PLEASE NOTE
The Trust only provides grants for activities/purposes within its Area of Benefit within the London Borough of Newham - see map - or which directly benefit the communities within that area -
*The Trust will not respond to general appeals for funds.
* The Trust will not normally enter into correspondence in respect of unsolicited appeals for funds
* The Trust cannot accept applications from individuals.
* Apart from Minor Grants which are restricted to the trust's area of benefit the Trust will not normally consider/provide grants outside of the annual grants programme |
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Background 
AS part of the arrangements for its winding up the
London Docklands Development Corporation (LDDC) agreed with the London
Borough of Newham (LBN) to deposit with the Trust, by way of a permanent
endowment, a capital sum of £2.7m to safeguard into the future the Corporation's
community grants programme for that part of the former Urban Development
Area which lies within the Borough. This programme, operated jointly
with the LBN since its inception in 1987, had proved a useful benefit
in securing the community and voluntary sector groups which contribute
so much to the regeneration of the area. From the inception of the grants
programme the LBN had contributed at least 25% of all grants made. The Council originally agreed to continue to participate in a joint grants programme
operated with the Trust at least until 2003 but they have continued in subsequent years to take part.
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The LDDC's Endowment
THE endowment agreement, and a related agreement with the London Borough
of Newham (LBN), set out a number of rules and guidelines for the operation
of the programme:
The area of benefit of the programme is the same as the Trust's area
of operation, i.e. the whole of that area of the Newham to the south
of the A13
The making of grants to individuals is prohibited
Projects cannot be funded for more than 3 years.
All grants must be approved by both the Trust and LBN
The LBN and the Trust agree annually the amount to be made available
to the grants programme.
The LBN makes a minimum annual contribution of £67,500
The Trust and LBN agree annually the priorities and criteria for the
programme
The Trust / LBN are to operate the joint programme until March 2001;
thereafter the LBN is to use reasonable endeavours to continue to operate
a joint programme until March 2005
Time-expired projects can apply to the Council for continued funding
There is provision to allow the Trust / LBN to impose grant conditions
for beneficiaries of grant aid
While the Trust's agreement with LBN continues to operate
the Trust may not use income derived from its investment of the £2.7m
endowment other than for the joint grants programme. The only exception
is where the annual income from the endowment exceeds £202,500. In those
circumstances the trust is entitled to use the income in excess of that
sum at its own discretion.
The amount contributed by the Trust each year depends,
of course, on the performance of its investments. In the early years
of the Trust much of its income came from fixed interest stocks
but more recently the trend in interest rates has been downwards. The
Trust's new investment advisers (Merrill Lynch) are thus shifting the
mix of the Trust's investments so that a larger proportion of the Trust's
resources are invested in equities. The Trust is under an obligation
to consider whether to retain income from its investment to be added
to the endowment to maintain it value in real terms.
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Grants Criteria /Objectives
THE Trust's constitutional objectives are broadly drawn and allow the
Trust to fund a diverse range of activities such as:
educational and vocational training
recreation and leisure time pursuits
advancement of public education in the arts
general improvement of the physical and social environment
relief of poverty and sickness
housing for needy or handicapped persons
preservation of buildings of historical and architectural interest
Within this broad framework the Trust's agrees each
year with the Council detailed criteria and priorities for the
annual programme. Those for 2008/09 can be seen in the attached
guidance issued to applicants for grants.
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Annual grants programme - timetable
IN operating the grants programme the Trust and LBN
have followed a similar pattern/timetable in each year. This has followed
the approach adopted by LDDC/LBN which was in part linked to those organisations
budgetary cycles. Broadly the pattern has been :
June - September : Agree priorities/criteria and an indicative level
of funding for the forthcoming year
October - December : Invite applications via open advertisement and contact
with existing recipients of grant aid and voluntary organisations known
to LBN/Trust
December - January: Assessment of applications received, LBN inter-departmental
liaison, liaison with other funding bodies and discussions with applicants 
January - March : Determination of funding for the forthcoming year
and approval of applications.
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The 2008/09 Programme
FOR 2008/2009 there is an overall grants programme of £237,450
Of this overall sum £222,450 is for the main
programme. This was allocated in March 2008 to thirteen projects - see
Grant Approvals Page. £15,000 was set aside for Minor Grants.
Among the organisations receiving ongoing grant support
is the Ascension Eagles Cheerleaders - pictured right. [Recent news of the Eagles]
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Grant Approvals 1995/09
A list of the main programme grants approved by the
Trust since its establishment is attached
For the first two years (1995/97) the grants programme was limited to
the Beckton area only. Following the approval of the 2008/09 programme the total value of grants made since the Trust was set up amounted to more than £2.5 million.
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Minor Grants
Criteria
Each year a sum is reserved in the joint Grants Programme
for Minor Grants. Docklands groups can apply for minor grants throughout the year.
In 2007/2008 10 minor grants were awarded amouinting to £10,432 in total. Grants ranged from £500 up to the maximum of £1,500 per grant
For 2008/09 the sum reserved is £15,000. Local organisations can apply for
these grants at any time. Grants to individuals are not
permitted. The rules are:
the project for which grant is sought must take place within the Trust's
area, i.e. in those communities south of the Newham Way (A13) - Beckton,
Canning Town (part), Custom House, North Woolwich, West Silvertown Silvertown.
the maximum grant allowed is £1,500 but grants given
for social events will not exceed £500 for any one
event.
no individual organisation may receive more than two minor grants in
any financial year.
Priority for funding is given to projects where the grants will:
Assist projects to meet the social and economic needs of the community,
encourage community development and assist community integration.
Enable projects to secure additional funding from other sources.
Enable projects to continue to undertake activities by meeting the cost
of minor repairs, of premises or equipment.
Assist new projects to establish themselves e.g. the hiring of meeting
venues, provision of stationery, meeting the cost of charitable registration
etc.
Provide an opportunity for the Trust to demonstrate its purpose and
promote its activities, so you will need to ensure that grant is acknowledged,
appropriately.
The following will not be funded:
Revenue funding - that is to cover the ongoing running costs of a project
(except to assist with starting-up costs)
“Top-up” money for currently - funded projects where a deficit is occurring.
Retrospective funding. Where organisations have already spent money
before the application has been made.
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Application Form
To obtain an Application form for a Minor Grant right- click
the button to the left to open the form and then save it to your
computer in the usual way. Send the completed form to the Grants
Section at the London Borough of Newham - click
here for the address
|
| The form is in MS
Word (88K) and includes notes on its completion |
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Administration
THE programme is administered by the
Community Support Unit of the Council at:
Community Support Unit
London Borough of Newham
292 Barking Road
East Ham
London E6 3BA
Contact: Stephen Collins
Telephone: 020 8430
2433
E-mail: Click Here
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Page last updated: 7th April 2008
