Inshore and Inland Rescue Boat Grant Fund - Guide for applicants 2018/19 Moving Britain Ahead
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Inshore and Inland
Rescue Boat Grant Fund
Guide for applicants 2018/19
Moving Britain Ahead
July 2017The Department for Transport has actively considered the needs of blind and partially sighted people in accessing this document. The text will be made available in full on the Department’s website. The text may be freely downloaded and translated by individuals or organisations for conversion into other accessible formats. If you have other needs in this regard please contact the Department. Department for Transport Great Minster House 33 Horseferry Road London SW1P 4DR Telephone 0300 330 3000 Website www.gov.uk/dft General enquiries: https://forms.dft.gov.uk © Crown copyright 2018 Copyright in the typographical arrangement rests with the Crown. You may re-use this information (not including logos or third-party material) free of charge in any format or medium, under the terms of the Open Government Licence. To view this licence, visit http://www.nationalarchives.gov.uk/doc/open-government-licence/version/3/ or write to the Information Policy Team, The National Archives, Kew, London TW9 4DU, or e-mail: psi@nationalarchives.gsi.gov.uk Where we have identified any third-party copyright information you will need to obtain permission from the copyright holders concerned.
Contents
Section 1: About the Fund 4
Section 2: Application guide 6
Section 3: Your questions answered 10
3Section 1: About the Fund
This section is intended to help organisations consider whether or not to apply for
funding from the Inshore and Inland Rescue Boat Grant Fund (the Fund). It provides
advice about the main features of the 2018/19 funding round.
The Fund is administered by the Department for Transport (DfT).
History
The Fund was announced in November 2014 to provide £5 million over 5 years to
support the work of charities that operate lifeboats and other rescue boats in UK
inshore and inland waters. Applications are invited each financial year to bid for
grants to be used within that year to meet costs of equipment and other items that
support rescue operations (including flood rescue). The four funding rounds to date
have awarded over £3.6 million to 98 charities.
2018/19 Fund
£1 million has been allocated to the Fund for 2018/19.
The window for applications opens on Tuesday 10th July 2018 and closes on
Monday 3rd September 2018 (applications can be submitted until midnight on the
closing date).
Eligibility – Who can apply?
The Fund is open to UK-registered charities that operate a rescue boat in the UK.
Applicant organisations are required to provide proof that they are UK-registered
charities (applicant organisations from Northern Ireland which can demonstrate that
they are waiting to be called forward to the charities register will also be eligible if
they can provide appropriate evidence of their charitable purpose).
Applicant organisations will also need to show that they already operate a rescue
boat or lifeboat that operates inshore/inland and is used to respond in dangerous or
difficult situations to rescue people and vessels in distress. As part of this, applicants
will need to submit with their bids a supporting letter from a tasking authority that is a
Category One responder under Schedule 1 of the Civil Contingencies Act 2004.
Eligibility - What costs are supported?
The 2018/19 Fund will contribute to costs of purchasing equipment to support rescue
operations. Equipment supported by the Fund last year included rescue boats and
other craft (e.g. flood rescue rafts, kayaks), launch equipment and launch vehicles,
personal protective equipment and other crew equipment.
4The Fund will not contribute more than 90% of the (ex-VAT) costs of these funded
items. Applicants will need to demonstrate the ability to meet the remaining 10%
costs.
The 2018/19 Fund will not contribute to costs of:
• infrastructure e.g. buildings or other structures;
• vehicles that are not used to launch/recover/transport rescue craft;
• equipment for commercial purposes (i.e. where a charge is made for the use of
the equipment or for the activity using the equipment);
• administration costs and ongoing running costs of existing assets [and any
acquired with the assistance of the Fund in this funding round] e.g. insurance;
• training costs were supported in the early years of the Fund, but are no longer
supported. The Government continues to fund training for search and rescue
organisations through the UK SAR Volunteer Training Fund, administered by CAF
- charities with training needs are encouraged to read the CAF Fund guidance (at
www.cafonline.org/charities/grantmaking/uk-sar-volunteer-training-fund); and
• VAT (organisations may be able to recover VAT on purchases and a note on this
is included in Section 2. below).
The assessment process
After the funding window closes, all applications received are checked by the DfT
funding team. Applications may be rejected at this point if the applicant does not
meet the eligibility criteria or has not provided the required supporting documents.
