Guidance

FaSS post application guidance

Updated 13 April 2026

This guidance note explains what to do once we have assessed your application. It explains what happens next, how to claim your funding, what reporting requirements you  will need to follow, what to do if anything in your project changes, and how to appeal decisions made about your application.

1. Next Steps

1.1 Processing times for your application

We will contact you to confirm we have received your application and request further information where applicable. This timeframe may vary depending on the number of applications we receive. We will only receipt applications that contain all relevant information within the application form and have supplied all the necessary documents needed to assess applications including:

• The required number of quotes, provided in the correct format and with the necessary email trails as per section 5 of the FaSS general guidance

• Accounts

• ID

• Business case (if applicable)

• Completed VAT declaration (if applicable)

• Partnership Letter (if applicable)

There may be additional requirements, the above list represents the minimum standard requirement for all submitted applications.

If further information is required to progress your application, we will make up to 3 attempts to contact you over a 30-day period using the contact details you have provided. It is your responsibility to ensure these details are accurate and to respond within the timeframe. If all required information is not received by the end of the 30‑day period, we will not proceed with your application and it will be withdrawn. Applications withdrawn due to information not being provided in a timely manner are free to resubmit another application during the same funding period.

Once you have received confirmation that your project has been receipted by the MMO Grants Team, you can begin work on the project, but this is entirely at your own risk. The items, suppliers and costs MUST be the same as in your originally submitted application; any deviation will make the costs ineligible. If proceeding at risk, you must contact the Grants Team to seek approval prior to going ahead with any changes to an item, supplier or cost.

We will write to you within 12 weeks to tell you if your application has been successful or not provided your application contains all the relevant information and you have supplied all the necessary documents needed to assess applications.

1.2 If your application is declined

If your application is declined, we will send you a letter that explains why. You can appeal this decision if you think that:

• it was based on a factual error,

• it was legally wrong, or

• an error was made in processing your application.

You have 28 days after the date of the letter to ask us to review the decision.

An independent appeals officer will consider your application in full against the criteria used to assess applications. We will notify you of the outcome of your appeal within 6 weeks of receiving it.

If your appeal is successful and the original decision is overturned, you will be issued with either an offer letter or a partial offer letter.

If your appeal is unsuccessful, the appeal decision is final and no further correspondence will be entered into. However, you can reapply and a new application will be considered without prejudice. If fraud has been committed you will not be eligible to reapply for a set period of at least 12 months.

1.3 If your application is approved

If your project is approved, we will send you an offer letter stating:

• the conditions you must follow when completing your project – if you do not meet  these we can withdraw or change the offer, and
• the amount of money you have been awarded – in some cases you may not     be awarded the total amount you applied for.

If you decide to accept the offer letter and its conditions, you must accept the offer on the FaSS E-System within 14 days . You should also make a copy of the offer letter and keep it for your records.

2. Claiming your funding

2.1 Claim Documentation

If your application is successful, you will be able to submit funding claims via the E- system.

We will pay funding in arrears for eligible costs that you have incurred. To support your claim you will need to submit:

• Invoices: these must be from your preferred suppliers and addressed to you.

• Invoices must be dated, itemised to show the amount of money paid for each product or service, and clearly state if any VAT is included in the costs.

• Email invoices must include the original accompanying    email trail from the supplier to you. This must be the original email trail and cannot be a retrospective confirmation from the supplier

• Proof of payment; this should be your bank statement that clearly shows the  transaction is from your bank account to the supplier, any unrelated transactions can be redacted.

• A completed SOP7 form. This enables MMO to send the grant payment to your bank account. MMO can provide the template for this.

• Evidence of contact with MCA for any projects on board vessels and where there may be any impact on stability.

• Clear photographs of the installed items or works must accompany your claim. We may decide to undertake a site visit to inspect the project in person.

• If the total project costs exceed £250k, you will be required to install a permanent plaque at the site of the project and provide photographic evidence with your final claim. Your final claim will not be paid until evidence of this has been provided.

We may decline to pay all or part of the funding if the information on the invoices is believed to be inaccurate, or the supplier, products or services in the claim do not match what was approved in your offer letter.

Your final claim date will be detailed in your offer letter and will be unique to your project. If you are unable to claim by the date specified, you must contact us to discuss options.

2.2 Foreign Currency Invoices

If you submit an invoice which is in a foreign currency you must calculate the exchange rate for the month your invoice is paid. You must use this website to convert your amounts – InforEuro, the exchange rate of the Euro currency. When submitting your claim for funding, you must use this amount in the claim column.

If your actual spend is below this conversion, you claim will be capped at the actual spend amount.

Any bank costs or commissions you incur will not be eligible for funding.

2.3 Internal Staff Salary Costs

Claims for staff costs must only be for hours spent exclusively on the project and must be accompanied by signed timesheets which have been approved by a manager or in the case of a CEO approved by the relevant HR/Finance Manager and evidence of payment.

2.4 Hire Purchase Agreement

Hire Purchase agreements cannot be used to fund projects.

2.5 Processing times for your claim

We aim to contact you as soon as possible to confirm we have received your claim and request further information where applicable. This timeframe may vary depending on the number of claims we receive.

There may be additional requirements, the above list (see section 2.1) represents the minimum standard requirement for all submitted claims.

If further information is required to progress your claim, we will make up to 3 attempts to contact you over a 30-day period using the contact details you have provided. It is your responsibility to ensure these details are accurate and to respond within the timeframe. If all required information is not received by the end of the 30‑day period, we may not proceed with your claim and it may be rejected.

