Urban Community Energy Fund – Grant application form

UCEF grants are available for organisations who are at an early stage in developing a community renewable energy project.  The grant can help you determine whether your project is at all feasible, for example by covering the costs of hiring professionals to help you arrange an agreement with the landowner, carry out some initial consultation with your community, or to look into the initial technical and financial feasibility of your ideas. 

Once you have spent your UCEF grant, we will be able to support you to apply for a UCEF loan to carry out the more detailed phases of development.  This form is for your grant application only.  You will fill in another application when you come to the loan stage.

You must be located in an urban area to apply, and also meet certain other criteria.  Please use the eligibility checker before you start completing this form, which can be found on the website www.gov.uk/urban-community-energy-fund. 

Please also note that you are required to fill out an evaluation questionnaire as part of the application process.  The questionnaire is found at the end of this document.  Your responses do not affect the scoring of your application in any way, but we cannot process applications where the evaluation has not been completed.  

Contact the UCEF team to discuss your plans before applying. We can provide guidance to give your proposal the best possible chance of success. We will help ensure you:

•	are at the right stage in your project to apply for a grant
•	understand what you would then do when you re-apply at the loan stage (if your grant-funded work looks promising).
•	are asking for a reasonable level of funding for the type and scale of your proposed project. 

If you are at a very early stage, we may advise you on further research you need to do before applying (which is generally simple research with no cost attached), or suggest that you start with a small application for a grant towards community consultation.

The UCEF team is available during office hours (Mon-Fri, 9am-5pm) to help with your proposal.

Telephone:		0800 038 6345 			email:			info@ucef.org.uk

There is a £20,000 limit on the UCEF grant funding you can receive. You can apply for more than one grant within this limit, but you will need to spend one grant before applying for another. We need to ensure funds are spent reasonably and cost-effectively. Consequently, depending on the type, scale and complexity of the proposed project, not every project will have the full amount available to them.

To apply for a UCEF grant:

•	You must pass the eligibility checker
•	You must have some preliminary evidence that your local area might be suitable for the technologies you are considering (we will advise you on some simple and free feasibility checks you can carry out if you aren’t sure).

UCEF grants can be spent on reasonable costs associated with the following things:

•	Professional support in assessing basic technical feasibility for the technology in question (this could include the work done to determine which technology you are going to focus on, and whether it is at all feasible to connect to the grid).
•	Professional support for arranging an exclusivity agreement with a landowner, where necessary.  
•	Professional support costs for carrying out initial public engagement work
•	Professional support for carrying out initial stakeholder engagement with public bodies that have an interest in your project, such as English Heritage and the Environment Agency (where necessary)
•	Professional support in assessing the planning issues that will need to be addressed, and determining that there are no absolute barriers that would prevent you from applying for planning permission.  
•	Professional support in assessing the permitting, licensing and consenting issues that will need to be addressed, and determining that there are no absolute barriers that would prevent you from applying for them.  
•	Professional support in assessing the basic financial viability of your proposed project and developing a high-level business model.  
•	Reasonable costs associated with legal advice and registration fees relating to the establishment of an incorporated body.
•	Project management costs
•	Reasonable direct costs associated with any of the above, such as travel, venue hire, printing of leaflets etc.

Important: UCEF grants and loans cannot be used to fund the purchase or installation of equipment. More information on this is provided in our Guide to State aid.

By the end of the grant stage, you should know whether your project is likely to be feasible, because you should have been able to determine the following:

•	Technical feasibility will have been done to a reasonable level, indicating suitability
•	Potential grid connection issues will be understood, indicating no major problems
•	Some community consultation will have been carried out, indicating no major opposition
•	A legal agreement for your use of the site will have been established with the landowner
•	Potential planning issues for the site will be understood.
•	An outline business plan for what you would spend the development loan on will have been developed.

By a ‘reasonable level’, we mean that the work done should be proportional to the technology, scale and site chosen. For example, a medium-sized solar PV project on your own building in a commercial area will require far less preparation than a medium-scale wind project on land owned by a third party near a residential area or in a protected landscape. Please contact us to check your proposal can achieve this.

If you have already achieved all the points above (assuming all work is recent enough to still be valid) you should apply for a UCEF loan rather than a grant.

Submissions	

Submissions should be made by email to info@ucef.org.uk.

