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Community Environment Fund. Supporting Information for Applicants - PDF
Community Environment Fund. Supporting Information for Applicants
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1 Community Environment Fund Supporting Information for Applicants Open Contestable Funding Round 8 April 2016
2 Disclaimer While every effort has been made to ensure that this supporting document is as clear and accurate as possible, the information it contains is general guidance only, and does not constitute legal advice. In the event of any uncertainty, the applicant should obtain independent legal advice. The Ministry for the Environment, its employees and agents accept no responsibility or liability to any person whatsoever for any loss or damage resulting from any error or omission in this document or arising from reliance on this document. Published in February 2016 by the Ministry for the Environment Manatū Mō Te Taiao PO Box 10362, Wellington 6143, New Zealand ISBN: Publication number: ME 1230 Crown copyright New Zealand 2016
3 Contents Introduction 4 Overview of the Community Environment Fund funding process 4 Check eligibility criteria 4 Stage I Apply for funding 4 Stage II Develop a project plan 5 Due diligence and reference checks 5 Intellectual property 5 Sign deed of funding 5 Start project 6 Application Part 1: Project Proposal and Governance 7 Legal entity status 7 GST 7 Project objectives and key performance indicators (KPIs) 7 Project key tasks and activities 12 Risk management 12 Project governance and financial management 14 Health and safety 15 Conflicts of interest 15 Application Part 2: Project Financial Spreadsheet 17 Project budget (question 16) 17 External funding (questions 17 and 18B) 18 Cash funding from your own organisation (question 18A) 18 Community Environment Fund contribution you are requesting (question 18C) 18 Funding sources summary (question 18) 19 What the Community Environment Fund will cover 19 What the Community Environment Fund funding does not cover 22 Estimated in-kind contributions 23 Example of a completed project financial spreadsheet 24 When your application is complete 27 Community Environment Fund Supporting Information for Applicants 2016 Page 3
4 Introduction This document provides additional supporting information for completing an application for the 2016 Community Environment Fund funding round. It provides an overview of the full funding process, and focuses on Stage I of the application process. Further information will be provided to applicants who are invited to Stage II. You are welcome to contact the Community Environment Fund team if you have any questions, by ing or phoning Overview of the Community Environment Fund funding process A successful application will go through each of the stages in the Community Environment Fund shown in the funding process diagram below. The Te Mana o Te Wai funding process The Community Environment Fund process Eligible to apply Assessment and è è Project selection è Funding approval è recommendations Check eligibility Apply for funding Stage I Minister Approval Develop project plan Stage II Sign funding deed Start project Check eligibility criteria As part of the application you will need to confirm your project s eligibility. Projects that do not meet all of the eligibility criteria will be declined. Stage I Apply for funding Applicants complete the Community Environment Fund application form part 1 and part 2 and submit it to the Ministry. Applications that do not meet all of the eligibility criteria or are incomplete will not be assessed and the applicant will be sent a decline letter. Submission dates Submission period OPENS 9.00 am Monday 18 April 2016 Two weeks Submission period CLOSES 12 noon Monday 2 May 2016 Application preparation time: three months (1 February 2 May 2016) Community Environment Fund Supporting Information for Applicants 2016 Page 4
5 Applications are assessed by a review panel (the panel) against the Community Environment Fund assessment criteria and general government value for money criteria, on their merit compared to other applications. The panel makes recommendations for funding. The Minister for the Environment makes the final funding decision. Successful applicants are then invited to Stage II. Stage II Develop a project plan Applicants invited to Stage II will need to work with the Ministry to refine and confirm their project details and agree to the terms and conditions of a deed of funding. On occasion the Minister may decide to grant less funding than requested. If this occurs the scope and scale of the project may need to be reviewed and amended as part of Stage II. The Minister may decide to grant funding subject to a number of conditions being met. Information about any conditions of funding and the process for Stage II will be provided to applicants at the beginning of Stage II. Due diligence and reference checks The Ministry will undertake independent third party due diligence and reference checks on the applicants invited to Stage II and their projects at the same time the deeds of funding are being prepared. Intellectual property Under the terms and conditions of the deed of funding, the funding recipient owns all intellectual property created through their project as long as they permit the Ministry to the created materials without any royalties. Ministry use includes making available for any purpose any material created through the project, as well as any pre-existing intellectual property used to create or incorporated within such material. This requirement applies indefinitely, beyond the term of the deed of funding. The licence to the Ministry is non-exclusive. This means the funding recipient may still sub-licence their intellectual property for use by others. If you have specific concerns about intellectual property related to your project these can be addressed on a case-by-case basis if you are invited to Stage II. Sign deed of funding Applicants successful in completing Stage II will be required to enter into a deed of funding with the Ministry, which details all funding obligations and rights of the contracting parties including: health and safety management project duration (maximum of three years) project description approved funding funding conditions Community Environment Fund Supporting Information for Applicants 2016 Page 5