Eligible applications are then considered by an expert panel. The panel includes
representatives from the DfT, the Maritime and Coastguard Agency, the Royal
Yachting Association, the Royal National Lifeboat Institution, the Department for
Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (DEFRA), and the devolved administrations.
The panel will consider each application individually on its merits. Based on the
overall call on the available funding, the panel also considers how to ensure funds
are distributed fairly and to best effect around the UK taking into account each
charity’s operational area.
Section 2 of this guidance provides further advice on how the panel reaches funding
decisions.
We expect to be able to notify applicants of funding decisions during October 2018.
Conditions of grant
Charities that are offered funding from the 2018/19 Fund are required to meet grant
conditions. The main conditions are that:
• grant funded equipment must be made available for national use and included on
a relevant national register where possible. Equipment must meet any relevant
specifications;
• the recipient must be able to present paid invoices for the funded equipment in
time for the funding contribution to be paid within the 2018/19 financial year; and
5• the recipient must agree to the future audit of funded purchases.
Grant recipients will be asked to sign a Grant Agreement with the DfT. The Grant
Agreement should usually be signed by a trustee of the recipient charity. Grant
recipients will also be asked to provide bank details to the DfT to facilitate payment.
Section 2: Application guide
The following guidance is intended to assist applicants in structuring their
applications and to provide advice about how the funding panel will reach its
decisions. We suggest that applications refer to the headings that are provided
below.
Please also check the advice at the end of this section about the limits on application
length and the supporting documentation that must be provided.
Charity details
Outline the applicant organisation’s operational area and give examples of how it has
supported blue light services during search and rescue incidents or national
emergencies.
Bid summary
This should be a short summary of the type of assets/equipment that will be
purchased if a grant is made and how they will maintain or enhance the
organisation's current capability.
Detailed bid items
The application summary and checklist form has a section for the applicant to list
specific bid items. If the applicant needs to use an additional sheet, or wishes to
repeat the list in the body of the application, it should follow the format that is used on
the form:
• give a short description of each item of equipment the applicant intends to
purchase (including how many of the items it is intended to purchase);
• give each item's estimated total cost excluding VAT and identify the applicant's
contribution (minimum 10%);
• list items in priority order and note any interdependencies (for example if a boat
purchase requires the purchase of a trailer or launch equipment). This is
important because the panel may decide to award funding for only some of the
bid items.
National capability
This section should confirm that funded items meet any relevant standards and
specifications (e.g. in the Rescue Boat Code or in the Flood Rescue National Asset
Register) and that they will be added to any relevant national asset registers.
6The Flood Rescue National Asset Register records resources that could support
response to major or wide area flood events. The Register includes details of
competent flood rescue teams from both statutory agencies and the voluntary sector
and is maintained by the Fire and Rescue Service National Co-ordination Centre
(FRSNCC) on behalf of DEFRA. Please contact flood.rescue@defra.gsi.gov.uk for
any queries.
The Rescue Boat Code can be found at www.gov.uk/government/publications/the-
rescue-boat-code
Why grant funding is required:
The panel will consider how the equipment listed will support or enhance the
organisation’s rescue capability (lifesaving, search and rescue, flood response and
emergency response). It will not award funding for items that the applicant has
already purchased or committed to purchase. The panel will consider information
about response time, increased operational area, benefit to crews, etc. The
application should explain how any funded equipment would complement existing
assets operationally.
Applicants should make clear whether they have received, or are bidding for, other
Government funding. Please note that DfT and the expert panel reserve the right to
make enquiries to corroborate claims that bidding organisations make about their
current assets or their relationship with other organisations.
The panel will give priority to equipment that has been proven to maintain or develop
rescue capability. It will not give priority to items whose use in search and rescue is
unproven (e.g. drones) or items for which other funding is readily available (e.g. first
aid equipment).
How long the effects of grant funding will last:
The application should indicate the anticipated working lifespan of the equipment
purchased. For example, a new trailer may be expected to last ten years before
needing to be replaced. An organisation receiving an award from the Fund will be
responsible for the maintenance of any physical equipment and the panel will look for
assurance that the organisation will be able to sustain the equipment over time
without the need to seek future grant funding.
