1. Introduction

The Community Grant Application process is open. We are delighted that you are doing work to benefit your community and that you are considering applying for a grant. The purpose of this document is to provide guidance on completing the application form, to optimise your chances of success.

Link to the original document in PDF format

Please note that from Financial Year 2026/27 the SPC grants criteria changed as follows:

Applications may be made at any point during the Financial Year. However:

• The maximum grant award for 2026/27 shall be £500 per application.
• Due to the current financial constraints of the Council, Community Grants will be awarded only in exceptional circumstances, where an application demonstrates a clear, evidenced, and urgent need.

2. Grant Eligibility Criteria.

Before starting the application form, you should ensure that your organisation meets the eligibility criteria detailed below.

• The Parish Council can only award grants using certain legal powers; specific powers allow the Council to provide funding for specific activities or projects which Members feel will be of benefit to residents of Shenstone, Stonnall or Little Aston.

• It is a condition of any grant application that the group or project must bring direct benefit to the residents of the Parish. All applications must clearly demonstrate how this will be achieved.
• Application forms must be submitted along with:

• Bank statement(s); both current and savings accounts.
• A constitution if not previously submitted or if it has been amended since it was submitted.
• The latest set of the group’s accounts
• It is important that all questions on the application form are answered and that any additional information in support of the application is provided.
• New groups may need to submit accounts later.
• Retrospective grant applications will only be considered under very special circumstances.
• The group requesting the grant must be a charity, voluntary or community organisation.

• Any grant awarded must only be used for the purpose for which it is applied and must be spent within the year that it is awarded unless exceptional circumstances prevail. If the grant cannot be spent in the year it has been awarded the Parish Council should be contacted as soon as possible if it is likely that a request will be made to carry over any unspent balance, otherwise it should be returned to the Parish Council.
• Shenstone Parish Council reserves the right to request any further information that it deems necessary to assist the decision-making process.
• Ongoing commitments to award grants in future years cannot be made therefore a new application will be required each year.
• The size of any grant awarded is at the sole discretion of the Parish Council. Applicants should be aware that the Council will often prefer to pay a grant by directly purchasing the supplies or facilities referred to in the application rather than transferring monies to the applicants.
• Shenstone Parish Council reserves the right to refuse any grant application which is considered to be inappropriate or against the objectives of the Parish Council.
• All awards must be properly accounted for and evidence of expenditure should be supplied as requested. If the Parish Council is not satisfied with the arrangements, they reserve the right to request a refund of monies awarded.
• All applicants must submit proper auditable accounts to demonstrate how the grant awarded has been used.
• Only one application for a grant will be considered from an organisation defined by its bank account, in any one year.
• The decision of the Parish Council is final.

The Parish Council will NOT award grants to:

• Private Individuals.
• Commercial organisations. A Commercial organisation is one that has its main aim through its articles of memorandum to create and generate profits for the benefit of its shareholders/owners. It is a Company that trades in the Commercial world and will have staff, customers, and suppliers as typical in the Commercial environment.
• Fund purposes for which there is a statutory duty upon other local or central government departments to fund or provide, for example, schools. Unless such duty is devolved to the community or local level by agreement.
• “Upward funders” such as local groups where fund raising is sent to a central HQ for redistribution.
• Political parties

3. Application Form Overview

The form is now split into 5 distinct sections, and the purpose of each section can be summarised as follows:

• Section One – Your Contact Details.

Starting with the easy stuff… This section asks for key but standard contact details. These will be used to contact you in the event of any further questions. To let you know the outcome of your application, post adjudication

• Section Two: Information on your Organisation and the Community Benefits is Delivers

Here we are looking to understand a bit more detail on what you do and who in the Parish community benefits from your activities. Also to gain an understanding on how the money will be spent, if you are successful. Brief but specific details are really helpful. For example:

• 1. The grant will be used to repair flood damage to the village hall.

b) Our village hall was recently affected by flooding and requires urgent repairs to reopen. The requested £500 grant is critical, as it will enable the project to proceed and unlock significantly higher levels of funding from other grant providers.

When operational it is in regular use providing a warm, clean and well-maintained facility for a large variety of community events and activities. These include: badminton, short-mat bowls, keep fit/yoga, dance classes and theatrical productions. We are looking to upgrade the stage area, with improved lighting and curtains. This will enable urgent restoration to key elements of the hall. Meaning planned events, especially for community drama groups, can quickly recommence and published performance schedules maintained.

Statement b is the better statement and is likely to score higher during the adjudication process.

• Section Three: Financial Breakdown – Details on how the Grant will be used

In this section you will need to break down exactly how the grant will be used. Normally the grants are a contribution of up to X% of the total ‘project’ expenditure. It should include all the costs of the project, which bits you are asking the Parish Council to fund and where the rest of the money will come from. It should detail specific items of expenditure and avoid vague terms like ‘contingency funds’

In the example below the grant is only going to be used to support two cost areas replacing curtains and upgrading the stage lighting. For your application, all the funds could be for one ‘item’ in this instance you would use a single row and the total row only. The grant may also be spread across multiple items. E.g. Transport, Food Catering equipment hire. In this example each expenditure should have its own line and be totalled at the bottom.

 

Brief details of Expenditure	Funding Requested from Shenstone Parish Council	Secured Funding	Pending Funding (If applicable)	Total Cost
Cost to replace curtains	£150	£350 Small Grants Scheme (ACRE)	N/A	£500.
Cost to upgrade stage lighting.	£350	£500 (supporter Donations)	£1500 Platinum Jubilee Village Hall Improvement Grant Fund	£2350.
Total Costs	£500	£1550	800	£3300.

• Section Four: Required Documents and Information.

This is an important reminder of the important documentation and information you should associate with your application to help ensure its success.

• Section Five Declaration.

Your almost there! All you need to do now is read the declaration and sign to confirm the information you have provided is accurate and you agree to the terms and conditions associated with the application.

Good luck and hope your application is successful.

Link to the application form