Tesco Community Grants Application Guidance Notes

Tesco Community Grants

Application Guidance Notes

Introduction

Tesco Community Grants will fund local good causes whose focus is on supporting Children and

Families.

Eligible applications with a focus on supporting children and families could be for example; a

local school needing food for a children’s breakfast club, a voluntary organisation working with

families to run holiday clubs, a charity supporting young people with specialist advice to manage

mental health, a brownie or scout group needing new tents or a youth sports club needing new

equipment, a family advice centre wanting to recruit more volunteers, or a local friends of a park

group wanting to develop a new toddler area.

Tesco Community Grants support thousands of local community projects and good causes

across the UK. The scheme is open to registered charities and not-for-profit organisations, so if

you are an eligible organisation then apply for a grant now. If you are a Tesco customer or

colleague, you can nominate a cause that you’d like to see supported and we’ll contact them to

encourage them to apply. We’ll select those need a little help in your local area and when our

customers are given a blue token, in any of our Tesco stores at the checkout, they can vote for

their favourite charity to receive a grant by putting the blue token in the Tesco Community

Grants box.

Applications will be accepted from a wide range of organisations including: voluntary/community

organisations, registered charities, schools, health bodies, Parish/Town councils, social

enterprises, Community Interest Companies (please note, CIC’s must have been running for a

minimum of two years and we can consider CICs limited by guarantee but not those limited by

shares), community councils, local authorities and housing organisations. Other not-for-profit

organisations might also be eligible. Businesses, individuals and ‘for profit’ organisations are

not eligible.

Tesco Community Grants is a rolling programme, where community groups or charities can

apply for funding all year round. Applicants will generally know the outcome of their application

between 12-18 months of applying. However, if your application is eligible, but not funded at the

first attempt, your application may be reconsidered at subsequent shortlisting.

Tesco Community Grants

Application Guidance Notes

As this is a rolling programme, voting for projects will be happening continuously in Tesco

stores. Three projects from each local area will be shortlisted to go to the public vote every three

months. If your project gets the most votes across all stores in your region, you will win the grant

amount you requested from us up to a maximum of £1,500. Please note, if your project comes

first, you will be awarded the amount that you requested. You will not automatically win £1,500.

If your project is second, you will win up to £1,000 and if your project is third, you will win up to

£500. Additionally, we cannot make any changes to grant awards once the offer has been made

so please ensure that you calculate your budget properly and that you ask for the funding that

you need if you are requesting less than the maximum amount of £1,500.

How to use these Help Notes

The aim of these notes is to help you complete your application form online. We’ll explain how to

start using our online system as well as providing you with a guide to the information you must

give us about your project. We’ll also tell you why we’re asking for certain information and how

we use the information you give us.

These Help Notes can be read as a “stand-alone” document or you can follow the hyperlinks on

the contents page to look at specific sections of the notes as you fill in your application form

online.

Demand for Funding

A large number of groups apply for funding through the Tesco Community Grants scheme and

sadly there will be many good applications that we won’t be able to support because there isn’t

enough money available. We make our decisions based on the information you provide in your

application, the programme criteria and outcomes. We use our professional judgment to make

the difficult choices between the many projects seeking funding.

Please bear in mind that it is likely to take between 12 and 18 months before you hear if your

application has been shortlisted to go to the public vote so take this into account when you are

looking at when your project will be delivered if it is successful. This is due to very high

application numbers and the voting period lasting three months.

We’ll always try and shortlist the applications which present the most persuasive case to go

forward to the public vote. We can’t support everything, so when planning your project, you

should think about what you’d do if your application is unsuccessful.

Groundwork has over three decades of experience helping community groups create better and

greener places.

Tesco Community Grants

Application Guidance Notes

Over the years we've seen the power that community projects have to create positive change in

a local area - so we have developed a toolkit to share the tips, tools and tricks to make your

project a success.

Reapplying for Funding

As this is a rolling programme, you can reapply for funding at any point. This is the case

whether you have secured funding in previous rounds, or did not get shortlisted to the public

vote. However, please note, if you are in one of our very busy areas, we do need to prioritise

groups that have not had funding previously so if you apply in one of these areas, your

application may be declined.

If you applying for a project on the same site or in the same location, you must have completed

your original project and submitted your completion report.

Alternative and Accessible Formats

Sometimes there are particular reasons why people find it difficult to apply for a grant or access

our services. If you experience or anticipate any barriers with our application process, require

help to make an application, or accessing our services and information, please contact

Groundwork to discuss the type of support we can provide. You can find our contact details here

Receiving correspondence from us

To ensure you successfully receive email communications regarding your application, please

save this email address - [email protected] - to your contacts or safe list. This will

prevent emails being filtered into your junk or clutter folders, where they can easily be

overlooked.

