North Ayrshire Community Projects Fund (NACPF) Application guidance

1.0. Introduction

In the 2025 Spending Review, the Government announced funding for up to 350 places as the cornerstone of our support for communities. This includes 95 places selected for the Pride in Place Impact Fund. The funding will be delivered by local authorities in England, Scotland and Wales and targeted at areas ‘in need’ with the aim of building strong, resilient, prosperous, and inclusive communities.

2.0. What the NACPF will support

Community Spaces: investing in community facilities; refurbishing or taking ownership of underused but valued buildings.

Public Spaces: enhancing public spaces. For example, playparks, streetscape, signage, public art – encouraging people to spend time outdoors, build relationships and take part in local activities.

High Street and Town Centre Revitalisation: making town centres more attractive and welcoming, attracting people and supporting local businesses and economies.

The following costs are not eligible for support:

• any costs that are considered to be revenue costs in line with standard local authority accounting practice
• costs associated with activity that took place before September 2025
• paid for lobbying, entertaining, petitioning or challenging decisions, which means using the Fund to lobby (via an external firm or in-house staff) in order to undertake activities intended to influence or attempt to influence Parliament, government or political activity including the receipt of funding; or attempting to influence legislative or regulatory action
• payments for activities of a party political or exclusively religious nature
• VAT reclaimable from HMRC. Irrecoverable VAT is an eligible cost under the Pride in Place Impact Fund
• gifts, or payments for gifts or donations
• statutory fines, criminal fines or penalties
• payments for works or activities which the lead local authority, project deliverer, end beneficiary, or any member of their partnership has a statutory duty to undertake, or that are fully funded by other sources
• contingencies and contingent liabilities
• dividends
• bad debts, costs resulting from the deferral of payments to creditors, or winding up a company
• expenses in respect of litigation, unfair dismissal or other compensation
• costs incurred by individuals in setting up and contributing towards private pension schemes

2.1. The grant

The council will awards grants between £5,000 and £35,000 in 2026/2027 to eligible organisations. Grants will support activities which deliver the fund objectives. The Grant can support one element of a larger project, including projects which are already underway.

The funding is for capital investment.

The total award must be legally committed in full by 31 March 2027.

Criteria:

• any constituted organisation delivering community focussed projects in the North Ayrshire Localities of the Garnock Valley and the North Coast
• applicants must be financially viable and efficiently and effectively managed
• the services and programmes of the Applicant must benefit a community in North Ayrshire
• applicants should have all insurances appropriate for the proposed project in place
• applicants will be expected to submit any relevant documentation supporting delivery of the project
• applicants are expected to commit to the Fair Work First criteria in a reasonable and proportionate manner in relation to their organisation

3.0. Application and assessment

An authorised member of the eligible organisation should apply for the Grant by completing the standard application form (“the Application Form”).

Applications must meet the following essential criteria:

Applications proceeding to full assessment will be reviewed by an assessment panel, consisting of community representatives from eligible Locality Planning Partnership areas.

Applications will be scored, as below, with recommendations made to Locality Planning Partnerships who will make the final decision on NACPF applications.

Applications will be scored on three aspects:

1. The project plan, outputs and outcomes, that is, what does the Applicant hope to achieve, as a result of the project.
2. The fit with the NACPF’s objectives
3. The project’s fit with North Ayrshire Council Strategy. We will consider the project in light of Community Wealth Building, the Local Outcome Improvement Plan priorities and how the project aligns with themes like community participation, net zero transition, improving health and wellbeing, supporting local people, improving local places, and creating local opportunities.
4. Project deliverability. We will consider an organisation’s previous track record of project delivery, capacity of the organisation and their mitigation of risk.

Match funding (actual or planned) and partnership delivery are not requirements of the Grant but will greatly enhance any Application. You can also tell us about these in the ‘Project Costs’ section of the Application Form.

Applicants will receive feedback when notified of the outcome of the Application.

Each section of the Application will be scored according to how well it demonstrates the requirements of the Grant. Applications will be ranked by highest to lowest score and funding awarded to the highest scoring Applications.

The panel can decide to offer a lower level of Grant than requested based on the information submitted.

4.0. The project

This is an opportunity to explain your project in detail.

• any shortfall in the project’s funding
• any other funding which the organisation has applied for or has received, to support this project

Please tell us about all the funding you have applied for to support this project, even if your application was unsuccessful.

Tell us here if you hope to use the Grant to attract further match funding for the project. Match funding is not essential, but we strongly encourage Applicants to consider what other funding sources to maximise the project impact.

5.0. Strategic fit

Please tell us how the project will support wider council priorities. Please demonstrate your understanding of this by referring to appropriate strategies and activities. There are two questions in this section.

Please describe how the project supports any other relevant local strategies. Successful projects must meet the NACPF objectives and deliver on the agreed interventions. Applications must also align with the council’s strategies, plans and priorities. If you are located on Island, you must also align with the Islands Plan.

