Giving Back Grant Funding

2023/24 was CPC’s most successful year to date and to celebrate we are ready to donate again. We opened our fourth grant funding window on 6th January 2025.

But first, the Rules! Please take note

1. Your project must clearly demonstrate its support of one or more of the following objectives:

   • Learners with Special Educational Needs and Disabilities (SEND).

   • The physical and mental wellbeing of learners. (with or without SEND).

   • Absenteeism. If a learner is not attending college or school, then they cannot progress.

2. In previous grant funding rounds, members who received grants in the previous round were not eligible to apply in the current round. This approach allowed us to distribute funds to as many members as possible. For the upcoming 4^th Round (opening in January 2025) and for this round only, we are allowing all members to apply. This decision is part of our celebration of the new focus on SEND, wellbeing and absenteeism.

3. You can only apply if your institution has been a member of CPC for a full year. This means you must have registered with CPC before 6^th January 2024.

4. You must have utilised at least one CPC framework since 1^st November 2023. This is only evidenced when the framework supplier reports spend to CPC after this date. You can check whether you have reported spend against your institution by logging into spend reporter via our website

5. In this round of funding there are no maximum limits for grant applications. Apply for the funding you require for your project. We have a pot of money ready to give back which is larger than the pots we had available in our previous three funding rounds.

6. For multi-academy trusts (MATs) and institutions within a trust only:

   • If you are a school or college within a trust (and a CPC member), you can apply individually. You MUST state your MAT in the application. We advise that you notify your MAT of your intention to apply directly. You also may have no recorded spend as the MAT has purchased on your behalf – this is allowable if we see spend against the MAT.

   • A MAT can apply directly on behalf of several or all its schools and colleges. On the application form, you must list the schools or colleges within your MAT that will benefit from the grant.

7. Members are only permitted to submit one application. Applications must be submitted online.

8. All applications must be accompanied by a cost breakdown of the project.

9. All applications should state whether you are part-funding the project.

10. Where the volume of applications exceeds the fund available, the evaluation panel will prioritise those applications which they believe will make the most positive impact in consideration of the criteria outlined above. We always aim to provide some funding to all eligible projects and the cost breakdown enables us to allocate funds most effectively.

11. Please note: If you have a query with the amount of grant you have been awarded then please raise this with Carly Jenkinson (see below) in the first instance. The final decision will be made by David Owen, the Financial Controller and will be final.

Please be sensible with the amount of your request. We want as many different members and as many learners as possible to benefit from our grants. In the likely event that applications exceed the pot of money we have available, the larger bids are more likely to be part-funded.

The Charity reserves the right to request evidence of project outcomes and/or visit your organisation to market you and the project impact following the allocation of funds. This is specified in the Grant Funding Agreement.

Next Steps

1. The window for submitting applications opened on Monday 6th January 2025

2. The application “window” will close on Friday 28th February 2025. Do not leave it until the last minute to submit your application. Our evaluation panel will meet in the first two weeks of March

3. Once the evaluation panel has met, you will be notified of the amount of funding you have been awarded (if your application has been successful) or the reasons why your application may have not been successful this time around

4. If successful, you will be sent a Grant Funding Agreement which will have to be signed and returned, along with your institutions bank details before monies are released

Frequently Asked Questions

Can you provide examples of suitable and non-suitable events and activities?

Suitable examples

• Sensory rooms, forest schools, SEND specific activities or projects.

• Equipment to assist SEND learners.

• Sporting events and schemes to promote healthier lifestyles.

• Duke of Edinburgh awards or similar (King’s Trust) – equipment etc.

• Provision of mental health services for learners.

• Provision of musical instruments and/or musical training.

• Projects relating to arts and crafts.

The following would not qualify

• Projects which you already have a statutory duty to undertake.

• Activities where grant funding for the same project has been claimed elsewhere, except where this partially funds the project.

• Any political, lobbying, pressure or campaigning activities.

• Funding of existing roles in your institution.

• Propagation of any religion or belief.

• Overseas travel for staff (not accompanying students for educational purposes).

• Part payment against any finance or operating lease procurement.

• Building projects.

• Any standard employment costs.

• Entertaining where this would be a taxable benefit in kind for the person being entertained.

I understand that staff costs would not be allowed, but if we were to bring in an external organisation to deliver an aspect of the programme, would that be allowable.

You are correct that we do not fund staff vacancies or someone who is going to be on your payroll. Funds payable to an external organisation to deliver something acceptable under the criteria would be allowed.

Several questions and scenarios covering member spend qualification

• The member used the washroom services framework 2 years ago and are still in contract with the supplier and the spend is still coming in. Would this count even though the actual procurement was more than a year ago?

• The member has spent a lot with CPC over the years but just not in the last year as their contracts haven’t been up for tender.

• There will potentially be members who have used the insurance, cleaning and catering frameworks etc so we will be getting income from them in the period November 2023 – November 2024, but because they used the frameworks prior to February 2023 would not qualify. Would this be correct?

• The number of frameworks used by the member in the qualifying period has decreased by 2 but overall spend has increased. The member has therefore not introduced any new frameworks although they have spent some more on desktop hardware than they did in the previous year. Would they qualify?

Any member utilising a framework in the qualifying 12-month period where spend is showing on spend reports from our suppliers will meet the spend criteria. If you are a school or college within a MAT and the MAT uses our frameworks on your behalf, this will qualify.

Our school is a member of CPC and became a part of a Multi Academy Trust. We were wondering if any/all of our schools could apply for the CPC funding.

Yes – your school can apply independently of the MAT but must state the name of the MAT. We advise that you inform your MAT of your application to avoid possible disappointment should your MAT also apply for funding for your school.

We have been successful in our application for funds. How soon could the funds be provided?

Once we receive the signed Terms and Conditions and your bank details, we expect to be able to provide funds within 30 days though this is usually sooner.

Will there be further sponsorship funding opportunities in the future?

There will be other opportunities. Please keep watching our website for updates.

Do I have to use our grant on a CPC framework to pay for my project?

No. We do encourage it if possible as it is more sustainable for our charity, however, we recognise that our frameworks may not cover the particular project you have planned.

To use an example – if your project includes the purchase of laptops or audio-visual equipment, we would like you to use our ICT Hardware and peripherals framework or the Audio-Visual Equipment framework. You should get a better deal this way but if not, that’s fine.

Any Other Questions

If you require any further information, please contact Carly Jenkinson on: 07733 308764, [email protected] or via the postal address.