6 milestones, tasks and deliverables, and performance measures intellectual property liability funding obligations and payment conditions. The standard terms and conditions of the deed of funding will be available during the Stage II of the funding process. The Ministry may add additional terms or conditions where this is considered necessary. IMPORTANT: Community Environment Fund funding is not confirmed until a deed of funding has been signed by the contracting parties. Start project Once a deed of funding has been signed by the contracting parties you will be able to begin your project. Successful applicants begin work on their projects and report on milestones as they are met. IMPORTANT: Applicants awarded funding through Community Environment Fund Round 8 April 2016 are unlikely to have a signed deed of funding and be able to begin their projects before October The Ministry monitors and assesses each project against the agreed performance measures and conditions within the deed of funding. In accordance with the deed of funding, payments will be made in arrears, once milestone activities are completed and all deliverables have been provided to a standard satisfactory to the Ministry. IMPORTANT: The Community Environment Fund funding instalments can only be paid after funding is approved, a deed of funding has been signed, and agreed milestones are achieved. Community Environment Fund funds are not available in advance, or for activity which occurs before the deed of funding has been signed by both contracting parties. Community Environment Fund Supporting Information for Applicants 2016 Page 6
7 Application Part 1: Project Proposal and Governance Part 1 of the application form contains questions 1 to 15. Questions 16 to 19 are in Part 2 (Project Financial Spreadsheet). Both parts must be completed. Incomplete applications will not be assessed. Legal entity status To receive funding from the Community Environment Fund, applicants must be a legal entity with the capacity to contract with the Ministry. Types of legal entities are listed below. You will be required to submit proof of legal entity status if your application is invited to Stage II. Type of entity Incorporated society Charitable trust Limited partnership Māori trust board Limited liability company Cooperative company Territorial authority Individual person Proof of legal status Certificate of Registration with the Companies Office under the Incorporated Societies Act 1908 Certificate of Registration with the Companies Office under the Charitable Trusts Act 1957 Certificate of Registration with the Companies Office under the Limited Partnerships Act 2008 Declared by any enactment to be a Māori trust board within the meaning of the Māori Trust Boards Act 1955 Certificate of Registration with the Companies Office under the Companies Act 1993 Certificate of Registration with the Companies Office under the Co-operative Companies Act 1996 No proof of legal status is required Copy of driver s licence or passport GST Government funding is a taxable activity. If you are conducting a taxable activity and your annual income exceeds $60,000 per annum, your organisation MUST be registered for GST. If you are not registered for GST, you will bear the full cost of GST on goods and services you purchase for the project. For more information, see or phone the Inland Revenue Department on Project objectives and key performance indicators (KPIs) Here are some tips on how to set objectives and key performance indicators (KPIs) for your project, and ensure that monitoring and reporting of progress are well planned. Community Environment Fund Supporting Information for Applicants 2016 Page 7
8 Clear and achievable project objectives, KPIs and evaluation are critical to meeting the Community Environment Fund assessment criteria and value for money criteria for government funding. If your application is invited to Stage II, they are also crucial to crafting a deed of funding that effectively supports achievement of your project goals. We therefore recommend that you take extra care in crafting them. Categories Think of your audience What is SMART? Guidance Think about what you would tell a stakeholder as tangible proof of your success, or think about what your bank manager or investors would want to see in a business plan. What is the logical or causal chain effect of your project? Plan how you want to use the results for maximised benefit to you, your stakeholders, and those you want to influence in the future. How do you want to celebrate, inform or defend your project? Consider including the deliverables of how you will communicate your results in your project plan (eg, presentation to stakeholders). The information should be: clear based on facts and not vague claims scalable to the size of your project relevant available usable. If objectives and KPIs are SMART you can clearly demonstrate progress toward meeting your goals. SMART in this context means Specific, Measurable, Achievable, Realistic and Time-bound. Specific objectives should specify what they want to achieve Measurable you should be able to measure whether you are meeting the objectives or not Achievable the objectives should be achievable Realistic you should be able to realistically achieve the objectives with the resources you have Time-bound when you want to achieve the set objectives. Baseline measures To measure progress, you have to be able to show a before to compare against an after. It is very important that you capture a baseline measure to compare progress against. Make sure the baseline information is available before you commit to a KPI. You will need to find data that is relevant, timely (ideally less than five years old), and that can be updated (either by another source, or by you) by the end of your project. Key performance indicators (KPIs) KPIs are concise statements that answer the so what? question about the reason for doing the project. They provide the key benefits you expect the project to achieve, and how this will be done, and are an indicator of your project s success. They are measurable and have defined scope and timeframe. Each objective for your project must have at least one corresponding KPI. Identify what information you will need to measure your progress and success. KPIs must be based on tangible (observable and measurable) evidence rather than picking a number out of the air. Community Environment Fund Supporting Information for Applicants 2016 Page 8