Applying Online

You can access our online application system by visiting Apply Here. If this is your first

application you will need to create an account. Click on the New Account link to register your

email address and password. These will be your login details, and you’ll need them every time

you use our online application system. If you forget your password or any other part of your

When you’re working on your application online it’s useful to remember:

● You can fill in your application in one go, or work on it at different times

Tesco Community Grants

Application Guidance Notes

● You can fill in the sections of the form in whichever order you prefer, but you will only be

able to submit your application when all of the sections are complete

● If you have your application form open on your computer, but do not work on it for 2

hours, you will automatically be logged out of our online system. Any work that you

haven’t saved by then will be lost.

● The online application form is best accessed using Windows and cannot be accessed

using an Apple Mac or iPad.

Likewise it works best using Internet Explorer and will not work when using Google Chrome. If

this causes you any issues, please contact tescocommunitygrants@groundwork.org.uk and a

member of the team will be happy to help you.

Getting Started Checklist

Make sure you have also read our FAQs before starting your application form.

● Have you got everything you need to complete your application form?

● Your organisation’s contact details and information

● Your organisation’s governing document e.g. Constitution, Memorandum and Articles of

Association

● Your written project proposal, including evidence of demand for your project

● Your project location and postcode

● Your nearest Tesco store postcode (found using the store locator)

● Your Project Budget

● Your Other Supporting Information if applicable (Landowner or Planning Permissions, or

other Permission letters)

● Two forms of identification for the main project contact (if applicable)

Section 1: About Your Organisation

In this section we’re asking you to tell us some basic information about your organisation.

1. What is the name of your organisation?

We need to know the name of your group, this should be the name of the organisation that is

applying for funding and match with the information on your bank statements and governing

documents i.e. constitution, Memorandum and Articles of Association etc.

Tesco Community Grants

Application Guidance Notes

2. What is your organisation address?

Please provide the address and postcode of the organisation that is applying for funding.

3. What type is your organisation?

For monitoring purposes, please tell us what type your group falls under. If your group is a

registered charity, please give your charity number/company number. Please ensure that you

review the whole list before selecting one so as to give us the most accurate information about

your organisation type.

3a. If you have chosen ‘other’, please provide further details

Please provide further details about your organisation type if it is not in the dropdown list.

3b. If your organisation is a registered Charity, please give your registered Charity

number

As part of the assessment process, this information will be checked on the Charity Commission

or Scottish Charity Commission website.

3c. If your organisation is a registered Company, please give your registered Company

number

As part of the assessment process, this information will be checked on the Companies House

website.

4. How long has your organisation been in existence?

Please select from the drop down menu the length of time that your organisation has been in

existence. Please note, if you are a CIC and have been in existence for less than two years, you

are not eligible to apply for this scheme.

5. Main Contact

This should be a key person involved in your project.They should be able to talk about your

project and provide further information if required. It is very important to us that you provide the

correct email address and daytime phone number so that we can communicate updates and

decisions on your application.

Tesco Community Grants

Application Guidance Notes

Please let us know if the main contact has any particular communication needs. We intend to

use email as our main means of communication for environmental reasons.

If this will cause problems for you please ensure you let us know your preferred alternative.

Groundwork UK is an environmental charity and we aim to save paper wherever possible, so it

is very important that your email addresses are correct and the email account is active and

checked regularly.

Please note, if you are a school, your anti-virus and firewall settings may mean that information

from us may not get through. We would encourage you to use a non-school email address if

possible as this will make it easier to log into your online account and ensure that you receive

any updates from us.

If your application is successful, the grant offer will be emailed to the main contact. They will be

responsible for sending us an update once the project has ended. If your contacts change

throughout the lifetime of the project it is your responsibility to confirm any changes, we will not

be able to discuss the application with anyone who is not a named contact on the application

form.

Main Contact Home Address

This must be a HOME Address if your organisation is NOT a registered charity or a registered

company, if you are NOT a public sector organisation. Please ensure that a full postcode is also

provided.

Telephone Number

Please ensure that the number is correct and contains 11 digits.

Proof of Identification

As part of our grant administration checks, if your organisation is NOT a registered charity or a

registered company, OR if you are NOT a public sector organisation, we will require the

additional information from your two contacts with this application form.

If your organisation is a registered charity or a registered company, and/or if you are a public

sector organisation, we DO NOT require this information from you. You may provide home

addresses if you wish to do so but it is not a requirement and you may provide your organisation

office address for both contacts.

