Alwaleed Community Grant Scheme: Guidance Notes

What is the purpose of the scheme?

The scheme aims to add value to both new and existing projects across Scotland that align with the Alwaleed Centre's focus on promoting a better understanding of Islam and the contemporary Muslim world.

Although the scheme will provide funding for successful projects, we also hope to work closely with the organisations we fund to help connect them to key expertise and resources at the Alwaleed Centre and wider University of Edinburgh.  

Does it matter where I deliver my project?

Yes. Whatever you want to do must take place in Scotland. It also needs to have positive social impact for, and involve people living in, Scotland.

How much money can I apply for?

You can apply for up to a maximum of £5,000.

Can the same organisation submit more than one application?

Yes. But only one project per organisation will be funded during any given funding cycle.

What won’t you fund?

The aim of the scheme is to fund stand-alone projects. We will not fund:

• Salaries, unless staff are being paid specifically to carry out the project in question.
• General running costs of a building or organisation, including regular overheads.
• Projects funded under a previous grants round.
• Statutory bodies, including schools. We will, however, fund organisations that work with statutory bodies and activities happening on the premises of statutory bodies (e.g. activities at after-school clubs). We will also fund Community Councils as these are voluntary organisations (albeit set up by statute). 
• Organisations without an organisational bank account.
• Organisations without a governing document e.g. a constitution or memorandum of articles.
• Organisations whose only charitable objective (according to their OSCR registration) is the promotion of religious or political beliefs. We may, however, fund organisations that have these listed as one of several charitable objectives as long as the aim of the project applied for is clearly not to promote religious or political beliefs.
• Standard for-profit organisations.
• Organisations with an annual income of more than £1 million.
• Individuals.
• Renovations or other building works.
• Applications where there isn’t evidence of a will to engage positively with the University of Edinburgh/The Alwaleed Centre. 
• Applications led by members of staff from any university, including the University of Edinburgh.

What if I need funding from other funders as well?

We will consider funding projects where the size of the total project budget means you need to get funding from other organisations as well as us. However, you must have secured this other funding within six months of us making our award to you, or else our award will be rescinded so that the money can be spent in our next funding round.

How many grants will you make each year?

The Centre will fund a maximum of three projects in 2023/24.

When should I apply?

The deadline for applications is Monday 11 March 2024 at 5pm GMT.

 How can I increase my chances of success?

We are more likely to fund your project if it scores highly against the purposes of the grant (above), plus: 

• Is feasible, with a clear plan for delivery  
• Has a broken-down, itemised budget 
• Is explained using plain English, with no specialist technical terms 
• Offers value for money
• Takes appropriate steps to look after the safety and wellbeing of all the people involved, but especially of individuals who may be more vulnerable 

What do you mean by ‘vulnerable’?

We are using the Scottish Government’s definition: all children, plus adults who are unable to protect themselves from harm and make their own choices and decisions. If your project will involve working vulnerable individuals, we expect all relevant people involved (such as people working alone with vulnerable individuals) to be PVG-certified, and for this to be supported by an appropriate level of agreed organisational policy and practice on working with vulnerable individuals. More information about the PVG scheme is here: https://www.mygov.scot/pvg-scheme/the-pvg-scheme/. 

I work at the University of Edinburgh (or another university). Can I apply?

Sorry, you cannot lead an application. However, you are welcome to be part of an application led by another organisation. 

I’m a student at the University of Edinburgh. Can I apply?

Yes, as long as the work you plan to do could have substantial benefit for local communities and involves these communities. It needs to be very clear in your application how you would reach and work with these communities. As noted above, you also need to be sponsored by an organisation, as we do not accept applications from individuals. (Student societies which are formally affiliated to the Edinburgh University Students’ Association or the University of Edinburgh count as organisations. We do not accept applications from student societies affiliated to other organisations, such as other universities.) 

What if my organisation is in financial difficulties?

We need to know that any money we give you will be used for the work you say it will, and not be used to help save your organisation as a whole. If you can’t guarantee this, you should not apply. Awards are not transferable from one organisation to another, so if your organisation encounters financial difficulties after you have been awarded funding, please contact us without delay. 

Who will decide if my applications gets funded?

A small panel of Alwaleed Centre staff (professional services staff and academics) will review the applications.

When will I hear if my application has been funded?

We aim to let you know no later than a month after the closing date for submitting applications.

For how long will you keep my personal data?

We will keep a copy of your application, including your personal data, for five years.

When can my project start?

We should be able to get your funding into your bank account one month after we’ve received a completed University finance and terms & conditions form. Please do not start your project before the money arrives in your account.

When should my project end?

This depends on your project. We wouldn’t usually expect a project to last more than six months, however, so please explain clearly why this needs to be the case if you think your project will take longer than this.

What happens when my project ends?

You will need to send us a short written report on your project once it is completed, together with receipts/proof of expenditure. The report and receipts should be submitted to The Alwaleed Centre within one month of your project ending. You will also need to return any unspent money to us once your project ends.

Are there specific terms and conditions associated with the funding?

Yes. Full terms and conditions can be found HERE. 

Do I have to acknowledge The Alwaleed Centre in my communications?

Yes. Successful organisations must acknowledge the support of The Alwaleed Centre in any materials published in relation to the project and in the accounts and annual report of the organisation. A template to acknowledge the Centre's support will be provided. 

Do I have to let The Alwaleed Centre acknowledge me in its publicity?

Yes, but if there are, for example, privacy concerns regarding individuals involved (including the privacy of the applicant/grant-holders), we will work with you to ensure these are accommodated. 

How often will we be in contact with The Alwaleed Centre during the project?

We’d like to get to know your project and organisation, as we hope to have an ongoing, mutually beneficial relationship with you. We would really appreciate if we could be part of the project and pay regular visits to have a good relationship and build a good sense of your work. Apart from this, The only formal contacts required once your project has been funded are to obtain our permission if you anticipate changes to either your project and/or budget, and to provide us with the end-of-grant report and receipts. However, we’ll get in touch mid-way through your project for an informal check-in. To help us raise the profile of your project and the Grants scheme in general, we may also like to interview people linked to your project and take still and moving images of the project in action. We may, therefore, get in touch while your project is live to see if some of our staff can visit you. We appreciate that, depending on the nature of your project or organisation, you may not always be able to accommodate such visits; otherwise, we hope you will be able to accommodate the request. 

Any other questions?

If you have any other questions about the scheme, please contact us via email: alwaleed.grants@ed.ac.uk.

We are also happy to arrange an in-person or online meeting with you in order to discuss your proposal if this would be helpful.