9 Categories Evaluation Baseline information sources Guidance KPIs are separate from individual project tasks/activities, additional benefits, and the measures themselves. As a general rule, aim for three to six KPIs must-have KPIs: one for each project objective, to measure the project s success optional KPIs: additional social, economic, cultural benefits and milestone deliverables such as a bundle of project activities or tasks. Examples of KPIs are on the following page. Regular and accurate reporting is required to all relevant stakeholders, and is usually undertaken at different levels. This ensures there are no surprises as the project progresses. Examples of evaluation measures include: impact measures you can see immediately, including your KPIs such as before and after photographs, water quality measures, number of participants, survey of participants to measure their before/after levels of support for and understanding about project issues and activities measures of activities or efficiency of delivery such as delivery to timeframes/within budget, customer or staff feedback on quality, levels of satisfaction or number of complaints visual presentation to stakeholders using graphs, case studies, photographs progress reports to governance group, to ensure there is no slippage on the milestones and that the project is operating within budget media release, highlighting the key points economic contribution in dollars to the local economy, and number of new jobs internal lessons learned, brainstorming session(s) milestone reports and the final evaluation report to the Ministry. Include in your application any activities that you will need to undertake to collect the necessary information. Qualitative data (eg, asking for information in a survey, interviews, or focus groups). This information can be useful to evaluate before and after changes in levels of awareness, participation, support, and behaviour change. Quantitative data (eg, current water quality data or indicators, existing infrastructure such as existing fencing, number of trees, wetlands in an area). This hard data information can be useful to evaluate efficiency, immediate impacts and end/longerterm impacts. Online tools (eg, is a free/cheap website allowing you to design and roll out an online survey. It includes common questions and survey templates). Community Environment Fund Supporting Information for Applicants 2016 Page 9
10 Question 5 Project objectives in Part 1 of the Community Environment Fund Application Form Objective Describe the tangible results your project is trying to achieve Examples Effectively prevent livestock from accessing the upper Waitewaewae Stream Revegetate the riparian area of the upper Waitewaewae Stream with native species Educate and involve children from Pukeko Primary School in the Waitewaewae restoration programme Improve accessibility to three waterways in the Happy Forest area by undertaking clearance activities Key performance indicators (KPIs) KPIs are concise statements about key benefits of the project and how they will be achieved Fence off 2 km of riparian area along both sides of the upper 1 km of the Waitewaeware Stream in 8 wire batten fences Plant 2,000 trees of which 80% thrive Ten workshops will be held per year as part of the curriculum developed with the school and a minimum of 200 native trees will be planted by the school students 4 km of waterways are cleared of willows, poplars and waste (specifically 1.6 km of clearance activities at Cheerful Stream, 2.2. km of clearance activities at Bubbly Stream and 0.2km of clearance activities at Sparkling Stream) Source of measure How will you measure your progress against the KPIs? What evidence will show that the objective has been achieved? Photos before and after of fence lines Photos before and after of planting sites Count of trees planted and percentage that are thriving after each of two years of planting Number of workshops run, number of trees planted, photos of the area before and after planting Visual survey and before and after photographs show that there is no obstruction of the waterway in the project areas The distance completed will be measured by the contractor and verified through the contractor s invoice. Expected outcome What is the expected benefit from this objective being met? How does this contribute to the purpose of your project? Improved water quality Habitat for native fauna over the longer term in the Waitewaewae Stream Increased understanding and ownership of ecological restoration in the community Clearance of obstructions from the waterway banks and channels will allow the waterways to flow more freely, support native fish to migrate, and reduce the risk of flooding for local businesses and communities Baseline information Describe the current situation, using the data you have available The area is currently being grazed by cattle and sheep and there are no fences along the stream The area currently has no native plants No school children are currently involved in the restoration programme The three waterways are currently congested with willows, poplars and dumped waste such as cars and tyres Community Environment Fund Supporting Information for Applicants 2016 Page 10
11 Objective Describe the tangible results your project is trying to achieve Develop a collaborative action plan for improving coastal ecosystem health and biodiversity in the Whanganamu area Key performance indicators (KPIs) KPIs are concise statements about key benefits of the project and how they will be achieved Identify common ground between residents, iwi, local commercial and recreational fishers, agencies and the university on their aspirations and information gaps, and future management options Keep the Whanganamu community fully informed and give regular opportunities for feedback Source of measure How will you measure your progress against the KPIs? What evidence will show that the objective has been achieved? Record of working party (recruitment, meeting minutes) Reports from the working party and external research providers Newsletter and record of community engagement Final draft action plan Expected outcome What is the expected benefit from this objective being met? How does this contribute to the purpose of your project? Improved understanding between stakeholders of common ground and an action plan that can be implemented collaboratively to improve coastal ecosystem health and biodiversity in the Whanganamu area Baseline information Describe the current situation, using the data you have available This is a new initiative. We are not aware of any documentation of previous action of this type in our region Build household competence in reducing local winter air emissions from woodburners in Riccarton Work with 50 volunteer households in Riccarton over two years, grow knowledge and skills and address barriers, and measure their attitudes and activity in reducing air emissions from their own