Voluntary and Community Frontline Sector (VCFS) Support Grant: frequently asked questions
Updated 21 March 2022
Applies to England
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This publication is available at https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/voluntary-and-community-frontline-sector-support-grant-prospectus/voluntary-and-community-frontline-sector-vcfs-support-grant-frequently-asked-questions
This new grant competition is open to applications from service providers in England.
See the full funding prospectus and application form.
Questions 11 to 19 were added on 11 March.
Questions 20 to 26 were added on 21 March.
Q1. Who can apply for this funding?
We welcome applications from voluntary and community sector organisations based in England, with expertise and a proven track record of:
- Providing training, advice and organisational capacity building to organisations within the homelessness sector.
- Working collaboratively with sector bodies and other statutory and voluntary agencies.
- Coordinating and initiating partnership development, ensuring that maximum impact is realised and that all partners can contribute to outcomes.
- Significant and appropriate sector links and networks, ensuring that best practice is shared, and services undergo continuous improvement.
- Ability to deliver services which add value to the work of DLUHC, applications will be valued on depth of intervention, rather than breadth of scope.
- Ability to adapt to changing needs, for example to work with other providers.
- Delivering projects which provide value for money.
Further information on eligibility criteria is available in Part 1 of the prospectus.
Q2. What is this funding for?
This funding is intended to equip grantees to support and develop a fully skilled voluntary and community sector, working in partnership to end rough sleeping. This funding will cover a range of activities to support this goal, including training and development opportunities for frontline workers from homelessness sector and local authorities, enabling stronger strategic partnerships, and working with the faith and community sector.
This funding is part of a £2 billion commitment to tackle homelessness and rough sleeping over the next 3 years.
Q3. When is the deadline?
The deadline for applications is 11:59pm on 1 April 2022.
Q4. Will you accept late applications?
Unfortunately, we will not be able to extend the deadline. This is to ensure we are as fair as possible to those applicants who have met the deadline.
Q5. Do organisations have to comply with UK (United Kingdom) GDPR (General Data Protection Regulation) and/ or data protection legislation?
Yes, all organisations must comply with all data protection requirements.
Organisations will be asked to confirm their compliance as part of the application process. Compliance with UK GDPR and/or data protection legislation are also a core part of all grant funding agreements offered by DLUHC.
Q6. When will organisations be notified if they are successful?
We will aim to enter discussions with preferred bidders in early April 2022.
Q7. How are you intending to monitor and evaluate success of the schemes?
Applications will be assessed by a team comprising representatives of DLUHC’s Rough Sleeping Delivery and Commercial Grants teams against 11 criteria. Further information is provided in the prospectus.
Q8. Can my organisation bid for more than one lot within the grant?
Yes, bidders are welcomed to apply for multiple lots within this grant competition. The application form will enable you to submit multiple bids, which will be considered on their own merit.
Q9. Do you accept partnership bids?
Yes, bids which will deliver work through partnership models are actively encouraged. We believe partnership working in an integrated way is essential to ending rough sleeping.
Q10. Can I ask any clarifications?
Yes, you may email any questions to vcfsgrantprogramme@levellingup.gov.uk.
We intend to regularly publish clarifications to any questions and queries received on the page. We recommend prospective applicants regularly check back for updates.
The following questions were added on 11 March.
Q11. Is my organisation eligible to apply?
We welcome applications from voluntary and community sector organisations based in England, with expertise and a proven track record of:
- Providing specialist service delivery within the homelessness and rough sleeping sector.
- Working collaboratively with sector bodies and other statutory and voluntary agencies.
- Coordinating a multi-agency approach, ensuring that maximum impact is realised and that all partners can contribute to outcomes.
- Significant and appropriate sector links and networks, ensuring that best practice is shared, and services undergo continuous improvement.
- Ability to deliver services which add value to the work of DLUHC, applications will be valued on depth of intervention, rather than breadth of scope.
- Ability to adapt to changing needs, for example to work with other providers.
- Delivering projects that provide value for money.
To be an eligible organisation, applicants must be one or more of the following types of organisations:
- ‘Charity’ – An organisation registered as a Charity with UK charity regulators.
- Charitable Registered Society under Co-operative and Community Benefit Societies Act 2014
- A Community Interest Company registered with Companies House.
- A Community Interest company with an asset lock
- A Charitable Incorporated Organisation registered with the Charity Commission.
- A Company Limited by Guarantee registered with Companies House.
- A Cooperative and Community benefit society
- An unincorporated ‘Community group’ provided that it is:
- established for charitable, benevolent or philanthropic purposes
- has a governing body with at least 3 members
- has an inclusive Membership policy
- has a governing document
- can provide accounts for the last 2 financial years
- has its own bank account
- can hold land either by itself or via Trustees
- An Industrial and Providence Society (IPS)
- We welcome ‘consortium’ bids, where eligible organisations are working together – but the application must be submitted by the lead and accountable organisation. Any Grant Agreement for such a bid will be an agreement between the DLUHC and the Accountable Body only. If a consortium bid is proposed the application should include the draft Memorandum of Understanding or other agreement that governs the relationship between the partners.
