Page 96 - Demo

Ÿ An application is received for a grant towards the operation of a healthcare clinic to cover general running costs including salaries. As part of their enquiries, the charity trustees would need to gain a better understanding of the activities at the clinic and the type of healthcare services provided. For example, does the clinic engage in activities associated with gene therapy, stem cell research, abortion, IVF for same sex couples, etc. The charity trustees may also wish to gain a better appreciation of the type
of client assisted – are procedures carried out for clinical purposes or cosmetic purposes, are those using the clinic expected to pay full fees or are they subsidised in some way? The outcome of such enquiries will help inform the charity trustees as to whether or not they can or wish to make a grant.
Ÿ An application is received from an organisation that wishes to campaign against potential fracking activity in a speci c area of the country.
With such an application, the trustees need to consider whether the organisation is politically motivated and whether there is a risk that the charity’s funds might be deemed to be assisting with political campaigning. There may be wider implications for the charity’s reputation to give thought to; the relationship between the furtherance of the Christian
faith and the perceived protection of the environment would need to be justi ed and this may be an example of where the traditional work and charism of the institute may be relevant.
Ÿ An application is received from an organisation working with refugees and asylum seekers – while this application may be appealing at rst glance because of its apparent support for an humanitarian cause, it will be essential for the charity trustees to gain a better understanding of how the applicant works, the type of individuals assisted and the nature of such assistance so that the charity trustees may satisfy themselves that there are no suggestions that immigration laws and regulations are being breached.
DO WE NEED AN APPLICATION FORM?
It is not uncommon for charity trustees to believe, especially in the early stages of any grant making activity, that they will be able to identify organisations
to give grants to. However, it often becomes very apparent after just a
short time that this is not the case without some form of publicity about
their grant making policy. Publicising the charity’s grant making enables a
92 Chapter 5