woodburners Record of engagement with and surveys of volunteer households Number of regional council clean air action toolkits distributed Record of clean fuel and insulation kit vouchers redeemed Increased community interest and action to reduce emissions from household woodburners and thus help reduce impacts on respiratory health There is no community outreach programme to households to share the regional council s toolkit and monitor uptake Develop a self-sustaining bicycle recycling and bikeshare resource for the Maraehou community Over three years develop a bicycle repair/ refurbishment workshop in shared premises, train 10 unemployed people in bicycle repair skills, and design and implement a successful bike-share and safe riding awareness programme with the local council Records of communications and meetings Before and after photos of workshop and bike-share depots Stories and photos of trainee bicycle technicians Uptake of free bike-share passes Results of user satisfaction surveys Greater availability of bicycles for local transport and reduced waste of bicycles Ten new jobs created for community Enhanced ability of citizens to take personal action to reduce greenhouse gas emissions and improve their health This is a new initiative (Data from similar programmes in other communities will not assist measurement of our programme but will assist effective design) Community Environment Fund Supporting Information for Applicants 2016 Page 11
12 Project key tasks and activities An example of key tasks and activities for a project in chronological order: establish a project steering group and develop terms of reference hold a meeting with the key stakeholders develop a communication plan develop a health and safety plan for the project promote the project through website and local media hold first volunteer restoration day at the site improve process if necessary, and hold four more restoration days at the site document work done by volunteers (photos before and after). Risk management A risk is something that may affect the completion and success of your project. We are asking you to identify actions or events that if they occur, or do not occur as predicted, will adversely affect the achievement of goals or objectives. Issues are different from risks. Issues are immediate problems that need to be resolved, while risks are usually unknown events which don't have any effect at the moment. Risks must be linked to an activity and accompanied by consequences and likelihood of occurrences. Some examples are provided on the following page. Community Environment Fund Supporting Information for Applicants
13 Potential risk Identify the potential risks to your project Level of risk Low, medium or high Impact on project Describe the impact the risk would have on the project Consequence on project Minor, moderate or severe Strategy to reduce risk Describe the process you will use to minimise and manage the risk Examples Winter rains lower than predicted Medium Planting season is shorter, or must be postponed to the following year Not enough volunteers are recruited Medium Size or timing of project work must be scaled down Moderate Severe Have a flexible plan, including shorter planting modules Work will be designed in modules that can be completed with fewer volunteers Local goat and deer populations are not successfully controlled or eradicated, despite regional council plan High The riparian margin being created by the project will be compromised and improved water quality outcome may not succeed Severe All fences will be at least goat proof, and in areas with deer threat deer netting will be used Length estimates of stock exclusion fencing are incorrect Medium Stock may not be able to be fully excluded, especially with higher stocking rates, and plantings may be damaged Moderate Estimates will be made as accurate as possible with use of best available tools (GIS and ground truthing where possible) Underestimates could impact the budget Community Environment Fund Supporting Information for Applicants 2016 Page 13
14 Project governance and financial management Project governance is about the direction, leadership, accountability and responsibilities for strategic decision-making across the project. It may also include processes for auditing, monitoring and reviewing the project. Good governance is essential to a successful project. What counts is the quality of decisions, the accountability of decision-makers and fund managers, and oversight appropriate for the nature of the project. Large projects with substantial budgets and/or projects involving considerable risk or complexity will need greater control and oversight than smaller and more straightforward projects. A governance group should be separate from the project manager (who reports to the governance group), and should include key stakeholders where relevant. It should: be the body that owns the project and is responsible for ensuring it has the resources and direction needed to be successful assess key opportunities and risks and confirm ways to realise or mitigate these review project performance give overall guidance to the project. A governance group can be an existing structure such as a board or committee or a subcommittee of such a structure with appropriate membership changes (additions and removals) for the purpose of governing the particular project. Examples A steering committee or project board (including responsibilities, members and terms of reference, and frequency of and/or criteria for meetings) For example: project committee meets every month at local community centre to talk about the progression of the project. Minutes and financial reports are presented for discussion and all parties have the opportunity to express their opinion. Decisions are made by the Committee and recorded in the minutes. Governance arrangements with sub-contractors or partners Processes for procurement of services For example: All services required by the project need to have a health and safety component including health and safety plan and proper safety equipment. Contractors are asked to provide their health and safety procedures/plan before the work. The service needs to be approved by the Committee as part of a project which has been previously budgeted for. Three quotes are required to prepare the initial budget. The final decision is made by the Committee. Service costs need to be aligned with the initial budget at the time of purchasing the services. At completion of the service, an invoice is sent to the treasurer and project coordinator for coding and reporting purposes. Processes for monitoring and auditing the project Community Environment Fund Supporting Information for Applicants 2016 Page 14
