Community fund application test

Notes for applicants

The applicant is the group or organisation that will receive the Community Fund grant.

Private individuals are not eligible to apply. Community-based groups must have a basic constitution in place.

If you would like to discuss your application before submitting the form, please contact your local Scottish Forestry office.

Guidance on completing the form

Complete all required sections of the form. We cannot consider your application if any required sections are missing:

if you are applying for £1,000 or less, complete Parts 1, 2, 3 and 5 (you do not need to complete Part 4)
if you are applying for more than £1,000, you must complete all parts of the form.

You may submit additional information to support your application.

If you do, please label it clearly and refer to it in the relevant section of the form, explaining what you are providing and why.

How the funding works

you can apply at any time while the grant is open
funding is discretionary and assessed against the grant’s objectives (see Eligible activities), the need for the project, its likely impact, and value for money
after you submit your application, Scottish Forestry will confirm the expected timescale for assessment (usually within 28 working days of receipt)
the maximum grant available for any project is £5,000
projects requesting more than £1,000 are expected to have match funding from other sources. If this is not possible, your application will be considered on a case-by-case basis
applicants must have a bank account suitable for receiving BACS payments
you must pay all project costs upfront. Grant payments will only be made after delivery of the agreed activities and on receipt of a suitable invoice
funding can be claimed in instalments if agreed in advance, but only for completed and paid-for activities
all claims must be made within the financial year the grant is awarded - projects must be completed by the end of February of that same financial year
receiving a grant does not guarantee funding in future years
a statement of expenditure and a monitoring form must be submitted with the final invoice before payment can be released
monitoring information may be used by Scottish Forestry to evidence appropriate use of funds; demonstrate impact, and help promote the Community Fund - when you submit this information you do so on the basis that Scottish Forestry is free to use it for these purposes

Eligible activities

Funding can support activities connected with any forest or woodland in Scotland, including Scotland's national forests and land. Eligible activities need to promote one of the following:

community use of woods and forests, such as events or materials that encourage people to enjoy and benefit from using woodlands
community engagement in forest and woodland management, including supporting voluntary work in woodlands and developing Community Asset Transfer Scheme applications (excluding legal costs)

Ineligible activities

The Community Fund cannot be used for:

forest schools, forest kindergartens, or other formal education activities (advice and support for these activities is available from Outdoor and Woodland Learning Scotland)
staff professional development
funding staff costs for public sector organisations
purchasing assets, including:
- fixed assets (e.g. land or permanent buildings)
- mobile assets for public sector organisations (e.g. equipment)
land-based and infrastructure costs funded through other programmes, such as the Scottish Rural Development Programme

Community fund online application form

Make sure and add all required detail. Some more descriptive text here...

Part 1: Applicant details

Name of applicant organisation:

Project title:

Brief description of your organisation (type of organisation, aims, membership, etc.):

Contact person for this application (First name | last name):

Position/Role:

Postal address:

Telephone:

E-mail:

Part 2: Project details

Project activity Please describe the project you are seeking funding for, including: • the work the grant will support • how the work will be delivered and by whom • the project’s planned start and end dates

Project outputs Please provide details of: • the direct outputs of the project (what will be delivered) • how these outputs will help to increase community use, management or ownership of woods and forests

Part 3: Project costs

Project costs by activity Please use the table below to give a detailed breakdown of your project costs by activity. Where relevant, include unit costs for each component (see the red example in the table). After completing the detailed breakdown, please

Part 4: Additional assessment criteria for projects requesting more than £1,000

Select from the following

Project Activity Type

Quantity

Unit (hour, day, hectare etc)

Unit Cost (£)

Total (£)

Select from the following:

This section is only for projects requesting more than £1,000. If you are applying for £1,000 or less, you do not need to complete this section – please go straight to Part 5 of the form.

Evidencing why the project is needed Please provide evidence demonstrating why this project is needed. This may include: • research reports • survey results • references in relevant plans and strategies • evidence of support from partner organisations (e.

Value for money Please use the table below to provide details of any match funding, including in-kind contributions. For each funding source, indicate: • the organisation or funding body • the type of funding (e.g. public, charitable, private, in kind) •

Part 5: Declaration

I confirm that I have read and understood the guidance notes in this document and that the information I have provided in this application form is accurate and complete.

Signed (on behalf of the applicant):

Position

Date:

I agree to the processing of my personal data in accordance with the Privacy Policy.