We will accept Word or PDF formats for your application form, and other formats accessible on a standard PC/Windows setup for any accompanying material.

If you do not have internet access, we will accept submissions by post to the address below.

If you need help to complete and submit your application, please get in touch by email, phone or post.

Email:			info@ucef.org.uk
Telephone:		0800 038 6345
Post:			UCEF, CSE, 3 St Peter’s Court, Bedminster Parade, Bristol, BS3 4AQ

Document checklist	
Along with this application form you will need to provide certain documentation. Further information about these documents is provided throughout the application form.

Essential (if you are already incorporated):
•	Governing document (e.g. articles of association)
•	Certificate of incorporation
•	Most recent signed annual accounts or 12 month projections if your organisation is newly formed
•	Most recent annual Community Interest Report (Community Interest Companies (CICs only)

Don’t worry if you don’t have these.  You may apply for a grant to cover the reasonable costs of becoming an incorporated body, including some legal advice to help you choose the right structure.

Also essential if the UCEF grant will be spent on professional services:
•	Three quotes for each professional service the UCEF grant will fund where the total cost of that service is more than £1,000.  Where three quotes are not available, please give us details of why you have been unable to provide them (e.g. only two consultancies with this specialism within reasonable travelling distance of our project).
•	Further information on the credentials of your chosen suppliers

If applicable and available at this stage:
•	Technical feasibility studies
o	This may include a constraints assessment, site layout plan or an energy yield assessment
•	Fuel supply assessment or agreement
•	Community consultation report
•	Landowner agreement(s)
•	Evidence of consents or permits already obtained
•	Evidence of any planning applications or decisions
•	Evidence forming the basis of any capital cost estimates

Again, don’t worry if you don’t have these documents, or if the only feasibility study work you have is a very high-level assessment that you have done yourself for free.  The reason we ask for these is to help us work out what areas of work you most need support on and how we can build on what you already know.

Tips on completing the form	

Answer every question within the form and provide the required attachments where requested. We must receive a fully completed application to carry out an assessment. You should not rely on attachments we have not asked for to answer questions for you. Using unsolicited attachments to provide answers you should have given in the form makes it difficult to assess your application, and we may ask you to resubmit it.

Give your answers within the stated word limits. Your application should be concise and use direct, simple language. The word limits for each question are indicative of the detail we want you to provide.

Do not use questions without word limits to cram in extra information. If there is no word limit, it is because we are only asking for a simple or numerical answer.

Boxes can be marked with an ‘x’ or tick symbol. We have not used a fixed format document because this makes it easier for you to edit and share your drafts. Consequently, the tick boxes are not electronically ‘smart’. We suggest using an ‘x’ or tick symbol – the important thing is that you make your selection clear.

Section 1:	Basic details	

1.1	Applicant

Organisation name	
	
Registered address	

Postcode: 	
What is the purpose of your organisation?
(150 words max.)	

1.2	Project summary

Please provide a short description of your proposed project. 
(200 words max.)
Give us the story so far in developing your project, what you expect to do next, and what you finally hope to achieve. You can give more details later in the form.	

1.3	Contacts

Please provide details for the main contact for your application.

Main contact	
First name		
Surname		
Role		
Phone		
Email		
Correspondence address		
Postcode		

Please provide details for an alternative contact, in case we have any difficulties in communicating with your main contact.

Alternative contact	
First name		
Surname		
Role		
Phone		
Email		
Correspondence address		
Postcode		

1.4	Community

UCEF is open to communities in urban areas. Our Guide to urban/rural classification explains this, and our Postcode checker can tell you whether you can apply to UCEF.

	I confirm that our project is based in an urban area, according to this online checker.

What is the name of the community where your renewable energy installation will be based?	
	
What is the relationship between your organisation and this community?
(150 words max.)
You might be based in this community and draw your membership from the local area. If your organisation is affiliated with a local particular building(s), such as social housing, religious building or other a community centre, please tell us.
If you are not locally based, we need to understand what your link is to the local area.	

Section 2:	Group attributes	

2.1	Capabilities

We are interested in hearing about your existing skills, experience and resources. This will help us to see whether you are likely to be able to deliver your project.

Please estimate how many person hours your project team has already spent on developing the project, including time spent on community engagement.	

