Renewable Energy Fund
The Renewable Energy Fund is money received from renewable
energy developments within the South Lanarkshire area.
The purpose of the fund is to assist affected communities to
improve the quality of life and economic prosperity in their
local area.
The main Renewable Energy Fund receives 70% of generated income and is administered by South Lanarkshire
Council Enterprise Resources. The remaining 30% is administered via the Developing Local Communities Fund.
The Developing Local Communities Fund is a key element of the South Lanarkshire Rural Partnership’s ‘Developing
Local Communities’ action plan, which is part of the Partnership’s rural strategy ‘Working Towards Sustainable
Communities’ and focuses on smaller community based projects that aim to provide local solutions to local
problems. Both Funds will consider eligible projects within a 10km radius of each participating development.
Purpose of the fund
Both the Renewable Energy Fund and the Developing
Local Communities Fund will provide financial support
for Capital Projects which meet one or more of the
following priorities:
• To secure investment, create employment, implement
training, promote or secure sustainable development
• To relieve poverty, advance education and other social
purposes beneficial to an eligible community
• To preserve, protect or enhance the environment or
heritage of Scotland, including any building
• To promote and encourage environmental improvement
or enhancement including the provision or upgrading of
infrastructure
• To provide or assist in the provision of facilities for
recreation or other leisure time activities
Support is not available for Revenue Projects
or projects which restrict access from an equal
opportunities perspective. Applications which meet
more than one of the above priorities will have a greater
chance of approval.
Renewable Energy Fund
What is available?
The Renewable Energy Fund can provide grants of up to 60% of total
‘eligible’ costs, for capital projects only.
Match funding can be provided by either public and/or private money/
or volunteers time and donated materials.
Match funding support will have to be demonstrated in a manner
acceptable to audit standards e.g. three written quotations for works
or services, receipted invoices and bank statements.
Grant support will only be available for capital projects which can
demonstrate that funding for set up and sustainable costs and routine
repair and maintenance has already been identified/approved as
appropriate.
Community based projects may receive advance payment up to
a maximum of 50% of total grant award. Payment of grants will be
retrospective on production of receipted original invoices and a
completed grant claim and progress report form.
Community based projects may also receive the balance of funding in
advance of the submission of all receipted invoices but only on the basis
of a site visit taking place to verify that project spend or works have
been satisfactorily completed. All receipts and invoices will be lodged
with the fund administrators within 28 days of this payment being made.
As at April 2012, the REF received the following approximate amounts,
index linked on an annual basis:
Blacklaw
Whitelee
Stallashaw Moss
Pates Hill
£100,000
£50,000
£35,000
£7,000
Who can apply?
The fund is designed to be as accessible as possible to organisations, social enterprises,
community groups and organisations.
Renewable Energy Fund
Applications for financial assistance for projects within
a 10km radius of participating Renewable Energy
developments will be accepted from:
• Public organisations and agencies
• Partnerships, trusts, co-operatives and other non- governmental organisations
• Community groups, associations or organisations
• Any Social Enterprise or not for profit organisations located, or offering a service benefiting communities, within a 10km radius of participating developments.
Applications will be considered from out-with the
10km radius if it can be demonstrated that the
beneficiaries of the project reside within the eligible
area, with grant awards being proportionally based on
the percentage of residents from eligible communities
as benefiting from the project.
But under this programme we will not fund:
• Individuals and sole traders
• Profit making organisations
We are unlikely to fund organisations that are in poor
financial health or those that have had previous grant
from us which has not been managed satisfactorily.
To apply to the Renewable Energy Fund, applicants
must have:
• A written constitution or set of rules
• An equal opportunities policy or statement
• At least three unrelated people on their governing
body or management committee
• A bank account which requires two signatories
How will our application be dealt with?
Renewable Energy Fund
After initial contact is made with the Project
Officer, a project application form will be issued.
A meeting will be arranged with the Project
Officer who will offer additional guidance on
eligibility criteria and availability of funds. This
meeting should take place prior to lodging any
application to ensure that when received it
contains all the necessary information to allow
processing and determination.
Please send us your application at least three
months before your project is due to start.
This gives us adequate time to assess your
application and to request any further
information. We will only consider one
application from your organisation at a time.
Upon receipt of an offer of grant, the applicant
will be required to supply confirmation of
acceptance within four weeks of the date of the
offer. You can start your project as soon as it
has been approved by Committee.
Any grant offer will be subject to securing
any necessary statutory consents and match
funding. As part of the offer, the applicant at
this point will be given guidance on the type
of information required to enable draw down
of grant funds both during and after successful
completion of the project.
All grant monies should be expended within
a 12 month period from the date of the
Committee approval.
On receipt of all information required,
Regeneration Services will acknowledge receipt
of your application and endeavour to process
the application within the four week period.
Approximately 12 months after the completion
of the project, an evaluation and compliance
exercise will be undertaken with the applicant
to confirm that all aspects of the project have
been completed successfully and the identified
outputs delivered satisfactorily.
