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Small grant application guidelines

These guidelines are intended to enable charities to preview our full application form and prepare an application. Charities must be invited to submit a full application after first submitting an expression of interest.

The MCF Small Grant programme offers unrestricted funding to charities. Unfortunately we do not offer funding for specific projects, so the application should focus on the charity as a whole, not specific services.

Top tips

• Try writing out the application in Word and then copying into the application form. This will make it easier to edit and come back to, but please take note of the character limit for each question.
• Keep it simple and include the key points, avoid jargon and please explain acronyms the first time you use them. You could ask someone who doesn’t know your organisation to read your application – does it make sense and do they pick up the key messages?
• You don’t have to use all of the word count. Remember, we read lots of applications and the best ones are usually concise and avoid repetition.
• Even if you have applied to us before, please write your application as if it is for a new audience.
• Please don’t rely on supporting documents. You can upload up to two documents to support your application, for example: evaluation reports, impact report, annual report and case studies. However, if you choose to upload a document, please reference its purpose in your application.
• Upon submission you will be sent a copy of your completed application. Please double check this copy and contact us as soon as possible if you notice any issues.
• Our application form is compatible with assistive technology. However, please contact us if you have any accessibility issues relating to submitting your application.

If you are applying as a branch using the head office’s registered charity number, please also ensure that you have:

• The latest published accounts together with the independent examiner’s/auditor’s report that were submitted to the Charity Commission under the registered charity number.
• If you have your own accounts, please submit these as supporting information to help us understand your particular branch.
• Written permission from head office to use the main charity registration number to apply.

We are only able to accept one application per charity number and re-application rules will apply to that number, regardless of whether a different branch of the charity or head office has applied under that same registration number.

Application Questions

When was your charity established?

This is the year that the charity was formed. e.g. 1980

Please provide a brief overview of who you support and the charity’s purpose (max 700 characters, approx. 100 words)

We’re just looking for a concise overview; there’ll be space to go into more detail later in the application.

Where in England and/or Wales does your charity work? (max. 350 characters, approx. 50 words)

I.e. do you have a specific catchment area? Any particular locations you focus on (towns / cities / counties)?

How many staff and volunteers does the charity have?

Please include numbers for all staff and volunteers working across the whole organisation.

Financial information

Please use your latest PUBLISHED accounts to complete this section, as per the Charity Commission website. These can be downloaded from the Charity Commission website and should contain the information needed to complete this section, or it may be helpful for you to ask for assistance from your charity’s finance staff or accountant.

Please note that any unpublished account information will not be assessed and your application will be considered incomplete.

You will be asked to provide a breakdown of the charity’s income, expenditure and reserves according to the categories below. Information to complete this section is commonly found in the Statement of Financial Activities and the Balance Sheet, and any associated notes in the accounts.

Income

Voluntary – all ‘gifts’ made on a voluntary basis, e.g. grants from trusts and foundations, legacies, and individuals (excluding lottery income).

Lottery – e.g. National Lottery Community Fund, People’s Postcode Lottery, Health Lottery etc.

Statutory – income generated from any statutory source, e.g. Local Authority, Clinical Commissioning Group, Central Government, NHS, Crime Commissioner etc.

Charitable Activities – Income earned from the supply of goods or services or performance related contractual income (excluding those from statutory sources).

Other Trading Income – e.g. fundraising events, charity shops, letting and licencing arrangements.

Investments – returns from any investments the organisation may have, including bank interest.

Expenditure

Charitable Purposes – any funds spent on providing services directly to the beneficiaries, such as therapist’s salary costs, rent of premises to provide services, cost of equipment etc.

Management / Administration – costs not involved with delivery of services but that are required to keep the charity running, such as salaries for support and admin staff, governance, legal costs, etc.

Fundraising / Publicity – any funds spent on efforts to raise funds or publicise the charity and its services.

Reserves

Restricted – funds set aside to be used for a specific purpose set by the grantor of the funds, e.g. project funding or donation made towards a particular purpose (not including fixed assets).

Fixed Assets – includes the value of land, buildings and equipment. Commonly the annual accounts include these in either the restricted or unrestricted reserves – for this application please separate fixed assets.

Designated – reserves that the organisation’s trustees have put aside for a specific purpose, e.g. a particular project or winding up costs, or essential future spending. Commonly the annual accounts include these in the unrestricted reserves – for this application please separate designated reserves.