	

Who will be involved in developing your project? (please tick one only)

	Paid staff			Volunteers		
	A combination of paid staff and volunteers
	We intend to appoint paid staff, but at the moment it’s just volunteers

Who will manage your project? What time, skills and experience can they offer?  If you are recruiting a new paid project manager to deliver this proposed project, please explain how you will ensure that the person appointed is suitably qualified.
We want to avoid inexperienced or poorly qualified group members becoming paid project managers simply because they are already linked to the project. 

(300 words max.)	

	

Has anyone in your group developed a community renewable energy project before?
Yes/No     (please edit)

If yes, please tell us who, and give details of the technology type, scale and location.
(200 words max.)	

	

Has anyone in your group developed or managed other community projects or services before?
Yes/No     (please edit)

If yes, please tell us who, and give details of the type of project, scale/duration and location.
(300 words max.)	

	

What other supporting skills do you have in your group? Who has these skills, and what time and experience can they offer to your project?
 (300 words max.)
This might include technical expertise, community engagement or communications.	

	

If you are working with another organisation(s) to deliver this project, please provide details below.
These organisations must have already agreed to be involved, and are aware of your application to UCEF.	
Organisation	Role in the project
(30 words max. per box)	

		
		
Let us know about any other support or professional help you have secured. 
(150 words max.)
Don’t include cash support here – you can tell us more about that in section 9.	

2.2	Incorporation

You must attach the following documents to your application if you already have them:

•	Governing document (e.g. articles of association)
•	Certificate of incorporation

If you are not yet incorporated and are applying for grant funding to cover the costs of incorporation or legal advice on what incorporated form you should take, note that we will need to see evidence of incorporation as early as possible in your grant-funded period, and may restrict the release of further grant funds until this evidence is produced.  We may also need to pay your grant for this work directly to the provider of these services (for example a legal firm) to minimise risks to the fund.

Organisation type	
You must be incorporated to receive ongoing UCEF funding. Please select one of the following types, if known:

	Registered company
	Charitable Incorporated Organisation (CIO)
	Registered society
	Parish or town council
	We will be taking legal advice on the most suitable incorporated form and/or undertaking the process of incorporation as part of the grant.

If you are a development trust, registered charity or Registered Social Landlord (RSL), it is very likely that you are incorporated as one of the types above. Charities registered before 2012 are usually also registered as companies. Our Guide to Incorporation provides more information.

Local authorities – district, county, metropolitan and unitary authorities – can apply in partnership with an eligible organisation listed above, but not alone or as a lead applicant. Local authorities can either be a supporting partner, or set up a new incorporated body (separate to the local authority) with other partners.

Whatever form your organisation has, your project must meet the Community Energy Strategy definition of having an emphasis on ‘community ownership, leadership or control’.

Company, CIO or Registered Society no.		
When was your organisation established? (month/year)		
Number of employees		
Number of active volunteers		
Number of members
If you don’t have a formal membership, you can use the number of people subscribed to your community mailing list		

	I confirm that our organisation (including any directors or partner or any other person who has powers of representation, decision or control) has not been convicted of conspiracy, corruption, bribery, fraud, money laundering or drug trafficking, and has not been declared bankrupt.

Please tell us more about the type and structure of your organisation, and how it is governed.
(200 words max.)
For example, your group might also be a co-operative, registered charity, a Community Interest Company (CIC), a development trust or a Registered Social Landlord (RSL). You might be a subsidiary of a larger organisation.  We’d like to know who has ultimate control of your organisation (e.g. directors, trustees, shareholders, members) and how decisions are made.
If this information is all contained within the governing documents you have submitted alongside this application, then you can skip this question.	

Directors or trustees
Please name all of your directors or trustees, and anyone who has ‘voting rights’ over decisions made in your organisation.  This would include members of any parent organisation if your group is a subsidiary.  
Again, if all this information is contained within the governing documents you have submitted alongside this application, then you can skip this question.	

2.3	Financial management

You must attach the following documents to your application if they are available:

•	Most recent signed annual accounts or 12 month projections if your organisation is newly formed
•	Most recent annual Community Interest Report (Community Interest Companies (CICs) only)

VAT registration number
Put N/A if you are not registered for VAT.		

We require recipient bank accounts to require at least two signatures from unrelated people to make a withdrawal, to help prevent fraud.

	I confirm that our bank account requires at least two signatures from unrelated people to make a withdrawal.

