Warm Communities: Supporting the Development of
Resilient Communities across Shropshire
FAQ’s / Guidance - August 2014
Shropshire Council and Marches Energy Agency (MEA) have a small amount of funding
available to help a minimum of two communities to develop their ideas for maximising
energy efficiency, affordable warmth and/or resilience to climate change within their
respective communities.
The following FAQ’s are designed to help communities through the process of submitting
their ideas.
What projects can be funded?
We don’t wish to be prescriptive and want to encourage communities to share their ideas with us.
The general theme of the project is building resilient communities, so ideas should seek to build or
sustain resilience within a community. Projects should fall loosely under one or more of the
following categories;
Energy Security / efficiency
Community cohesion
Preparedness to adverse weather
Fuel Poverty / Affordable Warmth
Support for the vulnerable
Community independence
Communities will need to consider the legacy of their projects. We want to work with communities
who receive funding to develop a toolkit, encapsulating project learning and disseminating
knowledge to enable other communities to identify and deliver projects independently. For
example, a project seeking capital for the purchase and installation of light bulbs only, is unlikely to
be successful. This idea would need to be accompanied by revenue funding to raise awareness,
develop case studies, events and additional activity to build upon the installation to be considered.
Great ideas which don’t have a clear legacy will be considered with feedback to help build legacy.
What projects can’t be funded?
We will consider any projects that relate to the project categories (listed above). However we cannot
fund projects that are already being funded by the Council, its partners or other organisations.
Projects seeking to deliver a commercial gain will not be considered.
What activity can the funding support?
The funding can be used for capital or revenue. An element of the funding sought can be used for
project management time, should this be necessary. Funding associated with communications (i.e.
printing of letters posters) can also be sought as can funding to put on events, training or workshops
and associated small costs (such as venue hire or refreshments). Where capital funding is granted,
communities will need to demonstrate ‘best value’ if purchasing from third parties.
What level of funding is available?
A total of £4,000 is being made available across all projects. There is no minimum amount that can
be applied for. The maximum amount of grant that any one community can apply for is £3,000. We
Warm Communities: Developing Resilient Communities in Shropshire – Guidance / FAQ’s – Aug 2014
will seek to find the best value projects and suggest collaboration if this leads to more projects being
funded.
When are idea submissions being welcomed?
Deadline for submissions is 5pm on 30th September 2014.
How long does the project last?
Projects will need to be completed by March 18th 2014.
Who can not apply?
Businesses and organisations seeking to use the funding for commercial purposes will not be eligible
to receive grant funding. Individuals are also ineligible for funding. Individuals who are representing
a community group CAN apply for funding.
How is community defined (in relation to the project)?
For the purpose of the project, a community will be defined using the Oxford Dictionary definition;
Community: A group of people living in the same place or having a particular characteristic in
common. We recognise the difficulty in defining ‘community’ and remain flexible in our definitions
of such, using the definition above as our guide. The ability to receive funds or nominate an
administrator to receive them for your group is of greater importance.
What other support is available as part of the project?
Once we have received submissions from across the county, we will assess the challenges that
communities are seeking to tackle. We will then offer support to a wide range of groups in the form
of workshops / training to match these challenges. Please use the relevant section of the application
from to identify the kind of support you think your community would most benefit from.
How do you submit your idea(s)?
You are invited to submit your idea via an application form, which is available at
www.mea.org.uk/warmcommunities or by emailing oliver@mea.org.uk. If you need any help with
the application, please telephone Oliver on 01743 277114.
We have a great idea, but aren’t a constituted group. Can we still apply?
Yes - we want the best ideas from across Shropshire. If you are not constituted as a group or lack a
means to accept grant funding (i.e. a bank account), you will need to nominate a third party to
receive and administer the funding on your behalf. This could be a school or a parish council for
example. If this is the case, please detail on the relevant section of the application form.
When will we find out if our project idea has been successful?
We will announce which ideas have been chosen to receive grant funding by the 16th October 2014.
How will the feedback on submissions work?
We want to help communities to develop their ideas, and will offer our support and experience to
any communities groups that may find it helpful. If we like an idea in principle but feel like a few
changes are needed before we can make a decision to grant funding, we will offer feedback to allow
communities to re-submit their ideas.
Warm Communities: Developing Resilient Communities in Shropshire – Guidance / FAQ’s – Aug 2014
More information
For more information or to discuss any of the above please contact Oliver Rothwell at Marches
Energy Agency on 01743 277114 or via email on oliver@mea.org.uk.
Warm Communities: Developing Resilient Communities in Shropshire – Guidance / FAQ’s – Aug 2014