The Community Grant Panel is scheduled to meet to discuss and agree the draft policy for the new Community Grant Fund, and to recommend the final scheme to Cabinet. The Community Grant Fund is designed to support the voluntary sector and community buildings in East Devon. The panel will consider the key criteria, amounts of funding, and administration of the fund, as detailed in the draft policy.

Community Grant Fund Policy

The Community Grant Panel is scheduled to discuss the draft policy for the new Community Grant Fund. According to the report pack, the fund is designed to replace three previous schemes: the Action On Poverty Fund, Community Buildings, and Small Community Grants. The total budget available for the two financial years 2025/26 and 2026/27 is £204,842, with £102,421 allocated per year. Any unspent funds will be carried forward to the next financial year.

The draft policy outlines two separate parts to the fund:

• Small Community Projects: Grants between £300 and £1,500 will be available for voluntary groups, charities, and social enterprises providing support to residents of East Devon.
• Community Buildings: Grants between £500 and £10,000 will be available for community buildings in rural communities within East Devon. The maximum funding for community buildings is capped at 50% of the overall fund.

Applications for funding must be linked to the council plan priorities of a supported and engaged community and financially secure and improving quality services. Carbon reduction funding and support for local businesses are excluded, as separate funding is already in place for these areas.

The report pack states that the fund will be administered by officers from the Financial Resilience team, who will use an agreed scoring matrix to assess applications. Decisions on grants under £3,000 will be presented in a summary report to the Community Grant Panel, including the officer's recommendation. Applications for over £3,000 will be reviewed and scored by officers, with each application submitted to the Community Grant Panel for a decision on a case-by-case basis.

The draft policy states that projects not eligible for funding include:

• Projects where funding can be or has been provided by an alternative grant scheme by East Devon District Council within a rolling 12-month period.
• Projects that have had other public sector funding that has been withdrawn.
• Any project that does not support one of the two council plan priorities as listed.
• Projects that have a negative effect or work against one or more of the priorities listed in our council plan or existing services.
• Work that a statutory organisation has to do by law, for example Devon County Council, the Church or the NHS, unless this is over and above what they would ever provide.
• Projects where planning permission is required but hasn't yet been given.
• Projects working with vulnerable people where there isn't a Safeguarding Policy and / or appropriately trained staff / volunteers in place or can be evidenced as being in place by the time the project is delivered.
• Regular highways-related activity such as but not limited to grass cutting, ditch and drainage work or other associated 'lengthsman' duties and tasks.
• Projects that promote or support a particular politics, faith or belief (including repairs to buildings used solely or mainly for these activities).
• Projects considered likely to create a new or displaced dependency on other public and voluntary services.

The draft policy also states that there will be no right of review to decisions, however the council may choose to undertake an internal review of a decision in exceptional circumstances as the grants are being decided by Members of the Communities Grant Panel.

Other agenda items

The agenda for the meeting also includes standard items such as apologies for absence, declarations of interest, public speaking, matters of urgency and confidential or exempt items.