Please provide your bank account details.

Bank name		
Account name		
Sort code		
Account number		
When you opened this account (month/year)		

Please provide details of the signatories to this account.

Name	Role	Home address	

			

Section 3:	Technical feasibility	

When applying for a UCEF grant, it is not necessary for you to know exactly what technology you want to pursue. Grants can be used to help engage your local community in making decisions about appropriate technologies. Choosing a technology before engaging the wider community is more likely to result in local backlash, particularly for wind projects. 

However, we also want to see that you have put some thought into what might work. The UCEF website contains guidance on how to undertake simple DIY assessments for micro-hydro, heat pumps, biomass (including district heating), anaerobic digestion and wind as part of the PlanLoCaL resource. 

3.1	Technology selection

UCEF is only available for some low carbon technologies. Which ones are you considering? Tick all that apply. We expect a maximum of three technologies unless you can provide strong justification for more.

	Wind turbines
	Hydropower
	Solar photo voltaic
	Solar thermal
	Ground, water and air source heat pumps
	Anaerobic digestion, biomass, bio liquids, biogas and bio-CHP
	Low carbon / renewable heat networks
	Gas combined heat and power (CHP) units

What scale(s) do you expect your installation to be? Please specify if this is in MW or kW.
If you have selected multiple technologies, please give a scale for each technology. If you are planning a portfolio of sites with a single technology (e.g. ten solar sites), please estimate a total figure.	

3.2	Site selection

Do you have a particular site(s) in mind? If so, please give a brief description and provide the postcode(s).
(150 words max.)
Our Guide to urban/rural classification gives tips on identifying postcodes.	

Postcode(s):	

What evidence do you have to indicate that your project is technically feasible in your community?
(300 words max. plus attachments)
You might already have a professional survey, or you may have done your own rough assessment (e.g. using the PlanLoCaL guidance or online wind speed tools). There could be evidence of historic use (e.g. a waterwheel). 
We expect to see some evidence that you have thought through the viability of each and every technology you are considering, and can advise you on simple assessments that you can make for free before submitting this form.
Please attach any feasibility studies you have (DIY or professional) with your submission.	

Does your site have sufficient access for the physical build of your proposed project (e.g. road for bringing equipment onsite)? If not, please explain how you hope to overcome this issue.  
(150 words max.)
If you don’t yet have a site in mind, put N/A. If you have a site but don’t know how to answer this, please call the UCEF team for advice.	

3.3	Constraints analysis

Have you done any assessment of potential constraints that may prevent you getting planning permission for your project? If so, what have you found?
(150 words max. plus attachments)
These won’t necessarily stop your project, but again there are simple things you can do for free before submitting this application to assess some constraints, and these will help us judge whether you have asked for enough funding to assess these in more detail.  These may include:
•	Project is situated on or near a heritage asset (listed building, conservation area, scheduled monument)
•	Project is situated in or near a protected landscape area (AONB, National Park)
•	Project is close to an airport or airstrip 
If you have any reports relating to these issues, please attach them.
You can of course apply for grant funding to carry out further constraints analysis.  Although some of the issues above may be simple to determine in principle, you might want to hire a professional to look at the implications in more detail (e.g. a heritage specialist to look at impacts and mitigation measures for a project in a conservation area).  Or there may be constraints that are difficult to determine at all without professional help, e.g. understanding the ecology of a river where you have a proposed hydro project.	

Have you checked whether there have been any previous attempts to develop your proposed site for low carbon energy? If you have checked, please explain your findings.
 (150 words max.)
If you don’t have a site in mind yet, put N/A. If you are not sure how to check for previous attempts, please contact the UCEF team for advice.	

	

3.4	Initial site analysis

Do you have any of the following for your proposed technology and site? If so, please tick and attach these.

	Site layout plan

	Energy yield assessment

Don’t worry if you don’t have these yet, or don’t have a site in mind, you can use your grant funding to do these tasks.

3.5	Fuel supply

This question is only relevant to technologies requiring a feedstock, such as biomass or anaerobic digestion projects. If this doesn’t apply to you, please skip this question.

