Frequently Asked Questions

We fund a wide range of Northern Ireland charities involved in an extensive range of projects. Our main funding objectives are categorised under two broad headings "Education and Training" and "Social and Community Needs".

You may access our Funding Objectives on this website or you can request an application pack (please include your name and address) to info@lloydstsbfoundationni.org or telephone (028 9032 3000), or fax (028 9032 3200).

The average grant is in the region of £3,000 - £4,000, but there is no minimum or maximum amount set.

The scope of the work needing support within the community is such that guidelines for giving are necessary. The main areas normally considered to be outside the Foundation's guidelines are detailed in Areas Outside the Guidelines Standard Application.

The closing dates for applications are normally the second Friday of January, April, July and October with the Board meeting during the first week in March, June, September and December.

See the Standard Grant Programme overview page for current closing dates.

By core funding we mean the everyday running costs that charities face. Although it is important that charities do not rely on us as a main source of funding, we recognise the need for funds to support the salaries of key people, administrative costs and general running costs of projects. However the Trustees must limit the amount of funding which they can allocate in this particular area.

You will be informed by letter within eleven weeks of the closing date for applications.

It is true that not everyone who receives a grant from us gets the full amount they have requested. This is because there is never enough money to meet all requests for funding in full. Your application will be considered on its own merit.

If you are concerned about this or have any other questions, please contact our staff at the Foundation by sending us an e-mail to info@lloydstsbfoundationni.org or telephone (028 9032 3000), or fax (028 9032 3200). We will be able to provide you with further information and guidance on the application process.

An organisation may apply for funding on a yearly basis.

Where three years' consecutive funding have been received, at least two years must be left before re-applying.

Generally, we don't formally "match" funds raised but we are happy to consider applications which ask us to contribute, as one of a number of funders, to a project.

Unfortunately, due to the sheer volume of applications to be processed by the staff at the Foundation it is not possible for us to receive draft applications. However, you may telephone the office and a staff member will be happy to answer any questions you may have about filling in the application form, or you may take up the opportunity of meeting with a staff member at a pre-application meeting.

When we assess your application we are looking both at your organisation and the specific project you are applying for. Therefore, if the purpose of your grant has changed, you may wish to seek permission to allocate the funds to another area. We will require a letter explaining what you now wish to do with the funds. A decision will be made on this basis as to whether to continue support or request funds paid to be returned to us.

Currently the Standard Grant Programme only supports applications for one year.

Normally the Trustees will only consider applications from those organisations which are recognised as a charity. If you are awaiting charitable recognition from the HM Revenue and Customs, do not forward your application to us, until confirmation has been received.

The Foundation cannot accept the charitable status of an umbrella organisation. In exceptional circumstances the Trustees may make donations up to a maximum of £1,000 to organisations not recognised as a charity, where the annual income of the applicant organisation is less than £2,000.

The following documentation must be enclosed with your application. It is important to remember that failure to do this will result in your application being rejected.

• Minutes of the AGM/Annual Report
• Audited Accounts for the last financial year
• Inland Revenue Letter of Recognition
• Constitution and list of Office Bearers
• In the case of applications for salaries, a job description and personnel specification

We like to visit as many projects as possible and it is one of the most enjoyable aspects of our work. However, because we receive several hundred applications each year, it is simply not possible to visit all projects. We make visits to provide advice and support to organisations who are in the process of completing the application form for funding and we visit others once the grant has been made. Occasionally a Trustee may present cheques to successful applicants.

Further information on how to go about obtaining charitable status can be obtained from http://www.hmrc.gov.uk/charities/ or by contacting HM Revenue and Customs at the address below.

HM Revenue and Customs (Charities)
St Johns House
Merton Road
BOOTLE
Merseyside
L69 9BB

You will need:

• The full address including postcode to which all communication will be sent (use headed paper if available).
• Signed and dated copy of your Constitution.
• Details of activities, along with copies of any literature that explains your work
• The date on which your accounting period will end (accounts should not be sent in support of the claim for charitable status. If accepted as a charity, accounts will be requested together with a tax return only when needed).

We have planned the application form so that it requests the information that we need to assess your application. If there is a document containing particular information which you think is important to your application, then it should be included as an enclosure. If we need to see further documentation then we will request this.

Please bear in mind that the Trustees will only see your application form, together with one additional page of supporting text, therefore it is vital that you cover all areas of your project within the space provided. Please remember that the quality of the information outweighs quantity of information.

There are some documents which do need to be attached to your application form and these are listed above.

We appreciate that there is sometimes a delay between receiving a grant and the implementation of a project. If full funding has not yet been obtained, or where the amount allocated is for a salary, the funding will not be released until the project has received full funding or the staff member has been appointed. Under these circumstances we will issue you with a letter of commitment.

It is essential that the cheque you receive from us is transferred to the organisations' bank account at the earliest possible opportunity.

All charities that receive a grant are asked to comply with Terms and Conditions as laid down by the Lloyds TSB Foundation for Northern Ireland. This document must be signed and dated by the Chairman of the organisation. Upon receipt of signed Terms and Conditions the grant will be released.

We will also ask you to complete an evaluation feedback form on how your project is going. Again, we are able to offer support with completing this.

If your application is unsuccessful, a letter will be sent to you informing you of the decision. The most frequent reason for decline is that demand for support always exceeds funds available. Other reasons include:

• The Inland Revenue has not yet confirmed charitable status
• The requested documentation not being submitted with the application
• Application forms not being completed properly
• Applications not falling within the guidelines

This sometimes causes confusion. We are an independent Charitable Foundation. Our objective is to provide grants to charities. Sponsorship is something that companies do in order to obtain commercial benefit. Therefore, we do not sponsor events.

We visit a number of organisations that we have funded and will get in touch with you to arrange a visit. Unfortunately, we cannot accept every invitation that we receive from organisations.