Great Aycliffe Grants Programme

The Great Aycliffe Grants programme provides grants up to £5,000 to support charities, voluntary-led organisations and projects that have an impact in their community, enabling them to continue their work and make vital improvements to their service. The funding can cover a broad range of projects and activities taking place in the Aycliffe area that support: • improved health and wellbeing, • children and young people, • arts and culture, • the elderly, • people with disabilities • projects providing services in the community • improving the local environment.

What type of funding can you apply for? Examples of the types of projects and activities we will support are listed below but we will consider funding any activities that have clear community benefits and that meet our general criteria: • capital items, equipment (except vehicles or minibuses) for use in projects, • coaching or training activity, • project costs, • sessional costs (we do not fund salaries unless stated in specific programme guidelines), • a contribution to core costs where the income of the organisation is less than £100,000 per year • capacity building activities, • transport costs, • repair costs, • IT equipment limited to maximum £1,500.

For any single items or works between £250 and £1,000 we would accept one quote or estimate of works. For single items or works between £1,001 and £50,000 three quotes should be obtained. There are no deadlines – applications can be made at any time.

Who we support: Typically, we award grants to: • voluntary-led organisations with charitable aims, • registered charities and charitable incorporated organisations (CIO,) • social enterprises, • community interest companies (CIC), • companies limited by guarantee that have charitable aims • Organisations and groups whose beneficiaries live in the Great Aycliffe area (priority will be given to organisations based in Great Aycliffe)

On application, you must be able to outline the positive impact your project will have on your local community and to beneficiaries.

What we cannot fund: • unspecified contributions to general fund-raising appeals or large projects, • for profit or commercial elements of charitable organisations • capital items for general office resourcing (non-project) • public bodies to carry out their statutory obligations, • direct replacement of statutory or public funding, • party political activity and campaigning, • contingency funding, • refreshments or food, • building or buying premises or land rights, • projects that solely support animal welfare, • purchase of vehicles (running costs will be considered), • feasibility studies or initial community consultations, • fundraising activities, • deficit or retrospective funding, • sponsored events, multiple trophies or prizes, • general running or core costs, except as a proportionate contribution to a project, • CIC start-ups • wholly grant-maintained CICs • profit making or business ventures, including start-up costs • activities that are primarily about proselytization or supporting worship activities(faith organisations may apply for funding towards a project/activity that is open to thewhole community and has wider social benefits)

We do not normally fund: • national or regional charities, although we can support local branches of national charities if they are financially independent and locally managed. • salaries through Community Grants but it may be considered by some of our other programmes (please check the specific programme criteria), • organisations whose free reserves include more than 12 months of running costs, • medical research and equipment, • organisations that do not have their own bank account (in exceptional circumstances and through prior agreement with CDCF a group may nominate an organisation to hold the funding on their behalf)