and years of experience creating environments w here opportunity can thrive. The team has impressive connections to external support programmes, partners and funding sources open to individuals and communities. The Foundation also provides grants for individuals, community projects and larger bespoke projects. All grants are aimed at supporting Hyde residents and the communities w here they live. In addition to the distribution of grants, The Hyde Foundation s Successful Tenancies team w orks collaboratively w ith colleagues across Hyde to secure sustained outcomes for residents at risk of tenancy failure. The team consists of money and debt, employment and tenancy sustainment specialists w ho w ork together to address residents issues, reducing costs and risk to the business as w ell as protecting the most vulnerable The Hyde Foundation s Successful Places team is committed to reducing estate-based challenges that affect the business, building the resilience of individuals and communities. The team w orks in partnership at national, regional and local levels to create positive pathw ays out of deprivation for young people and improve the health and w ell-being of older people. We also have a Business Development and Fundraising team that identifies new opportunities and service needs, developing the core programmes to ensure that they are responsive to emerging business challenges. The Foundation s w ork is aligned w ith Hyde s core Social Purpose - to put roofs over even more people s heads. The Business Development Fund This grant fund is available to Hyde Foundation Staff only (it is a closed grant fund). It is intended to enable the Foundation s Programme teams to achieve their targets (and ultimately the Foundation s Missions) by providing the necessary resources to allow for more effective, innovative, flexible and timely delivery of work. Grants can be used to cover the cost of new and existing work and submissions covering all areas Hyde operate in although key areas as deemed by business need, will be given priority. Successful Tenancies Fund 1
Who is eligible to apply? Only Hyde Foundation Staff can make an application for a grant from this Fund. This can be for work they will deliver directly, or on behalf of external organisations and groups. Applications on behalf of statutory organisations are not permitted. External organisations and groups who are to receive the monies must have a bank account in their name and must be a legal entity (with governing documents) or a constituted group (also with governing documents). When to apply Applications to the Business Development Fund are assessed all year round from April to February. Before you start your application It is important that you check the feasibility of the activity start date, as you will need to factor in time to hear a decision about your application and for the grant payment to be processed (if successful). This can take up to 6 weeks in total from the point of application submission. Factors for this include: The number of Spend Notices to review at any one time The availability of the Head of the Hyde Foundation Time for Hyde Charitable Trust Trustees to feedback and provide approval consent where requested amount exceed 25,000 Requests for missing information this can create delays during the assessment stage, so making sure all the information is provided will help to prevent unnecessary deferral If required as part of your planned activity, you (or the external organisation or group you are applying on behalf of) must also have the necessary planning permissions or consents from the relevant parties. Making an application to the Business Development Fund All applications are made via our online grants portal https://hydehousing.flexigrant.com/ Please note you are required to register your details before you are able to begin your application. We currently do not accept application forms in paper format. If you experience issues while completing your application and require assistance, please contact grantsadministration@hyde-housing.co.uk. Applications to this Fund consist of a Spend Notice, plus any additional information required as set out in the Spend Notice and these guidance notes. Please ensure you complete the correct Spend Notice. If you want to draw down monies from a specific designated or restricted fund click the link with the corresponding name. The link to the General Spend Notice should be used in all other instances. The member of staff must complete the Spend Notice using information provided by the organisation or group they intend to pass the monies on to. If the member of staff is applying for an activity (project/service/item) they will be delivering on directly i.e. an internal activity, then they will simply use information they have gathered themselves. Successful Tenancies Fund 2
Completing the Spend Notice The Spend Notice is designed to be as simple as possible, while retaining the ability to run sufficient due diligence and be properly assessed based on the information provided by the applicant. The information requested by the Spend Notice is as follows: 1. Name of Staff member applying 2. Declaration that the applying staff member has read these guidance notes 3. Name and contact details of external organisation or group who will receive these funds (Hyde Foundation details should just be provided for internal activity) 4. Name of the activity (project/service/item/etc.) 5. Brief overview of the activity (500 words max) this should include a description of the activity and the purpose it will serve 6. Activity start date 7. Activity end date 8. Amount sought from the Business Development Fund this must include VAT and any other on costs where applicable 9. Breakdown of the sought amount approximations can be used where specifics are not yet known 10. Hyde Area(s) that will be affected by this activity there is an