Grant Aid
The Town Council has a budget for grant aid which it puts aside each financial year. Applications can be submitted to the Town Council for consideration. The procedure for applying is as follows:
An application for financial assistance must be made on a grant aid application form, available from the Town Council's offices. For contact details click here; or you can download a copy of the grant aid application form to print out by clicking here.
Please ensure that you read the terms and conditions before making an application.
Projects or events will only be considered if it is shown that the Birchwood community will clearly benefit if a grant is awarded.
Groups with sufficient funds, that could be used to support the project, will not normally be considered for assistance.
Following advice received from the Cheshire Association of Local Councils, the Town Council regrets that it is unable to award grant aid for individual benefit.
See below for our current terms and conditions.
Terms and Conditions:
1. Grants cannot be awarded to individuals, or for individual benefit.
2. Grants will only be awarded where there is clear, direct benefit to the people of Birchwood, the Town Council, the Birchwood area, or its residents.
3. Grants will not be awarded, unless in exceptional circumstances, to those organisations that can raise income through the rating system (e.g. fire brigade) or national charitable organisations.
4. Grants will not be awarded to groups that come under an ‘umbrella’ organisation with sufficient funds which could be used to support the project.
5. Groups/organisations with large balances will not normally be considered for grant aid funding.
6. Grants cannot be awarded to private businesses.
7. Grants are not available to organisations for the payment of salaries.
8. Grants cannot be given for any trips overseas, or educational trips.
9. Grants will not be given for the maintenance or repair of buildings or accommodation.
10. Grants will not normally be awarded for the payment of rent. Where it can be demonstrated that the payment of rent will enable a new community group to establish itself, with the intention of becoming self-financing, or an existing group experiencing a temporary shortfall in its finances, to remain open, the Town Council will consider paying rent for a time maximum of six months, up to a financial maximum of £300.
Groups must supply documentation to show their financial situation, indicate why they cannot currently pay rent, and show how they intend to improve their financial situation within the time that the grant award would allow (e.g. if a group’s monthly rent is £100, for example, it will have a maximum of three months to become self-financing).
11. The recipient(s) of any grant will be expected to write an article for the Town Council's website.
12. The organisation receiving the grant will be expected to provide evidence that the funding has been spent on that activity.
13. If, for any reason, the organisation/group does not/cannot run the event, or utilise the funding for its intended purpose, it should be returned to the Town Council in full.