Grant making policy

THE ROB GEORGE FOUNDATION GRANT MAKING POLICY

1. The Objects of the Rob George Foundation (“the Charity”)

Under the terms of the Trust Deed dated 16th January 2014, the objects of the Charity are:

• To provide practical and/or financial support to young people with life threatening or terminal illnesses (“Aim 1”).
• To provide financial support to young people who demonstrate exceptional commitment and/or ability in the worlds of sport or the performing arts but may be held back by their financial situation from pursuing their goals (“Aim 2”).

2. Priorities for support

The number of projects which can be supported by the Charity is, of necessity, limited to the amount of funds available for distribution in any year.

3. Principles

In awarding grants, the Trustees will apply the following principles:

3.1 Applications from any geographical area within the UK (but not overseas) are eligible for consideration.

3.2 Applications will typically be considered only from applicants that are permanently resident in the UK.

3.3 Applications must be made by individuals, not organisations;

3.4 All applications from previous recipients of grants or from previously unsuccessful applicants will be considered by the Trustees on their own merits. Although the Trustees will have regard to the outcome of the previous application, any new application will in no way receive preferential or adverse consideration. In the case of a second or subsequent application under Aim 2, the Trustees would expect to see evidence of active fundraising and/or other support for the Charity since the previous award was made.

3.5 Both successful and unsuccessful applicants will typically not be considered for second and subsequent applications within 12 months of their most recent grant application decision.

3.6 Applicants under Aim 1 will normally be between five and twenty-eight years of age and applicants under Aim 2 will normally be between eleven and twenty-five years of age. In exceptional cases, the Trustees may consider applications from persons outside these parameters.

3.7 The Charity will not, save in exceptional circumstances, make individual awards for sums in excess of £1,000.

3.8 Grants for IT devices (e.g laptops, phones, ipads, tablets etc) will typically be limited to a fixed award not exceeding £400 towards the cost of the device.

3.9 In the case of applications under Aim 2, applications must be from amateurs, not professionals, and the total number of grants and the total sum awarded in any one sport or performing art in any consecutive period of twelve months will not normally exceed three, or £3000 respectively.

3.10 The Charity will willingly work in partnership with other organisations to fund initiatives beyond the financial scope of a single organisation.

4. Exclusions

The Trustees will not normally approve the use of the Charity’s funds for medical research, postgraduate study, or purposes for which the government has a statutory responsibility to provide.

5. Grant application process

All applications for grants should be completed in conjunction with this policy. They must be made by using the on-line application form on the Charity’s website (therobgeorgefoundation.org).

6. Information requirements before awarding a grant

Before awarding a grant to any individual, the Trustees require that the application should:

6.1 Inform the Trustees of the purpose of the application and the way in which the grant will be used, and should include an itemised breakdown showing how the sum requested has been calculated;

6.2 Inform the Trustees of the names and full contact details of two referees who are prepared to support the application;

6.3 Provide adequate information regarding the identity and financial status of the applicant and/or of the applicant’s household. This information will also include the number of dependants covered by the declared household income;

6.4 In the case of applications under Aim 1, provide adequate information regarding the applicant’s medical condition;

6.5 Be signed or verified by the applicant (or in the case of applications by persons under the age of eighteen years by their parent or guardian) to confirm that all information provided is correct.

7. Assessment process

7.1 All grant applications will be subject to initial assessment to ensure they meet the basic criteria for funding. Applicants must be prepared to provide such other information as the Trustees may reasonably require in order to assist them in their decision-making process. Grants will be considered by the Trustees at their meetings, and the Trustees will aim to write to all applicants informing them of the outcome of their application for funding within four weeks of receipt of a complete application (including all necessary references). Urgent applications (which will normally be made under Aim 1) will be considered as soon as possible.

7.2 Applicants should note that, as with many other charitable trusts, the Rob George Foundation receives far more applications than it has funds to support. Even if an application fits within the criteria and priorities of the Charity and a detailed assessment has been made, the Charity may still be unable to provide a grant.

7.3 The Trustees will not be obliged to provide an explanation to the applicants should their application be unsuccessful.

8. Monitoring and Publication

8.1 It is the policy of the Trustees to monitor all grants made. To this end, before a grant can be confirmed, conditions may be stipulated appropriate to the application and progress may be assessed against agreed targets and/or milestones. If the grant is payable in instalments, then payment of subsequent grant instalments may be dependent on satisfactory progress having been demonstrated and the Trustees reserve the right to withdraw the grant on receipt of unsatisfactory progress reports. Failure to submit reports at the time specified by the Trustees may also jeopardise the continuation of the Charity’s support. The grant recipient should inform the Charity of any extenuating circumstances whereby the submission of any report is delayed, to allow a mutually acceptable date for submission to be agreed.

8.2 Monitoring visits by representatives of the Charity may be made during the period of a grant.

8.3 The Trustees also expect to receive copies of any published articles, papers or other outputs which may result from the grant.

Adopted on 3rd January 2022.