15 Health and safety It is important that your organisation has the necessary health and safety policies, resources and expertise to safely undertake and complete your project. If invited to proceed to Stage II, you may be asked to submit a health and safety plan for your project. Does your organisation have a health and safety policy? Has your organisation been issued with any notices, warnings, orders or convictions under the Health and Safety in Employment Act? Is there currently a health and safety plan for the project? Who will be responsible for health and safety for the project? Describe what health and safety policies your organisation has and the process you have to keep these updated and communicated to employees, contractors, subcontractors and volunteers. An infringement offence is any offence described in section 50(1) of the Health and Safety in Employment Act It includes most breaches of the legislation. Disclose if your organisation has received any of the following: a written warning from a health and safety inspector an improvement notice a prohibition notice an infringement notice a conviction for an offence under the Health and Safety in Employment Act 1992 a hazard notice a compliance order. Confirm whether you have a health and safety plan for the project and what it covers (eg, hazard register, site emergency plan, fire plan). You will be asked to provide a copy of your health and safety plan if you are invited to Stage II. If you do not have a health and safety plan, you will be required to develop one. This will be required as one of your deliverables that must be met to receive the first progress payment in the first year of the project. Identify who is responsible for health and safety for the project, their title, and skills and experience in this area. Conflicts of interest Definition Put most simply, a conflict of interest can arise where two different interest overlap. In the context of a Crown-funded project, a conflict of interest can arise where a project manager or project governance body member has an interest which conflicts (or might conflict, or might be perceived to conflict) with the purposes for which the Crown funding has been granted. Perception of a conflict of interest is as important as an actual conflict. The key question to ask when considering whether an interest might create a conflict is: does the interest create an incentive for the person to act in a way which may: not be in the best interests of the project, or result in actual or perceived uses of Crown funds for purposes other than those for which the grant of funding was intended? Community Environment Fund Supporting Information for Applicants 2016 Page 15
16 If the answer is yes, a conflict of interest exists. The existence of the incentive is sufficient to create a conflict of interest. Whether or not the appointee would actually act on the incentive is irrelevant. Types of conflict of interest A conflict of interest may take a number of forms. It may be financial or non-financial. It may be direct or indirect. It may be professional or family related. A conflict of interest may arise from: directorships or other employment interests in business enterprises or professional practices share ownership beneficial interests in trusts existing professional or personal associations with the project governance body professional associations or relationships with other organisations personal associations with other groups or organisations family or iwi relationships. A conflict of interest may be more perceived than actual. Perception is a very important factor in the public sector. The processes of government, including the use of government funding provided to third parties, must be fair and ethical, and must be very clearly seen to be so. In identifying potential conflict of interest, those involved should focus on interests that are specific to the project manager or project governance body member, rather than generic in nature. Generic interests are those held in common with the general public or a significant sector of the general public (eg, where the project relates to an agency in the transport sector and the project manager or project goverance member owns a car, or the project relates to an agency in the education sector and the project manager or project goverance member has school age children). Interests that are solely generic are not relevant and should be disregarded. If you think a potential conflict of interest might exist (or might be perceived to exist), please err on the side of caution and include it. Community Environment Fund Supporting Information for Applicants 2016 Page 16
17 Application Part 2: Project Financial Spreadsheet Part 2 of the application form contains questions 16 to 19. Part 1 of the application form (Project Proposal and Governance) contains questions 1 to 15. Both parts must be completed. Incomplete applications will not be accepted. Project budget (question 16) Before you begin to fill out the budget table of your application (question 16), we recommend you do most of the budget planning separately. This will enable you to work out how much the project is going to cost, based on the key tasks and activities that will need to be undertaken to successfully complete your project. These key tasks and activities should be included in the table for question 6 of your application. Funding will only be reimbursed if used for purposes identified within the project budget. Categories of funding which can and cannot be covered by the Community Environment Fund are listed on pages 19 to 22. Provide a breakdown of all the estimated, project-related costs (expenditure) for all the applicable years of your project, exclusive of GST. Ensure that sufficient detail is provided in the first column such as a breakdown of how amounts were calculated. The total project budget in question 16 MUST match the total of all funding in question 18. Shared costs If your organisation is involved in other activities or projects in addition to the Community Environment Fund project and shares resources (eg, administration, electricity), you may claim a proportion of costs equivalent to the time your organisation will devote to the project. It is important that you are able to explain this breakdown at the project planning stage. Total costs The project budget table (question 16) should include the total cash cost of your proposed project, not just the costs that you are seeking Community Environment Fund funding for. The Community Environment Fund assessment criteria encourage shared funding. Sometimes funding can be obtained from other sources for project costs that are not covered by the Community Environment Fund. If this is the case for your project and you want to include those activities in your project budget, please clearly identify these budget lines as not included in the Community Environment Fund funding contribution (for example, adding a note in brackets). This will assist in project reporting if you are invited to Stage II. Budget calculation documentation It is important that you keep a record of all your budget calculations so you are able to explain the breakdown of costs across each year if you are invited to Stage II. Be sure that you set out the details of how the cost is calculated. Community Environment Fund Supporting Information for Applicants 2016 Page 17