The following types of organisations are not eligible to apply:
- Companies limited by shares.
- Any other profit-distributing organisations.
- Councils, other public sector organisations, any companies limited by guarantee whose Members are exclusively public sector organisations or profit distributing organisations.
- Individuals.
These lists are not exhaustive. Advice should be sought if an applicant believes that the status of their organisation is not listed.
Q12. Will you be awarding multiple grants per lot or will each lot be awarded to a single project?
We are seeking one provider or a partnership arrangement between two or more providers, to deliver all the objectives and outcomes for each individual lot. We will not be awarding multiple grants to different providers for the delivery of a single lot.
We would expect one lot to provide services for audiences across England so will not be looking to divide the lots for regional delivery.
Q13. Will you accept proposals for specific client groups?
No. The prospectus makes clear the audiences each lot in Table 1 of the prospectus. The grant is to provide support to staff and volunteers in the sector, not directly to client groups.
Q14. What is the expectation regarding the geographical scope of each bid? Are you expecting national coverage, regional coverage, or local authority coverage?
All bids should be for national coverage/national support in England. The scoring criteria notes that we will assess experience “including experience the applicant has in delivering a national support offer”
A bid that will only deliver services in a single region will likely not meet the requirements of the grant.
Q15. How does the grant address the needs of ‘at risk’ groups and individuals with protected characteristics?
In accordance with our Public Sector Equality Duty, as set out in section 149 of the Equality Act 2010, we have undertaken an analysis in the development of this grant programme to ensure that it pays due regard to the need to:
- eliminate unlawful discrimination, harassment and victimisation and other conduct prohibited by the Act
- advance equality of opportunity between people who share a protected characteristic and those who do not
- foster good relations between people who share a protected characteristic and those who do not
The purpose of the grant is to improve the capacity and capability of sector through training and resources, provide specialist support to resolve individual cases, enable stronger strategic partnerships and develop the faith and community sector. The intended outcomes are for local authorities, public bodies and voluntary and community sector to be sufficiently equipped to assist anyone who is currently rough sleeping or is at risk of rough sleeping, including at-risk groups and individuals with protected characteristics.
Q16. Are grant payments only available quarterly in arrears?
The grant will be awarded under S180 of the Housing Act 1996 and will be subject to terms and conditions set out in a Grant Funding Agreement. The payment schedule will be agreed with preferred bidders. It is usual practice for grants to be paid in 4 tranche payments per year, usually quarterly in advance.
Q17. What does the range (£) per annum mean? (e.g., Lot 4 has a range of £175,000 – £225,000)
The range (£) detailed on each lot is the indicative budget for a single year. These have been included to provide a guide for bidders.
Q18. Could you please confirm whether we as a local, London based charity are eligible to apply?
As the prospectus sets out we are looking to appoint a single provider/partnership so applications should be for England wider delivery.
The scoring criteria notes that we will assess experience “including experience the applicant has in delivering a national support offer”
Q19. Would local/regional bids be considered or is the opportunity ringfenced to national providers only?
Please see response to questions 14 and 18.
The following questions were added on 21 March.
Q20. Please clarify how organisations in a partnership arrangement should complete the application form.
In partnership arrangements one organisation must be the lead bidder. The lead bidder must complete the entire application form on behalf of the partnership arrangement. If the application is for multiple lots, the lead applicant must complete Annexes C to G for each lot, making clear the partnership arrangements (e.g., which organisation is leading on activities in each lot).
Q21. Please clarify whether the following KPIs require a target number, or whether these would just be reporting requirements?
- Number of enquiries by individual local authority, public authority and advice agencies.
- Number of repeat enquiries overall and by audience.
- Enquiry type by audience, geographical region and individual local authority, public authority and advice agencies.
The KPIs provided by the applicant will give an indication of the scale and reach of the deliverables to inform our assessment of the application, especially its value for money. KPIs provided will be reviewed and negotiated with preferred grantees. Applicants should expect that these KPIs will be used in the grant agreement and will form the basis for monitoring the performance and delivery of the grantee.
Q22. We would like to partner with a lead bidder, can DLUHC facilitate potential partnership arrangements?
We are not aware of any organisations or consortiums seeking a partner organisation for the VCFS grant. Unfortunately, we are unable to facilitate such requests.
Q23. Can our organisation submit a bid for 18 months instead of 3 years?
We are looking applications for 3 years for each lot. Unfortunately, it will not be possible to accept applications for 18 months.
Q24. Is there a word limit for the Project Delivery Plan?
Yes, the limit is 750 words.
Q25. Outputs and outcomes section of the application form: Please can you clarify whether this is in respect to the additional KPIs we have been asked to set or all KPIs including those prescribed?
The outputs and outcomes should be in respect of all KPIs you intend to deliver.
Q26. Organisational structure: Will organisations applying for more than one lot be permitted to submit an answer to this per lot if they intend to use separate management functions?
Yes, you may submit a separate response. Although it will be helpful to see if and how the structures between different lots relate to and support each other.