Armed Forces Community Covenant Grant Scheme

1. Armed Forces Community Covenant Grant Scheme What Makes A Good Bid?

2. Today we will cover… • Some of the basics • An opportunity to ask questions • An exercise • Top tips

3. Know your Armed Forces Community • What do you know about the Armed Forces in your area? • Do you know where the nearest Regular or Reserve unit is? • Is there family accommodation in your area? • How do you find out the needs of the military in your area?

4. What makes a good bid? • Demonstrate the need being fulfilled • Community need • Military community need • How many will be influenced? • Keep it focused and simple • Fill in all the details • Be clear on your costings and refer back to the… • Criteria and guidance • Give yourself plenty of time to prepare your bid • Don’t take an existing bid off the shelf and sprinkle military terms through it!

5. Does your bid give off VIBES? • V – Value for money • I – Impact on identified need • B – Bring communities together • E – Enable an activity, (matched funding is a bonus) • S – Supported by stakeholders

6. To consider • Check for duplication – is the service already provided by MOD, MOD Agencies, military charities, non-military charities, your own organisation, the NHS… • What are your organisation’s strategic objectives? • What are you trying to achieve regionally? • How can we tie your objectives and military opportunity together? • Is this the best place for your bid? • Does it link back to your action plan?

7. Five Aims of Community Covenant • Encourage local communities to support the Armed Forces Community in their areas • Nurture public understanding and awareness amongst the public of issues affecting the Armed Forces Community • Recognise and remember the sacrifices faced by the Armed Forces Community • Encourage activities which help to integrate the Armed Forces Community into local life • Encourage the Armed Forces Community to help and support the wider community, whether through participation in events and joint projects, or other forms of engagement

8. Successful bids (part 1) • Youth • Faith • History • Health

9. Successful bids (part 2) • Employment • Education • Play!

10. Decision making process HM Treasury Bids which are Novel, Contentious or over £70,000 Administration of finances, advice, auditing, CE Team, Sp Comd Armed Forces Covenant Team Regional Community Covenant Board Approval Y/N Local Community Covenant Board Approval Y/N Idea generated by YOU

11. What if your project changes? • Talk to your local panel • Explain what you’d like to happen and why • The local panel can advise and/or take advice • For the auditors, confirm it in writing

12. After a bid – what can you expect? • The LA may have additional Terms and Conditions to sign up to • Provide regular reports back to the LA • Expect a financial audit • Provide a final report • Demonstrate outcome • Meeting the original objectives • Show where the money went • Opportunities for publicity • Local, regional, national

13. Top Tips • If your bid points to a shortfall in provision, provide evidence that your proposal goes above and beyond current provision • Take advice early • Demonstrate sustainability for projects longer than 12 months • Matched funding is not essential but is beneficial, if you can’t get matched funding then explaining why is also helpful • If you are working with other organisations please be clear on their status e.g. not for profit organisations or charities • Lead the way!

14. Further information Armed Forces Day Heritage Lottery Fund (www.hlf.org.uk) https://www.gov.uk/armed-forces-community-covenant https://www.gov.uk/community-covenant-grant-scheme http://www.warmemorials.org/grants-scotland/ (for WW1 memorial repairs & cleaning) http://www.museumsgalleriesscotland.org.uk/