The panel will also look for evidence that the items funded represent good value for
money. As part of this, the panel will also consider evidence of the sustainability of
the applicant organisation which may include the charity’s management of its funds
as shown in its accounts and information about the recruitment and training of
volunteers. If the organisation has previously received a grant from the Fund, the
panel may look to see whether it has complied with the conditions of grant and with
any audit/feedback requests from the Fund administration team.
How the charity will meet its contribution to funded items
It is important that applicants demonstrate that they are in a position to make
purchases included in their applications within the 2018/19 financial year. Grant
awards are paid in arrears and organisations will need to produce paid invoices in
time for grant claims to be paid before the end of the financial year.
7The Fund will pay a maximum of 90% of the ex-VAT costs of any funded items.
Successful applicants are expected to meet the remaining 10% as a match funding
contribution. The panel will look for evidence that applicants have made plans to fund
their 10% contribution. In particular, where an organisation's accounts do not show
that it has the necessary funding available to meet this commitment, the panel will
look for an explanation of how this condition will be met in the application.
The panel will also consider whether bid costings are realistic/competitive.
VAT
The Fund will not pay the VAT element of costs. Applicants should consider whether
they can meet the VAT costs of items in their application. Before doing so, we
strongly suggest reviewing the guidance available from Her Majesty's Revenue and
Customs (HMRC)which outlines special provisions about charities and lifeboats in
VAT rules (a summary of which can be found below). Applicants should seek advice
from HMRC if they require further assistance; the Fund team are unable to provide
any advice about VAT matters.
Recovery
Organisations may be able recover VAT that they have paid on purchases from
HMRC. The ability to recover depends on the nature of the purchase and of the
organisation:
All registered charities can recover VAT on purchase of inland rescue craft – for more
details see HMRC Notice 701/1: www.gov.uk/government/publications/vat-notice-
7011-charities.
Search and rescue organisations can recover VAT on purchases made for charitable
(i.e. non-business) activities – for details see HMRC Notice 1001:
www.gov.uk/government/publications/vat-notice-1001-vat-refund-scheme-for-certain-
charities.
Zero-rate
Some purchases attract a zero-rate of VAT i.e. no VAT is charged by the supplier
when the purchase is made. As with recovery, this will depend on the nature of the
purchase and of the organisation making the purchase. More information about the
zero-rate of VAT can be found in HMRC Notice 701/1 (see above).
Supporting documents
As well as the application and the summary and checklist form, applicants should
also submit a copy of their organisation’s latest annual accounts and a letter of
support from their tasking authority.
The letter of support should be provided by a body that is a Category One responder
under Schedule 1 of the Civil Contingencies Act 2004: this would include an
emergency service, a local authority or an NHS body. The panel expects applicants
to approach the authority most appropriate to their area of operation (e.g. the
Maritime and Coastguard Agency for coastal services). If an applicant decides to
approach an alternative authority, the application must contain a clear explanation
why this is appropriate.
8The letter of support should confirm:
• that the authority has tasked the applicant organisation to assist in search and
rescue operations in the past 12 months (if it is more than 12 months since the
last tasking, it should give the most recent date); and
• that that the authority is satisfied that the applicant organisation meets relevant
standards for equipment and personnel and that the authority expects to task the
applicant organisation to assist in rescue operations as appropriate over the next
12 months.
The letter of support does not need to comment on the application but, if the tasking
authority chooses to provide any comments, the panel will consider them.
Applicants are encouraged to contact the DfT funding team (maritime@dft.gov.uk) if
they have any questions about obtaining a letter of support.
Submitting the application
Applicants should ensure they complete the application summary and checklist form
and submit it with their application. The form is published alongside this guidance
note and applicants can save or print a copy. The checklist is intended to assist
applicants in ensuring that their bid meets the Fund conditions and passes the initial
checking stage.
The application (not including the summary sheet and supporting documents) should
not exceed 20 sides (10 pages) of A4 and, if typed, the font size should not be
smaller than 12 point.
Applications should be submitted to reach the DfT by no later than midnight on
Monday 3rd September 2018. Applications can be sent by post or e-mail.
E-mail to:
maritime@dft.gov.uk
Subject: [CHARITY NAME]: Rescue Boat Grant Fund Application
Applications will be acknowledged as soon as possible following receipt.