Please explain whether you have undertaken a feasibility assessment for the volume of fuel your project will need, and where you expect to source the fuel.
(150 words max. plus attachments)
You might already have a professional survey, or you may have done your own rough assessment (e.g. using the PlanLoCaL guidance). If you have an assessment or a formal supply agreement already in place, please attach a copy.
If you haven’t thought about fuel supply at all, the UCEF team can advise you on some simple, free assessments and actions you can undertake to inform this question (and which should help you determine if fuel supply is likely to be impossible to arrange).  You can then use your grant funding to pay a professional consultancy to build on this initial assessment.	

Section 4:	Stakeholder engagement	

Your whole community will be hosting your low carbon energy installation. UCEF can only support projects that have given everyone a chance to have a say on the project, and that will make sure the whole community benefits in some way, so it’s important that you show us that you will be carrying out some community engagement work with your grant funding.  This could cover the costs of a professional facilitator, if your idea is likely to be contentious, as well as the reasonable costs of sampled or random surveys, printing leaflets, hiring venues, refreshments etc.

If your organisation is not based in the community where your low carbon technology will be located, you need to demonstrate community support in the area that will host the installation, and that benefits from the installation will be relayed to the host community.

As well as public support, you also need to think about engaging key stakeholders who will have an interest in your project. This might include the Environment Agency, town council or other organisations that make use of your proposed site. For example, a hydro project may need to consider other river users.

4.1	Stakeholder support

We expect part of your grant to be allocated to meaningful stakeholder consultation about your plans (including specific technologies and sites) unless you can demonstrate that you have already done this.

If you have done little or no community consultation, this must form part of your project plan for your grant (section 7).  Bear in mind that this is initial consultation; you will most likely need to do further work on consultation at loan stage if you proceed that far.  You can contact us if you need further advice.

What have you done so far to involve the local community that will host your installation in your plans?
(300 words max. plus attachments)
Describe the nature of any consultation, how many people contributed, what feedback you received, and how feedback influenced your plans. What have you done to ensure everyone in the community has had a chance to contribute their views? Have you had any opposition?
Don’t worry if you haven’t done any of this yet.  Your grant funding can support this work.
If you have a consultation report, please attach it.	

Have you done anything to engage other local, national or statutory stakeholders who might have an interest in your plans?
(200 words max.)
Explain who you have engaged, how, what feedback you received, and how feedback influenced your plans. Have you had any opposition?
Don’t worry if you haven’t done this yet – your grant funding can be used to support this work.	

4.2	Community benefit

How will the local community where your planned installation will be based benefit from your project?
(200 words max.)
Think about how everyone in the community could potentially benefit, not just people who can afford shares. Claiming educational benefits of a local installation is not sufficient unless you have a realistic plan to support the installation’s use as an educational resource (e.g. as part of a wider visitor centre).
Our Guide to community benefits describes some approaches you could consider.
You will need to consult on these plans, so what we are looking for here is an indication of the sort of community benefit you think your project will offer.  If it changes as a result of consultation and local people’s views, that’s fine.	

Section 5:	Land rights	

If you don’t have a site in mind yet, you can confirm this and skip to the next section.

	We don’t yet have a site in mind.

If you do have a site(s) in mind, please answer the following questions.

Who owns the land or building(s) where you want to locate your project?
We expect you to have made reasonable attempts to find out. You may be able to ask locally, or consult the Land Registry for information: https://eservices.landregistry.gov.uk.	
	
Please explain the relationship between your organisation and the site owner(s).
(50 words max.)
You might own the site yourself, the owner might be part of your group, or you may have made contact with them in some other way (in this case, please tell us whether they have expressed support for your idea). If you have no relationship with them yet, please tell us.	

Do you have any of the following legal agreements in place with the landlord for your use of the site? 
If so, please attach evidence with your submission.	
	Exclusivity agreement
	Heads of Terms agreement
	Option and Lease agreement
	N/A – we own the site	

Section 6:	Ownership and financing structure	

6.1	Finance plan

Do you have an estimate of the capital costs of building your project yet?
(80 words max.)
If so, please describe below. You can add an attachment if you have supporting evidence for this estimate.
Don’t worry if you don’t know this yet, you can use your grant funding to pay for professional support to help you work this out.  	

Looking beyond your funding from UCEF, which of the following sources of finance to you expect to use to pay to purchase and construct your project? Please mark all that apply.

	Bank loan

	Share issue

	Grant*

	Local donations
	Crowdsourcing

	Not sure yet

	Other (please specify)

* Note that publicly funded grants cannot be used for purchase or installation of equipment, because this will make you ineligible to claim FiT and RHI income under EU law. Our Guide to State Aid explains this.

