FAQs - Westminster Cultural Olympiad
Who can or cant apply?
Who Can Apply?
- Individuals and organisations of any size or type living or working in Westminster are eligible to apply. This could be voluntary sector organisations, social enterprises, schools, religious groups, youth clubs, old peoples’ homes, libraries, arts organisations, cultural institutions etc.
- You do not have to be an organisation/individual living/based in Westminster to apply, but you will need to demonstrate that your project will benefit Westminster residents.
- Applicants must be eligible to live and work in the UK.
- Applicants must have a bank account and their application must be made in the name of the account that will receive the grant.
- Before awarding grants to individuals we will need them to confirm they have the support of a Westminster-based organisation that will act as their guarantor.
- Organisations applying should have a bank account in the name of the organisation with two signatories.
- Organisations must have policies and procedures in place for Safeguarding, Heath & Safety, Equal & Diversity and Data Protection. Before awarding grants Vital Regeneration will check that these are in place and that individuals will have suitable procedures in place to ensure these areas are given appropriate consideration.
- Applicants who have emailed/spoken to The Cultural Olympiad Team at Vital Regeneration to let them know outline details about their project idea before submitting their application.
Who Cannot Apply?
- Projects (not organisations) already funded by Westminster City Council, e.g. Voluntary Action Westminster Small Grants Projects, are not eligible for funding through Westminster’s Cultural Olympiad Small Grants to widen the reach.
- Projects looking for top up/continuation/replacement funding for an existing project.
- Applicants who have not emailed/spoken to The Cultural Olympiad Team at Vital Regeneration about their project idea before submitting an application.
Who Can Apply?
Who Can Apply? / Who is eligible?
- Individuals and organisations of any size or type living or working in Westminster are eligible to apply. This could be voluntary sector organisations, social enterprises, schools, religious groups, youth clubs, old peoples’ homes, libraries, arts organisations, cultural institutions etc.
- You do not have to be an organisation/individual living/based in Westminster to apply, but you will need to demonstrate that your project will benefit Westminster residents.
- Applicants must be eligible to live and work in the UK.
- Applicants must have a bank account and their application must be made in the name of the account that will receive the grant.
- Before awarding grants to individuals we will need them to confirm they have the support of a Westminster-based organisation that will act as their guarantor.
- Organisations applying should have a bank account in the name of the organisation with two signatories.
- Organisations must have policies and procedures in place for Safeguarding, Heath & Safety, Equal & Diversity and Data Protection. Before awarding grants Vital Regeneration will check that these are in place and that individuals will have suitable procedures in place to ensure these areas are given appropriate consideration.
- Applicants who have emailed/spoken to The Cultural Olympiad Team at Vital Regeneration to let them know outline details about their project idea before submitting their application.
Who Cannot Apply?
- Projects (not organisations) already funded by Westminster City Council, e.g. Voluntary Action Westminster Small Grants Projects, are not eligible for funding through Westminster’s Cultural Olympiad Small Grants to widen the reach.
- Projects looking for top up/continuation/replacement funding for an existing project.
- Applicants who have not emailed/spoken to The Cultural Olympiad Team at Vital Regeneration about their project idea before submitting an application.
Is the scheme only for artists based in London or can artists from other parts of England also apply?
Artists from all of England can apply, as long as their project involves and/or helps Westminster residents. The artists must show how they will deliver to Westminster people and/or present a track record of how they have helped Westminster residents in the past.
Can my project receive the full grant amount of £25,000?
No. A project can only receive up to £2,500 and we will be awarding a minimum of 10 grants. You can apply for less than £2500 though.
Is there an age restriction of who can participate in the Grants Scheme?
No. There is no age restriction.
Is there a limit on how many people can be involved in the project? Can a group apply for the grant?
Yes. A group of people can apply for the grant. There is no restriction on number of people involved in the project. If a group of individuals are applying there must be a lead contact selected for this group whose bank account would be used for funds to be paid into. The group would also need to have the support of a Westminster organisation willing to act as a guarantor.
What type of media should the projects involve?
The projects do not need to involve media. They need to be culture or arts projects, which could include media projects, but could be something completely different. If you are not sure if your idea would count please email olympiad@vitalregen.org with specific details and we will feedback to you on whether your idea would be considered. However we are taking a very wide definition or arts and culture. It could be film, art, opera, composition, poetry, heritage, exhibitions, talks, comedy, shows, dance, mime, creative writing …. The list goes on …
Does the project have to be completely voluntary? I ask as it states 'not for general running costs' - does this include expenses and wages?
The running costs referred to in the guidance are running costs of the organisation/individual outside of this project specifically. So any costs to make this project happen – e.g. wages - are completely fine. You don’t just have to use volunteers. We want new ideas and are trying to avoid applications for continuation/replacement funding for other projects where the funding has run out.
We’re doing a project in another borough that we think will be great for this scheme in Westminster; can we create a project based on this?
Yes, you can take a project idea that has been successful in another borough and then adapt it for Westminster and this fund. However, the project you propose must be new in some way so that it is designed specifically to meet the criteria set out in the application guidance. Also, you cannot apply for continuation or replacement funding for an existing/previous contract.
Can organisations/individuals submit more than one application by partnering with different people and appearing in different applications?
No. each individual or organisation can only apply once whether that is as the lead or a partnering organisation/individual.
Will there be another information workshop after the 15th December?
There will be no more information workshops about the scheme before the application deadline. However, there will be a second workshop for grant awardees in March 2012. This will introduce successful awardees to each other and will introduce them to the financial auditing, reporting monitoring and evaluation process to be used. Anyone who couldn’t attend the December workshop but who wants to speak to Vital Regeneration about the scheme can call Katy on 020 7245 2261.