Cambridgeshire Business Plan

Reference should be made to WREN's Funding Policies which should be read in conjunction with this guidance.

This information is taken from the Cambridgeshire, Peterborough, Norfolk and Suffolk Business Plan and is provided in good faith to help and guide applicants within this geographical area.

Budget Targets

70%

Category D

10%

Category DA

20%

Category E

Geographical priorities

• The panel will consider applications from projects within a 10 mile radius of the WRG sites at Buckden, Milton, Grunty Fen, March and Dogsthorpe.
• In addition they will consider grant requests from the small enclave of SW Cambridgeshire that lies within 10 miles of the Brogborough/Stewartby landfill sites in Bedfordshire.

Grant levels

Maximum Grant

£50,000

Minimum Grant

£2,000

Application Guidelines

Applications may be accepted from organisations which operate a membership policy; however this must not be restricted to membership only. A lettings policy should be in place and there must be clear evidence of wider community use, ie the facility is used by a least 4 further organisations or community groups not associated with the applying organisation.

Applications from Churches will only be accepted under Category D where the primary use of the building is community and not religious worship, ie no more than 49% of the footprint of the building can be designated for religious worship.
Cambridgeshire has a Churches Trust Agreement and projects involving Church restoration, repair or renewal should contact Cambridgeshire Historic Churches Trust.

Consideration will be given to projects requesting pump priming (no agreed funding in place), however this will be looked at on a project by project basis. Where the project involves multi-funders, clear evidence should be provided of which funders have been formally approached and also provide clear time frames for outcomes. In order to gauge whether first funding will be provided applicants must provide timescales for the delivery of the project.

Sustainability

Priority will be given to projects that have considered the environmental impact of their proposed project, energy efficiency, the use of sustainable materials and processes.

Consultation

Applicants should carry out appropriate community consultation to support their proposed project. Consultation should include existing users/user groups, potential users/user groups, residents who live close to the proposed project and members of the surrounding communities.

Financial Sustainability

Any project which relies on the generation of income in order to be sustainable must submit a business plan with their application. This plan should include a forecast income and expenditure account to include running costs and anticipated income. Lettings policies and full accounts should also be provided.

Evidence of Self-help

No maximum percentage of funding is set, however some degree of self-help is expected. 100% funding will not be awarded.

Further information

Further information and guidance on applying for WREN funding is available in How to Apply.

If you need further advice in respect of this guidance or require help and assistance with any aspect of your application, please contact Sarah Gosling or Elaine Pestle.

Every effort has been made to ensure this information is up to date and correct, however no liability can be accepted.