Criteria for Grant Aid from The Rural Youth Trust

The aim of the Trust is to support effective voluntary youth work of the kind provided by the Young Farmers’ Movement with, and on behalf of, young people in the rural areas of England and Wales.

The Trust concerns itself primarily with the motivation and training of young people, developing their personalities and individual capacity to play their full part as caring and active members of their rural communities.

The Trust’s aim will be achieved by making grants for projects put forward by organisations or individuals whom the trustees are satisfied will be able to carry out such projects effectively.

Grants for the following areas of work will be given priority by the Trustees:

• Motivation of young people – Grants for projects by individuals for themselves or for peer groups which improve the motivation and initiative of young people, including the development of youth clubs where needed, to give young people stimulation towards constructive and positive activities;
• Leadership – Assistance to organisations to provide training in leadership concepts and leadership skills and to individuals to enable them to take part in approved leadership training courses offered by another agency of which they are not in membership;
• Training in participative techniques- Training course and conferences which seek to assist the individual to acquire the skills of holding public office and to gain the experience necessary to fulfil such office;
• Conceptual Training for citizenship- Grants to individuals or organisations seeking to improve young people’s understanding of life, of their roles and of the structures which have been developed to assist the orderly conduct of our Society.
• Field Work – Projects mounted by organisations covering all or a combination of the areas of work set out in sub-paragraphs above.

In support of these priorities, grants will be made:

• For approved projects or community work either to organisations to enable them to organise such projects or to participating individuals;
• To encourage young people, either as individuals or in groups, to take part in activities which show concern for and improve their understanding of the environment;
• To encourage young people’s participation as full and caring members of their local communities.

To be eligible for Grant the Trustees will need to be satisfied that the potential beneficiaries are working within a rural area, that the subject matter is on the priority list for the Trustees and that the organisation or individual is eligible by way of geographical area and age. The acceptable age range for individuals will be 11 to 26 though the Trustees will have a priority to assist young people between the ages of 16 to 23.

Administration and administrative staffing of projects are not likely to be supported by the fund except where directly associated with an approved field work project, nor are projects of formal education under the auspices of Local Education Authorities. The direct cost of international travel will not generally be met though Trustees will look at British based-work programmes which can be enhanced by foreign study. Refreshment expenses are not usually supported.

The Trustees will not generally use the fund resources to replace grants which have formerly been the responsibility of public authorities nor fund the completion of projects from which other financial support has been withdrawn.

Costs of the provision of equipment will not generally be supported unless this equipment is necessary for the achievement of an approved fieldwork project.

Grants to individuals will generally not exceed £500 per application. Grants for programmes of work by organisations will be limited to £10,000 – however, the Trustees will consider larger sums than £10,000 for exceptional national programmes impacting many thousands of young people. An organisation may apply for support for more than one application of work but each must stand on its own merit.

In order for the Trustees to assess major demands on the fund, and to prioritise, the following timetable is planned on a yearly basis:

Generally an evaluation process will be undertaken from the beginning of the grant programme and must be completed within 3 months of the completion of the project.

The Trustees will seek information under the following headings:

• General aims of the project
• Objectives to be achieved and a timetable for achievement
• The methods by which the objectives will be achieved
• The names of the individuals involved.
• The costs including support from other sources.
• An evaluation procedure.

The Trustees may consider for individuals:

• The cost of training courses including travel and necessary stays away from home to attend such courses.
• Course fees

The Trustees may consider for organisations:

• Experiments and projects of work within the criteria of the Trust
• The purchase of training expertise
• Support of conferences, courses and projects
• Staffing of conferences, and training courses.
• Training materials

Applications must be accompanied by financial information either concerning the individual applicant or the organisation (last set of examined accounts).

Financial facts must clearly show how the project of work fits into the overall financial structure of the applicant organisation.

In order to determine the value of a grant from the Trust it will be necessary to assess the benefits accruing from the work at the end of a project or at a pre-determined point during the course of the work. The Trustees will expect organisations’ bids to identify clearly the educational outcomes for young people that the work has been designed to achieve and to indicate the objective measures of performance to be used to assess the extent of the achievement. Wherever possible, the measures should be quantifiable and concrete.

Please note repeated applications, for similar activities, will not necessarily be successful.