Criteria Sheet
Grants to Voluntary Organisations Committee - Criteria Sheet
The following criteria have been adopted by the Cwmbran Community Council to assist with decisions about specific applications from organisations.
The organisation must be a non-trading, non-profit making voluntary body and not professional, business or commercial. Any profits, gains or financial surpluses must accrue to the organisation and not for the specific benefit of individuals.
The organisation must be based and operate substantially in the Cwmbran Community area. A majority of the members or persons for whom the organisation caters should reside in the Community Council area. In addition, specific services offered in the Cwmbran Community area by an organisation not specifically based in the town, should also be eligible for consideration.
The organisation should have a substantial community benefit and should not cater for a restricted or limited membership or confine its activities to an unduly small circle, although this should not be read to exclude minority interests and causes.
The organisation should not operate any bar or restriction of race, colour, creed or religion.
The organisation should be controlled and organised in a recognised democratic manner.
All organisations should, in normal circumstances, show by means of properly drawn up accounts and balance sheet that it is in genuine need of assistance. Where grants or loans of £500 or more are under consideration, the accounts of the organisation should be properly audited by a qualified accountant or auditor. However, in exceptional circumstances, the committee may, on the basis of individual merit, make a grant for 'one off' projects or purchase at the committee's discretion.
All organisations should, in the event of any balances earmarked for special items i.e., building works, show these in the accounts.
The organisation should show that it has made serious attempts to raise money by other means and from other sources.
The organisation should show, where appropriate, proper subscriptions and charges made.
The organisation should specify the purpose for which any assistance would be used.
That any assistance the Community Council might give to an organisation be on a yearly basis. All requests for grants from an organisation and other forms of assistance would be considered not more frequently than yearly intervals.
That, when substantial loans are offered to organisations, the Council will require some form of security that could be realised in the event of the repayment of the loan not being made.
All grants made by Cwmbran Community Council shall comply in all respects with any provisions or limitations by the Local Government Act 1972 or any other statutory requirement.