Process for making funding recommendations
The ideal number of people to have on a funding panel is between six to eight people to reflect a range of different perspectives, whilst keeping the process manageable for those involved in facilitating the discussion. The maximum number of members possible on a CGF panel is 15. Meetings with fewer than three members in attendance will be cancelled and, where possible, rescheduled.
Recommendations are made by consensus, and all panel members should have an equal say in coming to a final agreement. Panel members will be asked to complete a simple assessment sheet ahead of the funding panel meeting. This will be used as a guide to facilitate discussions and to justify recommendations.
The approach taken towards assessing grant applications varies within the funding sector and there is no single right way. CGF panel members use their local knowledge to make recommendations about which applications best meet the needs of their community. As this is a Council fund, we ask that all panel members have regard for the Council’s funding objectives:
- Create good places to live and work
- Ending poverty in Edinburgh
- Becoming a net zero city by 2030
The CGF is relatively small, meaning that not all applications can be successful. This can sometimes make it tricky for panel members to decide on what to recommend. The following questions can be used to assess the relative strengths and weaknesses of an application:
- Has the applicant given a good description of the project and provided sufficient detail about the proposed activities?
- Who else is doing similar and could the project duplicate existing work that is planned or already underway? This is where local knowledge can be very useful.
- Is there enough evidence that the project would provide community benefit, either for a targeted group within the community, or for the community as a whole?
- How many people are likely to benefit and are the suggested benefits clearly illustrated, as well as being realistic?
- Is the project well organised, with evidence of a clear plan for delivery?
- Is the cost breakdown reasonable, proportionate, clearly explained and evidenced?
- Does the applicant have the capacity to deliver the project, or do they need some additional support to think things through in more detail?
- Could financial support for the project be delivered from other grant streams or through fundraising activities (e.g. by seeking donations)?
When making recommendations, panel members should be mindful of unconscious bias to ensure that decisions are made fairly and equitably.
Once consensus is reached, the panel’s recommendations are passed to the Head of Service for the Council’s Community Empowerment and Engagement Team (CEET) for final approval, as the Council has a responsibility to ensure that the CGF budget is used appropriately across the city. In the rare instance that the Head of Service does not approve a panel’s recommendation, this will be discussed with the panel before notifying the applicant.