Skills in Communities Grant

Introduction

The Skills in Communities Grant provides revenue grants to support training providers and voluntary & community organisations provide training and skills-based projects.

We are looking to support:

• organisations that have previously delivered community focussed people and skills programmes within the district
• organisations that are currently delivering community focussed people and skills programmes and can extend the programme with additional funds

Grant funding up to £25,000 is available to support training or community and voluntary organisations deliver projects that help address skills shortages and local training needs in West Lindsey.

This could include projects that:

• address challenges within a specific location (e.g. rural or deprived areas)
• address barriers for disadvantaged groups or individuals
• link careers and skills initiatives between schools and employers
• a project that can deliver a higher volume of skills and training with further funding
• improves skills levels within an organisation or sector

Contact details

You can contact us via email or telephone.

Email: skills@west-lindsey.gov.uk
Telephone: 01427 676562

How to apply for this grant

To apply, we ask organisations to initially contact us for an application form. This gives us the opportunity to ensure your organisation is eligible before you begin completing the application form.

To request an application form please contact us via:

Email: skills@west-lindsey.gov.uk
Telephone: 01427 676562

We will review your Application Form within 4 weeks. Applications will be assessed on a first received basis. Where possible, we will accept and use application forms you have already completed for other funders.

Closing dates for this grant

This scheme will close to applications on Sunday 23 February 2025.

This scheme may close earlier if all available funding is awarded.

Grant amount available

The maximum grant available is: £25,000

The minimum grant available is £5,000

We can fund up to 100% of project costs however, providing match funding will be viewed favourably in the review process.

We may offer reduced grant awards subject to our budget available for this grant scheme.

Criteria for this grant

Key Criteria

The key criteria for this grant are that:

• all projects must be able to commence in March 2025
• all projects must be completed by March 2026
• all grants will be a one-off grant with no on-going funding commitment
• the project must be delivered within the district of West Lindsey

Positive outcomes for residents and communities

The main aim of this grant is to fund immediate or future skills gaps, supplement local skills provision, support people to progress in work, deliver provision through a wider range of routes or enabling more intensive and innovative provision, both qualification, and non-qualification based.

Here are some examples of outcomes your project should achieve:

• vocational licences
• growing capacity for green skills
• increasing a variety of digital skills
• provision of training in community settings
• technical and vocational qualifications up to Level 2
• employees engaged in education and training (upskilling, re-skilling)
• high value qualifications or training, where there is a need for additional skills capacity
• moving people into employment, self-employment or further and higher-level training

Organisational requirements

Your organisation must:

• have constitution or similar governing document
• be UK based bank account in the same name (or trading name) as the organisation
• have safeguarding policies (for training or development involving vulnerable people)
• have any required insurance policies (such as Public Liability Insurance)

What this grant can be spent on

This grant can be spent on revenue costs of delivering a project, and staff costs for the project.

What this grant cannot be spent on

This grant cannot be spent on:

• capital costs
• anything illegal
• promotion of any religion
• VAT if your organisation can reclaim it
• support to lobbying or campaign groups
• anything that will bring the council into disrepute
• anything party political, including supporting political organisations
• anything contrary to the council’s financial regulations, policies or strategies
• anything that an organisation has a statutory obligation to deliver
• anything that has already been spent or committee before receiving a grant (known as retrospective funding)
• anything that is already full funded or subsidised through any other government departments or scheme

Eligible organisations

The following organisations can apply to this scheme:

• constituted community groups
• registered charities
• social enterprises (such as Community Interest Companies)
• colleges or universities
• training providers
• public sector organisations*

*Projects delivered by these organisations must be for wider community benefit and not to support normal business activity.