6.2	Ownership plan

Who will be the legal owner of your project?  If you haven’t worked this out yet, that’s fine.  You may need to use some of your grant to pay for legal and financial advice to help you work out the best ownership structure.
(50 words max.)	

Section 7:	Consents and permits	

Have you already secured or applied for any consents or permits for your project? 
(100 words max. plus attachments)
If so, please give details and attach evidence if available.  This question is not asking about planning permission, but about other legal consents you may need such as an abstraction licence or a listed building consent.  
If you haven’t thought about this or will be investigated during your grant funded stage, that’s fine.	

What other consents and permits do you anticipate that you will need to secure for your project?
(100 words max.)
We want to get a sense of your current understanding – this can be further developed through advice from the team while we process this grant application.	

Section 8:	Planning permission and grid connection	

If you don’t have a site in mind yet, you can confirm this and skip to the next section.

	We don’t yet have a site in mind.

8.1	Planning permission

Does your project meet any of the following criteria?
•	Sensitive site:
o	Sites of Special Scientific Interest and European sites
o	National Parks, the Broads and Areas of Outstanding Natural Beauty
o	World Heritage Sites and scheduled monuments
o	Listed building or Conservation Area
•	Wind project a) involving more than two turbines or b) with the hub height exceeding 15m
•	Hydro project generating more than 0.5 megawatts	

Have you done any of the following?
If so, please attach details of your application and (if available) the outcome.	
	Requested a Screening Opinion from the Local Planning Authority
	Requested a Scoping Opinion from the Local Planning Authority
	Applied for planning permission for equipment to assess feasibility, such as a meterological mast
	Applied for planning permission for your project	

8.2	Grid connection

Have you explored grid connectivity issues for your proposed technology and site(s)? If so, what have you found?
(300 words max.)
For example, this might include checking the distance between your site and the distribution network, checking the compatibility of your plan with your local Distribution Network Operator (DNO)’s Long Term Development Statement, or requesting a budget and timetable for connection from your DNO.	

Section 9:	Project plan	

9.1	Grant request

Please note that whilst project management costs can be included, they must be directly linked to time spent developing this project (e.g. xx hours at £xxx per hour). We cannot provide funding for activities that are not directly related to your proposal (e.g. time spent by paid staff on other activities, such as coordinating your group’s involvement in wider initiatives).

How much money are you requesting as a grant? 
Please give a single value in whole £.	
	
What will this money be spent on?
Please show a brief budget breakdown. Tell us how you calculated costs. For example, you may have quotes for studies, or you may have estimated costs from past experience or online research.  
Your tasks should relate to the following areas (where applicable):
•	Professional support in assessing basic technical feasibility for the technology in question (this could include the work done to determine which technology you are going to focus on, and whether it is at all feasible to connect to the grid).
•	Professional support for arranging an exclusivity agreement with a landowner, where necessary.  
•	Professional support costs for carrying out initial public engagement work
•	Professional support for carrying out initial stakeholder engagement with public bodies that have an interest in your project, such as English Heritage and the Environment Agency (where necessary)
•	Professional support in assessing the planning issues that will need to be addressed, and determining that there are no absolute barriers that would prevent you from applying for planning permission.  
•	Professional support in assessing the permitting, licensing and consenting issues that will need to be addressed, and determining that there are no absolute barriers that would prevent you from applying for them.  
•	Professional support in assessing the basic financial viability of your proposed project and building a business model.
•	Reasonable costs associated with legal advice and registration fees relating to the establishment of an incorporated body.
•	Project management costs
•	Reasonable direct costs associated with any of the above, such as travel, venue hire, printing of leaflets etc.
	
Task	Total cost	How you calculated this	Grant request	

				

				

If you have other sources of funding secured to help you meet the total cost, tell us what these are, how much has been confirmed, and whether there are any conditions on this.  You MUST let us know if any of these funds are from public sources so that we can check your State Aid limits.
(150 words max.)	

	

9.2	Project milestones 

Most UCEF grants and loans will be issued in staged payments. We will release funds in whole or in part for each task before you need to carry out each activity, to help you avoid cash flow problems.  For example, if you need to use a consultant for a site assessment, you may need 25% of that consultant’s fees up front to pay them a deposit.  Your milestones should relate to the completion of tasks that you have outlined in the previous section.

