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Community Funding Policy

Reference: P10-005
Status: Approved by the Council on 1 June 2010

Policy Purpose

The purpose of this policy is to clarify how the New Plymouth District Council will support the district's community by providing community funding.

Policy Statements

The aim of community funding is to provide targeted and accountable financial support to the community in a transparent manner that will empower them to positively contribute to the well-being of the district.

The following statements underpin the community funding initiative:

Application process and timeframes

1. Community funding is a contestable fund.

2. Community funding can only be obtained through completing the application process and by adhering to the requirements set out in this policy and any supporting documentation.

3. There are two assessment and allocation rounds per year for community funding applications. These rounds will occur in April and September of each year.

4. Each funding round has the following closing date for receipt of applications:

14 February (for the April round).
14 July (for the September round).

Applications should be received no earlier than twelve weeks prior to any closing date. Schedule 2 outlines each step in the funding process.

5. The Council has the right to approve or decline any application and to attach such conditions to any approval for funding as is deemed necessary.

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Eligibility and exclusions

6. To be eligible for community funding the applicant has to meet one or more of the following criteria:

Be based in New Plymouth District or offering services to the district’s community.
Be a not for profit organisation or agency.
Be a registered charitable trust, charitable entity or incorporated society.
Provide a service or be undertaking a project that benefits the wider community of New Plymouth District.

7. Community funding is available for the following support areas:

Projects.
Public/community education events.
Public/community consultation.
Volunteer training costs.
Building organisational and community capacity to deliver projects and services.
Development of social enterprise.
Business planning.
In special circumstances consideration will be given to the funding of administration and operational costs, and in very exceptional cases to individual applicants.
Any other support areas as determined by the Funding Subcommittee including capital items, may be considered (quotations must be supplied).
Only one application per year will be considered from any applicant.

8. Services and/or projects on both public and private land are eligible to apply for community funding. Where applications are made for services and/or projects on private land, ongoing community access arrangements will be required.

9. Exclusions for eligibility of community funding include the following:

Commercial companies.
Government agencies – (health).
Statutory bodies.
Political parties.
Religious groups (not including those that are community service providers).
Schools.
Kindergartens.
Activities that qualify for other sources of Council funding (marae grants excepted).
Council owned facilities (partially owned facilities are exempt).
Services and/or projects that have received funding from the current New Plymouth District Council Annual Plan or Long Term Plan.

10. Funding may be allocated for between one to three years.

Funding criteria

11. Each application will be assessed against the following criteria:

The need for the project/service.
Whether it creates visible benefits/impacts for the community.
Whether it contributes towards achieving the Community Outcomes as outlined in the Council’s Long Term Plan.
The proven financial need for the funding.
The target delivery audience.
The level of innovation.
The sustainability of the programme/project/initiative.
The extent to which the programme/project/initiative is already provided in the community.
Other funding received or applied for (non-disclosure of other funding sources may result in nullification of funding application).

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Performance Reporting

12. All applicants who receive funding allocations will be required to provide a performance report on the outputs/outcomes generated and the financial spend of their funding allocations. Performance reporting templates will be provided to each applicant who is allocated funding. Performance reporting requirements will be set in accordance to the level of funding received and will be developed in partnership with the Council.

Marae Grants

13. Community funding is also available to assist marae development, any application will have to meet the criteria in this policy.

14. Grants for marae funding are also available from a separate funding source to community funding. The criteria and process for the marae grant funding is included in Schedule 1 which accompanies this policy.

SCHEDULE ONE -

Marae Grants funding criteria and process

Provision is made each year in the Annual Plan for financial resources to assist with insurance, maintenance and capital projects applicable to marae.
Council staff to be made available to assist/advise marae with technical and planning expertise.
From the Annual Plan provision the Council will make annual grants based on applications made to the Council.
Priority areas for funding are structured to allow for the protection, renewal and replacement of building components for both capital and revenue, and funding decisions are made according to the following priority areas:
a) Insurance (building, insurance valuations, fire and security monitoring). Marae Development:
b) External works (protection of the fabric of the building ensuring it is structurally sound and watertight)
c) Health and safety (work that ensure the building is safe and secure for all those persons using it, and include areas such as electrical works, faulty floorboards, plumbing, and lighting for example)
d) Hygiene (matters related primarily to drainage, kitchens, bathrooms and toilet areas)
e) Interior structure (included in this are walls, ceilings and other internal structure and fabric not already covered by the above areas)
f) Aesthetic and capital projects (this criteria allows for new desirable objects).
The determining authority may:a) Allocate grants b) Authorise a change of grant purpose from that originally designated, under special circumstancesc) Retrospectively allocate grants for notified, urgent works, where funds are available to do sod) Decline an applicationd) Hear any submissions in support of those applications.
All marae must have in place appropriate buildings insurance.
Applications for the marae grants scheme will close on 31 July annually.
To be eligible for this assistance, marae must:
a) Be an incorporated society or trust Under the Te Ture Whenua Act 1993
b) Forward with their application an audited copy of the previous year’s annual accounts, if gross revenue is $25,000 or above (as required by the Te Ture Whenua Act 1993)
c) If gross revenue is less than $25,000, a copy of the previous year’s financial information which has been presented at the marae AGM and signed by the Chairperson and Treasurer must be provided with the application.
Administration of Marae Grant
a) Grants will only be paid out on receipt of suppliers invoice except in the case of insurance where the marae may invoice the Council directly.
b) Once suppliers invoice has been received, staff will arrange to visit the marae and talk to trustees regarding the work prior to payment of invoice.