option for activity that doesn t serve an area but will generally support the Hyde Foundation Team in some other way 11. Proposed number of Hyde beneficiaries this can be based on approximations (i.e. using the number of Hyde properties in the area as a guide). There is an N/A option and also an unknown option to use i.e. in the case of one off public events 12. Foundation values this questions requires the member of staff to state which of the new Hyde Foundation values will be progressed as part of their application. There is an option to select reputation benefits where this is applicable 13. Additional information here is where the applying member of staff can upload any further information pertinent to the activity. This could be some documented evidence of the activity or its costs, a fuller project brief they already created, an external match funding application form, a board report, etc. This may not be applicable but the option is there 14. If applicable and if it is not included in the additional information already attached, information on how the project will be monitored must be provided 15. If applicable and if it is not included in the additional information already attached, information on how and when the project will measure impact must be provided 16. If applicable and if it is not included in the additional information already attached, information on a reporting schedule must be provided (this may be used by the Grant Management Team to trigger payment instalments where applicable and will be reflected in the grant offer paperwork) 17. Applicable and if it is not included in the additional information already attached, the organisation must pass along the following documents (where relevant) to the applying staff member: a. A copy of their governing documents (constitution, memorandum and articles of association or equivalent). b. A copy of their Child Protection/Vulnerable Adults Safeguarding Policy c. A copy of their Equal Opportunities Statement/Policy d. A copy of their Health and Safety Statement/Policy e. Insurance policy details - public liability and employers liability where applicable (this can consist of the policy number and duration via email/on a word document) 18. If applicable and if it is not included in the additional information already attached, information on the external organisation s or group s board/committee members must be provided 19. The applying staff member must verify approval from their line manager Successful Tenancies Fund 3
20. The applying staff member must sign a declaration Questions 14-18 are unlikely to be applicable in the following instances: One-off event contributions Subscription fees Legal fees Staff training fees Item purchases i.e. specialist software or computer for a staff member to work more effectively in pursuit of the Foundation s goals Value for money It is critical that applications demonstrate value for money. Part of the application assessment process will include reviewing and interrogating the activity costs. The Head of The Hyde Foundation reserves the right to suggest alternative activities or to seek justifications for the proposed activity/activity costs. Suppliers Where Hyde suppliers can be used to provide activities (items/services) these should be considered where it is suitable to do so. Where new an organisation, group, or supplier is required for the purpose of the application activity, Hyde s Supplier Set Up Process must be followed, which will require the organisation/group/supplier s name, bank details and representative s signature on their headed paper. The Grants Management Team will carry out this process on behalf of the applying staff member. Grant request amounts There is no set limit for grants from the Business Development Fund; however there is a limited amount in the pot of circa 200,000 in each financial year. What can the grant money be spent on? Grant monies from the Business Development Fund can be used to cover a variety of project/activity related costs including: Commissioning costs Research Buying in ready-made services One off contributions to local projects/groups/events Consortium buy-in fees Equipment Training Legal fees Match funding Project development costs including consultation expenses Management costs and proportionate overheads, including salaries Direct project delivery costs, including salaries Monitoring, impact and evaluation costs New work and current work Activity expansion costs Successful Tenancies Fund 4
What can t the money be spent on? Business Development Fund Grants cannot be spent on: Activities or expenditure that happens or starts before a grant is confirmed and payment dates are set Funds reimbursed or set to be reimbursed by other grants Gifts to individuals (other than promotional items) with a value of no more than 10 a year to any one individual Entertainment (entertaining for this purpose means anything that would be a taxable benefit to the person being entertained, according to current UK tax regulations) Loan repayments, endowments, statutory fines, criminal fines or penalties Any other activity which Hyde in their absolute discretion consider is not directly associated with developing the programme Fundraising activities (for Hyde or the external organisation who will be receiving the funding) Land or building projects where the ownership or lease is not yet in place Activities that promote political or religious beliefs Projects that only support people who do not live in Hyde areas Projects that you cannot maintain because of high ongoing costs or the need for costly specialist skills Purchase of alcohol or tobacco Any unlawful/illegal/fraudulent activity How are the applications assessed? Applications from eligible organisations will be assessed against the following criteria: 1. Adherence to eligibility and guidance requirements as set out in these guidance notes and