Before diving into your funding application, there are a few basics your organisation should have in place – consider these your pre-application essentials:

1. A Governing Document, like a Constitution

This document outlines your organisation's name, purpose, and how it works and makes decisions. If you need support on drafting a constitution, please contact our local voluntary sector council, Medrwn Môn.

2. Committee or Board with Unrelated Members

Ensure your committee or board has at least two unrelated members. "Unrelated" here means individuals who are not family members, such as siblings, parents and children, married couples or civil partners, or people residing at the same address.

3. Bank Account in the organisation's name

Your organisation must have a bank account in it's name, as outlined in your constitution or governing document. Additionally, you'll need to make sure that a minimum of two unrelated individuals are required for any fund transfers from the account.

4. Unspent grant funding/active grant

Before applying, ensure that your organisation does not possess any active grants or unutilised funds from previous grants with the charity.

While applications may be submitted annually, it is imperative that each submission showcases evidence of significant change or development. This requirement not only ensures accountability but also fosters a culture of continuous improvement and maximizes the impact of our limited resources.

Unsure of whether you’re able to apply? E-mail post@elusennol.org and we’ll be happy to help.

Our funding can be in support of (but not limited to):

• Public amenities and facilities (such as playgrounds, community spaces);

• Training for citizens in skilled and semi-skilled employment, trade and professions;

• The relief of sick persons resident on the Island;

• Societies and voluntary organisations providing sporting, recreational or leisure time facilities;

• Schools, playgroups, and places of worship;

• The arts, including festivals, museums, galleries and libraries;

• Publication of educational research projects;

• The protection and safeguarding of the environment and countryside; and

• The preservation and conservation of buildings or land of aesthetic, historical, architectural, or scientific interest or importance.

Types of funding

We welcome applications for various funding needs, including capital, revenue, and running costs.

• For capital costs, we require two quotations for the proposed works to ensure transparency and cost-effectiveness.

• Applicants seeking revenue support must provide detailed itemisation or outlining of their expenses.

• Additionally, for running costs applications, we ask for a breakdown of the running costs incurred in the previous financial year (2022-2023). This information helps us evaluate the financial sustainability and operational efficiency of the projects we support, enabling us to make informed funding decisions that align with our mission and goals.

In any given year, we may receive many more applications than we are able to fund. We can only support those projects which most closely align with our vision and mission.

• Political parties

• Party political campaigning

• Lobbying campaigns

• Non-charitable activities

• Any project not compliant with charity law

• Vehicles

• Consumables (uniforms / sports kits / food and refreshments)

• Grant-making organisations

We can’t accept applications from:

• sole traders

• individuals

• companies limited by shares

• organisations outside the UK/do not work for the benefit of the people of Ynys Môn

• one organisation applying on behalf of another.

We have two main grant streams:

• Large Grants (applications over £10,000)

• Small Grants (applications £10,000 or less)

  Please note our previous Community Spaces Grant has been integrated to our Small Grants stream. Applicants are free to choose which stream best suits the needs of their community.

Our trustees are open to considering multi-year funding proposals. However, they will only consider individual projects with a total budget exceeding £50,000 in exceptional circumstances. Applicants are encouraged to structure their proposals accordingly, such as by submitting a budget spread over multiple years, for example, £50,000 per year for a three-year project.

Application Period

Our funding is open year-round to applications. However, we will not be reviewing applications from July 31st to September 31st.

Applicants can still submit during this period, but reviews will resume after September.

Review Schedule

Both large and small grant applications will be reviewed on a monthly basis, typically within 6 weeks of submission.

Applicants will be informed of the outcome of their application after each monthly review.

Small Grants Process

Our Small Grants stream operates as a single-stage process, where applicants are required to answer a series of short questions and upload any relevant documents and policies.

Large Grants Process

Our Large Grants stream operates as a two-step process:

• Stage One (Expression of Interest - EOI)

  If successful at this stage, applicants will be invited to proceed to the next stage:

• Stage Two (Full Application)

Cut-off points for Large Grant EOIs are May 12 and October 31. Applicants are free to continue submitting EOIs during this period, but to note that any subsequent second stage application would not be considered until the following cut-off point.

Important Notes

Please ensure your application is submitted by the relevant cut-off dates for EOIs (May and October) if applying for a large grant, and before July 31st for small grants.

Applicants for both large and small grants should expect to hear back within 6 weeks of submission.

For any questions or clarifications regarding the application process, please contact us at post@elusennol.org

All applications are reviewed by our board of Trustees.

Small Grants - Assessing Criteria

Impact: We prioritise projects with high impact, aiming for enduring positive changes within the community beyond the grant term.

We look for applicants to demonstrate how your project will create lasting improvements in community well-being, environmental sustainability, and resilience.

Community Engagement: We focus on initiatives that resonate with our strategic objectives and are driven by the community's expressed needs.

Applicants must show how your project is aligned with the expressed needs and priorities of the community, ensuring active participation and responsiveness to local concerns.

Feasibility: Well-defined plans and realistic timelines are essential for project success, helping to minimise grant decommitals.

Applicants should present realistic plans, timelines, and approaches to efficient resource allocation to ensure project success.

Large Grants - Assessing Criteria

Expressions of Interest (EOI)

Trustees will individually assess each EOI based on objective factors including alignment with our mission and priorities, geographic focus, clarity of project concept, cost efficiency, demonstrated community need, and potential for impact.

Following assessment, Trustees will vote to progress EOIs forward or not.

Full Application Stage - At this second stage, Trustees engage in consensus discussions and rank each application in terms of priority for funding.

Applicants will be asked to provide detailed responses to questions regarding project need, community involvement, project delivery, monitoring and evaluation, project goals and project costs.

Applicants will need to clearly articulate:

• The need for the project and its alignment with our mission and priorities.

• Evidence of community involvement in project planning and development.

• Project delivery plans, including capacity and skills to deliver the project effectively.

• Monitoring and evaluation processes to ensure project effectiveness and accountability.

Details of all successful grant applications can be accessed from the links below:

• Grants approved 2022-23

• Grants approved 2021-22

• Grants approved 2020-21

• Grants approved 2019-20

We aim to be as transparent as possible about our grant-making. To further our commitment, we hope to publish all of our grant-making data on 360Giving over the next year.