GRANT-MAKING POLICY

1. Purpose

1.1 This purpose of this policy is to set out the principles, criteria and processes that govern how Oliver Lymes Charity makes grants.

1.2 A grant is defined as a financial award the charity makes from its funds to support charitable activities, usually to registered charities or charitable community groups, but

sometimes to other bodies.

1.3 Oliver Lymes Charity makes two main types of grants – main grants and small grants (up to £1,000). The process for each is different.

2. The trustees ensure proper governance of the Foundation’s grant-making in four ways.

  • Through grant-making principles which ensure that decisions are ultimately made by the trustees and provides clarity that funds given are the charity’s own assets.

  • Through grant-making criteria which set out the activities the trustees wish to support in furtherance of its charitable objectives.

  • Through grant-making processes which set out how decisions are reached for awarding grants from different types of funds at the charity.

  • By carrying out robust due diligence on any organisation that a grant is to be made to, before any grant is given.

3. Grant-making principles

3.1 The principles which underpin the trustees’ governance of the grant making take into account the scale and range of its grants and strike a balance between proper oversight of decision-making and responsive customer service for applicants.

3.2 The principles are as follows.

  • The Board of trustees has ultimate collective responsibility for all grant-making decisions in line with the charitable purposes and any restrictions agreed those being funded.

  • Trustees may assign certain decision-making responsibilities to its sub-committees, Board members or staff within its scheme of delegation. Such delegated decisions are subject to scrutiny and review from time to time.

  • Trustees reserve the right to apply conditions to any grant.

  • Trustees also reserve the right not to approve any recommendation or nomination if they (or those acting with their delegated authority) determine that the resulting grant would not be charitable or would conflict with the charity’s stated policies or damage its reputation.

4. Grant-making criteria

4.1 The charity’s guidance on criteria for applications from organisations and groups is set out in Appendix 1 of this policy. The goal is to make grants to a wide range of organisations. Trustees are particularly keen to help grassroots community groups, and small-to-medium-sized voluntary organisations in the primary area of benefit (Prescot and Whiston). While not excluding large UK-wide charities, the charity normally only makes grants to such organisations where there are strong relationships in the primary area of benefit and the proposal has potential to achieve a substantial impact.

4.2 As a registered charity, the charity can only make grants to support activity which is charitable in law. Organisations do not have to be registered charities to apply, but the Oliver Lymes Charity will only make general running cost or unrestricted grants to charities. Grants to other types of organisations will always be restricted for a specific charitable purpose.

4.3 Trustees are mindful of the regulation and focus of Community Interest Companies (CICs) and other non-charity social enterprises. The charity’s approach is to consider helping such organisations, where there is a sound business plan, with the charitable costs of start-up or expansion. The Foundation does not normally support CICs and other non-charity social enterprises with the costs of continuing services, which should be financed by the sale of goods and services in line with the governance model they have chosen.

4.4 Trustees expect that grants will normally support one or more of the following outcomes:

  • The prevention or relief of poverty and or:

  • The relief of sickness and the preservation of health among people residing permanently or temporarily in Whiston and Prescot who are in need,

  • Charities, or other organisations working to prevent or relieve poverty, relieve sickness and or preserve health of such individuals.

4.5 External applications for support must be made using the charity’s application processes. For main grants, this is a detailed application describing the need, the project or process and a detailed financial summary of expected spend. More details can be found in Appendix 1. This must be sent by post to the registered address or by email to Oliverlymescharity@hotmail.co.uk. The charity will expect to respond within one month to advise of the next steps.

For small grants – any trustee may request a small grant to be made by OLC, if agreement is sought and given from one other trustee to the value of £1,000 for any activity or organisation that fulfils the charity’s objectives. A detailed email between trustee colleagues is acceptable. If agreement is made, then an email to all other trustees and the Clerk to the Board advising of the agreement and requesting the Clerk to the Board makes the payment itself.

4.6 Grant requests which the trustees will not normally support are:

  • Contributions to general appeals or circulars;

  • Public bodies to carry out their statutory obligations;

  • Activities which have already taken place;

  • Grant-making by other organisations.

  • Privately owned and profit-distributing companies or limited partnerships.

