Aberdeen City Council's Community Festive Fund is available again this year 2016.
The Community Festive Fund was established to encourage organisations and groups to come together within their own communities during the Christmas and Hogmanay period to celebrate community wellbeing and togetherness.
The fund can provide a small financial grant to individual community groups and organisations which are arranging a celebration for their local community or continuing to grow and develop an existing event which may already be held in Aberdeen.
Up to £500 is on offer to any group or organisation subject to eligibility and monies available once all funding applications have been received for consideration.
Depute Leader of Aberdeen City Council, Councillor Marie Boulton said “Whilst the Winter Festival and Christmas Village are fabulous city centre attractions which attract thousands of people, I’m really pleased that we can also support smaller events for neighbours and interest groups to share and enjoy in the heart of their community.
“Many residents in the city give up their own free time to help organise an event over the festive season and this money can go towards paying for venue hire, transport, entertainment or catering for example to ease the financial burden.”
Qualifying criteria:
- the Christmas event must be held between 21 November and 30 December 2016 within the City of Aberdeen;
- the Hogmanay event must be held between 31 December 2016 and 01 January 2017 within the City of Aberdeen;
- only one application per group will be considered;
- applications must be a constituted group or organisation;
- the event must take place in a venue in Aberdeen and be for the benefit of the local community
- the funding can be used for the purposes of entertainment, venue hire, transport, staffing, decoration or catering;
- none of the monies requested or received can be used for the purchase or supply of alcohol at the proposed event.
Further details on eligibility for funding are available within the Community Festive Fund Guidance 2016 document.
Successful applicants will be required to provide receipts for all purchases made up to and including the amount of financial support received from Aberdeen City Council as proof of expenditure. These must be returned no later than 2 weeks after the event takes place.
Following approval by the City Council, the introduction of a "3 strikes" policy means successful group applications will only be granted funding for three consecutive years before sitting out a year.
Groups who have submitted applications for support in the past and have then failed to comply with the criteria detailed, including the submission of receipts after the event will have this taken into consideration when applications are being considered for all future funding support.
Failure to comply with any or all of the above criteria will result in a request by Aberdeen City Council for repayment of any funds awarded.
How to apply: download the Community Festive Fund application form 2016 from www.aberdeencity.gov.uk/cityevents
Alternatively to request an application form or further information on the Community Festive Fund, please contact the City Events team on (01224) 522802 or email cityevents@aberdeencity.gov.uk
Applications for the Community Festive Fund should be returned by 12noon on Friday 21 October 2016 to:
Community Festive Fund, City Events, Aberdeen City Council, First Floor, Town House, Aberdeen, AB10 1AQ