specified on the Spend Notice 2. Need for the Activity - evidence of the gaps and understanding of the wider operating context 3. Feasibility of the Activity - timing, delivery approach, realistic cost 4. Value for Money - resource implications 5. Where organisations and groups are to receive monies, their capability and level of risk will be assessed i.e. the extent to which they are well governed, accountable, complaint, financially viable, observant of relevant policy and procedure Who makes the final decision? All applications must have the approval of the applying staff member s line manager, which must be uploaded when completing the Spend Notice. All applications are assessed by the Head of the Hyde Foundation, who makes the final decision on whether to make an award. Where the amount requested in over 25,000 the trustees of the Hyde Charitable Trust will be involved in the decision making process. Compliance, eligibility and standard due diligence checks will be carried out by the Hyde Foundation Grants Management Team. Timing of the assessments is dependent on the availability of the Head of the Hyde Foundation. As a general rule of thumb (and if there are no delays caused by the applicant or the organisation who will be receiving the funds), applications should be approved and payments made 4-6 weeks from application submission. Successful Tenancies Fund 5
Informing applicants of the outcome of their application Once an application is assessed, the applying staff member will be notified of the outcome either by the Head of the Hyde Foundation or the Grants Management Team. This will be done via email. Successful applications Where a Spend Notice has been completed for the purpose of passing on monies to an external organisation or group, they will be sent the grant offer documentation setting out our standard terms and conditions. The paperwork will include: An Offer of Grant A Grant Agreement An Acceptance of Offer of Grant (which must be signed as instructed) A Monitoring and Evaluation Schedule (which will indicate all reporting requirements); and A Payment Schedule In addition to the above, they will be instructed to send: Their bank account details set out on their headed paper and signed and dated by a representative Any further requests for other documentation, which will be set out in the Grant Agreement document. Organisations or groups must return hard copies of their signed acceptance and supporting documents in the post to: Grants Administration Team Hyde Plus Hollingsworth House PO BOX 51182 London SE13 9BU Alternatively scanned versions and electronic versions of signed documentation and supporting evidence can be emailed to: Grantsadministration@hyde-housing.co.uk If the organisation or group take more than 2 weeks from the date of the Grant Offer Letter to return their Acceptance of Grant Form, the grant award may be withdrawn and the application process will have to be restarted. Where a Spend Notice has been awarded for an internally led activity, the member of staff applying will receive a basic Offer of Grant Letter and Grant Acceptance Form only, which they will need to sign and return as instructed. Where and when will the grant monies are deposited Payment of awarded grant funds will be made into the bank account of the organisation, group or supplier relating to the Spend Notice via BACS. If credit card payments are required, a Hyde Foundation credit card holder will be required to support the payment process. Successful Tenancies Fund 6
Grant payments may be made in more than one instalment where requested by the applying staff member or requested by the Head of the Hyde Foundation (or trustees). Fraudulent activity or grant misuse The Hyde Foundation aims to minimise and eradicate fraud relating to grant programmes and grant projects in order to support our mission of improving people s lives and communities. The Foundation is committed to data matching across all Hyde systems for the purposes of fraud detection, and seeks to encourage and participate in data matching initiatives involving other public bodies such as the police, banks and regulatory bodies. Misuse of grant funding or illegal activity may result in grant withdrawal and contacting legal authorities. The Foundation respects the rights of companies and will use all lawful means to protect its finances from fraud and meet any relevant legislative requirements relating to fraud and money laundering. You are responsible for notifying us of any minor or major changes to your activity immediately via grantsadminstration@hyde-housing.co.uk mailbox. Any suspicious or illegal activity brought to our attention at any point throughout the duration of the activity will be investigated. If found participating in fraudulent or illegal activity we will contact you or the organisation/group/supplier in writing and withdraw funding immediately. We will also request, in writing, the immediate return of any funds already paid. Data Protection and Intellectual Property For the purpose of sharing personal data, you or the organisation/group/supplier will need to obtain appropriate consents and comply with the Data Protection Act 1998. Any copyright or other intellectual property developed as part of a funded project will be governed by the Grant Agreement. Declaration By signing the Spend Notice you agree to abide by the terms set out in the Declaration and Agreement to Grant Conditions Section. Further conditions may be set out in the Grant Agreement. Any grant offer will be subject to the activity remaining within these grant terms and conditions. Help and further information For further information please contact the HCT Grants Administration Team at Hyde Plus on: Telephone number: 020 8297 7661/020 8297 3099 E-mail us at grantsadministration@hyde-housing.co.uk Apply online at: https://hydehousing.flexigrant.com/ Successful Tenancies Fund 7