FAQs | John Lyon's Charity

Use this section if you have any specific questions relating to funding from John Lyon’s Charity and making applications. If you cannot find the answers you are looking for, please email the charity on info@jlc.london

Types of Grant

What type of grants do you give?: We fund capital costs (building works, furniture or equipment), revenue costs (salaries or running costs), and project costs. Grants awarded under the Main Grants Fund can be for up to three years in duration.
Will the Charity fund core costs?: Yes, the Charity will fund core costs, particularly when there is a good case that they cannot be found from existing resources. The amount requested must be reasonable but if you have no other core funding it is unlikely that the Charity will be able to help.
Does the Charity require match funding?: No, this is not a requirement of a grant request although we may not release funds until the majority of the funding is in place, particularly for big capital projects. Requests are assessed on a case by case basis.
Can an organisation have more than one grant at a time?: Only one grant is allowed per organisation at any one time.
We will have to close next month if we cannot get any more money. Can you help?: Unfortunately the Charity is unable to respond to emergency appeals or fund retrospectively.
How long do you give grants for?: Grants awarded under the Main Grants Fund can last up to three years.

Applications

What is the maximum amount I can apply for?: The maximum School Explorer Fund award is £2,000 but most awards will be under £1,000. The Small Grants Fund maximum amount of grant is £5,000. The School Holiday Activity Fund maximum amount of grant is £4,000. The Main Grants Fund has no upper limit, but the amount you request must be supported with detailed budgets. Schools in Partnership has an upper limit of £50,000 per annum.
Can I download a copy of your application form?: The Charity operates a two stage application process. In the first instance we ask that you write an initial proposal letter outlining your project. We will only send you an Application Form if your initial proposal has been assessed positively. You will be advised of the most appropriate deadline date for your project.

The application form for the School Explorer Fund can be downloaded here.
What should I put in an initial proposal letter?: Please see the downloadable guidelines for writing an initial proposal letter.
Do you have deadlines for application forms?: Yes, for the Main Grants Fund and Schools in Partnership Fund we have three deadlines throughout the year in September, January and April. When you are sent a copy of the application form you will be advised of the appropriate deadline date. There are no deadlines for Small Grants or the Access to the Arts Fund. Applications for any grants programme may be submitted at any time.
Can I email my application?: We are happy to accept Stage One initial proposals via email.

Stage Two Application Forms may be sent by email. For Main Grants, you may send Parts 1, 2 and 3 by email. However, we cannot accept the Declaration Form and Bank Statement electronically. You must post these to the Charity with original signatures ensuring that they arrive on or before the deadline date.
I have been asked to submit an original bank statement however, we only receive online statements from our bank. What should I do?: The Charity requires you to submit an original bank statement with your application. This bank statement needs to be for the account you wish to have your grant paid into. If you only receive online statements you will need to provide an original letter from your bank confirming your account details, or have your online statement stamped and signed by the bank to confirm the details are correct.

Procedures

Do you visit projects?: Yes, we aim to visit all projects before sending out an application form. Sometimes a visit may be carried out by one of the Charity's specialist advisors, but you will be informed if this is the case. For long term grants of up to three years we also carry out monitoring visits.
What happens if my application is successful?: If your application is approved by the Trustee we will write to you informing you of their decision and send you a Contract outlining the Terms and Conditions of your grant. This will set out our grant requirements and any specific conditions that may need to be completed. You will also receive a Branding Contract to confirm that you understand and agree to the Charity’s policy on branding and acknowledgement. We will only release funding once this form has been signed and returned to us and we are happy that all conditions have been met.
How long does it take for a decision to be reached?: The Trustee meet two months after the deadline date for applications in November, March and June. The application process from proposal letter to decision takes approximately six months. Applications assessed under the Small Grants Fund are processed more quickly.
How long does it take to receive money after the Trustee has met?: If you have returned your Contract, Branding Contract and completed all the conditions we will release the grant payment. The Contract needs to be signed by a Trustee and have all bank details correctly completed. These bank details need to match the bank statement you have previously provided to the Charity. Your Grants Manager will email you to inform you of the exact date of payment. In some cases, particularly in large scale capital bids we will not release funds until we are sure that building works are due to commence or that funding is required immediately.
My application to you was unsuccessful. When can I re-apply?: It is advisable that you do not approach the Charity again for at least two years.
My application was unsuccessful. How can I get some feedback?: Should your proposal be unsuccessful, you will receive a formal letter with the decision. It is the Trustee policy not to provide feedback in addition to this letter.

Monitoring and Reporting

If we receive a grant will we need to complete lots of paperwork for monitoring?: Because we need to learn from the experience of those who received grants we expect reports on the progress of each project. Without this feedback, examples of good practice and valuable initiatives can be lost. The information we get back from supported projects will also help shape future policy.

For one off grants you will need to provide a report after one year. This does not have to be long but should give us some indication of how the Charity's money was spent. For ongoing grants of up to three years, you will need to submit a report after each year of funding. The report should act as your formal request for your next tranche of grant.

In the Second Stage Application Form you will be asked to consider three outcomes that you anticipate from you project after the end of the first year. You should consider these carefully and use them as the basis of your report to us.

For more details about our reporting requirements please see the downloadable guidelines.

If you are currently in receipt of a grant from us, you can find more information here

Eligibility

My organisation is a company limited by guarantee. Am I eligible for a grant?: The Charity can only award grants to registered charities.
Can I apply as an individual?: No. We can only award grants to registered charities.
Do you accept proposals from national organisations?: We will consider proposals from national organisations that are delivering a service in the Charity’s Beneficial Area that is not currently being provided by a local Charity. Proposals are considered on a case by case basis and it is necessary that you provide information on your connections in the borough including those with local community organisations and/or schools you currently work with. We will not fund national organisations with no track record and reputation in the Charity’s Beneficial Area.
What are your priorities?: Education. Which is consistent with the Founder's own expressed interests. Over 100 state primary and secondary schools have benefited.
I have an existing project for which funding is about to run out. Can you help?: Yes, we are happy to fund existing projects. We are unable, however, to give grants as direct replacements for the withdrawal of funds by statutory authorities for activities which are primarily the responsibility of central or local government.
You have funded our project already - can we come back for another grant for the same purpose?: In some exceptional circumstances fixed-term grants may be eligible for renewal depending on changing circumstances, records of achievements, and the availability of funds. This is up to the discretion of the Trustee and is handled on a case by case basis. Usually, after a funding period there should be a pause in funding of at least two years.
We already have a grant. When can I re-apply?: After the end of the grant period, which is one year after you have received your final payment, you must wait at least 18 months before you can reapply.
Do you support research?: No, we do not support research based projects. Please see the list of Exclusions in our Funding Guidelines.
My project covers boroughs that are outside your Beneficial Area as well as those within it. Can I still apply?: The Charity is only able to fund projects that are for the benefit of the inhabitants of the nine London boroughs in our Beneficial Area. If your project straddles the boundary of our Beneficial Area we are happy to assess your proposal but funding will be proportional to the numbers of users that come from within our area. For example, if 50% of users are from Camden and 50% from Islington, any funding proposal must be targeted to those users from Camden and show other sources of income for those users who are from Islington. Applications will always be assessed on a case by case basis. Priority is usually given to charities who are based in the Beneficial Area.
My project is based in Islington and is therefore not within your Beneficial Area. Why do you restrict grants to those nine London boroughs?: All nine of the London boroughs that make up our Beneficial Area are crossed by the Edgware and Harrow Roads, the roads initially maintained by the endowment provided by John Lyon.