Frequently asked questions
These have been compiled to provide an at a glance reference concerning the Trust and its funding process. More detail can be found in the guidance notes on this site.
Click on each question to reveal the answer.
You can apply for a grant if you are a properly set up group with a constitution and bank account. If you aren’t such an organisation, the Charity Commission is a good source of advice on how to become one.
In order to qualify for a Trust grant, your project needs to meet specific location criteria, details of which can be found on this site.
There is no set timescale for an application to be processed but it could take between four to six months from submission of an application to the Finance Agreement being issued.
This period may be longer as we may ask for extra information, your funding decision may be deferred or you may have to adapt your plans. This site features both a timetable for the submission of applications and the dates of our Board meetings, during which decisions are made.
As a guide, the average award is £25,000 to £40,000.
Yes, you are welcome to apply for the full amount.
If the total cost of your project is more than £25,000, before you apply for a grant, you will need to show us that you have found 20% of the total cost of the entire project. eg: if the total cost of your project is £45,000, you will need to show us that you have already secured £9,000 towards the project.
Our maximum grant is £100,000 but this is only for exceptional projects and such an award is very rare. We cannot accept applications for projects costing more than £500,000 in total.
If the Board decide that a grant cannot be awarded for your project, you will have to wait 12 months before you re-apply.
You can start work related to your grant once the signed Finance Agreement has been returned to you.
Once the Finance Agreement has been signed by a Trustee and yourselves, work on your project can commence. Payments are only made on evidence of expenditure after the date of the Finance Agreement.
No. The money is only released following the submission of invoices. In very exceptional cases, which have to be approved by the Trust’s General Manager, some help may be available to ease cash-flow difficulties.
If your grant is £40,000 or above, we will ask that you find an independent Third Party contributor who will reimburse Veolia Environmental Services (UK) plc the approximate 10% shortfall. This contribution could be from another funding organisation, a local council or even an individual.
If we find that the project’s execution is not being carried out as agreed, we may consider withdrawing the funding. However, this is the last resort and we will work with you to find a solution before we even consider doing this. We want to see a completed project and will do everything in our power to ensure it succeeds.
You will need to inform us as soon as possible if you experience difficulties with your project. We may be able to help you and will need to know what is happening and why.
All contact needs to come through the Trust.
Playground photo courtesy of The Nottingham Evening Post.
