The LEP Prize Challenge Phase 2
Phase 2 of the LEP Prize Challenge took place in October 2015 offering Awards and Prizes for the calendar years 2016 and 2017
The LEP Prize Challenge is offering Awards and Prizes for projects that can improve and develop people’s skills to access sustained employment by generating new local solutions and maximizing positive training and other outcomes for them.
The target outcomes for the two Phases of the Challenge are to support 1,000 disadvantaged people to become job-ready and a further 250 to gain paid employment within the LEP area over the lifetime of the programme. The projects that were funded as part of Phase 1 have collectively made significant contributions to these targets. Applications are now invited for Phase 2.
Awards for Phase 2
Up to 7 LEP Challenge Awards of £40,000 each will be presented in late 2015 to successful applicants to run their project to tackle the LEP Prize Challenge over the calendar year 2016. The projects considered to be performing most successfully by mid November 2016 to delivering their targets and having the best plans and ideas for how their project could grow and develop in 2017, will each receive an extra £50,000 Prize in early 2017 to sustain and scale up their solutions to the LEP Prize Challenge.
The Challenge is open to Registered Charities and organisations that operate as Social Enterprises and meet the criteria required to be eligible for the Social Enterprise Mark certification.
(see http://www.socialenterprisemark.org.uk/assessment).
The Challenge is not open to individuals or non-constituted groups. FE Colleges and Schools can be part of a collaborative proposal, but not a lead applicant. The proposed project will take place in the Greater Cambridge Greater Peterborough LEP area, where the targeted beneficiaries will also be resident.
Awards will only be offered to organisations that have current General Liability Insurance ( with indemnity to principal clause) for £10m of cover and continue to renew that cover for 2 years after the date of the Award offer letter.
Eligibility criteria
A lead organisation must be a Registered Charity or an organisation that operates as a Social Enterprise and meets the criteria required to be eligible for the Social Enterprise Mark certification . FE Colleges and Schools can be a part of a collaborative proposal but not the lead on an application.
Organisations that were successful in the first round of the Prize Challenge can apply in Phase 2 BUT only for funding for a different project.
A joint application for £80,000 can be made by two organisations (both must be eligible to be leads) where they can clearly show the economies and greater impact they can achieve by working together.
Applications must focus on upskilling those further from the workplace to help them into work.
The project must need a proven local need and have a measurable impact.
The project should be innovative (not business as normal) and engage with the business community.
The project must take place, and the targeted beneficiaries must be resident, in the
in the GCGP area (Cambridgeshire, Peterborough, Rutland, South Holland, West Norfolk, West Suffolk, Uttlesford or North Hertfordshire)
Projects must be willing to share their learning with the wider community and consider the sustainability of the project.
Consideration will be given to the organisational capacity and track record of the applicant/s.
Winning proposals will include match funding – either financial or in-kind – of at least £10,000.
A lead organisation must have at least two years overall track record, and provide evidence of activity via their past two years’ financial accounts.
An organisation can only lead one proposal, but can be a partner in more than one proposal.
The problem identified and the solution proposed must all relate to both skills and employment for people facing multiple challenges.
The maximum Project Period is 12 months.
Awards and Prizes cannot fund the purchase of capital equipment beyond 10% of the total proposed budget.
Awards and Prizes cannot be used to fund activity that is party political in intention, use, or presentation nor to support or promote religious activity. Awards and Prizes cannot be used to fund input VAT recoverable by the funding recipient from H.M. Revenue and Customs; interest payments or service charge payments for finance leases; bad debts to a party related to officers, members and employees; statutory fines and penalties; or entertainment costs.
Quotes must be obtained for the execution of supply of all works, goods and services and where the cost is above £2,000 or more at least 3 written tenders must be sought
Other Notes
Awards will only be made to applicants that have current General Liability Insurance ( with indemnity to principal clause) with £10m of cover and continue to renew that cover for 2 years after the date of an award offer letter
The project must be able to start in January 2016 and deliver targeted outcomes throughout 2016.
Payment of the Awards and Prizes will be made on a quarterly basis, subject to the project showing good progress to delivering its targeted outcomes. The Lead Organisation will be accountable for and will provide full monitoring information on a quarterly and timely basis to allow the outcomes and impact of their projects to be fully evaluated.
By submitting an application, the applicant consents to and acknowledges that Cambridgeshire Community Foundation may share information about the project and/or the applicant organisation with the LEP and CCF boards and other partners involved in the LEP Prize Challenge.