<div dir="ltr">Ofcom's Community Radio Fund Panel met on Tuesday 17 June 2014 to
consider applications in the first round of grant awards for 2014/15.
<p>
The Department for Culture, Media and Sport (DCMS) has confirmed the
Community Radio Fund for 2014/15 but the total amount has not yet been
announced.
</p>
<p>
In summary, at the meeting:
</p>
<ul><li>34 applications for grants were considered <br></li><li>The total amount of funding requested in these applications was £578,605<br></li><li>11 applicants were awarded grants which totalled £140,340<br></li><li>23 applicants were not awarded a grant </li>
</ul>
<p>
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.
</p>
<p>
The average grant in this round was £12,758; the size of award ranged
from £3,150 to £17,006. A table setting out the awards is below.
</p><table border="0">
<caption>
<b>Summary of grants awarded in June 2014 (first round for 2014/15)
</b></caption>
<tbody>
<tr>
<th scope="col">Station name</th><th scope="col">Location</th><th scope="col">Purpose</th><th scope="col">Award </th>
</tr>
<tr>
<td>East Coast FM </td><td>Haddington, East Lothian</td><td>Fundraising and Partnership Administrator</td><td>£15,000</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td>Unity 101</td><td>Southampton</td><td>Project Administrator</td><td>£5,278</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td>Wythenshawe FM</td><td>Wythenshawe</td><td>Finance and administrative support</td><td>£10,680</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td>Salford City Radio</td><td>Salford</td><td>Commercial Campaign Co-ordinator </td><td>£3,150</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td>Gloucester FM</td><td>Gloucester </td><td>Project Trainer (part of a sustainable revenue stream)</td><td>£15,000</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td>Radio Reverb</td><td>Brighton </td><td>Training Manager (part of an income-generating project)</td><td>£17,000</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td>Phoenix FM</td><td>Brentwood </td><td>Sales and Promotions Manager</td><td>£14,966</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td>Halton Community Radio</td><td>Halton, Runcorn </td><td>Business Development Manager</td><td>£17,006</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td>Radio Tircoed</td><td>Tircoed Village, Swansea</td><td>Station Director and a Fundraiser (two posts)</td><td>£17,000</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td>Bolton FM</td><td>Bolton</td><td>Business Development Manager </td><td>£14,560</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td>Seahaven FM</td><td>Seaford</td><td>Fundraising Manager </td><td>£10,700</td>
</tr>
</tbody>
</table>
<h2>
<font>Issues of note arising from the Panel meeting
</font></h2>
<p>
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 core
station functions.
</p>
<p>
With regard to the applications considered in this funding round, the Panel would like to make the following points:
</p>
<ul><li>The Panel has a<b> limited amount of funding available</b>, and so it cannot make grants to all applicant stations.</li><li>The panel would like to emphasise<b>
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</b>. Applicants should also aim to quantify their impact,
for example, by supplying numbers of volunteers, people trained, awards
won etc.</li><li>With regard to roles specifically to raise funds for stations the Panel considers that <b>as an absolute minimum the post holder should aim to raise the equivalent of their own salary in the course of the grant spend,</b>
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 <b>likes to see clear financial targets set for such posts</b>. When a station reports back on how the grant was spent, the Panel would like to know how much money the postholder raised.</li><li>Applicants should explain how the role or project that is the subject of a grant application will contribute to the <b>financial sustainability</b> of the station.</li>
<li>Some applicants <b>did not include sufficient information</b>, job descriptions and/or work plans in their submissions for staff funding. </li><li>It is also important to provide up-to-date and accurate <b>financial information</b>.
At the very minimum applicants should supply their most recent
accounts. The panel would also welcome a summary of forecast income and
expenditure for the current year. </li><li>The panel would like to draw applicants' attention to HMRC's guidance on determining the <b>employment status</b>
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.) </li></ul><p><font><b>Information for future applicants
</b></font></p>
<ul><li>
The Panel considers promoting long-term sustainability a critical, core activity.<br><br>
</li><li>
Applicants should try to quantify the impact of the post (for which they
are applying for funding) on the future sustainability of the station.<br><br></li><li>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.<br><br>
</li><li>
The Panel continues to believe there is scope for collaborative working or joint applications from stations, where appropriate.
</li></ul>
<h2>
<font>Applications for the second round of funding in 2014/15
</font></h2>
<ul><li>Applications will be invited on<b> 7 October 2014 with a closing date of 4 November 2014</b>. <br></li><li>The Panel will meet to make decisions on these applications in January 2015.</li></ul><a href="http://stakeholders.ofcom.org.uk/broadcasting/radio/community-radio-fund/2014-15">Source</a><br>
<br><div>\\<br><br clear="all"><div>Community Media Association<br>-- <br><a href="http://www.commedia.org.uk/" target="_blank">http://www.commedia.org.uk/</a><br><a href="http://twitter.com/community_media" target="_blank">http://twitter.com/community_media</a><br>
<a href="https://www.facebook.com/CommunityMediaAssociation" target="_blank">https://www.facebook.com/CommunityMediaAssociation</a><br><br>Canstream Internet Radio & Video<br><a href="http://www.canstream.co.uk/" target="_blank">http://www.canstream.co.uk/</a><br>
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</div></div>