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Terms & Conditions

Award Guidance Notes 2023

Who can enter

The Spirit of our Community Awards (SPOC) are open to not-for-private-profit organisations.

Zone Criteria

All proposed projects should benefit communities within the zone postcodes applied for:

Zone 1 Application
Open to organisations registered/located within an ML5 or ML6 postcode area.

Zone 2 Application
Open to organisations located or registered within a 25 mile radius of the following Distillery postcodes

  • Speyburn Distillery –Rothes, Aberlour, AB38 7AG
  • Knockdhu Distillery –Knock, by Huntly, Aberdeenshire, AB54 7LJ 
  • Balmenach Distillery –Balmenach Rd, Cromdale, Grantown-on-Spey, PH26 3PF

Zone 3 Application
Open to organisations located or registered within a 25 mile radius of the following Distillery postcodes

  • Balblair Distillery – Edderton, Tain IV19 1LB
  • Pulteney Distillery – Huddart St, Wick KW1 5BA

We won’t support

  • Work that has already taken place
  • Political donations
  • Fundraising activities or challenges (e.g. costs for a sky dive etc.)
  • Running costs and organisation overheads
  • Conferences or seminars
  • Activities which collect funds for redistribution to other charities or individuals
  • Overseas appeals
  • Expeditions or overseas travel
  • Promotion of a religious or political cause
  • Marketing promotions
  • Research projects
  • Projects that do not benefit communities within the stated radius of each zone (see above).

Contact Details for two authorised representatives of the Organisation

These should be key people involved in the Project. They should be able to talk about the Project and provide further information if required. If your contacts change throughout the lifetime of the Project it is your responsibility to advise us of any changes. We will not be able to discuss the application with anyone who is not a named contact on this application form.

How to use these Guidance Notes

The aim of these notes is to help you complete your application form. We’ll tell you why we’re asking for certain information and how we will use the information you give us to judge your application. These Guidance Notes should be read as a “stand-alone” document to help you understand what we need from you at each stage as you fill in your application form. The Guidance Notes are a guide only and do not constitute advice.

Demand for Funding

We anticipate receiving many worthy applications for the award programme and sadly there will be many good applications that we won’t be able to support. We make our decisions based on the information you provide in your application, the programme criteria and outcomes. We use our professional judgment to make the difficult choices between the projects seeking funding.

Reapplying for Funding

If you are the successful recipient of the Zone 1 award of £10,000 or of Zone 2/Zone 3 awards of £5,000 then you will not be able to apply for an award in the following year. Instead, we may invite you to be an independent representative on the award panel in the following application round.

Alternative and Accessible Formats

Sometimes there are particular reasons why people find it difficult to apply. If you experience or anticipate any barriers with our application process, require help to make an application, or accessing our services and information, please contact us to discuss the type of support we can provide. You can find our contact details here.

Applying

You can access an application form by visiting here.

You can download the application and complete by hand or you can use this link to complete online.

Getting Started Checklist

Please ensure you have fully read these Guidance Notes and our Terms and Conditions before you commence your application. Have you got everything you need to complete your application form?

  • Your organisation’s contact details and information
  • Your organisation’s governing documentation e.g. Constitution, Memorandum and Articles of Association
  • Your written Project proposal, including evidence of demand for your Project
  • Your Project location and postcode
  • Your Project Budget
  • Your other supporting information if applicable (Landowner or Planning Permissions, or other Permission letters)
  • Two forms of identification for the main project contact (if applicable)

How to complete your application form.

About Your Organisation

Tell us some basic information about your organisation. Your application should present the most persuasive case possible. What you do is not our area of expertise, so you should complete your application with the knowledge that we need real detail and clarity in order to make sound judgements. Write in clear, simple language, avoiding jargon, acronyms and abbreviations. Write about facts, not generalities. Focus on telling us key information. Remember that the people who are assessing your application or making decisions do not necessarily know your local area. They will use this information to decide whether they want to shortlist your Project so make sure the aims and how any award will be spent are clear.

3. Which zone are you applying within
Please specify if you are applying within Zone 1, 2 or 3. 

4. Organisation name
This should be the name of the organisation that is applying for funding and should match with the information on governing documents i.e. constitution, Memorandum and Articles of Association etc. In the event that you are an award winner, your organisation name should be the same as on the bank statements you will be asked to produce.

5. What does your organisation do
This should be a general description of the type of work/support/services undertaken by the organisation, and what your main purpose and mission is for the community you serve.

6. Organisation address
This should be the address of the organisation that is applying for funding and should match with the information on your bank statements and governing documents i.e. constitution, Memorandum and Articles of Association etc. Remember your organisation address should be within the postcode criteria specified in Zone 1, 2 or 3.

7. Organisation type
Registered Charity; Constituted Group, etc. If a registered charity give your charity number/company number. As part of the assessment process, this information will be checked on the Charity Commission or Scottish Charity Commission website or on Companies House. Please ensure that you review the whole list before selecting one so as to give us the most accurate information about your organisation type.

8. How long has your organisation been in existence?
Please tell us the length of time that your organisation has been in existence. Please note, if you are a CIC and have been in existence for less than two years, you are not eligible to apply for this scheme.

9. Proof of ID
You have been asked to provide your organisation’s charity or equivalent registration number depending on the type of group.

10. Constitutional documentation
Can you provide a constitutional document that sets out your group’s rules and proves that you are not run for private profit (this will require to be attached on the online application)

Notes: As part of our administration checks, if your organisation is NOT a registered charity or a registered company, OR if you are NOT a public sector organisation, we will require the following from you:

Home addresses for both contacts.

The main contact to provide two forms of ID in the upload fields - one for proof of name and the other for proof of address.