Post to:
Rescue Boat Grant Fund Team
Zone 2/33
Great Minster House
Department for Transport
33 Horseferry Road
London SW1P 4DR
Any requests for further information or questions about the Fund or the application
process should be sent to maritime@dft.gov.uk
9Section 3: Your questions answered
1. What is the Inshore and Inland Rescue Boat Grant Fund (the Fund) for?
The Fund supports the work of life-saving inshore and inland waterway rescue boat
charities operating in the UK and enhances the UK's incident response capabilities.
Charities can apply to the Fund to help them meet the costs of items that support
their lifesaving and rescue operations, including boats, launch equipment, life rafts,
life jackets and other safety equipment.
2. Who can apply to the Fund?
The Fund is open to UK-registered charities that already operate an inland/inshore
rescue boat or lifeboat within the UK.
Charities in Northern Ireland that can demonstrate they are waiting to be called
forward to the charities register are also eligible to apply but may need to provide
additional evidence of their charitable purpose in their applications.
3. How much funding is available?
£1 million is available in 2018/19.
The Fund was announced in 2014 as a £5 million, 5-year programme. The Fund has
already awarded grants totalling around £3.6 million to 98 charities. In 2017/18,
awards ranged from £1,798 to £110,551 and the average awarded was around
£16,200.
4. What about future years' funding?
2018/19 is the final year of the 5 originally announced. DfT is currently reviewing the
Fund's impact in order to inform decisions about its future. We anticipate that these
decisions will be made before the end of the 2018/19 financial year.
5. How many charities have been supported so far?
Year No. of bids No. of awards Total awarded
2014/15 50 21 >£800K
2015/16 70 51 >£915K
2016/17 84 67 >£909K
2017/18 64 62 £1M
10Overall, 98 charities have received awards from the Fund. Many charities who have
received funding invested in capital equipment (e.g. lifeboats, flood rafts or launch
vehicles), which have already been used in rescue operations. Other charities used
their grant awards to purchase new equipment for crews such as personal protective
equipment.
More information about successful applicants can be found at
http://maps.dft.gov.uk/water-rescue-charities .
6. Is there a minimum/maximum grant awarded per application?
No, there is no minimum or maximum amount per application. The expert panel,
which considers applications, will consider each bid individually on its own merits and
will ensure that the available funding is distributed fairly and to best effect. The panel
may also decide to support parts of a charity’s bid rather than the entire bid for
funding.
7. What are the main features of the 2018/19 funding round?
The terms and conditions of the Fund are similar to those in place for the 2017/18
funding round. The Fund's main focus is on purchasing rescue craft and equipment.
It does not fund training costs or the costs of infrastructure (buildings) and
administration. Funding for vehicles will only be considered if the vehicle is used to
transport, launch and recover rescue craft.
As in 2017/18, applicants must commit to meet 10% of the ex-VAT costs of items for
which funding is sought and applications must include a letter of support from a
tasking authority.
8. Why do you need a letter of support from a tasking authority?
The letter of support provides an independent assurance that the bidding
organisation is trusted to keep volunteer rescuers safe and to use funded equipment
appropriately in support of rescue operations.
9. Why are you asking charities to meet 10% of the costs of items funded?
We believe that this helps us use the available funding more effectively and makes it
go further. By meeting this requirement, charities demonstrate that they run well-
planned, sustainable services and value the equipment they are asking us to support.
10. Can charities meet their 10% contribution with funding from other sources?
Charities may use funding from other sources to meet the 10% contribution. As part
of the terms of the funding agreement, successful applicants must notify DfT of any
third party funding they have secured or secure after obtaining a grant from the Fund.
1111. Can charities meet their 10% contribution by obtaining/agreeing a discount
on the supplier's quoted price?
When providing the costings for a bid, if these include or anticipate a discount, the
application should clearly explain this. The panel will consider whether the costings
given in the bid are realistic and competitive.
Once an award is made, DfT will usually pay 90% of the actual (ex-VAT) costs shown
on invoices submitted by applicants. Where an invoice clearly states that a discount
of 10% or more was given on a particular item, DfT may agree to recognise this as
the applicant's 10% contribution to that item: it cannot be recognised as a
contribution to any other item.
12. What happens if purchases cost less/more than estimated in the original
bid?