Tesco Community Grants

Application Guidance Notes

If your organisation is NOT a registered charity or a registered company, OR if you are

NOT a public sector organisation, we will require the following from you.

1) Home Addresses for both the Main and Alternate contacts.

2) The Main contact to provide two forms of ID in the upload fields - one for proof of

name and the other for proof of address.

3) The alternate contact MUST be a Bank Account Signatory for the bank account you will

use if you are successful in receiving a grant.

FORMS OF IDENTIFICATION GUIDANCE

You cannot use one form of identification for both name and address. For example, if you

provide your driving licence as proof of your name you must provide another form of

identification for your address, such as a utility bill.

Proof of Name - please upload a document, such as your Current signed passport; a Current

UK or EEA photocard driving licence; or Original birth certificate (UK birth certificate issued

within 12 months of the date of birth in full form including those issued by UK authorities

overseas such as Embassies High Commissions and HM Forces).

Proof of Address - please upload a document, such as a Utility bill (gas, electric - issued within

the last three months, UK water bill; Local authority council tax bill for the current council tax

year; Tenancy agreement from a housing association or a council; Current UK driving licence

(but only if not used for the name evidence).

You can take a picture of your document with your mobile phone or you can scan your

document and then upload to the attachment fields.

6. Alternative Contact

Please use this section to provide the contact details for your alternative project contact. The

telephone number and email address must be different to those of the main contact.

If your organisation is not a registered charity or company, or you are not a public sector

organisation, your home address must be provided here.

Tesco Community Grants

Application Guidance Notes

Section 2: About Your Project

In this section we’re looking for:

• A clear and persuasive description of a well-researched project

• How you demonstrate the need and demand for your project

• How your project meets the need you have identified

• How your project fits with programme outcomes.

7. What is the name of your project?

At this stage, a project name is essential. If you use any abbreviations tell us what they stand

for. Please ensure that your project name is different from your group name. Please note, there

is a 35 character limit (including spaces and punctuation) as this is the format for the display

information should your project get to the public vote.

8. Where is your project located?

Please provide the full address and postcode. If there is no postcode for the site, please provide

the postcode of the nearest building. Please include the town, village, city suburb or London

Borough here as this information will be included on the display information along with the

postcode of your project should you get to the public vote.

9. What is the postcode for your nearest Tesco store?

Using the store locator link, please give the full postcode of the nearest Tesco store to the

location of your project. There is a link on the application form that takes you to the Tesco Store

locator. You will need to note down the postcode and enter this into the application form. Please

note that the store locator will open in a new tab/window so please save any work in your

application at intervals as you are going along. Please note, occasionally, this brings up a

Dobbies’ store. Please ensure the postcode that you give is of a Tesco store.

http://www.tesco.com/store-locator/uk/

If your project delivery is not local to where you are based, please select the store where you

are most likely to have people vote for you eg if you are based in Glasgow but your project is

taking place in Manchester, use Glasgow as your nearest store. This is because people will

know who you are and who your group is.

Tesco Community Grants

Application Guidance Notes

9a. Please let us know here if your project has been nominated by a local store?

Please only tick this box if you have been made aware that your project has been nominated by

a local store, you will have been contacted if this is the case.p

10. Please select the statement that best describes your project

From the list that we have provided, please tell us which broad heading your project falls under.

We use this information for monitoring purposes to see what kind of projects Tesco Community

Grants are supporting.

11. Please select (where possible), a specific theme that your project falls under

This is not a mandatory question but it would really help if we could identify projects that are

working in particular thematic areas.

12. Please select a project type that your project covers

Again, this information is used for monitoring purposes, allowing the funder to identify what

areas are being supported by Tesco Community Grants.

13. Project summary guidance

Please provide a brief description of your project. This should be around 140-180 characters in

length (including spaces and punctuation). If your project is selected for a public vote in Tesco

stores, this information (along with your group name, project name and project location) will be

used for public display. This is the only information that people will see when they go to vote for

your project. It should tell people what your project is about and how you will use the Tesco

Community Grants scheme grant. It should sound like it has been written by you and not by

Tesco.

Tell us about your project in the same everyday way you’d talk about it – for example use ‘we’

and ‘our’ when you talk about what you do. Make sure it reads well, makes sense and

accurately conveys what your project will be doing – perhaps get someone to have a look at it

who knows nothing about your project to see if it makes sense to them. Try to be specific about

your project.

Tesco Community Grants

Application Guidance Notes

People will get a better feel for your project if they can picture it in their mind’s eye – for example

rather than “play equipment that will benefit local children” you could say “we will use the

funding to buy a really long slide that children will have a great time using”. The kind of thing we

like to see is:

Our project will enable the boxing club to transform an unused urban churchyard into a vibrant/

multipurpose outdoor playspace/classroom for children and adult use.

