Goole Fields Wind Farms Community Fund

What is the Goole Fields Wind Farms Community Fund?

The first Goole Fields Wind Farm started operating in 2014 which also saw the introduction of a community fund. RWE  (formerly Innogy Renewables UK), the wind farm operators made an annual donation to this fund, enabling it to support a wide range of projects which were of benefit to the local community.

The commissioning of the second wind farm (Goole 2) in late 2016 brought with it a further donation.  

From January 2018 the annual donation from RWE (formerly Innogy) tripled from around £70,000 per annum to nearly £250,000 per annum. Further details on the fund and projects recently supported can be viewed here: Goole Fields Annual Report 2018-2019 (opens in new window 8.04MB)

A proportion of the additional Goole 2 funds has been ring-fenced to a separate fund for an East Riding wide area of benefit which was launched in early 2020.  For further information on this separate fund click in this link East Riding of Yorkshire Future Communities 

What is the area of benefit for the Fund?

The fund is designed to specifically benefit communities within a defined geographical area (namely the Wards of Goole North, Goole South, Snaith, Airmyn, Rawcliffe and Marshland plus the Parishes of Kilpin, Laxton, Blacktoft). This is also identified in the downloadable map below:

Area of benefit map – Goole Fields Fund (pdf 6.9mb)

What type of activities will the Fund support?

Applications are welcome which promote community, charitable, amenity, educational and energy efficiency initiatives for the benefit of the communities within the area of benefit.

In addition to being open to receiving normal applications, the fund panel recognises its responsibility to support local community groups and organisations who are working hard to recover from the serious impacts that the COVID-19 pandemic has brought with it.

To this end, the fund panel will be taking as flexible a position as possible on fund criteria when it considers all applications.  No type of costs identified within applications will be excluded for consideration.

This approach will be sustained for all applications received up to June 2021.  During this time the fund panel is also increasing the frequency of decision making meetings to reflect the urgency of the current situation (please see timetable section below).

In light of these changes, available funds may be oversubscribed.

Applicants are therefore advised to focus on the questions in the application form that relate to the identification of need (i.e. why funding is sought) and the results (outputs/outcomes) that funding will help groups and organisations to achieve.

Who can make an application?

The fund wants to encourage applications from as diverse a range of groups as possible including community groups and organisations, charities, social enterprises, town and parish councils, schools and faith communities. New groups or ideas for projects where a group does not currently exist can be considered. Please contact the fund administrator at:

Email: ruralfunding@eastriding.gov.uk   

The fund cannot accept applications from private individuals.

Are there any activities that cannot be funded?

The fund cannot support activities adverse to the commercial interests of the wind farm, political or religious campaigns or support services that would otherwise be the statutory responsibility of local or national government.

How can the fund distribute money?

Payments from the fund will usually be made in the form of grants. Subject to appropriate governance measures as required, other forms of financial assistance (e.g commissioning, loans, donations) can be considered by the fund panel.  For further details contact the fund administrator at:

Email: ruralfunding@eastriding.gov.uk   

For information on other funding opportunities please visit: Finding a grant

How much money can be applied for?

Applications for over £2500 (up to a maximum of £50,000 in value) should be made, online, to the main fund.

Applications for up to £2500 should be made to the fund's Quick Fix Fund.  This is a simpler application process for very small one-off projects, and, like the main fund is open year-round to receive applications.

Please also see the answer to 'How do I submit an application?'. 

Will the Fund support 100% of the project costs?

The fund retains the flexibility to support up to 100% of total project costs. However, the fund’s decision-making panel will take into account other external sources of funding (often referred to as 'match funding') and the applicant’s own contribution to the project. This might include one or more of the following: monetary value of in-kind contribution from volunteers, and/or a contribution from own reserves/funds. 

How is the Fund managed and who makes decisions about how it is spent?

Decisions about how the annual donation is spent are made by the Goole Fields Wind Farms Community Fund Panel. The panel is made up of local volunteers, who were appointed following an open application process, and who can draw on a wide range of knowledge, skills and experience when making funding decisions. Representatives from East Riding of Yorkshire Council and the operating company (non-voting) also sit on the panel.