4.7 To ensure the charity’s resources are used solely to further its charitable objectives, and it can report on the impact of grants, trustees normally expect that all grants will have one to three measurable objectives agreed at the beginning of the funding period as part of the grant offer.

4.8 The minimum grant in response to an external request is usually £500. There is no upper limit, but applicants should be mindful of the charity’s average grant size.

5. Grant-making processes

5.1 Trustees aim for the charity’s grant-making processes to be transparent and to address the interests of applicants. To this end, all eligible external grant requests go through a four-stage process as follows:

  • Assessment to determine whether the request should be shortlisted for support.

  • Requests not shortlisted are rejected, and the applicant advised of the reason why.

  • Ratification of the shortlisted recommendations by the Board or a person/committee acting with its delegated authority.

  • Allocation to available funds according to their availability and criteria. Requests that cannot be allocated to available funds are rejected.

5.2 In addition to responding to external grant requests and donor nominations, the trustees may at their discretion invite or commission proposals, or provide funding in collaboration with others or by combining fund contributions, where doing so would meet the charity’s strategy and priorities for its unrestricted and discretionary funds.

6. Variations to this policy

6.1 The Board of trustees may vary the terms of this policy from time to time.

Version 1.1 2024

APPENDIX 1: GRANT-MAKING CRITERIA

GRANTS FOR GROUPS

How do I apply?

All applications must be made using the charity’s application process.

A Word document is acceptable – this must either be posted to:

Oliver Lymes charity

C/o Tickle Hall Cross

Derby Street

Prescot

Merseyside

L34 3LJ

Or via email to :- Oliverlymescharity@hotmail.co.uk

Who can apply?

We make grants to a wide range of organisations. We are particularly keen to help grassroots community groups and small-to-medium-sized voluntary organisations. We do not normally make grants to large UK-wide charities, but we might do so where there are strong relationships in our area and the proposal has potential to achieve a substantial impact.

You do not have to be a registered charity to apply, but the work you ask us to support must be legally charitable. However, please note that we can only make grants for general running costs or unrestricted purposes to charities. Grants to any other organisations will always be restricted for a specific charitable purpose.

As part of our due diligence, you must have a governing document (constitution, rules, memorandum and articles of association etc.), a governing body of at least three unrelated individuals, and a bank account in your group’s name with at least two unrelated signatories.

Community Interest Companies (CICs) and other non-charitable social enterprises with a business plan that shows realistic aspirations for non-grant income generation can apply for a restricted grant to support the charitable costs of any start-up or expansion. We do not normally support such organisations with the costs of continuing services, which should be financed by the sale of goods and services in line with the governance model they have chosen. When making an application, CICs and non-charitable social enterprises must provide a Community Interest Statement and business plan.

Please note if you have previously had a grant from us we will not consider any new application unless you have sent us all the required grant reports.

Which area do I need to be in to apply?

Our grants are for activities in Whiston and/or Prescot, Merseyside only. If your work is in these areas, you can apply, and we will consider your request.

What sort of support is available?

Through our grants to groups, we are interested in supporting:

  • The prevention or relief of poverty and or:

  • The relief of sickness and the preservation of health among people residing permanently or temporarily in Whiston and Prescot who are in need,

  • Charities, or other organisations working to prevent or relieve poverty, relieve sickness and or preserve health of such individuals.

Small grants are usually for amounts under £1,000. They can be towards running costs (including salaries), projects, equipment or capital developments. The work can be new, continuing or a one-off initiative. We will also consider small grants to organisations in crisis.

Sometimes we can offer larger grants. We usually do this by inviting a proposal to us, but you are able to send an application if not invited to and we will review. In all cases, you must have a strong case for support. That means being able to explain what you will do with the grant, who will benefit and how you know the work will make a difference to the intended beneficiaries or cause.

We will not fund requests to support:

  • Contributions to general appeals or circulars;

  • Public bodies to carry out their statutory obligations;

  • Activities which have already taken place.

  • Grant making by other organisations

  • Privately owned and profit-distributing companies or limited partnerships.

When will I get a decision?

We take up to twelve weeks to make a decision. We will let you know if you have been awarded a grant or not. If we think your application might be suitable for a particular fund but this will take more than twelve weeks, we will contact you.