BACKGROUND
What is the Marine Communities Fund?
The Crown Estate’s marine communities fund provides grant-aid to practical projects and programmes which contribute to development of best practice and make a significant contribution to the environmental management and stewardship of the marine estate. It also supports projects raising awareness and involving coastal communities in the benefits offshore renewable energy in the UK.
How much money has The Crown Estate awarded through the Marine Communities Fund?
Since it was established the marine communities fund has contributed almost £2million to a wide range of coastal and marine environmental projects.
What types of projects are considered for funding?
Marine communities fund projects that may (but not exclusively) receive funding include:
- Practical projects – these may be as diverse as involving community groups in beach litter cleaning schemes, support for seminars, marine archaeological investigations, contributions to the core funding of estuary project officers and the implementation of estuary management plans and the restoration of redundant buildings as coastal lookouts.
- Environmental information and interpretation, e.g. information panels, publications, maps, databases and videos.
- Education and applied research related specifically to the management of Crown Estate property and the local community.
We also support projects providing lasting benefits for communities close to renewable energy projects as well as remote or socially excluded communities which may otherwise be disadvantaged from the benefits of offshore renewable energy.
Projects that may (but not exclusively) receive funding in relation to offshore renewable energy include:
- Information and interpretation e.g. information panels, publications, maps and videos.
- Education and knowledge building, e.g. workshops, conferences and seminars, publications and education packs
- Practical projects e.g. viewing platforms and lookouts, management plans
Generic environmental research relating to marine renewables. Note such projects must generate new practical outcomes and guidance. Please visit the COWRIE pages to see current work already underway in relation to offshore wind.
The profiles of projects that have received funding from the marine communities fund can be found on the case studies page on this site.
What projects will not be considered?
The marine communities fund will not support projects that offer either commercial gain or which bring personal financial benefit to the applicant. Marine communities fund awards will not be made for the production of feasibility studies, development or business plans.
Please note that this fund is not designed to support the development or deployment of specific marine renewable energy devices.
Must there be a link to The Crown Estate?
The Crown Estate Act 1961 means that projects supported by the marine communities fund must have a clear link to Crown Estate land, either by demonstrating good management of specific areas of The Crown Estate’s property or enhancing stewardship of the foreshore and seabed, by furthering and disseminating best practice in coastal and marine management, or have a clear link to offshore renewable energy developments that have been leased or licensed on Crown Estate seabed. If you are unsure as to whether the area in your application is owned by The Crown Estate please contact us with the location co-ordinates and we will advise.
APPLICATIONS
Who may apply for funding?
Applications for funding are welcomed from community groups, voluntary or other organisations, but support is not intended to replace statutory funding.
How much money is available?
As a general guideline the majority of projects receive less than £10,000 per year for projects lasting up to three years. These tend to be projects which have local or regional impact. It should be noted that full justification for the amount of funding requested is required as part of the application and there is no guarantee that we will contribute the entire sum applied for. Only projects which can demonstrate national impact will be eligible for funding greater than £10,000 per year and approval for such will be at the discretion of the Chief Executive of The Crown Estate, the Director of the Marine Estate and Head of Legal Services.
Applications can be made for 100% of project costs but you will need to establish good reasons why The Crown Estate should be the sole funder. We favour applications for projects that demonstrate a partnership approach. It is important that the sum requested from The Crown Estate is an appropriate proportion of the total costs and in keeping with the level of impact the project will have.
Your application must contain a breakdown of costs, including any VAT to be incurred. Where applicable the total amount requested must stipulate whether VAT is included. Please note that any award made through the marine communities fund will include any VAT project costs as appropriate
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Do other funds need to be in place before an application is made?
No. Even though we encourage proposals that bring together a range of partners to ensure that the local community benefits as much as possible, we can provide “seed” money which allows a project to get off the ground and attract funding from other sources. In this instance you are advised to provide a concise business plan to indicate how your project will secure further funding. For projects which involve several partners we might offer funding that can only be drawn upon once all other partners have confirmed funding. In this case we would place a time limit on our offer of funding.
What length of funding can we apply for?
Funding may be awarded for one year, or phased over a maximum of three years. In exceptional circumstances funding may go beyond three years (e.g. for national projects which have been very successful in terms of furthering best practice and raising the profile of The Crown Estate). Funds of up to 100% can be made towards revenue, capital or project expenditure.
How is the award paid?
Although the timing of grant payment is ultimately at the discretion of The Crown Estate, there is flexibility as to how grants are paid. The Crown Estate’s offer to fund a project is dependent upon agreement of a set of predetermined terms and conditions. Receipt of a signed acceptance letter is necessary before any payment is made. These terms and conditions will include references to funding, project outputs and milestones, and publicity. In some cases we may decide to make a payment at the commencement of the project but it is more usual to make payments on an annual basis once the project has delivered the proposed outcomes or met specific objectives as set out in your project plan. We will also indicate how long the offer of funding will remain open.
