Foreshore Trust Large Grant Application Guidance Notes

Each section of the application form includes a link to detailed guidance. These notes are designed to help you complete your application. They follow the structure of the form and provide practical tips, explanations, and examples for every section.

About Your Organisation

Organisation Details

Provide your organisation’s full legal name, registered address, and main contact details. Please double check these details are completely accurate as they will be used for all communication.

Example:

Organisation Name: Hastings Community Support
Address: 123 High Street, Hastings, TN34 1AB
Website: www.hastingssupport.org
Main Contact: Jane Smith, Project Manager, 01234 567890, jane@hastingssupport.org

Consortium Applications

If you are applying as a consortium, list all partner organisations and outline their roles in delivering the service.

Example:

Lead Partner: Hastings Community Support
Partner 1: Local Housing Trust – tenancy advice
Partner 2: Citizens Advice – debt counselling

Aims and Objectives (max 100 words)

Briefly explain what your organisation is here to do (its overall aim) and the main things you want to achieve (your main objectives). Keep it short and easy to understand.

Example:

Our aim is to provide free, confidential advice to help people resolve everyday problems and make informed decisions.

Our objectives are to:

• Offer guidance on benefits, housing, and debt management.
• Support clients to understand their rights and access local services.
• Deliver advice in person, online, and by phone to reach as many people as possible.

Eligibility Criteria

Confirm that your organisation meets the required criteria. If any documents or policies are in progress, explain how you will complete them before funding begins.
Please note: you do not need to provide evidence of the following at this stage. Evidence of will only be required once you have been successfully awarded a grant.

Checklist:

• Constitution or governing document
• Two unrelated signatories
• Last three years of accounts
• Equality and Safeguarding policies
• Public liability insurance (recommended £10m)
• DBS staff checks if relevant
• Compliance with UK employment and health & safety laws

NB. If you select ‘NO’ You will need to briefly explain why - for example DBS checks may not be relevant to your project

Organisation Account Information

Time period covered by latest accounts: Enter the start and end dates for the most recent set of approved accounts (e.g., 01/04/2023 – 31/03/2024).

Free reserves as % of annual turnover:

• Free reserves are unrestricted funds that your organisation can spend at its discretion.
• Do not include funds earmarked for specific projects or commitments.
• Calculate as: Free Reserves (£)÷Annual Turnover (£)×100

Example:

• Annual turnover: £50,000
• Free reserves: £5,000
• Calculation: (5,000 ÷ 50,000) × 100 = 10%

If free reserves = £5,000 and annual turnover = £50,000, then percentage = 10%.

Why we ask for this information:

We use these details to understand your organisation’s financial position and sustainability. This helps us assess whether your organisation can manage the grant responsibly and whether additional support may be needed.

Organisation Status

• Indicate whether your organisation is a registered charity.
• If yes, provide your official charity registration number as listed with the Charity Commission or relevant regulator.

Why we ask for this information:

This confirms your legal status and eligibility for

Service and Delivery

Priority Theme

Select the theme that best fits your proposal (Advice Service, Community Infrastructure, Domestic Abuse, Intervention, Rough Sleepers).

Service Name

Example:

Hastings Housing Advice Hub

Service Aim (max 100 words)

State the main purpose of your service in one or two sentences.

Example:

To provide tailored housing and welfare advice to vulnerable residents in Hastings, reducing homelessness and improving financial stability.

Service Description and Funding Requested (max 500 words)

Describe your service in more detail what you will deliver, how and why it matters. Include activities, timeline, and delivery plan.

Include:

• What you will deliver (core activities and services)
• How you will deliver it (methods, staffing, partnerships)
• Why it matters (link to community needs and benefits)
• Timeline (key milestones)
• Funding (how the grant will be used)

Example Structure:

Overview:

Weekly housing advice sessions and one-to-one casework for residents at risk of homelessness.

Activities:

Weekly drop-in sessions at two community hubs

Monthly workshops on budgeting and tenancy rights

Delivery Plan:

Sessions delivered by qualified advisors, supported by volunteers. Partnerships with housing associations for referrals.

Timeline:

Month 1–2: Recruit staff and promote service

Month 3 onwards: Deliver sessions and workshops

Funding: Grant covers staff costs (£18,000), venue hire (£2,000), and materials (£1,000).

Alignment with Programme Theme (max 500 words)

Show how your proposal meets the selected theme and contributes to its objectives.

Guidance:

• Identify the chosen theme and restate its objectives
• Explain how your service addresses these objectives
• Show added value 
• Include evidence of need and expected outcomes

Example:

Our proposal aligns with the Advice Service theme by tackling housing insecurity and financial hardship.

