Form

Completing your application form

Updated 21 May 2020

Completing your application form

General tips

There are a number of guidance notes contained in square brackets in the application form, please read these carefully and respond to all relevant points. Please delete or overtype the information in square brackets once you have read and understood it.

Write clearly and concisely avoiding the use of jargon or abbreviations; remember that the assessor reading your application may not have a background in your field of expertise. Do not exceed stated word limits.

Section 1 - Funding categories

Read the criteria for each funding category (above) before making your selection. Tick the relevant box(es) on the application form to indicate the category to which you are applying. You should select only one main funding category. If you select the General Category, you should tick all the relevant sub-categories which apply to your project.

Section 2 - Lead organisation details

This section requires you to input details relating to the lead organisation; we welcome applications from consortia, but require one organisation to take the lead role as the applicant, main point of contact, payee for funds, and responsible body who agrees to ensure the terms and conditions of the grant offer are upheld by all involved. Please ensure that the contact details given are for the day-to-day contact for all enquiries relating to the project application.

Section 3 - Project overview

This section asks you to provide an overview of the Tampon Tax funded project. You are required to: identify the Tampon Tax funded project by name; list all consortium partners involved in the project – you should complete this section if you are the lead organisation in a formal consortium. It is expected that partnership agreements are already in place, or that you have correspondence from authorised representatives at each partner organisation, that confirms involvement in the project and acknowledges submission of your application; list all the delivery partners involved in the project - please complete this section if you are applying as a single organisation but intend to work with other organisations to deliver the project evidence the need for the project – what are the key issues that the Tampon Tax funded project will help to overcome; evidence the need, and outline your plans for sustainability funding for your organisation if you have chosen to include this in your application. state the overall aim of the Tampon Tax funded project; describe what the project will actually do; explain how the project fits with the category criteria outlined above; explain how the project complements national and local strategies relevant to the regions or countries in which the project will be delivered; where relevant, describe the mechanisms for awarding and managing onward grants; list the expected outputs that will be directly attributable to Tampon Tax Funding; list the expected outcomes that will be directly attributable to Tampon Tax Funding; if applicable, explain how and where the Tampon Tax Funded project fits into any wider projects or programmes being run by your organisation or consortium.

Section 4 - Project delivery

This section asks you to provide details about: When (in terms of start, finish and key milestone dates) the project will be delivered; Where the project will be delivered (in terms of country, region, locality); Who the intended beneficiaries are; Who will deliver the project, i.e. what staff or volunteers you have in place or need to recruit to deliver project activities; How the project will be delivered – this includes demonstrating that you have the capacity and capability to deliver the proposed project. In particular this section asks you to detail specific project activities by quarter. It is important that you offer as much detail (in bullet point format is acceptable) to help us understand what will be achieved during each time period. If your application is successful, this part of your application will be used to inform your project progress and monitoring report. We also ask you to set out details of your Safeguarding arrangements.

Section 5 - Project finances

This section asks you to set out: the total cost of your project; the amount of Tampon Tax Fund you are requesting; the split of funding across England and the devolved administrations; the amount of funding you have requested (optional) for sustainability funding in £’s and as a percentage of your total grant request.

Please note that we can not fund capital projects or items of capital expenditure which exceed the lead organisation’s capital de minimis. You are required to submit a detailed budget breakdown which clearly shows expenditure by financial quarter and year, noting that our financial year runs 1st April to 31st March; You are required to set out your proposed drawdown schedule; You will also need to set out your financial management and control mechanisms explaining how you will ensure that Tampon Tax Funding can be accounted for, on a quarterly basis, accurately and transparently. You are asked to tell us how much match funding you have secured, if this is the case.

Section 6 - Mandatory document checklist

We have provided you with a quick reference checklist outlining all the documents you need to submit as part of your application; Please use the checkboxes to indicate which documents you have / haven’t included.

