Page 31 - NAS Members Guide to Funding

for information on when your accounting year starts/ ends.
Lease
For funding, a lease shows the funder that your
because every organisation operates in slightly different ways depending on local circumstances. However, it can be useful to read another organisation’s policy because this can give you an indication of what you might want to include in your own. There are two specific policies which you will always need for applications to almost all
organisation has legally binding authority to manage the
land that the funding money will be spent on. If your grant funding bodies: xt few slides in the deck.
organisation is undertaking any form of management duties (however informal) on behalf of the landlord, you need a lease. The time lengths of leases for allotment sites vary considerably, generally ranging between as low as five years to as high as 25 years or even more. Leases have at times caused problems for allotment organisations applying for funding, because the funder has said the lease has too short a time period. This is because the funder wants to see their investment do good into the long term not short term. Funders vary in their attitude to the length of a lease. It is sensible to find out before you apply if your lease is sufficiently long enough for a specific funder. If you are having difficulties because of the length of your lease, or if you do not have a lease, or are unlikely to get lease from your landowner, please contact NAS.
Permission from landowner
Funders need to know that the person or body which owns the allotment site agrees in principle with your plan. This should be obtained in writing.
Policies
Try not to be intimidated by policies – these are just documents which your organisation has written to say what you will do to manage certain issues or problems that might arise. They do not need to be lengthy or use ‘buzz words’. However, they do need to be relevant to your organisation, what it does and who with. Funders will generally expect a policy to have been written
or reviewed in the past three years. If your policy documents are older than this you need to consider reviewing them before you apply for grant funding. It is best not to duplicate another organisation’s policies
1. Safeguarding Policy: Safeguarding is about ensuring all people can live without abuse, harm and neglect. Your organisation cannot apply for funding without a safeguarding policy in place, even if your organisation does not work directly with people who are considered to be particularly vulnerable, e.g. children and vulnerable adults. This is because most funders are themselves now bound by certain rules which mean they can only award funds to organisations which hold a safeguarding policy. It is now rare to find a grant funder who will award to an organisation which does not have a safeguarding policy.
As an organisation, you have responsibility towards individuals connected with your organisation
e.g. volunteer committee members, trustees, plotholders volunteering their time on workdays, and people who use and visit the allotments
you manage. All of these people could become vulnerable to abuse or bullying and so safeguarding does apply to your organisation. Your organisation also has a responsibility to know and understand what safeguarding means and how you would responsibly handle any safeguarding issues that might arise. These matters are what are covered in a safeguarding policy. A useful example of
a community foundation’s requirements for a safeguarding policy can be found here.
2. ‘Equality, Diversity and Inclusion Policy’: All that this policy does is confirm in writing that you will treat all individuals equally, without prejudice. This
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