However, we expect you to stagger your activities and not plan to do everything at the same time (though some activities may overlap in time). Funds for later activities will be released once we have evidence that you have completed earlier activities. You will also be required to provide a grant report within one month of completing your final milestone.

Larger activities (e.g. community consultation) may be broken down into several smaller activities where possible (e.g. a series of public consultation events or surveys). 

You can contact us for advice. If you have made a good application but we are unhappy with your suggested payment plan, we will negotiate this with you.

Milestone	Start (mth/yr)	Complete (mth/yr)	Grant required (£)	

				

				

				

				

9.3	Suppliers

Please detail any work for this project that you have already commissioned and paid for.	
Supplier name	Supplier credentials*	Documentation type	Date (mth/yr)	

				
* This can include accreditations or qualifications. You can attach further information (such as a CV) or include a web address if the supplier has an informative website with contact details.
Please detail who will carry out any professional work you intend to pay for with the UCEF grant.
You should aim to provide three quotes for each task that will cost more than £1,000.  If you are unable to provide 3 quotes for a particular task, please explain why.
Local support for your project can be stronger if you are able to use local, qualified suppliers. Please explain how you balanced finding the right expertise, getting good value and using local suppliers where possible.
Please add extra lines to this table where needed.	
Task 	Supplier name 	Supplier credentials*	Quote £	Rationale for choosing supplier	

	

	

	

	

* This can include accreditations or qualifications. You can attach further information (such as a CV) or include a web address if the supplier has an informative website with contact details.

Section 10:	Additional information	

Please use the space below to add any additional information about your project that you think we should know.
(300 words max.)
You do not have to add anything in this section.	

State Aid (de minimis)	

Grants and loans provided through UCEF are a type of State Aid. Your application is being considered under the ‘de minimis’ regulation. This allows sums of less than €200,000 (roughly £150,000) over three fiscal years to be given to organisations involved in economic activities (such as generating energy). The exact sterling equivalent is calculated using the European Commission exchange rate on the funding offer date.
 
Our Guide to State Aid will tell you more.

If you’ve already received support under the de minimis regulation, you should have received a letter from the funder confirming this. If you are unsure about whether or not any public assistance you have received (or have applied for) is de minimis aid, please contact the public body offering this assistance to clarify this.

You must tell us about all public funding that you have received as de minimis aid in the current fiscal year and the two previous fiscal years (April to March). This can include a grant, loan, tax break, or the use of something like a public building for less than the market rate.

If adding your UCEF grant and/or loan to this would take you over the de minimis limit of €200,000 then you will need to call us for advice.

Important: if you give us the wrong information on State Aid, you may be at risk of exceeding your de minimis allowance. This could have very serious consequences because you will have to pay back your grant with interest. Please read our Guide to State Aid to ensure you understand this, and contact us for advice if necessary.

Source of public funding	Confirmed?	Date received/expected	Amount received/expected	

				

				

		Total funding:		

Declaration	

Important: if you make a false or incorrect declaration your organisation may be liable to pay back any grant funding you have received from UCEF immediately with interest.

I declare that the information given on this form and in any other documentation that supports this application is accurate to the best of my knowledge.

I understand that, where any materially misleading statements (whether deliberate or accidental) are given at any stage during the application process, or where any material information is knowingly withheld, this could render my application invalid and any funds received could be liable for repayment with interest.

I understand that my application for support from UCEF is governed by the European Community rules on State Aid, and is being considered under de minimis aid and that, therefore, my application must satisfy the conditions of the de minimis rule. I further understand that aid that exceeds the de minimis rule is illegal aid, which I will be required to repay. I confirm that I have detailed above the total amount of all forms of aid received by us in the past three fiscal years, or currently pending, and I acknowledge that the UCEF team may use this information to make its own determination as to whether or not my application meets the conditions of the de minimis rule.

I confirm that my organisation will take all reasonable precautions to ensure that any funding received will not be misused or misappropriated in any way. In the event of a fraud, I understand that the UCEF team may take legal action to recover any misappropriated funds.

I agree that the information supplied on this form, including contact information, will be used to chart the success of the project and for the UCEF team and its funders’ monitoring purposes. I confirm that I have read and agree to all of the grant terms & conditions.