How do we apply?
There is a ‘small project application form’ to be used for projects that require £10,000 or less and a ‘large project application form’ to be used by applicants whose projects require greater than £10,000 support. Please ensure that you have selected the relevant application form. Both application forms outline the information that we require in order to assess your project proposal so please address all the sections on the form. Supplementary information may be attached as appendices if relevant.
The application forms are available by following the links:
Is there a deadline for applications?
Yes, from April 2007 we now operate funding rounds. The next funding round deadline is Thursday 25 october 2007 with an Assessment Panel meeting in November 2007. This Assessment Panel will allocate awards for projects being undertaken in 2008/09. We can receive project applications anytime before the deadline. The following deadline for applications will be in June 2008. Please refer to the website for confirmation of the date for the June 2008 deadline.
How are applications assessed?
Applications are put before an assessment panel comprising the Head of Coastal Operations and the Head of Policy, Science and Sustainable Development with input from managing agents and others members of the Coastal Team. The judgement of the assessment panel is final and we will inform you of their decision. If your application is successful we will send you an offer of funding, setting out the amount we are prepared to contribute and the terms and conditions of the funding. You will be requested to accept the terms and conditions by signing and returning a form of acceptance. This will form the basis of the contract between your organisation and The Crown Estate.
How long does it take for an application to be assessed?
You can submit your application at any time prior to the next application deadline however it will only be assessed at the following Assessment Panel meeting. We aim for an eight week turnaround between the funding round deadline and formal notification of the Assessment Panel decision, however it is likely that you will be informed of the decision before the eight week period.
On receipt of your application we will send you an acknowledgement and an indication as to the timescale for assessment. The main method of communication during the assessment process will be via email. Offers of funding will be made in hard copy to enable you to sign and return a form of acceptance.
Why might an application be unsuccessful?
As with most types of funding there is substantial competition for grants. As a result meeting the qualifying criteria is no guarantee of being awarded a grant. Submitting an appropriate and well researched bid consistent with the terms of reference for the fund will ensure your organisation makes the best possible case. Your application must also comply with the terms of The Crown Estate Act and demonstrate how it will benefit The Crown Estate. For partnership projects we must be satisfied that you are requesting an appropriate level of funding in relation to other partners, the impact of the project and the amount of land owned by The Crown Estate in the area. For projects which involve construction, such as slipways, there must be additional environmental benefits to the facility. The decision of the Assessment Panel is final.
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RUNNING AND EVALUATING PROJECTS
Why must we publicise The Crown Estate’s involvement with our project?
We value the importance of the work undertaken by the projects we fund and wish to use the opportunity to promote our contribution to the initiative. We also place great emphasis on our corporate responsibility programme and marine stewardship is one of the many ways we are promoting our commitment to furthering environmental awareness, sustainable practices, promoting marine renewable energy, and working in partnership with the coastal communities. Successful applicants must ensure that The Crown Estate’s contribution is fully acknowledged at launch events, throughout the duration of the project and in any published outputs. We may also request opportunities to visit your project and use any photographs or published materials for our own publicity purposes (e.g. newsletter, annual report) or to disseminate the results of the work more widely through our website. Successful applicants will receive further information about using The Crown Estate logo on any published materials produced by the project and we will need to see drafts of press releases and outputs before they are published.
Why must the project be evaluated?
Evaluation is a key element of all projects receiving support from the marine communities fund so that we can measure the success of the project against the work programme you submitted. Applicants are required to propose a methodology for evaluation which assesses the impact of the project and whether the project objectives have been fulfilled. Annual reports (for projects more than one year) and a final report at the end of the funding period are required along with completed evaluation forms and copies of any specific deliverables (e.g. printed materials, brochures) to assess how successful the project has been. The marine stewardship team will use the completed evaluation forms and reports to make an overall assessment of the impact and benefits of marine stewardship.
Do we need legal consents?
Depending upon the nature of your project, you may require consents from a range of statutory organisations. We require proof that such consents have been given (a photocopy will suffice) prior to any funding being finalised. Furthermore, The Crown Estate cannot be held liable for any accidents, actions, proceedings, costs, claims or demands that may arise from your project.
FURTHER INFORMATION
If having read the above information you are unsure whether your project proposal is eligible, please contact Fiona Wynne and David Philip. The marine communities fund operates under the direction of Dr Carolyn Heeps, Head of Policy, Science & Sustainable Development.
Marine Communities Fund
The Crown Estate
6 Bell's Brae
Edinburgh
EH4 3BJ | Marine Communities Fund
The Crown Estate
16 New Burlington Place
London
W1S 2HX |
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