The second contact MUST be a Bank Account Signatory for the bank account you will use if you are successful in receiving an award.

Forms of Identification Guidance
You cannot use one form of identification for both name and address. For example, if you provide your driving licence as proof of your name you must provide another form of identification for your address, such as a utility bill.

Proof of Name - please upload a document, such as your current signed passport; a current UK or EEA photocard driving licence; or original birth certificate (UK birth certificate issued within 12 months of the date of birth in full form including those issued by UK authorities overseas such as Embassies High Commissions and HM Forces).

Proof of Address - please provide a copy of a document, such as a utility bill (gas, electric - issued within the last three months, UK water bill; local authority council tax bill for the current council tax year; tenancy agreement from a housing association or a council; current UK driving licence (but only if not used for the name evidence).

International Beverage reserves the right to verify any other details of any Qualifying Entrant or any winner. Any verification information requested must be provided within 7 days of the request.

11. What is your Project Name
At this stage, a project name is essential. If you use any abbreviations tell us what they stand for. Please ensure that your project name is different from your organisation name.

12. Please provide a statement that best describes your Project
This is the most important part of the application form. We need a clear and persuasive description of what the aims of the Project will be. We should be able to clearly identify with your statement. Tell us what research you have done. Tell us about your project in the same everyday way you’d talk about it. For example, use ‘we’ and ‘our’ when you talk about what you do. Make sure it reads well, makes sense and accurately conveys what your Project will be doing. Perhaps ask someone to look at it who knows nothing about your Project to see if it makes sense to them. Try to be specific about your Project.

13. Who in particular will benefit from your Project
Your Project must benefit communities within the postcode criteria for your zone. Please give a realistic number as to the number of local people that will benefit from the project once it is completed and explain what you have based your estimated number of beneficiaries on? (e.g. pupils enrolled, visitor numbers, sessional/activities numbers, local population statistics, etc). Please also advise the age ranges of any of your project beneficiaries here.

14. How do you believe it will benefit these people
You could at this point provide any background evidence of your organisation working in this community previously or about previous projects you have delivered and what benefit you may have already delivered.

15. Are you able to demonstrate a need or demand for the Project
Please tell us about your Project, why it is needed and how it will make things better in your local community. Tell us in more detail what the Project is and what you want to do. Tell us the overall aim and how it will improve your local community.

16. Can you provide any further evidence/research that will support your statement
What evidence of demand do you have?

17. If you were to win what would you spend the award funds on
Please provide a summary of how you intend to spend the funds awarded if you are successful. There is no restriction on whether your award is spent on capital (direct) or revenue (indirect) costs. Are you likely to get funding from any other source for the same Project?

If some of the money for your project will come from other sources, tell us the total amount, where it will come from and when it needs to be spent by.

We should make it clear that having funding in place from another partner does not exclude you from being successful.

18. Do you have any other support or resources for this Project e.g. local Council or other partner organisations
Who have you talked to about your Project and what did you find out? If you have discussed your Project with the local council or other local organisations please let us know the outcome.

19. How long will this Project take to deliver its aims
Please let us know if your Project needs to happen at a specific time, for example, your Project is related to a particular annual event e.g. Easter or is an event that needs to take place on a certain day. Please be mindful of the deadline date and the indicated award dates. If your Project has not been shortlisted by this date, we will withdraw your Project but you will have the opportunity to reapply or defer your application. Please only state a specific date if your Project must be delivered on a certain day/week eg a festival, carnival or similar event.

Successful applicants will have 12 months from the date of an award to deliver the Project and to spend the funds. The winner should keep records of how they have used the prize. We reserve the right to request more information on the success of the Project and how the award was used at any time following the award.

20. Are there volunteering opportunities that can arise from the successful delivery of the Project?
We want to fund projects that have a positive and lasting impact on local communities. Please let us know of any volunteering opportunities for our employees or members of your community. This includes volunteers involved in delivering and managing the Project. We are aware that not every project will be able to provide volunteer opportunities and in this instance, your response will not be used to make a decision that will affect your application.

21. Does your project require any specific or formal permissions to be obtained?
These might be landowner/landlord/council permissions/consents. The responsibility is on your organisation to ensure that you have made the necessary enquiries and can evidence the necessary consents to allow the Project to progress. Consent will be required for installation of items such as sheds or greenhouses and for projects such as kitchen refurbishments. The award will not be made unless appropriate evidence of all the necessary consents and approvals have been obtained before the Project commences.

22. If your Project involves children or other vulnerable groups what are your arrangements for safeguarding?
If your Project is working with children or vulnerable adults, you will need to have a safeguarding policy in place. You must have your own tailored policy for safeguarding and protecting Children and Adults at Risk which is proportionate and relevant to your organisation’s activities and has been agreed by your trustees or other governing body. This policy must be reviewed regularly and staff and trustees must be trained on its contents.

By submitting your application you are declaring that you have a safeguarding policy and procedures in place that is proportionate to your activities and understand that a copy of this document can be requested for review at any time.

22. Are there any conflicts of interest we should be aware of?
In this section, please give us brief details of any conflict of interest you may have, for example, if you are involved in a business that may provide goods or services to the Project if it is funded. A conflict of interest is any situation in which an applicant, or the applicant’s organisation, has a personal connection with, or a business interest in any organisation or individual that will be paid to deliver the Project.

Conflicts of interest or potential conflicts of interest must be declared before the award is made. Failure to disclose conflicts of interest may result in the withdrawal of the award.

23. Does your Project have any particular theme you wish to highlight?
It would help if we could identify projects that are working in particular thematic areas e.g. Projects that focus on food poverty, education, sustainability.

24. Is there anything else you wish to tell us not covered above
Last opportunity to make your case – include photographs, testimonials etc.