Example questions to apply for the Communities Fund 2023 to 2024

Find information and the questions you'll need to answer to prepare your bid to apply for the Communities Fund.

Before you apply

Below is a list of information and questions that will help you draft your answers while you prepare for your bid.

Fund choice

Brighton & Hove City Council's Communities Fund comprises of 3 schemes, you'll need to choose one:

  • Engagement Fund
  • Resilience Fund
  • Collaboration Fund

Bank account 

Your organisation needs a bank account to apply for a grant. You'll need to agree that your organisation has a bank account, or is in the progress of setting one up. We will need to have a copy of your bank details if you are awarded a grant. 

Contact details

You'll need to tell us your:

  • first name
  • last name
  • phone number
  • Email address

Tell us a second person in your organisation we can talk to about this application

You'll need to tell us their:

  • first name
  • last name
  • phone number
  • Email address

Address

You'll need to tell us if your organisation previously received a grant from us.

You'll also need to state the name and address of your organisation.

Type of organisation

Is your organisation a:

  • constituted community group or voluntary organisation
  • company limited by guarantee
  • registered charity
  • charitable incorporated organisation
  • community interest company
  • other

If your company is a company limited by guarantee, registered charity, charitable incorporated organisation, community interest company you may need your organisation’s number. The application form has links to where these can be found.

If you pick 'other', you will need to describe your organisation.

Organisation activities

We are particularly interested to know where in the city your organisation works. This helps us understand more about the differing needs of the city.

If you don’t know which wards you work in, you can find your ward with your postcode.

You'll need to tell us if your organisation's work include services to Brighton & Hove City Council tenants or leaseholders, or take place on council estates?

If it does, you'll need to explain approximately what percentage of your organisation's work benefits council tenants or leaseholders, and how you estimated this percentage.

Staff and volunteers

Questions about staff and volunteers include:

  • how many people manage your organisation, for example trustees, directors, committee members
  • how many volunteers you have in total
  • if you have any paid members of staff

If you do have paid members of staff, you'll need to tell us:

  • how many paid full time staff
  • how many paid part time staff
  • how you support your paid staff

Project details

What do you need the grant for?

  • Core running costs
  • A specific activity or project (for example, a community festival, clean up day or a performance project)

Tell us what your organisation does and what you want the funding for (maximum 2,500 characters)

How do you link with other organisations in the city? (maximum 2,500 characters) 

How many people will benefit from this work?

How have you identified the need for your work? (maximum 2,500 characters) 

How will you know how successful your organisation and activities have been? (maximum 2,500 characters)  

Budget and payments 

Was your organisation operating in the last financial year, 1 April 2022 to 31 March 2023? 

What was your organisational income in the last financial year, 1 April 2022 to 31 March 2023? 

Did you receive a grant from the council in the last financial year?  

Your funding requirements 

How much funding are you applying for? 

You’ll need to tell us the organisation’s budget for the coming year.  

You’ll need to enter information about any grants and funding that is confirmed, unconfirmed and other income you anticipate receiving. 

You can add extra income lines by clicking ‘Add other income’ where you can enter the income description and the amount 

You’ll be asked to list anticipated expenditure for the year (for example, volunteer costs) and you will need to enter the amount for each subject area 

You can add extra expenditure headings by clicking ‘Add other costs’ where you can enter the cost description and the amount 

Your organisation’s reserves 

You will need to say if your organisation has: 

  • free reserves - money that can be used to pay for any activity that furthers your organisation’s aims
  • restricted reserves - money that must be spent on specific activities, for example a grant given to buy a photocopier
  • designated reserves - money that you’ve set aside for a specific purpose

You’ll need to enter the relevant amounts into a text box.

If you have any questions, send an email to communitiesteam@brighton-hove.gov.uk, and we will arrange a phone call.