Key local strategies Applicants should consider are the council’s Community Wealth Building Strategy and Environmental Sustainability and Climate Change Strategy.

Our Community Wealth Building Mission is to support the Council Plan’s vision of a North Ayrshire that is ‘Fair for All’ by enhancing local wealth, creating fair jobs and maximising the potential of all our places by working in partnership with our communities and businesses.

Our vision of a sustainable, climate ready North Ayrshire is one where we all play our part, as a local authority, business, school, community group or individual. We aim to:

• inspire positive low carbon behaviour, by raising awareness of the sustainability and climate change agenda
• maximise access to affordable renewable energy technology
• support sustainable transport
• utilise our natural and built assets sustainably
• build new assets sustainably in accordance with the Scottish Government’s investment hierarchy
• deliver an inclusive and green economy based on the principles of Community Wealth Building and our local Green New Deal

Depending on your project, you might also consider Ayrshire’s Regional Economic Strategy and the council’s:

• Vacant and Derelict Land Strategy
• Community Asset Transfer Strategy
• Digital Strategy document
• Local Transport Strategy
• or others

Does your project support any of the following overarching Locality priorities or the Local Island plan? If you are able to demonstrate alignment with locality priorities, or in the case of islands, with the Local Island plan, please also do so by selecting yes in the relevant boxes.

6.0. Deliverability

In order to assess Applications fully, we need to understand what arrangements are in place to carry the project out and what might stop the project from happening.

Please tell us about how the project finances will be managed and what staff or volunteers are required to deliver the project. If staff or volunteers are not already in post, please tell us what your recruitment plans and processes will be.

Please tell us about the project timeline and how the Grant could support that.

It is also important that Applicants demonstrate that they have considered what the risk factors are for the project and how these risks will be addressed.

Please also tell us how you plan to monitor and evaluate the project. We will ask for monitoring and evaluation information (see Section 9.0 below).

A separate table requests detail of any permissions required to carry out the project, for example, planning permission.

Where relevant, we will ask for proof of ownership of the land or buildings affected by the project. If the owner’s permission is required, we will contact the owner to verify their consent to the project taking place.

In carrying out the Project the Grantee will be expected to give regard to and promote the Fair Work Framework. The Grantee is asked to commit to the following Fair Work First criteria in a way that is relevant and proportionate for the organisation and promote this with employers with whom you engage while delivering the project:

• support and promote appropriate channels for effective voice, such as trade union recognition
• encourage employers to invest in workforce development
• encourage employers not to have inappropriate use of zero hours contracts
• support and encourage employers to take action to tackle the gender pay gap and create a more diverse and inclusive workplace; and
• promote the payment of the real Living Wage

7.0. Project costs

Total Project Cost

Only non-recoverable VAT should be included, as part of the relevant project costs

Grant Requested

We ask you to submit three quotes for any goods or services required. Where these are not supplied, your application cannot be considered at this time.

Other Funding Secured

Provide details

Expenditure funded by Grant?

Provide a list of what you are seeking to fund through the NACPF.

8.0. Submission

A checklist has been provided to help Applicants ensure that all relevant documentation is included with the Application. Failure to include all information requested may result in the Application process being delayed.

Applicants should note the content of the data protection statement.

Please ensure that the Application is signed by a signatory formally authorised by the Applicant.

By signing the Application Form, the authorised signatory, confirms for and on behalf of the Applicant that they have read and understood the NACPF Guidance and declares, to the best of the Applicant’s knowledge and belief, the information given in the Application Form and any supporting documentation is correct and accurate.

The Applicant understands that acceptance of this Application by the council does not itself guarantee that a Grant will be offered.

No approval of this Application or any related documentation will impose or be deemed to impose any liability whatsoever on the council, as to its accuracy or otherwise and any offer of any Grant by the council to the Applicant is made purely in the council’s capacity as Grant funder, under the NACPF Grant Scheme 2026/2027.

The Applicant is further aware that the project must be legally committed by 31 March 2027, failing which the council reserves the right to recover any un-committed portion of the Grant.

9.0. Monitoring and reporting

The Applicant will ensure that projects have measurable outcomes to enable progress to be reported to the council on a regular basis.

The council will ask successful Applicants to provide a progress update on projects.

Successful Applicants will be asked to report on the outputs and outcomes identified in the Application (see section 4.0 above). Applicants will be asked to evidence how they have used the Grant and how it is enabling the project.

Evidence of spend through bank statements and supporting invoices, must be provided to meet grant conditions.

Applicants will also be given an opportunity to share case studies, good practice or innovative approaches.

The Applicant must provide completed monitoring forms on request, to enable the council to fulfil the reporting requirements.

If further guidance on completion of the Application Form is required, or once projects are underway, please contact regeneration@north-ayrshire.gov.uk.