We will aim to assess and pay your claim within 8 weeks provided your claim contains all the relevant information and you have supplied all the necessary documents needed.

3. Reporting

3.1 Reporting your progress

You may need to provide written progress on your project when you submit your claims for payment depending on the complexity of your project.

If you do not carry out your project in accordance with the timetable in your offer letter, we will ask you to explain the delay and any impact on your targets and benefits. We could cancel your funding offer or change it depending on the reasons you give.

We will take criminal or civil action to reclaim any money we have paid you if false information has been given in your application, or if you do any of the following:

• break the conditions in the offer letter,

• use the money for a different purpose to that which you stated in your application, or

• commit fraud.

3.2 Reporting changes to your project (Notification of Change)

If you want to make any changes to your project after you have returned your offer letter, you will need to justify any changes and inform us by creating a notification of change on the FaSS E-system. We will then consider your request and notify you of our decision. Further details of the changes you must inform us of can be found in the sections below. Requests for change will only be accepted where there is a clear need, and the changes are unavoidable and outside your control. The MMO Grants team retain the right to reject change requests. The decision made is final and cannot be appealed.

3.3 Successful applicants can make no more than 3 requests for change during the lifetime of a project.

Changes could include:

• the way your project is funded, e.g. how you are paying for your part of the project, using different contractors or suppliers to the ones agreed in your offer letter,
• changing the timetable of your project,
• selling or disposing of any infrastructure item purchased as part of your  project,
• stopping any activity that is part of your project,
• changing the location of the activity, or
• adjusting the expected benefits of your project.
• Increases to overall project costs
• Where there are increases in project costs, comparative quotes in line with section 5 of the FaSS general guidance will be required in instances where an item/unforeseen works which were not originally included are applied for.

Changes cannot include:

• Changes not deemed to be absolutely necessary to the project.
• Changes that significantly alter the nature or aim of the project including removal and addition of funding items.
• Increases to costs where the proposed increase would take a project’s grant funding amount over the funding round threshold limit (£249,999.99).

If you change your project without telling us, we could cancel your funding award, change it or refuse to pay funding for costs associated with the changes.

3.4 Decreased costs

If the total eligible costs of your project decrease then so will the funding award.

If these changes mean that the targets and benefits will not be delivered as planned, you must inform us as soon as possible.

3.5 Change of supplier

Sometimes suppliers to your project may change, if this is the case you must do the following:

• If you change supplier you must notify us by submitting a Notification of Change and receiving formal approval for this change before purchasing from the new supplier.

A rationale for all requested changes must be included in your amendment request. Change requests will only be approved where it is demonstrated that changes are unavoidable and critical to the success of the project. The MMO Grants team retain the right to reject change requests, the decision made is final and cannot be appealed.

3.6 Change of Ownership

You should not sell or dispose of any items we have funded within five years of  the final payment date the final claim paid date for your project Consumables are exempt from this.

If you do need to sell or undertake any other action that changes the ownership of any  funded item from the project within five years, you must inform us in writing. This includes indirect changes – for example, where a premises or vessel changes ownership or where the location of any funded items changes.

The new owners will be required to take on the terms and conditions of the funding for the time remaining up to five years from the date the original offer of funding was accepted. It is your responsibility as the original applicant to inform the new owners of the funding obligations.

If the new owner of the item or items does not accept these terms, recovery proceedings may be started and funding recovered from you as the original applicant.

3.7 Declaring additional funding

If you apply for or receive funding through another scheme, you must:

• tell the organisation that runs the other scheme that you have been offered funding through the Fisheries and Seafood Scheme, and
• tell us that you have been accepted for another type of funding.

We may decide that you are no longer eligible for funding if you receive money from another scheme. This decision will be based on the conditions and amount of additional funding.

If you are deemed ineligible, we can take action to reclaim money from you, or cancel any payments that were due.

3.8 Moving your vessel

You must not transfer a fishing vessel outside the UK for at least five years after spending funding on it – if you do this you will have to give back all or part of the funding you received. The exact amount you will need to repay will depend on when you transferred the vessel.

4. Requirements

4.1 Inspections

You must let our officials visit your vessel or other sites related to your project to check your progress and ensure that the items purchased are in line with what is listed in your application.

The National Audit Office, or another official body, may also inspect your project. You will usually be given at least 48 hours’ notice, but this is not a requirement.

4.2 Monitoring

After a claim for final payment of grant funding has been accepted and the funding has been paid in full the project is deemed complete. The MMO will monitor the  project for a period of at least five years after the date of the final payment to you and may contact you during that period.

There are three areas which will be assessed when monitoring projects after funding has been paid. These are:

• Failure to comply with General and Specific Conditions;
• The achievement of Targets and Benefits, in line with results indicators and KPIs
• The durability of operations and irregularities

4.3 Records you must keep

If your application is successful, you must keep all documents related to your project   for five years from the date of your last claim, including:

• licences,

• consents,

• quotes, order forms, and delivery notes,

• invoices, bills of quantity, tenders, estimates;

• drawings, plans and technical specifications, architects’ certificates.

• receipts or other documents which record your spending,

• all accounting documents related to your application, and

• claim forms.

You should also keep your project documentation under a separate accounting system or accounting code to ensure it is easily differentiated from your businesses other accounts and transactions.

5. Contact us

Write to:

MMO Grants Team
Tyneside House,
Skinnerburn Road
Newcastle upon Tyne
NE4 7AR

Telephone:

020802 65539

Email: Fass.queries@marinemanagement.org.uk