Following the assessment, you will be advised
on the score achieved during the assessment
process and the date and location of the
Committee meeting at which your application
will be considered.
A list of all grants awarded along with
information on their status will be issued via an
Annual Report which will be considered by the
appropriated Council Committee.
If successful, a recommendation to the
appropriate Council Committee will be made
within six weeks of the conclusion of the
application process. This period may require to
be extended if any consultations are required of
other statutory bodies or agencies.
Subject to Committee approval, an offer of
grant would then be issued to the applicant
organisation.
The fund is designed to be as accessible
as possible to organisations, social
enterprises and constituted community
groups.
Lanark Moor Sensory Garden - REF case study
The Lanark Moor Sensory Garden was a project with two distinct ambitions.
The first to build an exceptional community garden for the benefit of the community and the second to empower
and enable a range of people with support needs.
As such the Lanark Moor Sensory Garden is much more than one of the finest formal
community gardens in Scotland, it is an example of tangible social inclusion, a skills
development centre and a source of civic pride.
The garden was designed and built by a range of people with disabilities, long term illness and social disadvantages.
From the outset the project was driven by the belief that everyone can make a worthwhile contribution. Also,
that in creating a beautiful garden for the benefit of the public, those who have participated will benefit themselves,
by learning new social and vocational skills. As a social work and landscaping project, Clydesdale Community
Initiatives (CCI) strived for the highest standards for both the process and the final product.
As the garden was targeted at people with support needs, it clearly had to attain the highest standards of
accessibility. This positively informed the design process and resulted in features including raised beds, broad
clear paths and a diverse planting scheme incorporating diferent sensory areas (ie. scented, colourful, noisy areas
etc.)
Funding from the REF was essential to the success of the project, supporting the purchase of the materials that
the volunteers and participants could then utilise. This model resulted in the community gaining a valuable asset
at a fraction of the commercial price.
Developing Local Communities Fund
What is available?
The Developing Communities Fund can provide grants of up to £5,000,
5% contribution towards total eligible projects costs is required to come
from the appropriate organisation.
Projects of over £10,000 total ‘eligible’ cost will be expected to apply to the
main Renewable Energy Fund.
Grant support will only be available for capital projects which can demonstrate
that funding for set up and on-going revenue costs and routine repair and
maintenance has already been identified/ approved as appropriate.
Projects can receive an advance payment of 25% of the total grant award
following which, payment of the remaining grant is retrospective on
production of receipted original invoices, proof of payment, output evidence
and a completed grant claim and progress report form.
The fund is a partnership and depending on the nature and location of projects
financing will be drawn from the most relevant funding source set out below and the
approval letter will clarify what partners are funding your project.
• The Renewable Energy Fund: community benefit money generated from
windfarm developments within the South Lanarkshire area (for those
projects located within a 10km radius of participating windfarms).
• South Lanarkshire Council Regeneration Services
• South Lanarkshire Rural Partnership LEADER Programme
• UK Steel Enterprise Ltd
Applications for financial assistance for projects within a 10km radius of participating renewable energy
developments and/or projects within the operating area of the South Lanarkshire LEADER Programme, will be
accepted from:
• Partnerships, trusts, co-operatives and other non- governmental
organisations
• Community groups, constituted organisations, trusts and social
enterprises.
Copyright Kenny Bean and Forth and District M. Wall Hanging Group 2011
Who can apply?
The fund is designed to be as accessible as possible to organisations, businesses,
community groups and organisations.
Developing Local Communities Fund
Applications for financial assistance for projects within a 10km radius of participating Renewable Energy
developments will be accepted from:
• Partnerships, trusts, co-operatives and other non-governmental organisations
• Community groups, associations or organisations
• Social enterprises located, or offering a service benefiting communities, within a 10km radius of participating
developments and/or within the operating area of the South Lanarkshire LEADER Programme.
Priority will be given to those communities within a 5km radius of the participating
development.
Applications will be considered from out-with the 10km radius if it can be demonstrated that the beneficiaries
of the project reside within the eligible area, with grant awards being proportionally based on the percentage
of residents from eligible communities as benefiting from the project.
General conditions
1. All awards will be conditional on the applicant securing all relevant statutory consents.
2. All match funding must be confirmed in a manner acceptable to audit standards before any work commences.
3. Work must not commence before confirmation by written acceptance of the award offer by the applicant.
4. Awards are not available for work already started or completed.
5. Payments of grants is retrospective on production of receipted original invoices and a completed grant claim and
progress report form.
How will our application be dealt with?
How to apply to the Developing Local
Communities Fund (DLCF)
The DLCF operates an online application process that can be
accessed at www.southlanarkshireleader.com. You are encouraged
to discuss your project idea with Yvonne Howley, the DLCF Project
Officer, before making an application.
Yvonne will assist you with the development of your project and with
the completion of the application form.
You can contact Yvonne at:
Developing Local Communities Fund
South Lanarkshire Rural Partnership
LEADER Programme
30 Hope Street
Lanark ML11 7NE
What happens next?
