Funding Opportunity - Community Covenant Grant Scheme

1st July 2013

Highland Council, along with its Partners, have signed up to an Armed Forces Community Covenant for Highland. The Community Covenant is a voluntary statement of support between a civilian community and its local Armed Forces community.

The aim of the Covenant is to encourage local communities to support the ARmed Forces community in their area and to promote awareness amongst the public of issues affecting the Armed Forces community.

Launched in May 2011 by the Ministry of Defence, the Community Covenant Grant Scheme is open to areas which have signed up to an Armed Forces Community Covenant. The Grant Scheme has a total available fund of �30million.

The aims of the Scheme are to

Encourage local communities to support the Armed Forces Community in their areas;
Nurture public understanding and awareness amongst the public of issues affecting the Armed Forces Community;
Recognise and remember the sacrifices faced by the Armed Forces Community;
Encourage activities which help to integrate the Armed Forces Community into local life;
Encourage the Armed Forces Community to help and support the wider community , whether through participation in events and joint projects, or other forms of engagement.
Criteria for the Grant Scheme include:

Applicants should meet at least one of the aims of the Community Covenant;
Bids may only be submitted from areas which have already established a Community Covenant in their area;
There needs to be a clear demonstrable benefit to Armed Forces Community and their local community;
Applications should be genuinely local projects, designed by local organisation to meet local needs;
Projects submitted must not generate a profit, top-up an existing Grant-in-Aid or raise funds for the charitable sector;
MOD can only provide one off funding;
Applications are invited for sums from �100 to �250,000.
All applications need to be considered by the Highland Community Covenant Partnership prior to submission to the MOD. Applications and any queries regarding applications, should be made to policy6[AT]highland.gov.uk.

The next round of applications closes in September 2013. Any submission therefore needs to be made to the Highland Community Covenant Partnership by Friday 31st August 2013.

The following round closes in January 2014, Any submission therefore needs to be made to the Highland Community Covenant Partnership by Friday 20th December 2013.

Full details can be seen at -
https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/armed-forces-community-covenant-grant-scheme