18 Example Jane Bloggs, Project Manager, 20 hours per week at $X per hour. External funding (questions 17 and 18B) The information we are seeking is any funding that you will receive or anticipate receiving towards your project other than from your organisation or the Ministry for Environment. Do not include funding from your organisation, the amount you are requesting from the Community Environment Fund, or any in-kind contributions from any party. Question 17 asks for details about individual funders, and question 18B asks you to divide the total external funding into the years of your project. The spreadsheet will automatically total Year 1, 2 and 3, so do not fill in the total box in question 18B. Do check however that the totals in questions 17 and 18B are the same. If they do not match the grand total box will show red instead of green and your application will be incomplete. Examples Pending offer and the expected decision date. Confirmed offer (approved) and the date that payment of this funding is expected. If your application is invited to Stage II, you will be asked to provide proof that all funding sources have been confirmed (eg, a signed letter of confirmation). All amounts must be exclusive of GST. Cash funding from your own organisation (question 18A) Provide the cash amount your organisation will contribute to the project across the year(s) that Community Environment Fund funding is sought. The spreadsheet will automatically total Year 1, 2 and 3. An in-kind contribution is not cash and is not to be included. All amounts must be exclusive of GST. Community Environment Fund contribution you are requesting (question 18C) The minimum amount of Community Environment Fund funding is $10,000 per project and a maximum of $300,000 per project, over the lifetime of the project. Specify the amount of funding sought from the Community Environment Fund for all applicable years of your project. The spreadsheet will automatically total Year 1, 2 and 3. All amounts must be exclusive of GST. An example of a completed form is shown on pages 24 to 26. Community Environment Fund Supporting Information for Applicants 2016 Page 18
19 Funding sources summary (question 18) The total cost of project box in question 18 will turn from red to green when all figures add correctly. That box must turn green before you submit your application. If it does not total correctly, check that: your total project budget (question 16) matches the grand total in question 18 your total other external funding for your project (question 17) matches the total in question 18B your organisation s funding contribution and the CEF funding you are requesting together make up the shortfall between the totals in questions 16 and 17. All figures MUST be exclusive of GST. What the Community Environment Fund will cover The Community Environment Fund will pay for reasonable costs relating to the following categories: personnel administration consultants and contractors venue and equipment travel and accommodation (only domestic travel and accommodation can be covered by Community Environment Fund funding) promotion and dissemination of information financial, legal and information technology (IT) service expenses health and safety equipment and training purchase of capital assets and other capital costs other miscellaneous costs. Use the following cost category table to help you estimate your costs. Community Environment Fund Supporting Information for Applicants 2016 Page 19
20 Cost category Includes... Example Personnel Administration Consultants and contractors Venue and equipment Promotion and dissemination of information Financial, legal and information technology (IT) expenses Health and safety wages/salaries of all the people directly involved in the project staff recruitment and training Administration expenses that are directly related to the project Notes: The cheapest option should be used for making phone calls Personal calls are not covered Phone calls that are charged to hotel bills are often extremely expensive and should be avoided where possible Third parties you have sub-contracted to work on the project (eg, environmental consultancies, Crown research institutes) Note: sub-contractors be may need to be approved by the Ministry before being engaged venue hire rent rental and leasing of equipment for the project Expenses for promoting the project (eg, the production of brochures, advertising costs, seminars) financial or legal expenses incurred solely in relation to the project accounting services IT support purchase fire fighting equipment health and safety training first aid kits personal protective equipment You will need to employ a part-time coordinator to work 20 hours per week, at a rate of $25 per hour over 12 months. The estimated cost would be $26,000. Cost of stationery, insurance, postage, phone calls and couriers A consultant may quote $129 per hour (exclusive of GST) for working 10 hours per week for 10 weeks. The estimated cost would be $12,900. You may need to hire or lease a vehicle or trailer, pay rent on an office space You may need to publish a brochure. The costs of designing, printing, and distributing need to be researched to calculate the estimated cost. You may need the services of a lawyer or accountant An effective health and safety plan for your project may require additional equipment and training Community Environment Fund Supporting Information for Applicants 2016 Page 20
