Culture and Recreation Investment Fund 2019/20

Support for investment in strategic cultural and recreational infrastructure

The Culture and Recreation Investment Fund provides support for a programme of investment in the strategic cultural and recreational infrastructure within Hampshire. Organisations should be delivering high quality services/activity of regional or national significance. Applicants must support the priorities and outcomes of Hampshire County Council’s Serving Hampshire - Strategic Plan for 2017-2021. It forms the cornerstone of all strategies and plans across departments and service areas, and features four key aims:

  • Hampshire maintains strong and sustainable economic growth and prosperity

  • People in Hampshire live safe, healthy and independent lives

  • People in Hampshire enjoy a rich and diverse environment

  • People in Hampshire enjoy being part of strong, inclusive communities

When to apply

The Culture and Recreation Investment Fund is an annual programme and has one round per year. Funding is granted on an annual basis only, so organisations must apply every year.

The fund is open to applications from 1 June to 2 August 2018.

What is funded

A grant can be awarded to eligible cultural and/or recreational/sports organisations to contribute towards service/programme costs and/or core running costs, including salaries. Applications should specify what funding would support. Applications should also specify any investment/improvements to improve efficiency.

Where an application is assessed to be eligible for an award, but the value of that award would be less than £5,000 the organisation will be signposted to apply for support through the Culture and Community Activity Grants scheme instead. This is to ensure the required levels of monitoring and reporting are proportionate to the value of award.

What isn't funded
  • Services and organisations that do not meet the Fund’s criteria
  • Individuals
  • Organisations already in receipt of funding from other Hampshire County Council departments for core costs and/or significant service/project activity delivery
  • Sports organisations that do not have a Countywide engagement/participation reach
  • Services provided solely within the unitary authority areas of Portsmouth City Council and/or Southampton City Council
  • Capital projects or capital grants for equipment (building work, extensions, materials/resources, play/sports equipment, uniforms, etc.)  
  • Parish/town councils
  • Schools and uniformed organisations
Grant criteria

All eligible applications will be assessed against the grant criteria. These criteria are relevant to cultural/recreational organisations and link to the Hampshire County Council's Serving Hampshire - Strategic Plan for 2017-2021.

Organisations do not need to meet all of these priorities, but must clearly demonstrate within their application that they are able to deliver against some of these

  • Organisations providing flagship cultural and recreational experiences of national or regional standing. The programmes of work delivered are of high quality, innovative and appropriately aspirational

  • Organisations that support the development of Hampshire’s home grown talent

  • Organisations that can demonstrate actively increasing the numbers of local people accessing inspiring experiences and participating in cultural and/or recreational activity, particularly young people, hard to reach and older people

  • Organisations enabling and/or supporting other organisations to provide cultural and recreational services

  • Organisations working towards optimising their economic, social and environmental sustainability

Eligibility and supporting documents

The grants programme is open to organisations, partnerships and consortiums delivering cultural and recreational services in Hampshire, which must meet the following eligibility criteria. Where there may be duplication between organisations applying to the scheme, it is expected a partnership or consortium application will be submitted.

  • The services/programmes of the cultural and/or recreational organisation benefit Hampshire residents and visitors and clearly deliver against the priorities above and are of regional or national significance
  • Cultural and/or recreational organisations must be properly constituted with clear and effective management and governance structures
  • Consortiums of properly constituted cultural and/or recreational organisations must have clear terms of reference or partnership agreements, as appropriate
  • Organisations will not normally be eligible for grants where they hold unallocated reserves in excess of one year’s running costs. Where it is judged that unallocated reserves are unreasonably in excess of what is required or not allocated for legitimate purposes, those organisations may receive a reduced grant
  • As a minimum standard we would expect your organisation to meet the minimum legal requirements along with policies and procedures to cover your organisation’s services/programmes. Generally we would expect organisations to have £10m cover for public liability and employers' liability insurance

Where appropriate, depending on the grant sum requested, the organisation will be expected to submit supporting documentation. All documentation will be used, alongside the application form, to assess against the grant criteria.

Documents required

All applications

  • Annual Accounts
  • Current Constitution (if you are applying for the first time or the document has changed)
  • Plan for financial sustainability and less reliance on grant funding. This could be included as a section in your Three Year Business Plan if you are submitting one

Plus, application of £5000 and over

  • Adults Safeguarding Policy
  • Child Protection Policy

Plus, applications of £10,000 and over

  • Three year business plan
  • Public Liability Insurance (usually £10m)
  • Employers' Liability Insurance (usually £10m)

Plus, appliocations of £25,000 and over

  • Equality and Diversity Policy
  • Health and Safety Policy

On occasion, at our discretion, we may require further information and documentation in addition to the above to support the assessment process.

All successful applicants will be required to provide appropriate reporting and/or monitoring for their services/programmes, including completion of interim and end of grant monitoring and evaluation forms.

Successful applicants awarded £30,000 or over will be expected to agree to a nominated councillor joining their board as an observer.

Contact us

CCBS Grants
Hampshire County Council
Office 2
Second Floor
Castle Hill
Winchester 
SO23 8UL

Telephone 01962 845390

Email [email protected]

Read application notes and apply