Spaldington Wind Farm Community Fund

What is the Spaldington Wind Farm Community Fund?

The Spaldington Wind Farm started operating in 2016 which subsequently saw the establishment of a community fund that received its first donation in 2017.  Falck Renewables, the wind farm operators, make an annual donation to this fund enabling it to support a wide range of projects of benefit to the local community.

The annual donation from Falck Renewables is around £19,000 per annum.

Falck Renewables (external website)

What is the area of benefit for the Fund?

The parishes of Spaldington, Bubwith, Foggathorpe, Holme on Spalding Moor, Eastrington, Howden and Wressle in the East Riding of Yorkshire and in particular initiatives within the proximity of the wind farm. 

What types of activities will the Fund support?

Who can make an application?

Applications are accepted from community groups, community organisations, charities, parish councils, schools, and churches. New groups or ideas for projects where a group does not currently exist can be considered.

Applications cannot be accepted from individuals.

For further information please contact the fund administrator at:

Email: ruralfunding@eastriding.gov.uk

Are there any activities that cannot be funded?

The following activities cannot be supported by the fund:

• Political, religious or other campaigns
  
• Anti-renewable energy/wind farm activities
  
• Activities normally understood to be the exclusive responsibility of public bodies including Town and Parish Councils, East Riding of Yorkshire Council, Humberside Fire and Rescue Services, Humberside Police, Internal Drainage Boards, the Environment Agency and Health Authority.

How can the Fund distribute the money?

Payments from the Fund will usually be made in the form of grants. Subject to appropriate governance measures as required, other forms of financial assistance can be requested by contacting the Fund administrator at:

Email: ruralfunding@eastriding.gov.uk 

For information on other funding opportunities please visit: Finding a grant

How much money can be applied for? 

Applications to the main fund must be over £500 and no upper limit has been set. Applications should be made on the online application forms - please see section below entitled 'How do I submit an application for funding?'

Applications for under £500 should be made to the Fund's Small Grants fund - please see section below 'How do I submit an application for funding?'

Will the Fund support 100% of the project costs? 

The fund panel will prioritise applications that show evidence of an organisations contribution towards the costs. The contribution can be cash, donations of materials, loan of equipment, free use of land or buildings or volunteer time. 

How is the Fund managed and who makes decisions about how it is spent? 

Decisions about how the annual donation is spent are made by the Spaldington Wind Farm Community Fund panel. The panel is comprised as follows: 

• One representative from East Riding of Yorkshire Council
  
• One representative from the developer
  
• 3 – 7 individuals nominated by parish councils in the area of benefit.

East Riding of Yorkshire Council is the accountable body for the fund and provides the secretariat and administration through the council's Rural Policy and Partnerships team. 

What are the deadlines and timescales?  

The main Fund's timetable for 2021 is as follows:

• Fund opens for applications from 22 March 2021
• Fund closes to applications: 21 May 2021
• Fund Panel Decision - making meeting: 18 June 2021
• 2021 Annual Review Meeting due to be held on the 22 September 2021 has been postponed until Spring 2022.

What is the application process from start to finish? 

Applications can either be made to the main fund or, for smaller amounts there is a small grant option.

For the small grant option the applicant completes a paper based application using the forms and guidance that can be downloaded from the bottom of this page.  The applicant completes the form and returns it to the administrator via email.  The application is then circulated to the panel for a decision and if the application is approved by a majority the applicant is informed and the grant is paid directly into the group/organisations account without the need for an invoice.  In most cases this process should only take approximately 14 days from application to decision.

For applications to the main fund:

1. The applicant completes an online application form and submits it electronically with supporting evidence (including quotes, permissions, accounts and bank statements).  These forms can be accessed using the link in the How do I submit an application for funding? answer below
   
2. The online system acknowledges receipt of application
   
3. The administrator carries out a technical appraisal (does the applicant have the ability and permissions to carry out the project, does the project meet the fund criteria, has all the necessary information been supplied?)
   
4. The application is sent to fund panel for scoring
   
5. The fund panel meet and make a decision (full award, part award or decline).  Panel members are required at meetings to declare any interests that they have in particular applications and, where this is the case, take no part in decisions relating to that application (they leave the room whilst this application is discussed)
   
6. The administrator emails unsuccessful applicants stating decision and the reasons
7. The administrator sends an offer letter electronically to successful applicants offering funding and detailing how payments will be made and any conditions that may apply to the award
   
8. Successful applicants accept the offer by sending back a signed and scanned copy electronically via a link supplied by the administrator
9. Awards up to £10,000 are payable by invoice supplied on return of the signed offer letter.  For awards over £10,000 an initial invoice for £10,000 can be submitted with a copy of the signed offer letter with the balance being payable on a second invoice which can be submitted with the end of grant form.  For awards over £20,000, an individual payment plan will be approved by the panel when the award is made.  Please note: normal payment terms are 30 days
10. Successful applicants complete the project
    
11. Successful applicants submit an end of grant report (again electronically using a link supplied) plus supporting evidence along with any final invoice as appropriate
12. The administrator includes a report on the project in the fund's annual report.  The annual report is a document that records the awards made during that year and profiles all the projects supported.

The annual review meeting (open to all) is an opportunity to celebrate successful projects and for the Fund Panel to receive feedback from applicants and the community about the Fund.

How do I submit an application for funding? 

The applicant completes an online application form within the Flexi-Grant system and submits it electronically with supporting evidence. 

Applications to the main fund (over £500) should be made on the online application form within the Flexi-Grant system.

To access this system visit the Flexi-Grant System website:

Flexi-Grant System (external council website)

There are two options on the system to choose from:

• Small project applications - select 'up to £10k' form
  
• Larger project applications - select 'over £10k' form.

Both forms have Guidance Notes to help you complete the form.

Applications for less than £500 should be made on the small grants form which, along with Guidance Notes, can be downloaded from the table below.

If you have any queries please contact the fund by:

Email: ruralfunding@eastriding.gov.uk 

For information on other funding opportunities please visit: Finding a grant