Eligibility Guidelines
NOTE the exact eligibility requirements of the New LEADER Appraoch are currently under discussion, therefore please treat this information as guidance at this stage, rather than as rules. This page will be updated shortly.
LEADER can support a wide range of applicants, including:
- Community groups
- Voluntary groups
- Sports and recreation clubs
- Parish councils
- Registered charities
- Profit-making businesses
- Local authorities
- Individuals
LEADER aims to be as inclusive as possible in order to enable local people to benefit from, and take part in, a variety of activities. The projects that can be supported must be of benefit to the communities and businesses of the Northumberland Uplands.
Ineligible Activities
For the avoidance of doubt the following items are not eligible for reimbursement:
- Expenditure incurred before the date of this grant offer letter
- Overheads allocated or apportioned at rates materially in excess of those used for any similar work carried out by the applicant
- Costs incurred prior to the date of the grant offer letter
- Notional expenditure
- Payments for activity of a political nature
- Depreciation, amortisation and impairment of assets purchased with the help of the grant
- Provisions
- Contingent liabilities
- Contingencies
- Profit made by the claimant
- Dividends
- Interest charges unless under an approved State Aid scheme
- Service charges arising on finance leases, hire purchase and credit arrangements
- Costs resulting from the deferral of payments to creditors
- Costs involved in winding up a company
- Payments for unfair dismissal
- Payments into private pension schemes
- Payments for un-funded pensions
- Compensation for loss of office
- Bad debts arising from loans to employees, proprietors, partners, directors, guarantors, shareholders or a person connected with any of these
- Payments for gifts and donations
- Entertainments
- Reclaimable VAT
- Statutory fines and penalties
- Criminal fines and damages
- Legal expenses in respect of litigation
- Expenditure on activities of a political or exclusively religious nature
- Expenditure supported from other government sources, local authority grants, charges paid by leaseholders, or EC structural funds, to the extent that the combined grants and other support total more than 100% of the project or scheme costs
- Expenditure on works or activities which any person has statutory duty to undertake, except where there is strong justification in terms of the regeneration outputs or impacts that will result, eg in the case of beneficial activity brought forward, or carried out in a way which best promotes sustainable regeneration as a result of grant support
- Any liability arising out of negligence
- Payments made in advance of need
- Any cost relating to insurance policies
- Cash payments in excess of £30 per claim
- Payment of Deposits – grant can only be claimed once full payment of the goods/services has been made
Grants also cannot be used to support any project that will duplicate the existing or imminent work taking place in the Northumberland Uplands.
Further information on the Rural Development Programme for England can be found at www.rdpenortheast.co.uk.
Can I apply for funding for a salary?
The Local Action Group will not provide a grant for a salary, because it will be interpreted as on-going running costs, which are ineligible for support. However, we will provide funding for project management costs. If the employment of someone to oversee an initiative is crucial for the project to take place, then these costs can be applied for. Please keep in mind that funding for project management costs will only be considered if:
- The project that is being managed will have a very strong link to Northumberland Upwards
- The outputs from the project can be clearly measured and assessed
- The requested project management funding is fully accountable and realistic of the going market rate
Can I apply for funding for my research project?
Funding for research projects is entirely acceptable, providing that there will be benefits to the communities and businesses of the Northumberland Uplands. The research project will still need to satisfactorily meet the aims of the grant scheme, just like any other project would have to.