A signed application form is submitted along with constitution,
accounts, equal opportunity policy and any appropriate supporting
documentation (eg. quotations, building warrant, tenancy lease).
Applications will be checked for completeness and eligibility.
An appraisal committee, the members of which are drawn from
representatives of public agencies and community/business sectors
from within South Lanarkshire Rural Partnership. Applications are
approved against a matrix designed to indicate appropriateness of
the project against the eligibility criteria, purpose and priorities of the
DLCF.
Applicants will then receive written confirmation of decision and/
or request for further information usually within three weeks of
submission of a complete application.
What can a grant pay for?
In your application you will need to tell us what the grant would be spent upon and
how this will help you achieve your outcomes.
Here are some examples of what a grant can pay for:
Publicity materials for your project, building, refurbishment, landscaping or property projects, VAT that
you cannot recover, Feasibility studies, playgrounds, materials or equipment for use in your project and
training.
But we will not pay for:
Loan charges - apportionment of general organisational overheads or management charges; recoverable
VAT; moveable infrastructure eg. cars, furniture, fixtures and fittings and soft furnishings); costs in respect
of the provision of accountancy services relating to the carrying out of audit work; legal costs in respect
of litigation; repair costs; any costs defrayed outwith the eligible programme period; costs relating to
research or studies carried out in respect of the project prior to the official project start date; service
charges arising on finance leases and hire purchase arrangements; costs resulting form the deferral of
payments to creditors; costs involved in winding up a company; redundancy payments; payments into
private pension schemes; bad debts; gifts; payments for unfunded pensions; compensation for loss of office
or costs of works being carried out as a statutory requirement.
How we assess applications
When we have your application form, we
will start our assessment.
We will then check your organisation is eligible to apply
and that your project is something that we can support.
We will then consider:
•
•
•
•
•
•
The need for the project
Who will benefit
How you will achieve your outcomes
Whether you meet our priorities
The total project costs
Wider community involvement
An offer of grant must be signed by a senior contact from within your organisation
eg. Chair, Secretary, Treasurer etc.
We may not have enough funds to support all the
applications that we would like to. To assist us in the
assessment process, we have a scoring system. The score
which your application achieves during the assessment,
will determine the maximum intervention rate (% of
eligible costs) which you can receive. We give more
points to applications that:
•
•
•
•
Show strong evidence of need
Seek to involve as wide a range of people as possible
Meet our priorities
Are for projects that involve the wider community
Information that we need
Before you apply, please make sure you can send us the following information:
• A copy for your organisations constitution or set of rules
• A copy for your equal opportunities policy
• Three consecutive pages of original blank or building society statements not less than three months old
• Details of an independent referee
If your application is unsuccessful:
If your application is unsuccessful, we will write to you advising on the reasons why.
Applications will be considered from applicants based out-with the
fund operated area if it can be demonstrated that the beneficiaries
of the project reside within the eligible area, with grant awards being
proportionally based on the percentage of eligible beneficiaries.
General conditions
1. All awards will be conditional on the applicant securing all relevant
statutory consents.
2. All match funding must be confirmed in a manner acceptable to audit
standards before any work commences.
3. Work must not commence before confirmation by written acceptance
of the award offer by the applicant and evidence of participation in a
‘Managing your Grant’ session.
4. Awards are not available for work already started or completed.
5. Payments of grants is retrospective on submission of
• final grant claim(s)
• evidence of payment in the form of original invoices and bank
statements
• evidence of publicity activity
• evidence of outputs and outcomes achieved
Stallashaw
Blacklaw
Blacklaw, Pates Hill and Stallashaw
windfarms 10km area
Pates Hill
© Crown Copyright and database right 2011. All rights reserved.
Ordnance Survey Licence number 100020730/2011. Not to scale/Indicative only.
Whitelee windfarm
10km area
© Crown Copyright and database right 2011. All rights reserved.
Ordnance Survey Licence number 100020730/2011. Not to scale/Indicative only.
How can we apply?
Anyone wishing to apply for funding should discuss their idea with the relevant Project
Officer before making an application. They will be pleased to assist you with the
development of your project and with the completion of the application form.
Renewable Energy Fund
Stuart Hodge
Regeneration Services
South Lanarkshire Council
Enterprise Resources
Montrose House
154 Montrose Crescent
Hamilton ML3 6LB
Phone: 01698 454759 or email [email protected]
Yvonne Howley
South Lanarkshire Rural Partnership
LEADER Programme
30 Hope Street
Lanark ML11 7NE
Phone: 01555 665064 or email [email protected]
If you need this information in another language or format,
please contact us to discuss how we can best meet your needs.
Phone: 0303 123 1015 or email [email protected]
www.southlanarkshire.gov.uk
Printed on post-consumer-waste recycled paper. Published and designed by Regeneration Services, South Lanarkshire Council, April 2012.
Developing Local Communities Fund