Healthy Tuck Shop to be run by the children for the children and the local community. Promoting

healthy living, emotional wellbeing, life skills and maths maths maths!

Please note, if any of this information is unclear or it contains mistakes or typos, this could delay

the assessment of your application.

14. Please tell us about your project, why it is needed and how it will make things better

in your local community

Tell us in more detail what the project is and what you want to do. This will be your opportunity

to let us know what your project will be doing and give us information to make a decision on

shortlisting and funding. You do not need to provide information about the history of your

organisation or previous projects you have delivered. We just want to know what you would

spend a Tesco Community Grant on and what the benefits would be.

Tell us the overall aim and how it will improve your local community.

Please also show us how you know your project is needed:

● What evidence of demand do you have?

● Who have you talked to about your project and what did you find out?

● Why the project is needed and how it will benefit your local community

If you have discussed your project with the local council or other local organisations please let

us know the outcome.

Some examples of what can’t be funded through the programme:

● Work that has already taken place

● Political donations

Tesco Community Grants

Application Guidance Notes

● Fundraising activities or challenges (e.g. costs for a sky dive etc.)

● Running costs and organisation overheads

● Conferences or seminars

● Activities which collect funds for redistribution to other charities or individuals

● Overseas appeals

● Expeditions or overseas travel

● Promotion of a religious or political cause

● Marketing promotions

● Research projects

● Projects or activities that the state has a legal obligation to provide

● Purchase of land

Hints & Tips - Writing Your Project Proposal

● Write in clear, simple language, avoiding jargon, acronyms and abbreviations

● Write about facts, not generalities

● Remember, there is a word limit, so focus on telling us key information

● Remember that the people who are assessing your application or making decisions do

not necessarily know your local area.

● They will use this information to decide whether they want to shortlist your project so

make sure the aims and how funds will be spent are clear

15. How many people will benefit from the completed project?

Please give a realistic number as to the number of local people that will benefit from the project

once it is completed and explain what you have based your estimated number of beneficiaries

on? (e.g. pupils enrolled, visitor numbers, sessional/activities numbers, local population

statistics, etc). Please also select the age ranges of any of your project beneficiaries here (you

can tick as many boxes as applicable).

16. Will your project provide volunteering opportunities during project delivery and once

your project has completed?

What difference will this project make to the people in your neighbourhood? We want to fund

projects that have a positive and lasting impact on local communities. Please let us know of any

volunteering opportunities for Tesco employees or members of your community. This includes

volunteers involved in delivering and managing the project.

Tesco Community Grants

Application Guidance Notes

We are aware that not every project we fund will be able to provide volunteer opportunities and

in this instance, your response will not be used to make a decision that will affect your

application. You will also be asked this at monitoring stage if your grant is successful along with

how many people benefitted from your project.

17. Project Delivery Period

Please let us know if your project needs to happen at a specific time, for example, your project

is related to Christmas or is an event that needs to take place on a certain day. If your project

has not been shortlisted by this date, we will withdraw your project but you will have the

opportunity to reapply or defer your application. Please only state a specific date if your project

must be delivered on a certain day/week eg a festival, carnival or similar event. As our

application rates are so high, having flexibility with the delivery date of your project really helps!

Additionally, please ensure that your start date is realistic as we are currently working on our

minimum 9 month turnaround times due to the volumes of applications we are receiving.

Successful applicants will have 12 months from the date of their grant offer to spend and submit

a short report on the awarded funding.

The report may include photographs, newsletters, press releases or any social media on how

the money has been spent and the impact it has had within the local community. We would also

like a quote regarding the difference your project has made.

One of the things we will ask you to think about as you develop your application is how you will

judge whether your work has made a difference. When you report back to us you can then tell

us about your assessment of the work you are undertaking, and about important milestones you

have reached.

We are always interested in learning about what works – and about what doesn’t. Please note,

we cannot fund any activity that has taken place prior to notification of the grant award being

made.

18-19. Does your project require any permissions?

If you are in any doubt over issues around landowner or landlord permission then please

contact the owner of the land or property before applying. You may also need to check with your

local planning authority whether planning permission is required.

Please note, you will only need to complete and upload a Project Consent Form if your project is

to undertake physical improvements in an indoor or outdoor space.

Tesco Community Grants

Application Guidance Notes

This is not required for projects that are providing services. A Project Consent Form will be

required for installation of items such as sheds or greenhouses and for projects such as kitchen

refurbishments.

