Grant Details
- Organisations can apply for a grant of up to £5,000
- Funded projects can be delivered over a maximum of 12 months
- Application deadlines are in May and October each year
- The CIF Panel meet twice a year in June & November to award funding
- Organisations can receive one successful grant per financial year
- Any grant awarded must be spent and project completed within 12 months of receiving confirmation of funding
- A project evaluation form must be completed before applying for further funding
- If your application is unsuccessful, you may apply again in the next funding round — but only for a different project, unless the panel has given you specific permission to resubmit the same one.
Project Themes
Your project must be able to demonstrate that it addresses one or more of Torus Foundation’s core themes:
- Employment and Skills
- Money and Benefits
- Young People
- Health and Wellbeing
- Digital Inclusion
We are particularly interested in funding projects that deliver multiple sessions or activities over a period of weeks and create long-term positive outcomes for participants.
Eligibility
For your application to be considered for a grant, your project must be fully and accurately completed and meet the following criteria:
Geography
CIF Funding is only available for projects that will benefit Torus Communities in Liverpool, St. Helens or Warrington.
Organisation Type
We will only fund organisations who are:
- Registered Charities
- Charitable incorporated organisation (CIO)
- Charitable company (limited by guarantee)
- Unincorporated Association (A group with a constitution and an active committee)
- Registered Community Amateur Sports Club (CASC)
- Community Interest Company (CIC)
- Children’s Centres
- Schools
- Torus Tenant and Residents Association
Statutory Agencies such as the Police and Local Authorities are not eligible to apply.
If your organisation is a Tenants and Residents Association (TARA) and supports Torus tenants, please contact info@torusfoundation.org.uk for more information, as your request for funding will be considered through a separate process.
Required Policies/Insurance
Applicants must be able to confirm, upon request, that they have the relevant documents listed below, where applicable to their project.
- Public Liability Insurance
- Employers’ Liability Insurance
- Safeguarding Adults Policy (where applicable)
- Safeguarding Children Policy (where applicable)
- Disclosure and Barring Service (DBS) Checks for Staff (where applicable)
- Disclosure and Barring Service (DBS) Checks for Volunteers (where applicable)
- Equality, Diversity, and Inclusion (EDI) Policy
- Health and Safety Policy (if a charity has five or more employees, this is legally required)
- Data Protection and GDPR Compliance Policy (required if handling personal data)
- Volunteer Policy
Ineligible Activity and Costs
Funding cannot be used to:
- Promote or support any political or religious activity
- Provide a service that would disadvantage persons within any of our neighbourhoods
- Provide any services that Torus are responsible for, e.g. repairs
- Fund day-to-day core running costs, such as rent, utility bills
- Fund uniform or kits
- Fund core staff costs (sessional staff costs specific to the project are eligible)
- Fund any retrospective costs
Funding Limits
Funding requests are subject to specific limits within your budget:
- £200 maximum allowance towards the cost of coach travel
- £500 maximum for one-off events
- £500 maximum for ‘day trips’
- £500 maximum grant award for sports clubs and dance troupes.
Application Process
- STAGE 1 – Complete the online application form.
- STAGE 2 – Your application will be reviewed to ensure it meets the criteria and outlines a well-planned project with clear outcomes. If ineligible, you will be notified with the reasons for rejection/ineligibility at this stage. Your application will not progress to the panel in this funding round.
- STAGE 3 – Successful applications from stage 2 are sent to the CIF Panel for consideration.
- STAGE 4 – Applications are informed within 5 working days of the results of the panel.
- STAGE 5 – Successful applicants will be required to read and sign the Grant Terms and Conditions via Adobe Sign within 10 working days of receipt. The signed document will be sent to the contact stated in the application.
- STAGE 6 – Grant payment will be made upon receipt of your signed Grant Terms and Conditions.
- STAGE 7 – Projects are delivered. Any changes to project delivery, expenditure or timescales must be communicated with Torus Foundation and agreed.
- STAGE 8 – All organisations who receive a grant must complete an online Evaluation Form within one month of your project end date.
Other considerations
Grant decisions are final and there is no appeals process. If your application is unsuccessful at either stage 2 or 4, we will inform you of the reasons your application was rejected, with any recommendations.
To receive your grant, you will need to be set up on our finance system. Failure to provide the information required to do this within the set timeframes may result in your funding being withdrawn. Please allow enough time to sign the Grant Agreement and set up the payment when selecting your chosen project start date.
Match Funding and In-Kind Contributions
Some projects may include either match funding or in-kind contributions. Please review the information below to help you accurately complete the relevant section in your application form.
Definitions
In-kind funding
A non-cash contribution of goods, a service or volunteer time, given free of charge or at a reduced cost for the benefit of the specific project you are applying for.
Match funding
Any grant funding you have been awarded specifically to deliver the project which Torus Foundation is also part funding through CIF. For example, if your specific CIF project has also received funding from the National Lottery Community Fund.
What type of in-kind values are counted?
- Room Hire
- Volunteer Hours
- Training Course/Tutor/Qualification
- Activity Session
- Event/Performance
- Food Donation/Food Vouchers
- Goods/Equipment Donation/Gifts
- Services/Specialist Advice
How do I calculate the value of in-kind funding?
In-kind contributions are either calculated at fair market value or actual cost; what you would pay for them if they were not donated. Please use actual costs where you know the specific value. We use the following standard hourly rates if you are unaware of actual costs:
- Volunteer time @ £11.44 per hour
- Tutor/external staff time @ £25 per hour
- Room hire @ £50 per hour
Do I need to save the evidence of in-kind funding?
Yes, please keep a record of in-kind funding for your project and share alongside your evaluation. This might include, emails confirming free room hire from your partners, documents evidencing a gift or volunteer records.
What information do I need to share with Torus Foundation on match funding?
Within your application, please provide a breakdown of the total match funding you have received towards your project from other grant makers (not including the value you are requesting from Torus Foundation).
Please detail the name of the grant maker, the date you were awarded this funding and the value awarded. Please only include grants specifically for the CIF project you are delivering (not general grants you have brought into your charity).