Supporting community groups within a 5km radius of the Sisters and North Steads Wind Farm.

Ventient Sisters and North Steads Wind Farm Community Benefit Fund

The Fund will make grants of between £750 and £20,000, normally for projects of up to one year’s duration.

1. Area of benefit

• Priority will be given to applications originating from within a 5km radius of the two Wind Farms (“the priority areas” – see map).
• Consideration will also be given to applications originating from outside the 5km radius of the wind farms that are deemed to benefit residents of the priority areas (see map).

2. Who can apply for a grant?

The Fund will support grants to a wide range of voluntary and community organisations. You don’t have to be a registered charity, but the work you want funded must be legally charitable. The Fund can only make grants for general running costs or unrestricted purposes to charities. If you are any other sort of organisation, funding must be restricted for a specific charitable purpose. 

Your group must have a governing document (a constitution, rules, articles of association etc.), a governing body of at least three unrelated individuals, and a bank account in the group’s name with at least two unrelated signatories. 

Community Interest Companies (CICs) or other social enterprises that are not charities can apply if you can send us a business plan showing realistic plans for income generation (other than through charitable grants) and a community interest statement. We can then consider funding the charitable costs of your start-up or expansion. We will not normally fund your continuing services, which should be financed by selling goods and services in line with your chosen governance model.

About the fund

The Ventient Sisters and North Steads Windfarm Community Benefit Fund (the Fund) at the Community Foundation will receive an annual donation of £133,500 (index linked for 25 years from its inception in 2018) to support a programme of community grant making.

The Fund will make grants of between £750 and £20,000, normally for projects of up to one year’s duration

Area of benefit

• Priority will be given to applications originating from within a 5km radius of the two Wind Farms (“the priority areas” – see map).
• Consideration will also be given to applications originating from outside the 5km radius of the wind farms that are deemed to benefit residents of the priority areas (see map).

Who can apply for a grant?

The Fund will support grants to a wide range of voluntary and community organisations. You don’t have to be a registered charity, but the work you want funded must be legally charitable. The Fund can only make grants for general running costs or unrestricted purposes to charities. If you are any other sort of organisation, funding must be restricted for a specific charitable purpose. 

Your group must have a governing document (a constitution, rules, articles of association etc.), a governing body of at least three unrelated individuals, and a bank account in the group’s name with at least two unrelated signatories. 

Community Interest Companies (CICs) or other social enterprises that are not charities can apply if you can send us a business plan showing realistic plans for income generation (other than through charitable grants) and a community interest statement. We can then consider funding the charitable costs of your start-up or expansion. We will not normally fund your continuing services, which should be financed by selling goods and services in line with your chosen governance model.

What can grants be used for?

Grants are only available for the following purposes:

• advice and support for families, cares and those experiencing hardships;
• arts, culture and heritage projects;
• community activities and events;
• development of local amenities;
• education and training provision, and in particular support for apprenticeships;
• environmental projects;
• healthy living activities;
• sport and physical activity provision.

Examples of what grants can support include:

• capital items (buildings, machinery, equipment, vehicles and tools etc.);
• time limited revenue requests;
• sessional worker costs, e.g. workshops, tutors;
• repairs and/or refurbishment to community buildings;
• start-up costs for new community groups;
• out-of-school activities;
• voluntary and community group activities;
• community and environmental projects;
• supporting people from the priority area to take-up or continue apprenticeships.

This list is not exhaustive, and all applications will be given due consideration by the advisory panel

What will not be funded

• contributions to general appeals or circulars;
• religious activity which is not for wider public benefit;
• public bodies to carry out their statutory obligations;
• activities which solely support animal welfare;
• activities which have already taken place;
• grant making by other organisations;
• privately owned and profit-distributing companies or limited partnerships;
• retrospective grants;
• anti-renewable energy/windfarm activities.
• activities likely to bring the reputation of the Community Foundation or Ventient or its subsidiaries into disrepute.

Making an application

Please click apply online above