21 Cost category Includes... Example Purchase of capital assets and other capital costs Travel and accommodation Other Expenditure that is essential for the project, including the cost of bringing the new asset to working order, or any associated labour and lease expenses Specific travel and accommodation costs for the project: mileage (this may be charged at 74 cents 1 per km for a private vehicle) taxis/parking (costs may be claimed on receipt, for the purpose of the project) domestic air travel hotel accommodation (up to $160 per night for accommodation in New Zealand, exclusive of GST) meals (actual and reasonable expenses on receipt, for meals and other incidental expenses while on out-of-town business for the purpose of the project may be claimed) Notes: The Ministry encourages the purchase of the cheapest fares unless there are valid reasons for not doing so International air travel is not covered by funding Where alternatives to travel are available, these should be used (eg, video conferencing, teleconferencing) Mini bar charges are a personal expense and cannot be charged back to the Ministry as part of the accommodation bill Where mileage is undertaken in a private vehicle, the person travelling is responsible for insurance coverage. The Ministry will not be liable for any costs incurred in the event of an accident under these circumstances Anything else that is not covered above (eg, plants, traps, trap bait, field equipment such as flagging tape and tag pens) Building a shade house to propagate native seedlings Four flights from Wellington to Auckland at $500 return (exclusive of GST). The estimated cost would be $2,000 A return road trip from Auckland to Hamilton, at a total distance of 252km with mileage at 74 cents per kilometre. The estimated cost would be $ This is the most recent rate proved by Inland Revenue, and may be amended in future html. Community Environment Fund Supporting Information for Applicants 2016 Page 21
22 What the Community Environment Fund funding does not cover The following categories of expenditures are not eligible for Community Environment Fund funding. Category Research Other funding sources, including government agencies Retrospective costs Projects that are for financial profit Business as usual operating costs Other What funding does not cover Academic costs or research to support the attainment of a qualification Duplication of demonstration projects (for example, model organic farm) or pilot studies Projects that would be more appropriately funded by other funding sources Projects that are clearly the responsibility of other funding sources, (for example, government agencies). This includes project outputs to be used specifically to develop central government policy Statutory duties of local government (activities that councils are required to undertake by law, for example, local government planning, resource consent approval, or monitoring functions) Retrospective or backdated costs (costs incurred before a deed of funding is signed by the contracting parties) Venture capital or commercial development such as setting up (new) or developing (existing) business activities, marketing a new idea, or making a financial profit Costs relating to an organisation s normal activities. This includes but is not limited to: buying materials and equipment that are a normal part of an organisation s responsibility for managing their property and day-today business the maintenance and running costs of vehicles (including warrant of fitness and registration) the purchase and/or maintenance of buildings Attendance at conferences Patents or copyright (products or outputs that will not be freely available for public use, for non-profit purposes) Compliance with planning regulations and other legal compliance costs Making/challenging a resource or building consent application Alcohol, entertainment, gifts or social expenses Costs associated with supporting a political party or movement, running a political campaign, or lobbying against the Government Community Environment Fund Supporting Information for Applicants 2016 Page 22
23 Estimated in-kind contributions An in-kind contribution is a cash-equivalent form of support that is donated and assists with the project costs. It is not the same as a cash contribution, and does not count towards the total costs of funding. Many organisations obtain in-kind support for their projects. The Community Environment Fund recognises the value of donated resources and/or the time of volunteers and professionals who help to deliver a project. The assessment panel assesses how much community involvement the project has, by considering the number of volunteer (unpaid) hours estimated for the project as well as the total level of in-kind contributions. Preference will be given to projects that have strong community involvement. An in-kind contribution does not include time spent negotiating commercial arrangements unless the goods or services being negotiated are being provided free of charge. The in-kind contribution may be necessary for the completion of the project; however, no cash is exchanged for the service or goods. In your application you are required to provide information about the predicted in-kind contributions for the project. Provide the estimated amounts based on a realistic amount of in-kind contribution that your project will receive during the timeframe of the requested Community Environment Fund funding. Examples of estimated in-kind contributions Professional services and goods Calculate professional services using the actual hourly rate usually charged by the professional Use/donation of equipment Community volunteer (unpaid) time Calculate at a rate of $30 per hour Description examples A lawyer draws up a contract for a subcontractor you intend to engage and provides three hours free of charge. This can be claimed as an in-kind contribution. Dr Derek Bird provides professional freshwater quality testing (250 hours at a normal hourly rate of $75). A local hire company provides your organisation with a rotary mower free of charge. They normally charge $300 per day for the rental. You use the mower five times over a period of 12 months. Someone spends 240 hours keeping the books for your project without charge but they are not an accountant. Volunteers attend four community planting days (40 volunteers spend three hours planting native trees on each of the four planting days for the project. Total hours calculated as 40 people x 3hrs x 4 days = 480hrs). Examples of total estimated inkind contribution (Exclusive of GST) 3 hours x $140 per hour (actual hourly rate) = $420 estimated in-kind contribution 250 hours x $75 per hour (actual hourly rate) = $18,750 estimated in-kind contribution Mower borrowed five times x $300 per day (actual rental charge) = $1,500 estimated inkind contribution 240 hours x $30 per hour = $7,200 estimated in-kind contribution 480 hours x $30 per hour = $14,400 estimated in-kind contribution Community Environment Fund Supporting Information for Applicants 2016 Page 23