DfT will pay 90% of the actual (ex-VAT) costs shown on invoices submitted by
applicants. If, after all purchases are made, there is any underspend against the
original award amount, DfT will consider allowing the applicant to claim the
underspend against additional purchases within the spirit of the original award (i.e.
similar to or serving the same purpose as items already purchased) subject to
approval by the expert panel where appropriate.
If suitable bids are received, DfT aims to make awards to the full amount of the
funding available in 2018/19. This means that DfT does not expect to be able to
increase the amount of any award after it is made. If costs are higher than expected,
applicants should plan to meet the excess themselves. Applicants must inform DfT as
soon as possible if costs are expected to change, and in particular if they expect to
be unable to meet the costs of items agreed for funding, however, and DfT will
consider whether any flexibility may be possible.
13. Can one application cover all items requested in this bidding round or is a
separate application needed for each item?
Charities should submit only one application for funding which should include all
items they are seeking support to purchase through the Fund.
14. Can applications seek to support activities such as ongoing maintenance of
an asset?
The Fund supports capability building not day to day running costs. Generally, we will
only be able to support the purchase of assets procured and bought during the
2018/19 financial year. However, the Fund may be able to support maintenance work
that extends the life of an existing asset or enhances current capabilities.
Where there is an ongoing cost in maintaining a service or asset, the charity should
provide evidence in its application of how it will sustain it in the future; reliance on
receipt of future Government funding should not be assumed.
1215. Can applications seek support for equipment already purchased?
No; the Fund's purpose is to support or enable purchases of equipment to develop
capability not to boost to charities' reserve funds. It must not be used to bid for boats
or larger pieces of equipment which have already been procured and are being paid
for in stages.
16. How will applications be decided in 2018/19?
The DfT team will make an initial check that the organisation is eligible and the
application meets the basic requirements (e.g. for length and provision of supporting
documentation). Applications that pass this check will go forward for consideration by
an expert panel. The panel includes representatives from the DfT, the Maritime and
Coastguard Agency, the Royal Yachting Association, the Royal National Lifeboat
Institution, the Department for the Environment, Food and Rural Affairs and the
devolved administrations.
The panel will consider each application individually on merit. The panel has
developed evaluation criteria, which will take into account factors including what
equipment might be funded; how it will be used to support rescue operations on a
local and national basis (including lifesaving, search and rescue and flood rescue);
whether any wider community benefits are anticipated and how the asset will be
sustained into the future.
17. Is there an appeals process against a failed application?
There is no appeals process and the expert panel’s decision is final.
18. How will the Government monitor whether the grant received is being used
for its intended purposes?
Charities who have been awarded a grant from the Fund in 2018/19 will need to
provide proof of purchase before funds will be released. The DfT team may also
carry out independent checks on payment records and visit a sample of
organisations to see the funded assets in use. Charities may be liable to return any
funding to the DfT if it is found it has been used for any purposes other than those
intended.
19. What if the charity I represent cannot afford to pay for items in advance?
Like many other Government grant schemes, the Fund is designed to ensure
payments are only made once evidence of purchase has been provided by the
applicant.
However, we understand that this may be particularly difficult for smaller charities in
terms of managing their cash flow. Therefore, in exceptional circumstances, we may
agree to support an application (or parts of it) where a charity has provided evidence
that it genuinely does not have sufficient funds available to purchase a particular
item, or items, in advance of grant funds being made available.
1320. Will the Government prescribe, name or approve contactors and providers
of equipment or services or are charities free to procure equipment and
services, and contract with whoever they wish?
No; Government will not prescribe providers. Successful applicants will be
responsible for procuring goods or services for which grant funding has been agreed.
21. How long will it take DfT to transfer funds after the bank details have been
provided?
We will request a charity’s bank details when a successful application has been
confirmed. After we receive bank account details, and any other information
requested, DfT may then need to add the charity to its financial system (if they are a
new payee or any details have changed if they were successful in previous years).
This process can take up to seven working days to complete.
Once received, we aim to review and process grant claims and supporting invoices
within five working days. Payments will be made through our usual methods (such as
BACS) and should reach the charity's nominated account within a further three
working days.
In the case of charities which have been exceptionally awarded funding in advance of
purchase, payments will be made following submission of relevant documents which
will include a signed copy of the DfT's terms and conditions.
If you have a question about the Fund which isn't covered above, please e-mail
maritime@dft.gov.uk
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