What happens after you've applied?

Thank you to everyone who applies for a Community Grant. Due to the high number of applications we receive, our grant process now runs over three months, giving our customer panel more time to carefully review every application and ensure each project receives fair consideration.

The Application Cycle

We've refreshed the way we award our Community Grants to make the process clearer, fairer and easier for local groups to plan ahead.

Each grant cycle now runs for three months.

Month 1 – Applications Open

Example: July

• Applications open on the 1st of the month.
• Groups have the full month to submit their application.
• The deadline is the last day of the month at 11:59pm.
• Applications can be submitted at any time during the month.

Month 2 – Shortlisting and Review

Example: August

• Our customer panel reviews all applications received during the application month.
• Applications are shortlisted and assessed against the funding criteria.
• We may contact you if we need any clarification or additional information to support your application.

Month 3 – Funding Decisions and Awards

Example: September

• Final funding decisions are made.
• Successful groups will be contacted and asked to provide any information needed to process their award.
• All applicants will receive an outcome by the end of the month.
• Successful applicants will then receive details of their award and next steps.

How grants are awarded and monitored

If your application is successful, a representative from your organisation or group must sign the Community Grant terms and conditions. You must agree that the grant will be used for the purpose set out in your application. If this agreement is broken, we will ask you to pay the grant back.

We issue grant award payments by Bacs to your organisation or group’s bank account. We check how the grant award is being spent to make sure it is used for the purpose set out in your application form. This may include a visit to your organisation or group.

When you have spent the grant, you must give us the receipts. The value of the receipts must match the amount of grant you received. If you cannot give us receipts, we may ask you to pay the grant back and exclude your group or organisation from applying again.

We ask that you acknowledge Gentoo’s support in any communications about the project. This includes social media posts, media activity, and printed materials. We will provide guidance explaining how and where to reference Gentoo.