BHP Billiton Endowment Fund
Community Foundation for Merseyside
Background to the Fund: The fund was established with funding from BHP Billiton Petroleum Ltd.
What is the focus of the fund: Projects based around enhancing or conserving the local physical environment that also benefit the wider community and improve people’s lives. The fund has the following priorities:
- ‘Greening’ urban areas
- Nature conservation
- Tackling pollution
- Aiding recycling
Examples of the sorts of projects that may be funded:
- Nature trail to raise awareness of and to access wildlife and plants
- Creation of new wildlife habitats ie tree planting, creation of wetlands
- Protection of existing wildlife habitats
- Gardening tools for an after-school club
- Community composting schemes
- Improving local community waste-land
- Clean up campaign
- Community gardens
- Local food production projects
How to apply?
Please visit the Community Foundations for Lancashire and Merseyside’s website - www.cfmerseyside.org.uk and complete an online application form. Once you have submitted the online application you will need to send the documents listed below. If you do not submit all the relevant documents within 7 days your application will be withdrawn. You can now attach the documents to your online application, email them to applications@cflm.email or post them to the address below.
Documents which need to be included with your application:
A copy of the group’s rules or constitution
A copy of the group’s latest annual accounts or income/expenditure document
A list of your Trustees/Management Committee/Directors
A copy of a recent bank statement for your group
A copy of the group’s current Safeguarding Policy. All applicants must ensure that they hold relevant policies and procedures in place to undertake activities, such as Criminal Records Bureau checks and/or a health and safety policy, depending on proposed activity. If unsure about what you need please contact the Community Foundation for help
NB: If you have applied to us previously and have already submitted copies of the above documents, you do not need to send them in again. However, current accounts and a bank statement are required with every application.
The following items cannot be supported via the fund:
- Organisations with less than 3 Trustees/Directors/Management Committee members
- Private Businesses or CICs limited by shares
- Statutory organisations or work that is their responsibility
- National organizations that cannot demonstrate local governance and control of local finances
- Commercial ventures
- Purchase/maintenance of vehicles
- Activities that will have already taken place before we offer you a grant
- Politically connected or exclusively religious activities
- Projects for personal profit
- Trophies and medals
- CCTV/Security measures
- Organisations that are set up for the benefit of animals or plants: environmental groups that work with animals or the environment (such as city farms) are acceptable
- Groups raising funds to redistribute to other causes
- Groups comprising just one family
- Debts and other liabilities
- Reclaimable VAT
- Travel outside UK
- Gifts or projects exclusively for the purpose of entertaining – social events can be funded where there is a clear community benefit
What happens next?
Completed applications are considered by Community Foundation staff to check eligibility. You may be contacted for more information after applying and a decision making panel will make recommendations based on the fund’s criteria and the budget available. You should expect to hear the outcome of your application within 6 weeks of the closing date.
Who can apply:
Voluntary or community groups with a constitution or set of rules in the group’s name.
How much is available: Grants of up to £2000 are available and the total budget to spend in the fund is approximately £11,000
Which areas are covered: Merseyside including Halton
Any special criteria: Priority will be given to those groups working in disadvantaged areas of the community that show local community involvement