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CUF Grants - FAQ's

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The FAQ's are designed to help you to apply for a grant, and understand the grant making process.

Topics included here cover many of the common areas of enquiry, including eligibility, how to apply, and how to use the grant.

Use the links below to find the answers to questions you might have.

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Overview
What type of groups do you fund?
Church Urban Fund works with locally-based faith groups, in England, working in the most deprived communities or with marginalised people.

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Eligibility - Location
How do you determine which areas are most deprived?
With a limited amount of funds available, Church Urban Fund uses Government statistics to help make funding decisions. Specifically, we seek to work in the top 10% most deprived communities. You can obtain a brief overview of your area by typing your postcode into the search box on the right hand side of this page: http://www.neighbourhood.statistics.gov.uk.


My area is fairly wealthy but we work on a deprived Council estate; would we still qualify?
Yes, if the estate is in top 10% most deprived areas and you can show that your church has good links on the estate.

Our project is not in the top 10% most deprived, but we are working with a particularly marginalised group - could we still apply?
It is understood that certain types of profound need can be represented in any community, and projects working to meet these needs may still be eligible for funding. Types of work include: homeless projects; refugee and asylum seeker projects; work with sexually exploited or trafficked people; offenders and ex-offenders projects; projects specifically targeted at people on benefits such as Job Seekers Allowance and Income Support.

Will you fund my project in Glasgow/Kenya?
Church Urban Fund works in England only.

Do you fund projects in rural areas?
Church Urban Fund works with groups wherever the need is greatest, including urban and rural areas.

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Eligibility - Project and Beneficiaries
Do we have to be a Church of England church?
No.

Does my project have to be Christian?
No, Church Urban Fund works with groups of any recognised faith.

Some, or all of our beneficiaries are not Christians - can we still apply for a grant?
One of the core criteria points is that the project is open to all and should not discriminate on the grounds of faith, age, gender, sexual orientation, or disability. Exceptions to the 'open to all' rule are of course made where the nature of the project leads it to be specifically working with men, women, youth or older people, for example, where a focused approach is understood.

We need funds to pay for general running costs - can we apply for this?
At present, no.

Our organisation has a loan payment due and cannot pay it - can we apply for funds to cover this?
No.

Our church requires repairs to the roof/windows/toilets/car park - will you fund the costs?
Church Urban Fund does not generally contribute to capital building costs.

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Application Process
How do I apply for a grant?
In the first instance, please read the funding criteria, or download the grant manual to get a greater sense of our criteria and processes. Then you should contact your local officer who will ask you for information about your organisation and your proposal, and will guide you through the process.


Who is my local officer and how do I contact them?
Please click here for a list of our local contacts.

Who do I contact if I don't have a local officer?
All areas should have a contact listed, but in some cases this may be staff at Church Urban Fund central offices. Even if you have applied previously, please check in case details have since changed.

My local officer is on holiday, who should I contact?
All queries and applications are dealt with at a local level, so you will need to try again at a later date.

How does the application process work? Is there a form to complete, or do I just write a case for support?
There is a short form available for completion, but you may also apply using your own format. As we are only able to contribute towards specific pieces of work it is essential that you answer all questions detailed on the application form rather than simply provide an overview of your work.

I can't find an application form on your website - how do I get one?
Application forms are not available to download, and you should contact your local officer to discuss your proposals, before being invited to apply.

When can I apply?
Details of all open grant programmes, including maximum grant amounts, closing dates and criteria can be found on the funding pages of our website.

How much money can I apply for?
Details of all open grant programmes, including maximum grant amounts, closing dates and criteria can be found on the funding pages of our website.

What information do you need from me?
We require contact details for the organisation, the name and contact details of a primary contact at the organisation, information about what you wish to do, why you wish to do it, who will do it, a budget and a specific financial request.

Will you tell me if I’ve not been successful, and will you give feedback?
We will inform all applicants of decisions made, but unfortunately we do not always have capacity to offer feedback on individual applications.

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Grant Management
If I am successful, will I get the money as a lump sum, or in several smaller amounts?
Payment terms are flexible and should be agreed with Church Urban Fund staff.

When would we get the money if we were successful?
Payment terms are flexible and should be agreed with Church Urban Fund staff.

Will we have to write a report if we get a grant?
We require an evaluation form to be completed. We will email grantees when this is due, and will generally include a link to an online form with specific questions.

Can I see a copy of the evaluation form?
A copy of the 2010 questions can be found on the Grant Management pages of our website.

Do Church Urban Fund grants come with specific conditions?
Our standard Grant Agreement can be found on the Grant Management pages of our website. Other conditions may be added as deemed appropriate and grantees will be notified in their award letter if this is the case.

We were awarded a grant towards our youth work, but this is now funded from elsewhere - can we use the grant towards our work with older people?
Please contact a member of the Development team directly (020 7898 1420/ funding@cuf.org.uk) to discuss the situation.

We were awarded a grant but the project costs/needs identified have changed considerably - can we keep all of the grant and use it for other costs or core costs?
Please contact a member of the Development team directly (020 7898 1420/ funding@cuf.org.uk) to discuss the situation.

Can we get a follow-up grant?
At present, no, however applications may be made for different pieces of work.

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Other questions

We would like someone from Church Urban Fund to attend our project launch - would this be possible?
Unfortunately we are a very small staff team and do not normally have the capacity to attend events.

Could you supply us with a large presentation cheque to use in photographic publicity?
Unfortunately we are unable to supply presentation cheques.

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