Grants
Grants Programme Guidelines
Monitoring
And Evaluation
The Trust requires a written monitoring report outlining how the
grant has been used and the impact it has made on the service users
concerned. The report is usually required twelve months after the
grant has been paid, or soon after the project has been completed,
whichever is the most relevant.
Why Do We Require Reports?
The most obvious reason is that the Trust is itself required to
be accountable for the grants it makes and therefore we need to
know that the grant has been used for its intended purpose.
In addition, we want to use the reports so that we can learn
from the grant-making process. The information provided by the
organisations we fund helps to shape the future policies of the
Trust and enables us to build up a picture of the impact of our
various grant-making programmes. By increasing our understanding of
what kinds of projects have worked well and what has been less
successful, we are better able to assess future applicants'
proposals and advise them on how their applications can reflect
best practice.
When we read your report, we will be checking that the grant has
been used in the way set out in your original application and as
discussed with the grants officer who visited you to assess the
application. It is very important, therefore, that organisations
are completely clear about what the Trust has agreed to fund,
especially if the amount of grant awarded is different from what
you requested. If you have any doubts or uncertainties, you should
contact your grants officer when you receive your grant offer
letter.
Monitoring And Evaluation Forms
The Trust provides organisations with a monitoring and
evaluation form on which the report should be written. These help
us to collect information in a uniform and systematic way and a
sample form can be e-mailed to you on request. A blank form will be
sent to you two to three months before the report is due. The Trust
requires different levels of monitoring and evaluation reports
depending on the size of grant awarded. The main questions are
explained below. The amounts of grant refer to the total grant
approved, not the amount per annum (e.g. a grant of £10,000 per
annum for two years is a grant of £20,000)
Grants of less than £10,000
The monitoring form asks how the grant has been used, the impact
on service users, a breakdown of how the grant has been spent and
the numbers of beneficiaries. In addition, the Trust requires
organisations to acknowledge its support in their Annual Report and
to provide audited accounts in which our grant is clearly shown for
the financial year in which the grant was paid.
Grants of £10,000 and above
A more detailed form is used which asks how you have met the
objectives of the project funded by the Trust and what the impact
of the work has been. This should be supported by a summary of your
monitoring statistics relating to the project and a summary of any
feedback provided by service users. The same Annual Report and
audited accounts requirements apply.
The Trust is keen to know more about the impact of its
grant-making. At Question 9 on the form we are asking you to
interpret the monitoring data you have collected in order to
evaluate the overall impact of your project and the difference you
have made to those with whom you have worked. At Question 10, we
ask how you have met the objectives of the Trust's funding priority
under which you applied.
We are also keen to learn from the organisations we fund and at
Question 11 we ask you whether you encountered any unexpected
issues.
Grants For Capital Expenditure
As well as knowing that a grant for capital funding has been
used for its intended purpose (i.e. minibus or equipment purchased
or building refurbishment completed), the Trust is also interested
to know the impact that these grants have had on an organisation's
work. Therefore, we usually ask for a monitoring report 12 months
after a capital grant has been paid just as we would with a revenue
grant. This is to give an organisation time to monitor the use of
what has been funded and the difference it has made to its service
users. For example, if we have made a grant to provide disabled
access in a building, we would like to know how many disabled
people have used the building, what they think about the
improvements and to what extent the grant has helped you to
increase the involvement of disabled people in your work.
Monitoring Visits
Grants of less than £120,000
Monitoring visits will be made to a sample number of
organisations funded by the Trust each year. The sample is selected
to reflect the range, size of grants made and the geographical
location of the organisations concerned. If your organisation is
selected, you will receive reasonable notice and guidance on the
kinds of question that will be asked during the monitoring
visit.
Grants of over £120,000
Usually, a monitoring visit will be made by one of the Trust's
freelance consultants. In the case of revenue grants paid over two
or three years, this will usually involve a visit at the end of the
first year of the project and a final visit at the end of the
funding period. It also means that in year 2 of the grant, it will
be paid in two stages. 1/4 of the grant will be released once we
have received your monitoring form and the balance will be paid
once the consultant has visited.
Completing The Form On The Computer
The monitoring form is not available to download from this
website because each form is computer generated and is specific to
the individual grantee. To have your form emailed to you please
contact Muhibur Rahman using the contact details at the
bottom of this page. You can download specimen forms for
information but please don't use these for your report.
Before downloading any form(s) you may find it helpful to read
our information
on downloading files.
Specimen monitoring form for grants of less than £10,000
Specimen monitoring form for grants of more than £10,000
For further information on the Trust's monitoring procedures, or
to request a monitoring form, please contact the Monitoring
and Evaluation Team using the details below.
Jenny Field, Principal Grants Officer - Monitoring and
Evaluation
Telephone 020 7332 3716
Email
jenny.field@cityoflondon.gov.uk
John Merivale, Grants Officer, Monitoring and
Evaluation
Telephone 020 7332 3565
Email john.merivale@cityoflondon.gov.uk
Graham Lee, Website and Information
Officer
Telephone 020 7332 1422
Email
graham.lee@cityoflondon.gov.uk
Muhibur Rahman, Clerical
Assistant
Telephone 020 7332 3618
Email
muhibur.rahman@cityoflondon.gov.uk