24 Examples of estimated in-kind contributions Facilities provided Description examples A local company provides your organisation with office space. This would normally be let at $450 per month (lowest possible market rate); however, the company is providing the space free of charge for a period of 12 months. Examples of total estimated inkind contribution (Exclusive of GST) 12 months x $450 per month = $5,400 estimated in-kind contribution IMPORTANT: In-kind contributions should not be included in the project budget. Example of a completed project financial spreadsheet Community Environment Fund (CEF) - NO. Organisation name Project name COMMUNITY ENVIRONMENT FUND APPLICATION FORM 2016 Contestable Funding Round Part 2 of 2: Project Financial Spreadsheet SECTION THREE: Financial information All figures MUST be exclusive of GST. For office use only Abundance Bay Community Trust Restoration of the Whakakotahi River Catchment To improve your chance of success, please refer to Supporting Information for Applicants before completing this form. 16. Project budget Provide a breakdown of all the estimated project-related costs (expenditure) to the best of your knowledge, for each year of your project (as applicable). All costs must be exclusive of GST. Ensure that sufficient detail is provided in the first column (that is, a breakdown of how amounts were calculated). See page 18 of the Supporting Information for Applicans before completing this. Personnel estimated breakdown of cash costs Wages, salaries, recruitment, training etc, including estimate of number of hours (for example, Joe Brown s salary at $25 per hour for 20 hours). Project manager - $35hr x 20 hrs wk x 40 wks annual Project admninistration - $25 x 12hrs x 40 wks annual Project team - 3 workers at $18hr x 15 wk x 40 wks annual Total estimated cash costs for personnel for each project year (exclusive of GST) Year 1 Year 2 Year 3 $28, $14, $14, $12, $6, $6, $38, $19, $19, $78, $39, $39, Administration estimated breakdown of cash costs Stationery, insurance, postage, phone calls, courier etc. Year 1 Year 2 Year 3 Phone - $16 wk x 40 wks, annual Office space - $20 wk x 40 wks, annual Stationary - $6 wk x 40 wks, annual Total estimated cash costs for administration for each project year (exclusive of GST) $ $ $ $ $ $ $ $ $ $1, $ $ Consultants and contractors estimated breakdown of cash costs Environmental consultancies, Crown research institutes etc. All provided in kind - no cash cost Year 1 Year 2 Year 3 $ 0 $ 0 $ 0 Total estimated cash costs for consultants and contractors for each project year (exclusive of GST) $0.00 $0.00 $0.00 Continued on next page Community Environment Fund Supporting Information for Applicants 2016 Page 24
25 Example of a completed Project Financial Spreadsheet, continued Venue and equipment estimated breakdown of cash costs Venue (hire or rent), equipment (rental or leasing) etc. Hall hire - $120 a day x 20 days annual Tool hire - assorted for planting programme - $130 wk x 20 wks annual Year 1 Year 2 Year 3 $2, $1, $1, $2, $1, $1, Total estimated cash costs for venue and equipment for each project year (exclusive of GST) $5, $2, $2, Travel and accommodation estimated breakdown of cash costs Only domestic travel and accommodation expenses incurred solely in relation to the project could be eligible for Community Environment Fund funding. Project management -$ 0.65 / km x 245 km wk x 40 wks annual Project administrator - $0.65c / km x 125km x 20 wks annual Three team members - local; $0.65 / km x 30km x 40 wks Year 1 Year 2 Year 3 $6, $3, $3, $1, $1, $ $2, $1, $1, Total estimated cash costs for travel and accommodation for each project year (exclusive of GST) Promotion and dissemination of information estimated breakdown of cash costs Publication of brochures, advertising costs, seminars, workshops etc. $10, $5, Year 1 Year 2 $4, Year 3 Annual cost of community communications for recruiting volunteers Total estimated cash costs for promotion and dissemination of information for each project year (exclusive of GST) $1, $1, $1, $1, $1, $1, Financial, legal and information technology (IT) service expenses estimated breakdown of cash costs Year 1 Year 2 Year 3 Financial, legal and IT service expenses incurred solely in relation to the project. Annual costs of legal and accountancy $ $ $ Total estimated cash costs for financial, legal and IT expenses for each project year (exclusive of GST) $ $ $ Health and safety equipment and training estimated breakdown of cash costs Include personal protective equipment, other health and safety equipment, measures and training (practical and/or planning or theory based) for relevant staff. OSH health & safety training - annual cost Year 1 Year 2 Year 3 $ $ $ Total estimated cash costs health and safety equipment and training for each project year (exclusive of GST) $ $ $ Purchase of capital assets and other capital costs estimated breakdown of cash costs Includes the cost of bringing the new asset to working order if necessary. Traps - $50 each Fence maintenance materals Year 1 Year 2 Year 3 $4, $4, $5, $ $ $ Total estimated cash costs for purchase of capital assets and other capital costs for each project year (exclusive of GST) $4, $4, $5, Other miscellaneous costs estimated breakdown of cash costs Specify the expenses in detail, excluding contingencies. Educational resources - all mediums Web site development and management - annua 2 x permanent water quality monitoring $3800 ea, annual Site water testing x $235 ea, annual 6 x SHMAK and water quality testing $186 ea, annual Aquatic species monitoring - 12 $350 ea, annual Native plants - PB plants at $3.65 ea; native plants - bare rooted $1.85 ea Year 1 Year 2 Year 3 $2, $1, $1, $1, $ $ $7, $4, $3, $5, $3, $2, $1, $ $ $4, $2, $2, $23, $8, $7, Total estimated other miscellaneous cash costs for each project year Totals (exclusive of GST) $45, $19, Year 1 Year 2 $17, Year 3 Total estimated cash costs per year (exclusive of GST) These figures must match the total cost of project figures for Years 1, 2 and 3 provided in the funding sources table (A+B+C found in Question 18 below). Total project budget (exclusive of GST) This is a sum of the totals in the row above. It must match the total figure provided in the funding sources table (A+B+C found in Question 18 below). $147, $74, $295, $73, Continued on next page Community Environment Fund Supporting Information for Applicants 2016 Page 25