The fund is open to receive applications year-round. The fund has finite resources that can be over-subscribed. Applications go through a technical assessment process and the fund panel makes decisions using a scorecard approach based on the fund criteria. 

East Riding of Yorkshire Council is the Accountable Body for the fund and provides the secretariat and administration service through the council’s Rural Policy and Partnerships Team.

What are the deadlines and timescales?

The fund is open to receive applications year-round. The fund panel is planning to meet 4 times over the next 12 months to July 2022 to make funding decisions. Consequently, applications will be grouped into “batches” through the year as follows:

2021/22 Timetable:

• Applications received to 20 September 2021 will be assessed at the October 2021 meeting
  
• Applications received to 22 November 2021 will be assessed at the December 2021 meeting
  
• Applications received to 10 March 2022 will be assessed at the March 2022 meeting
  
• Applications received between 19 May 2022  will be assessed at the May 2022 meeting.

Applicants will be advised promptly of the outcome of decisions made by the Panel.

 What is the outline process from start to finish?

For the Quick Fix Fund option the applicant completes a paper based application using the forms and guidance that can be downloaded from the bottom of this page.  The applicant completes the form and returns it to the administrator via email.  The application is then circulated to the panel for a decision and if the application is approved by a majority the applicant is informed and the grant is paid directly into the group/organisations account without the need for an invoice.  In most cases this process should only take approximately 14 days from application to decision.

For applications to the main fund:

1. The applicant completes an online application form and submits it electronically with supporting evidence (including quotes, permissions, accounts and bank statements).  These forms can be accessed using the link in the How do I submit an application for funding? answer below
   
2. The online system acknowledges receipt of application
   
3. The administrator carries out a technical appraisal (does the applicant have the ability and permissions to carry out the project, does the project meet the fund criteria, has all the necessary information been supplied?)
   
4. The application is sent to fund panel for scoring
   
5. The fund panel meet and make a decision (full award, part award or decline).  Panel members are required at meetings to declare any interests that they have in particular applications and, where this is the case, take no part in decisions relating to that application (they leave the room whilst this application is discussed)
   
6. The administrator emails unsuccessful applicants stating decision and the reasons
7. The administrator sends an offer letter electronically to successful applicants offering funding and detailing how payments will be made and any conditions that may apply to the award
   
8. Successful applicants accept the offer by sending back a signed and scanned copy electronically via a link supplied by the administrator
9. Awards up to £10,000 are payable by invoice supplied on return of the signed offer letter.  For awards over £10,000 an initial invoice for £10,000 can be submitted with a copy of the signed offer letter with the balance being payable on a second invoice which can be submitted with the end of grant form.  For awards over £20,000, an individual payment plan will be approved by the panel when the award is made.  Please note: normal payment terms are 30 days
10. Successful applicants complete the project
    
11. Successful applicants submit an end of grant report (again electronically using a link supplied) plus supporting evidence along with any final invoice as appropriate
12. The administrator includes a report on the project in the fund's annual report.  The annual report is a document that records the awards made during that year and profiles all the projects supported.

How do I submit an application for funding?

Applications to the main fund (over £2500) should be made online within the Flexi-Grant system. 

To access this system visit the Flexi-Grant website:

Flexi-Grant System (external council website)

There are two options on the system to choose from:

• For medium sized grant applications – select up to £10k form
  
• For larger grant applications - select over £10k form.
  

Both forms have Guidance Notes to help you complete the form.

Smaller applications for up to £2500 should be made on the Quick Fix Fund Application Form which, along with Guidance Notes, can be downloaded below: 

Quick Fix Fund Application Form (Word 18kb)

Quick Fix Fund Guidance Notes (pdf 110kb)

If you have any queries please contact the fund by email: ruralfunding@eastriding.gov.uk 

For information on other funding opportunities please visit: Finding a grant

What was the Goole Fields 1 Wind Farm Community Fund? 

As previously identified, the Goole Fields 1 Wind Farm Community Fund closed in September 2017. All unspent money from this fund has been transferred to the new Goole Fields Wind Farms Community Fund.

During the lifetime of the Goole Fields 1 Fund it supported many important local community projects and these are recorded in two annual review reports included here for reference: