How To Apply
There is a simple 10-stage process that all applicants must follow in order to be considered for grant from the New LEADER Approach.
1. The initial idea you have for your project should be discussed with member of staff from one of the partner organisations. It is up to you to determine which organisation to approach, because there are several working together in the same area. Partners include the Lead Partner, Northumberland National Park Authority, Community Action Northumberland, Northumberland Council, the Forestry Commission, Natural England, and the accountable body, Northumberland Strategic Partnership. Once you have spoken to someone the someone at one of these organisations, that individual will make the first check about the suitability of initiative for LEADER funding.
2. The next stage is to complete an Expression of Interest Form. This is a simple document that will attempt to capture your idea on paper. The Expression of Interest Form can be downloaded from this website. Once you have completed your Form, it should be returned to the Local Action Group Co-ordinator, who will make the second check about its suitability for LEADER funding. If the Co-ordinator feels that there is potenital with your idea, you will move on to the next stage!
LEADER Expression of Interest Form (Word - 500KB)
3. The third check comes from selected members of the Local Action Group. The Local Action Group Co-ordinator will determine which are most suitable to initially look at your proposal. They will include a member that is geographically near to where the project is taking place, and a member who specialises in the Sector that the project will focus on. The process may involve a site visit from a Local Action Group member and the Local Action Group Co-ordinator, to speak to the applicant and see the location where the project will take place. If there is agreement that the project is feasible, and will help to deliver Northumberland Upwards, the applicant will be invited to complete to complete the full Application Form.
5. The Application Form is not available to download from this website. It is only available from the Local Action Group Co-ordinator. The Form asks more specific questions than the Expression of Interest Form, in order to better determine how strongly your project will deliver Northumberland Upwards, and to ensure that it fully meets European Union Regulations.
You may be asked to provide supplementary information to support your application, such as:
- A Business Plan
- A Cash-Flow Forecast
- A Project Work Schedule
- A Human Resource Plan
- Photographs
If you require assistance in completing the Application Form, in the first instance, you should seek support from the staff that you initially consulted. Once you have completed your Application Form, it should be submitted directly back to the Local Action Group Co-ordinator
6. The fourth check will be undertaken by the One NorthEast RDPE Sustainable Communities Specialist Adviser, who has been seconded to work at Northumberland Strategic Partnership. The purpose of this technical appraisal is to make sure that your venture is fully compliant with the European Union regulations. Providing this is the case, it will be passed to colleagues at Northumberland Strategic Partnership for the final assessment.
7. The Programme Management Team at Northumberland Strategic Partnership will make the final check on your project. Their role is to add value to idea in any way that they can, for instance, by linking up your scheme with any other similar schemes opperating in other LEADER areas. This especially includes the LEADER areas at the Northumberland Coast and Lowlands and the North Pennine Dales.
8. Once the final check has been made, the full Application Form will be passed to the Local Action Group for a funding decision. It is hoped that by this stage, very few projects will be rejected, due to the stringent process the project will have gone through so far! However, the Local Action Group reserve the right to make the final call about the funding decision.
a) For Small Grants (those up to and including £5,000), your Application Form will be circulated electronically to the Local Action Group for a decision.
b) For Large Grants (those of £5,001 or over), your Application Form will be presented at the full Local Action Group meeting for a wide discussion and a funding decision.
Under both systems, the decision will be one of five outcomes:
- Full grant offer
- Full grant offer with conditions
- Part grant offer
- Part grant offer with conditions
- Redirect to a different funding opportunity
The full grant offer will be made when everything is in order, and there is nothing to add to the scheme. The full grant offer with conditions means that the funding will only be forthcoming if the applicant agrees to certain terms that the Local Action Group has imposed (for example, including interpretation panels on the site, for maximum knowledge dissemination). The part-grant offer may be made if only part of the bigger project fits the LEADER criteria, or only part of the project is located within the Northumberland Uplands area. Additionally, if resources are nearing depletion, then it may not be possible to may a full grant offer even if the project meets all the criteria. The part grant offer with conditions works in much the same way as the full grant offer with conditions does. Finally, there may be instances when the project is redirected to a different funding opportunity. If an alternative funding distributor (e.g. The Big Lottery Fund) announces a call for projects of a certain theme (e.g. Community Buildings), with resources far greater than LEADER (e.g. £50 million available), then the Local Action Group may redirect the applicant's to that funding opportunity instead.
9. If your project is approved for support, you will then enter into a contract with Northumberland Strategic Partnership, who, along with the Local Action Group Co-ordinator, will oversee the initiation and implementation of your project, right through to its conclusion. There will be regular progress monitoring, both financially, and practically, to make sure that the everything is proceeding as you had planned.
If you encounter any difficulties with the initiion of your project, please get in touch with Local Action Group Co-ordinator immediately, who will help you to resolve the issues as quickly and effectively as possible.
10. When the project is complete, the final stage is to tell everyone about it! Press releases are a great way to show off what you have achieved, passing on the lessons you have learned along the way, and increasing awareness of the Northumberland Uplands New LEADER Approach.