• The service provides practical advice on tenancy rights, welfare benefits, and debt management—key areas identified in the theme summary.
• We complement existing council services by focusing on early intervention and personalised support, reducing pressure on statutory services. 
• Consultation with 50 residents confirmed demand for accessible advice in community settings. 
• Expected outcomes include preventing 50 evictions annually and improving financial literacy for 200 participants.

Consortium Partners – Service Delivery

List partner organisations and their roles in delivering the service.

Expertise and Capacity (max 500 words)

Highlight your organisations experience, including any specific staff expertise and resources to deliver the service effectively.

Key Risks and Mitigation

Identify any potential financial and operational risks and explain how you will manage them.

Example:

• Identify financial, operational, and external risks
• Explain how you will manage or reduce each risk
• Include contingency plans for critical risks

Common Risks:

• Funding shortfall: Mitigation - secure match funding and phased delivery
• Staff recruitment delays: Mitigation - advertise early and use interim staff
• Low engagement: Mitigation - partner with local groups for outreach and adjust promotion strategy

Proposed Service Funding

Proposed service budgets

Provide a clear budget breakdown for each year including

• Item
• Cost per item
• Quantity of item(s)
• Total cost
• FST Grant requested,
• Match funding.

Budget table

Add a line for each item and click on the ‘Add item’ button at the bottom of each section. This will also display a summary table

Example

Item	Cost per item	Quantity	Total cost	Grant requested	Match funding
Advice sessions	£200	10	£2,000	£2,000	0
Workshop materials	£50	20	£1,000	£1,000	0
Staff costs	£1,500	12 months	£18,000	£8,000	£8,000

Matched Funding

Indicate whether the matched funding you are providing is:

• Cash: Actual money contributed by your organisation or partners.
• In-kind: Non-cash contributions such as donated goods, services, or volunteer time.
• State whether this funding is secured/committed (confirmed and available) or anticipated (expected but not yet confirmed).

Example:

• Cash – £1,000 (secured)
• In-kind – venue hire worth £500 (committed)

Partner Breakdown (Consortia Only)

If applying as a consortium, provide a clear breakdown of how the grant funding will be allocated to each partner organisation.

Include:

• Partner name
• Amount of grant funding they will receive

Example:

• Organisation A – £3,000
• Organisation B – £2,000

The Difference Your Service Will Make

Service Need, Evidence & Impact

Describe who will benefit and why the service is needed (max 200 words):

• Explain the target group (e.g., young people, older residents, families) and the specific challenges they face.
• Keep it concise and focused on why your service is important.

Provide evidence of need and any consultation undertaken:

• Upload up to 5 documents (Word or PDF) that show evidence of need or consultation (e.g., survey results, community feedback, local statistics).
• Each file must be under 15MB. Accepted formats: .doc, .docx, .pdf.
• Drag and drop files into the upload box or click to select files.

Explain how the service addresses gaps or expands existing provision (max 300 words):

• Describe how your project fills a gap in current services or enhances what already exists.
• Highlight what makes your approach different or complementary.

Proposed Service Outcomes

• Say what you want to achieve (the change or benefit).
• Explain how you’ll measure it (numbers or other evidence).
• Describe how you’ll record it (e.g., case notes, sign-in sheets).
• Set a clear target (a number or percentage that’s realistic).

Setting Realistic Targets

• Start with what worked before – Look at past results to see what’s achievable.
• Match what you’ve got – Think about the people, money, and time you have
• Set clear goals – make them specific, easy to measure and relevant
• Look at what’s around you – Consider demand, local conditions, and any obstacles. 
• Stay flexible – Have a main goal and explain how you’ll adapt if things change during the project.

Each row represents one outcome your service aims to achieve. For each outcome, provide:

• Outcome: What you want to achieve (e.g., “Increase digital skills among older adults”).
• Measure: How you will know it’s achieved (e.g., “Number of participants completing training”).
• Recording Method: How you will track progress (e.g., attendance sheets, surveys).
• Target: The number or level you aim for (e.g., “50 participants per year”).

How to add lines:

Click the ‘Add service outcome’ button at the bottom of this section to add more rows.

Each new row will appear in the table and update the Summary of Outcomes automatically.

Example for Proposed Service Outcomes:

Outcome	Measure	Recording Method	Target
Improved housing stability	Number of evictions prevented	Case records	50 per year
Increased financial literacy	Workshop attendance	Sign-in sheets	200 participants

Why we ask for this information:

This helps us understand the need for your service, the evidence behind it, and the impact you aim to achieve. Clear outcomes and measures ensure accountability and demonstrate the value of your project.

