The Community Voluntary Organisation Support Fund (CVOS) has $30,000 to allocate each year to community based organisations in the Central Hawke’s Bay District.

Applications for 2010 are now open and an application form is available here.

About the Scheme

The CVOS Fund is available to community based voluntary non-profit organisations domiciled in Central Hawke’s Bay.  It is made up of two categories – Category 1 for new community initiatives and Category 2 for ongoing support to existing community groups who provide community services to all of Central Hawke’s Bay.

Category 1:  $10,000 to groups seeking grants for new community initiatives.

Category 1 funding is for community groups who have not receiving funding from CVOS or the fund known as Community Initiatives, previously, or from groups who have received funding but are applying for a new project.

Criteria:

• Community groups must be based in Central Hawke’s Bay and be a voluntary non-profit organisation working mainly for the residents of Central Hawke’s Bay.
• The application must demonstrate that the project is in response to a significant need in the community.
• The project must wholly or mainly benefit the residents of Central Hawke’s Bay.
• The level of funding available from other agencies will be taken into account when assessing the project, as will the contribution being made by the applicant.
• Projects that are eligible for or have received funding from other agencies may be considered for funding from CVOS.  However, priority will be given to projects which are unable to source funding from elsewhere.
• Applicants that have received funding from CVOS previously for the same project are not eligible for funding.
• Grants made for projects will not exceed 75% of the total cost of the individual project.
• Projects will be prioritised and the level of funding granted will be based on this.
• The Assessment Committee is allowed the flexibility to allocate excess funds from Category 1 to Category 2 in those years when there are insufficient worthy applicants to receive grants from Category 1.

Applicants must provide evidence of the organisation’s management of finances (Bank statements etc) with the application for funding.

All applicants must provide a report on the project to Council by 30 June in the year following the grant.  Failure to do this could negate future funding requests from the organisation.

Category 2:  $20,000 for ongoing support to existing community groups who provide community services in Central Hawke’s Bay.

$15,000 for ongoing financial support to existing community groups who provide ongoing community services to all of Central Hawke’s Bay.

Criteria:

• Funding will be provided for costs that enable the continual running of a viable service that is deemed to be of considerable benefit to the community of Central Hawke’s Bay.  The onus of proof regarding benefit lies with the applicant.  Costs may include:
  • Rental of building
  • Power charges
  • Stationery
  • Photocopying
  • Postage
  • Telephone/Fax
  • Insurance
  • Financial reporting costs
  • Personnel costs essential to the provision of the service
  • Marketing
• Costs which are not eligible include the following:
  • Rates payments
  • Facility development
  • and other costs considered not being essential to the continual running of the service.
• Community groups must be domiciled in Central Hawke’s Bay and be a voluntary non profit organisation serving wholly or mainly the residents of Central Hawke’s Bay.
• The group should receive a wide measure of support from the community.
• The level of funding available from other agencies, including fund raising, will be taken into account when assessing the project.
• Grants made for Category 2 will not exceed 50% of total ongoing organisational costs.  However, if an organisation is able to provide evidence that it is experiencing extreme hardship and the continuation of the viable service is at risk, a grant higher than 50% may be awarded.

Applicants for Category 2 must provide as part of their application:

• A copy of the most recent years set of Financial Accounts.
• Statistics of factual information which demonstrates the level of activity or achievements for the past year.
• Evidence of the support the group receives from the community.

Applications for 2010 are now open and an application form is available here.