Small Grants Programme

Tips for applicants

1. Read the guidelines
Please read the funding guidelines carefully to make sure that you are eligible to apply for funding. Applications must fit within at least one of our funding priorities.

2. Check what we do not fund
Please check the list of exclusions - it wastes your time and ours if your application is for something for which we will not provide funding.

3. Completing the application form

• Application forms are only accessible from our website and must be completed in full
• We will only accept applications on the Small Grants Application Form which is available as a word document (see link at the end of the page). This can be downloaded and can be completed and saved on your computer, then printed off and posted to us with the other documents we request (see What to send with your application).
• Please do not leave any section blank - it assists us to make a full assessment if we have all the information
• Please type or write clearly - illegible applications make it difficult for us to assess what your organisation is doing and may lead to your application being declined
• Please complete the sections with the appropriate information - do not write "See attached" in each box and attach several sheets of information. The form is deliberately brief to ensure that it is easy and quick to complete, and also easy for us to assess
• Please ensure that the contact details show a permanent, landline telephone number for the organisation
• Please ensure that you supply all required details of your independent referees - including a landline telephone number as well as a mobile
• Remember to keep a copy of the entire application for your own records, but send the original to us.

4. What to send with your application
Please send the following information with your application. If you do not include all of the information requested, your application may be declined as we will be unable to complete a full assessment. There is a check list to tick at the end of the application form which will help ensure you send everything we need:

• A photocopy of your most recent annual accounts, bearing signatures of approval from your independent examiner and your board / committee
• A photocopy of your signed governing document (e.g. Rules, Constitution, Memorandum and Articles of Association etc.)
• A photocopy of a recent bank statement (please ensure the statement tallies with the information you provide in Part E on the application form)
• A photocopy of your Equal Opportunities policy
• A photocopy of any Child and/or Vulnerable Adult Protection policies
• If you are a charity registered in Northern Ireland, a photocopy of your letter from the Inland Revenue confirming your charity status (applications from Scotland will be checked against the register held by the Office of the Scottish Charity Regulator, and applications from England and Wales will be checked against the register held by the Charity Commission)

5. Send your application to us
We have tried to make applying to the Nationwide Foundation as easy as possible, so we operate a rolling programme and there are no deadlines. You can send your application to us at any time but you must send it, together with the appropriate enclosures, by post - we regret that we cannot accept applications by fax or e-mail.

6. Time taken to make a decision

• we do not send out acknowledgements of receipt of your application, as this takes up time and wastes resources. However, you should expect a period of up to three months before receiving our final decision
• please avoid telephoning to enquire about the progress of your application
• please e-mail or write to us, however, if there are any material changes to the work which you have asked us to fund
• payments will be made to successful applicants bimonthly.

7. Change of address
Please ensure that you tell us at once if you move to a different address from that shown on your application form.

8. Restrictions
In order to qualify for a grant your organisation must:

• be a registered charity:- with the Charity Commission in England and Wales, - with the Office of the Scottish Charity Regulator in Scotland - registered as exempt with the Inland Revenue in Northern Ireland
• not have an income exceeding £500,000 in your last financial year

9. How much to apply for
We make one-off grants of up to £5,000 maximum. Please do not apply for more than this amount.

10 Assessment process

• Your application will be assessed on its own merits and against our funding priorities.
• We may contact you for further information on any aspect of your application. It is therefore important to provide a daytime telephone number where indicated on the application form. Please supply a landline number preferably, rather than a mobile.
• We may also contact at least one of your given referees about your organisation or work which you have asked us to fund. Please ensure that your referees are independent i.e. they should know your work well but should not be a current or former employee or member of your board/committee.
• We will write to let you know whether your application has been successful or not.

11. Annual Reviews

• All applicants will need to complete an Annual Review form, reporting on the work funded
• We will contact you 12 months after payment of the grant for this information
• You should ensure that you complete the form promptly, as failure to do so could affect any future grants for which you might apply
• Charities may also be contacted by our independent evaluators who will be assessing both the benefit of the grant to you and the effectiveness of our grant-making processes

12. Applying again
You can re-apply to us for funding 12 months after receiving notification of the outcome of your application. This applies whether a grant is made or if the application is declined.

Reasons for declining applications

Unfortunately we have to turn down many good applications. Due to the high number of applications we receive it is our policy not to provide reasons for decline to unsuccessful applicants, however the most common reasons are:

• Limited funds available - we have £500,000 to distribute as small grants annually across the UK
• The organisation applying has over 50% of its annual expenditure in unrestricted reserves, as shown in the most recent signed accounts
• The size of the grant requested exceeds £5,000
• The organisation is not a registered charity
• The application form has not been completed in full
• Additional information requested on the application form has not been enclosed
• The application does not meet the funding criteria
• Annual income of the organisation exceeds £500,000 as shown in the most recent signed accounts
• There are concerns over the financial stability of the organisation
• There are concerns over the Governance of the organisation
• The work being applied for is outside of the charitable objectives of the organisation as stated in their constitution

Unsuccessful applicants will need to wait at least one year from the date on which they were declined before reapplying.

Back to funding guidelines

The Nationwide Foundation is a registered charity (no 1065552) and has limited liability being a company limited by guarantee registered in England and Wales (no. 3451979). Registered office address: Nationwide House, Pipers Way, Swindon, SN38 1NW.
Site updated: February 2010