Service Promotion & Publicity

Describe how the service will be promoted (max 200 words):

• Outline the methods you will use to raise awareness of your service (e.g., social media, local press, flyers, community networks).
• Mention any partnerships or channels that will help you reach your audience.
• Keep it concise and focused on practical steps.

Example:

We will promote the service through local community newsletters, social media platforms (Facebook and Instagram), and posters in libraries and community centres.

We will also work with local schools and health centres to share information directly with families.

Explain how you will reach diverse groups and Hastings & St Leonards residents (max 200 words):

• Describe how you will ensure your promotion is inclusive and accessible.
• Consider language, cultural needs, and communication formats (e.g., translations, easy-read materials).
• Highlight any targeted outreach for specific communities within Hastings & St Leonards.

Example:

• To reach diverse groups, we will provide promotional materials in multiple languages and use easy-read formats for people with learning disabilities. We will share information through local cultural associations and faith groups, and attend community events across Hastings & St Leonards to engage residents directly.

Detail efforts to involve disadvantaged or underrepresented groups (max 300 words):

• Explain how you will actively engage groups who may face barriers to participation (e.g., low-income households, minority ethnic communities, people with disabilities).

Include any consultation, partnerships, or tailored approaches you will use.

Show how these efforts will influence service design and delivery.

Example:

• We will work with local charities supporting low-income families and minority ethnic communities to co-design activities that meet their needs. Our service will offer free transport for those without access and provide childcare during sessions to remove barriers. We will also consult with disability advocacy groups to ensure venues are fully accessible and adapt materials for visually impaired participants.

Why we ask for this information:

We want to ensure funded services are widely promoted, inclusive, and accessible to all residents, particularly those who are disadvantaged or underrepresented. This helps us assess your commitment to equality and community engagement.

Beneficiary Monitoring

Equal Opportunities

Confirm willingness to monitor equal opportunities

• Tick “I confirm” to show your organisation agrees to monitor equal opportunities as part of delivering the service.
• This means you will collect and review data (e.g., age, gender, ethnicity, disability) to ensure fair access and identify any barriers

Explain any restrictions and how equalities issues will be addressed (max 500 words)

• If your service has any restrictions (e.g., age limits, geographic boundaries), explain why these are necessary

Describe how you will make the service inclusive and accessible for all eligible groups, such as:

• Providing information in different formats or languages.
• Ensuring venues are accessible for people with disabilities.
• Offering support for those facing barriers (e.g., transport, childcare).

Show how you will monitor and respond to equality issues during delivery.

• Example:
  “Our service is limited to residents of Hastings & St Leonards due to funding criteria. Within this area, we will ensure equal access by providing translated materials for non-English speakers and offering sessions in accessible venues. We will monitor participation by collecting anonymised demographic data and adjust outreach if certain groups are underrepresented.”

Why we ask for this information:

We want to ensure funded services promote fairness, inclusion, and comply with equality legislation. This helps us assess your commitment to removing barriers and meeting diverse community needs.

Monitoring & Evaluation

Describe how you will assess service impact (max 200 words):

• Explain how you will measure whether your service has achieved its intended benefits.
• Focus on impact, not just activity (e.g., changes in skills, confidence, wellbeing).
• Mention any tools or approaches you will use (e.g., surveys, interviews, feedback forms, case studies).

Example:

We will assess impact by collecting participant feedback through pre- and post-service surveys to measure changes in confidence and skills. We will also track referrals to other services and gather testimonials to understand wider benefits.

Outline monitoring and evaluation methods (max 200 words):

• Describe how you will monitor progress and evaluate success throughout the project.
• Include data collection methods (attendance records, demographic data, feedback forms).
• State frequency (monthly, quarterly, or at key milestones).
• Identify who will oversee monitoring and evaluation.
• Show how findings will be used to improve the service.

Example:

We will monitor delivery through monthly attendance logs and demographic data collection. Evaluation will include quarterly feedback surveys and focus groups. The project coordinator will review data and share findings with partners to adapt activities as needed.

Why we ask for this information:

Monitoring and evaluation ensure accountability, help measure success, and identify areas for improvement. This demonstrates your ability to deliver a high-quality, impactful service.

Example:

Outreach and Support Programme: Impact will be assessed by the number of people we engage with and the support provided, such as referrals to housing or health services. We’ll keep records of contacts, advice given, and follow-up actions. Feedback will be gathered informally during visits and through short questionnaires where possible. Monitoring will be ongoing, with data reviewed every quarter to check progress and identify gaps in support.

Sample Key Performance indicators (KPI’s):

• Number of people engaged through outreach
• Number of referrals made to housing or health services
• Percentage of clients reporting improved access to support

Declaration

Authority to submit

Confirm you have the necessary authority to submit the application.

Data storage

Confirm you agree with the Data handling statement.