Unrestricted – these are the reserves that are ‘free’, that can be used for any purpose (not including designated reserves or fixed assets).

Please provide a brief summary of the charity’s main sources of income, and whether these are likely to change significantly in the foreseeable future. (Max 700 characters, approx. 100 words).

This helps us understand how a potential MCF grant would fit alongside other income sources.

About the grant

What is the value of the grant you wish to apply for and over how many years?

• The maximum number of years funding available is 3. You will see that we have broken this down into: Amount requested Year 1, Year 2 and Year 3. This will make up the total of the amount you wish to apply.
• The maximum you can apply for is £5,000 per year or 20 per cent of your average income over the last  two years, whichever is the smallest. For example, if your charity’s average income over the last two years was £60,000, the maximum grant you can apply for is £12,000, so £4,000 per year for three years.
• The minimum grant offered is £1,000.

About the charity

Please tell us about the charity’s beneficiaries and their needs? (max. 1400 characters, approx. 200 words)

Who are they? How old are they? How are they referred or targeted, and is there demand for your services? What specific challenges do the beneficiaries face? Remember to include any supporting evidence or research to demonstrate these needs.

Please tell us about the services and/or activities you provide? (max. 1400 characters, approx. 200 words)

What type of support do you provide? How is it delivered, how often and for how long? Who delivers the support, and what is their experience and/or training?

What strategies are in place to ensure your support is both informed by and accessible to those in need? (max. 1400 characters, approx. 200 words)?

Please include any fees / charges for taking part and whether there is a hardship policy, any assistance provided to access services, and any strategies to involve service users in development and delivery.

Which outcome best describes how the charity will benefit from an MCF Small Grant?

This does not form part of the assessment, but if your application is successful it is included in a monitoring report requested once per year. You will be prompted to select the most appropriate option from the following:

• Maintaining core services integral to the charity’s function
• Expanding charity’s reach
• Improving systems and efficiency
• Other (with space to expand)

How will this grant help you to better deliver your services? (Max. 1400 characters, approx. 200 words)

Small Grants are unrestricted, but to expand on the previous question please describe any potential uses and benefits of an MCF grant to the charity itself.

How many unique primary beneficiaries does your organisation directly help each year?

Primary beneficiaries are those who directly benefit from the service.

Please tell us how many secondary beneficiaries your organisation helps each year?

E.g. a family (secondary) indirectly benefitting from a child (primary) receiving mental health support.

Please explain how these figures have been calculated (max. 700 characters, approximately 100 words)

Does the charity monitor these figures, and if so how? Please include a breakdown of how many of these service users fit within the MCF’s specific target groups.

Please tell us about the impact the charity has on your beneficiaries, and how do you measure this? (Max. 1050 characters, approx. 150 words)

Include any evidence you have gathered to demonstrate the positive outcomes your services achieve. For example, results from specific measurement tools like WEMWBS, beneficiary surveys, case studies etc. You may include evidence from other organisations delivering similar services.

Publicity

The MCF is funded entirely by Freemasons, their families and friends. Charities receiving a grant are asked to publicly recognise our grant and our donors. Please summarise how you could work with our communications team to this effect. (Max 700 characters, approx. 100 words).

For example, facilitating any media coverage, inviting local Freemasons to visit the charity, promotion of the grant through social media or other publications. If there are limitations to publicity opportunities (e.g. safeguarding concerns) please let us know.

Additional information

Have you previously received funding from a Masonic organisation in the past? (Max. 700 characters, approx. 100 words)

This may include individual Lodges or Provincial Masonic charities. Please include the source and amount, if known. This will not impact on your application in any way.

Is there anything further you would like to add to your application? (Max. 700 characters, approx. 100 words)

Optionally, please include any information you think it is important for us to know that does not fit into the questions above.

Please confirm that the charity has an up to date safeguarding policy

You will need to upload a copy of this policy at the end of your application.

Please confirm that the charity has obtained appropriate disclosure and barring checks/approval for all staff and volunteers who are working with children, young people or vulnerable adults.

If the answer to this is “no” or “not applicable”, please explain why.

In addition, you will also need your latest published charity accounts to upload and your most up to date safeguarding policy. You can also upload up to two further documents to support your application, for example outcomes of a successful pilot or evidence of the success of an existing/previous programme.