Renfrewshire Council

What the Summer of Fun Programme Fund is

Our Summer of Fun Programme Fund aims to support voluntary and community organisations in Renfrewshire to host free activities and events for families, children and young people during the school summer holidays.

The programme aims to deliver activities for low-income families and communities which may not have access to mainstream activities.

What the funding can be used for

Grant funding of up to £3,500 is available for projects led by voluntary and community organisations to deliver activities for low-income families in Renfrewshire between June and August 2024.

Funding can cover single events or programmes of activities taking place in Renfrewshire. These can be for whole families or for children and young people of different age groups.

Activities can be during the day, in the evenings, during the week or at weekends.

Funding can cover costs such as:

• venues
• activity costs
• sessional staff or volunteer expenses
• food
• items to reduce costs for families, such as transport.

Funding can cover the total cost of a project or additional costs to make existing activities more accessible for low-income families.

Funding can support day trips, but these must be part of a wider programme of activity that is being delivered through council or external funding.

Smaller awards of up to £500 are also available for organisations with existing activities over the summer to provide healthy snacks or meals.

Who can apply for this fund

The fund is available to constituted voluntary and community organisations that have a bank account.

The fund is not open for applications to support individuals.

What to include in your application

Your application should describe the activity you want to host and how it meets the needs of the local community.

You must also describe how the project meets the following principles:

• activities must be free, with no hidden or additional costs
• healthy snacks should be provided, or lunch if the activity lasts all day
• activities should be inclusive, welcoming, respectful, and safe
• it must comply with requirements around safeguarding, child protection, and food hygiene, as appropriate
• it must be able or willing to provide connections to other services and support.

Your activities must also reach at least one of the following areas:

• families in the 6 child poverty priority groups: lone parents; families where someone in the house has a disability; black and minority ethnic families; families where the mum is under 25; families with 3 or more children; and families with a child under 1
• geographical areas where there are not many activities happening, or where it is difficult to access activities because of issues such as the availability or affordability of public transport
• age groups that might not feel catered for in other activities, such as pre-schoolers or older teenagers
• particular groups of children and young people, such as care experienced children and young people or those from equality groups
• any other gaps or barriers families, children, and young people may face.

How to apply

Applications for the Summer of Fun Programme Fund are now closed.

What happens after you have applied

A panel of staff from Renfrewshire Council, Renfrewshire Health and Social Care Partnership, and Engage Renfrewshire will review your application.

We'll get in touch with you by email to let you know if your application has been successful or unsuccessful.

We may also get in touch to ask for further information about your application.

What happens if you are successful

We'll email you an award letter and standard grant terms and conditions which you must accept and follow.

We'll also ask for a copy of your constitution, a recent bank statement and a copy of your accounts (or income/expenditure statement) if we do not have a recent copy of these already on file. Return these to us quickly by email so we can process payment.

You'll be asked to report back on the impact your project has had once it has come to an end. We'll send you a feedback form to complete at the end of summer.

We'll carry out an evaluation of the programme using a mix of forms and visits to projects.

We'll also ask successful applicants to ask service users for their opinions on the activities provided.

More information

If you would like to speak to someone about the application process or other funding opportunities, email tacklingpoverty@renfrewshire.gov.uk.