I have the authority to sign this declaration on behalf of my organisation.

Signature		
Name		
Role		
Organisation		
Date		

Data protection statement	

We will use the information you give us during the assessment and during the life of your grant (if awarded) to administer and analyse grants and for our own research purposes.
All information gathered in connection with your application, including a record of any correspondence, will be available to the Centre for Sustainable Energy (CSE) (co-administrator) and Pure Leapfrog (co-administrator). Your information may also be shared with the Department of Energy and Climate Change (DECC) (funder) and London Economics (fund evaluator).

We may share all or some details of the information you have provided with third party organisations where necessary for assessing applications, administering the programme, monitoring grants and evaluating funding processes and impacts. We may share information with organisations and individuals with a legitimate interest in UCEF applications and grants or specific funding programmes.
We have a duty to protect public funds and for that reason we may also share information with other government departments, organisations providing matched funding or for the prevention and detection of crime. We might use personal information provided by you in order to conduct appropriate identity checks. Personal information that you provide may be disclosed to a credit reference or fraud prevention agency, which may keep a record of that information.
Confidential information you provide, such as personal details and commercially sensitive data, will not be made public in any way, except as required by law. We may use non-sensitive data about awarded grants and loans, including statistical data about applications, to promote the UCEF programme.
Your information and submitted documents will be stored in a secure online database administered by CSE. This information will be retained for the duration of the programme. After this time, the data will be handed to DECC for further storage or destruction in line with the Data Protection Act 1998.

CSE and Pure Leapfrog will retain any information on financial transactions through the fund for the necessary period in order to meet the requirements of our accountants.

If you provide false or inaccurate information in your application or at any point in the life of any funding we award to you and fraud is identified, we will provide details to fraud prevention agencies, to prevent fraud and money laundering.
	I understand and accept the terms above on behalf of my organisation/group, and have the authority to do so.

Signature		
Name		
Role		
Organisation		
Date		

Evaluation questionnaire

The Department of Energy and Climate Change has commissioned London Economics to undertake an independent evaluation of the Urban Community Energy Fund. This section forms part of this external evaluation. Your response to the below questions is very important to the evaluation of the programme, but will not influence the Department’s decision regarding your application.

For the purpose of this evaluation, we are interested in the challenges you have been facing / are expecting to face in preparing / implementing your community energy project. Please choose the appropriate response for each of the following statements (marking the appropriate response with X): 

	Fully agree	Mostly agree	Slightly agree	Neither agree nor disagree	Slightly disagree	Mostly disagree	Fully disagree	
It is challenging to identify the most suitable energy technology for our area (including fuel sources and the space for installation).								
There is a lack of information and awareness of community energy projects in our area.								
It will be challenging to find the best way to price and sell the energy generated by our project.								
It is easy to get in touch with the right people (e.g. Local Authority contacts, equipment suppliers, technical and legal advisors).								
Excluding the UCEF requirements, organising our community energy project (e.g. assigning responsibility, fair distribution of workload) is relatively straight-forward.								
Excluding the UCEF funding, there is sufficient funding available for our project through public and / or private resources.								
Excluding the UCEF application process, it is challenging to complete the amount of administration involved (e.g. licensing, environmental assessments, installation permit, site permit).								
Excluding the UCEF application process, it is easy to get an overview of the applicable legal requirements (including local regulations, available subsidies and legal and environmental constraints) that relate to our project.								

Which of these factors have you found / are you expecting to find most challenging in preparing / implementing your community energy project? Please choose only one of the following (marking the appropriate response with X):
		
	Finding an ideal match between available energy technologies and local resources	
	A lack of information and awareness of community energy projects in your area	
	Finding the best way to price and sell the energy generated by your project	
	Getting in touch with the right people	
	Organising your community energy project	
	Receiving sufficient funding from public and / or private sources 	
	Completing administrative requirements	
	Understanding legal requirements	

Additional evaluation
Thank you for completing this short survey. In agreement with the Department, applicants may be contacted by London Economics during the course of the application process or after they have been informed of the outcome for a half-hour telephone interview on their perception of the application process, and the benefits of the Urban Community Energy Fund. The interviews will form an essential part of the study, as your experiences and opinions are highly relevant to the UCEF programme evaluation. Please be assured that all information provided will be treated as strictly confidential.