If your application is for a project on local authority school grounds there is no need to get the

Project Consent form signed by the council. The Headteacher of the school can sign it. There is

also a request at the end of the form to upload a copy of your group's governance document.

You can upload a word doc or a statement on headed paper stating they are a local authority

school and this is not required.

20. Safeguarding

If your project is working with children or vulnerable adults, you will need to have a safeguarding

policy in place. You must have your own tailored policy for safeguarding and protecting Children

and Adults at Risk which is proportionate and relevant to your organisation’s activities and has

been agreed by your trustees or other governing body. This policy must be reviewed regularly

and staff and trustees must be trained on its contents.

By ticking this box, you are declaring that you have a safeguarding policy and procedures in

place that is proportionate to your activities and understand that a copy of this document can be

requested for review at any time.

Section 3: Finances

21. How much funding are you requesting from the Tesco Community Grants Scheme?

(including irrecoverable VAT)?

Please note that the maximum amount of funding you can request is £1,500 and the minimum is

£500. Please note, if your project is for any kind of sports kit or equipment or the purchase of

any kind of vehicle and your project is funded, Tesco are likely to request that their logo and

branding is included. Therefore, please include costs for these if necessary.

A Note about VAT

If your group is registered for VAT, your expenditure figures shouldn’t include VAT that you can

claim back (often called recoverable VAT). If you’re not registered for VAT your costs should

include VAT. Any VAT that you expect to incur but can’t claim back (irrecoverable VAT) should be

in your expenditure breakdown. Click here for more information VAT.

Tesco Community Grants

Application Guidance Notes

22. How do you intend to spend your grant

Please provide a budget breakdown of how you intend to spend your grant should you be

successful with a Tesco Community grant. There is no restriction on whether your grant is spent

on capital (direct) or revenue (indirect) costs. Please note, in this section we only want a list of

what the Tesco Community grant would be spent on – not how any match funding may be

spent. In this section you should enter a total rounded up to the nearest pound and should not

enter a decimal place, a £ sign or use any punctuation marks.

For example:

You SHOULD enter - 1500

You SHOULD NOT enter - £1500 or £1,500 or 999.99 etc

23 & 24. Match funding

If some of the money for your project will come from other sources, tell us the total amount,

where it will come from and when it needs to be spent by. Please note that additional funding is

not required for this programme. However, if you have additional funding, there is no limit to

what this amount can be.

Please note, if the majority of the funding for your project is coming from other sources and is

currently unsecured, we will not be able to fully assess your application. Only once we know

how much funding you have secured for your project can we make a decision as to whether it

can be considered for funding.

Section 4: Privacy Information

Data Protection

In this section of the application form we’re asking you to read some important information about

our data protection responsibilities.

It’s important that you understand how we will use and store the information you give us. You

need to know what to do if you believe any of your information is commercially sensitive or

confidential.

Our responsibilities to you

In this section of the application form we are asking you to read some important information

about who we are and our responsibilities around the data you provide to us. It is important that

you understand how the information you submit will be used and stored by us.

Tesco Community Grants

Application Guidance Notes

You need to know what to do if you believe that any of your information is commercially

sensitive or confidential. We ask you to tick the box to confirm you have read and understood

the Privacy Information, know your rights and how your data will be used.

Section 5: Declaration

25. Conflict of Interest

In this section, please give us brief details of any conflict of interest you may have, for example,

if you are involved in a business that may provide goods or services to the project if it is funded.

A conflict of interest is any situation in which an applicant, or the applicant’s organisation, has a

personal connection with, or a business interest in any organisation or individual that will be paid

to deliver the project.

Conflicts of interest or potential conflicts of interest must be declared before any grant funding is

awarded. Failure to disclose conflicts of interest may result in the withdrawal of funding and the

repayment of grant.

26. Governance Document

Please upload your Governance Document (This could be a Constitution, Code of Conduct,

Standing Order, Memorandum and Articles of Association etc.) Please ensure that this includes

a dissolution or winding up clause or equivalent.

This should be your Constitution or Memorandum of Articles if you are a community group or

charity or your Code of Conduct, Standing Order or Terms of Reference if you are a council or

public body.

27. Where did you hear about us?

So we can see how our promotion of the programme is working, please select one option telling

us how you found out about the Tesco Community Grants programme.

28. Attending promotional events

From time to time, Tesco may hold in-store events to promote the scheme. Please let us know

here whether you would be happy to attend any such events.

Tesco Community Grants

Application Guidance Notes

29. Application Declaration Statements

We’re then asking you to confirm a number of statements. And by ticking the box you’re signing

the application form electronically on behalf of your organisation.

Good luck with your application!!