Section 7 - Authorisation

Your application form must be signed by someone with the authority to represent your organisation in making the application, for example: the CEO, the head of finance, or the head of the board of trustees.

How we decide

Applications will be assessed on their individual merits according to the following:

• evidence of need for the project
• overall clarity of application – how easy it is for us to understand what you are proposing and how well this addresses the issues outlined
• fit with Tampon Tax Fund criteria for the relevant category or categories of funding
• fit with government or local authority strategies and services relevant within the regions and/or devolved administrations in which the project will be delivered
• scale and reach of project outputs and outcomes
• deliverability – including suitability of timescales, demonstrable capacity and capability, relevant previous experience, and clarity of quarterly activities
• suitability of monitoring, evaluation and learning mechanisms
• value for money
• suitability of financial management mechanisms

Your organisation will also need to pass our due diligence checks which ensure:

• the grant award does not exceed 50% of your annual income or collective annual income if you are applying as a formal consortium
• we have received and reviewed at least 2 references you are registered with the Charity Commission and / or Companies House website and have filed all required returns
• if you have been funded by another part of Government, we seek feedback from that department you are not already receiving funding for this project from Government, meaning your project is funded twice; trustees are not related and there is no indication of fraud
• we are satisfied you have a proportionate Risk Register in place (to note: we will not assess your Risk Register but may ask questions or work with you to improve your Risk Register if we are not satisfied with it)
• where multiple organisations are located at the same postcode, there is an indication of fraud - if you do have the same postcode as other organisations you will be asked to provide an explanation

Please note: in the event your last financial year end was more than 6 months ago we may request further accounting information at a later date as part of the due diligence process.

The decision about which applications receive funding will also take into account the need to ensure a geographical and thematic spread of activities across the United Kingdom.

Please note: although DCMS will make the final decision:

• applications which focus on violence against women and girls will be assessed by colleagues from the Home Office
• applications which focus on young women’s mental health will be assessed by colleagues from the Department of Health and Social Care
• colleagues in the Department for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport will assess applications that respond under the general programme, seeking input from colleagues in other departments with specific expertise where required; applications which include delivery of activities within the devolved administrations will also be reviewed by colleagues in the relevant devolved administration(s)

You will not be contacted for clarification or further information. It is your responsibility to ensure your application is concise, fully completed and that you supply all necessary supporting documentation.

The only instance where a government official may contact you is where the level of funding you have requested cannot be met and a lesser amount is being offered. In this case, you will be invited to consider a lesser amount and submit a summary of activities, outputs, outcomes and budget (realigned to fit the revised funding on offer) for consideration. If contacted under these circumstances, please note that the time frame for providing your initial response may be very short.

When making decisions

• we will give equal consideration to all applications that meet our criteria
• we will be open and accountable in our procedures
• all staff will be required to declare conflicts of interest. If there is a conflict of interest, they will not be involved in the assessment process or the decision to award a grant

If you are offered a grant

• our standard terms and conditions apply to every grant we award

Your grant offer letter will set out any additional conditions that apply specifically to your grant. The letter will also set out what the grant is for and the payment schedule. Once we have awarded a grant, we will ask you for regular financial and performance monitoring reports and a final project report at the end of the funding term.

Please note:

• grant money will not be paid until we have received your written acceptance of the terms and conditions attached to your grant offer
• if applying as a formal consortium, all partner organisations will also be required to provide written acceptance of the terms and conditions, it will be the lead applicant’s responsibility to seek this acceptance you must acknowledge you have received our grant in your annual report and accounts covering the period of the project
• if there is any breach of the terms and conditions, or your organisation ceases to operate before the grant has been spent, grant monies may have to be repaid
• when the grant ends, the Tampon Tax Fund does not have a commitment to provide any further funding for the project
• anyone found to be acting dishonestly in making an application for funding or spending the grant will be reported to the police and may be liable for prosecution

If you have any complaints or questions about the application process, please contact the Tampon Tax Fund team on ttf@culture.gov.uk in the first instance.