[cma-l] Community Radio Fund: award of grants for 2014/15 Round 2

[CMA-L]

Ofcom's Community Radio Fund Panel met on Tuesday 13 January 2015 to
consider applications in the second round of grant awards for 2014/15.

The Department for Culture, Media and Sport (DCMS) confirmed the total of
£393,000 for the Community Radio Fund for 2014/15. The amount spent in the
first round of funding was £140,340.

In summary, at the meeting:

   - 39 applications for grants were considered
   - The total amount of funding requested in these applications was
   £603,717
   - 17 applicants were awarded grants which totalled £252,660
   - 22 applicants were not awarded a grant

The Panel reviewed each application and awarded funding based on the
information provided, and with reference to the Community Radio Fund
guidance notes. The Panel’s decisions were to make a full award, a partial
award or not to award any funding.

The average grant in this round was £14,862; the size of award ranged from
£9,721 to £20,840. A table setting out the awards is at the end of this
statement.
Issues of note arising from the Panel meeting

In the current financial climate the Panel felt strongly that, as much as
possible, grants from the Community Radio Fund should help further a
station’s financial stability and future sustainability. Therefore
proposals for posts to promote long-term financial security and which could
become self-sustaining were favoured by the Panel over applications for
other support posts, even if they were considered by the applicants to be
core station functions.

With regard to the applications considered in this funding round, the Panel
would like to make the following points:

   - The Panel has a *limited amount of funding available*, and so it
   cannot make grants to all applicant stations.
   - The panel would like to emphasise *the importance of section 2 of the
   application form which gives the panel members an insight into the
   station’s output and its target community*. Applicants should also aim
   to quantify their impact, for example, by supplying numbers of volunteers,
   people trained, awards won etc.
   - With regard to roles specifically to raise funds for stations the
   Panel considers that *as an absolute minimum the post holder should aim
   to raise the equivalent of their own salary in the course of the grant
   spend*, as well as securing funding towards station costs. This makes
   the role self-sustaining and likely to continue once the grant has been
   spent. The Panel *likes to see clear financial targets set for such
   posts*. When a station reports back on how the grant was spent, the
   Panel would like to know how much money the postholder raised.
   - Applicants should explain how the role or project that is the subject
   of a grant application will contribute to the *financial sustainability*
   of the station.
   - Some applicants *did not include sufficient information*, job
   descriptions and/or work plans in their submissions for staff funding.
   - It is also important to provide up-to-date and accurate *financial
   information. *At the very minimum applicants should supply their most
   recent statutory accounts (or equivalent). In the application form the
   panel would also welcome a summary of income and expenditure for the
   current year (but excluding the Fund grant being applied for).
   - The panel would like to draw applicants’ attention to HMRC’s guidance
   <http://www.hmrc.gov.uk/payerti/employee-starting/status.htm> on
   determining the *employment status* of workers, when they are preparing
   (and costing) job descriptions. (This has implications for the way tax and
   National Insurance contributions are calculated and whether or not PAYE
   (Pay As You Earn) is operated on their earnings.)

Summary of grants awarded in June 2014 (second round for 2014/15)
Station Location
Purpose Award  Betar Bangla Radio East London Station Manager £19,200  Bradley
Stoke Radio Bradley Stoke Business Development Manager £18,000  BRFM
Brynmawr Fundraiser £15,000  Canalside’s The Thread 102.8 Bollington
Fundraising
Manager £16,000  Celtic Music Radio Glasgow Fundraising and Events
Officer £10,000
 Dunoon Community Radio Dunoon Sustainability and Development Officer £13,469
 Eden FM Penrith Commercial and Business Development role £16,000  Gateway
97.8 Basildon Business Development /Fundraiser £15,600  Hermitage FM
Coalville Finance & Administration Officer £16,692  IMAN FM Sheffield Station
Marketing and Engagement Manager £16,940  Penistone FM Penistone Training
and Fund Raising Manager £14,781 Pulse Community Radio Barrhead Business
Development Manager £15,600  Radio Ikhlas Derby Communications and
Fundraising Officer £9,721  SFM 106.9 Sittingbourne Station/Business
Development Manager £15,600  Soundart Radio Totnes Artistic Director,
Business Manager and Web Developer (three posts) £20,840  The Voice North
Devon Technical and Projects Manager £10,428  Vibe 107.6 Watford Administration
and Sales Support worker £8,789 Information for future applicants

The Panel considers promoting long-term sustainability a critical, core
activity.

Applicants should try to quantify the impact of the post (for which they
are applying for funding) on the future sustainability of the station.

The panel recognises that, in the current economic climate, grant funding
has declined. The panel would therefore encourage innovative fundraising
ideas which may offer future funding models for the community radio sector.


The Panel continues to believe there is scope for collaborative working or
joint applications from stations, where appropriate.
Applications for the first round of funding in 2015/16

   - Applications will be invited on 8 April 2015 with a closing date of
   5pm on Wednesday 6 May 2015.
   - The Panel will meet to make decisions on these applications in June
   2015.

Source:
http://stakeholders.ofcom.org.uk/broadcasting/radio/community-radio-fund/14-15-awards-round-2

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Community Media Association
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Canstream Internet Radio & Video
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