HMRC Grant in Aid Funding Programme

Grant Aid from HMRC

The aim of Her Majesty’s Revenue and Customs (HMRC) is to administer tax and customs systems fairly and efficiently, and make it as easy as possible for individuals and businesses to understand and comply with their obligations and receive their tax credits and other entitlements. HMRC has £2 million per annum available for the next three financial years, aimed at funding Third Sector Organisations (TSOs). HMRC is committed to building its funding relationship with TSOs so that they play an increased role in public service delivery, particularly socially inclusive services to those who are hard to reach or who do not engage directly with them. The funds are available in the form of grants in aid to help with the costs of activity contributing to the HMRC’s key aims, outcomes and priorities.

Total Fund Value:

£ 1, 500, 000

Grant Value - notes:

The total fund value represents the amount available for new projects in 2008/09.

Funding can be awarded for up to 3 years. As a guide only, for 2008/09 HMRC expect bids to fall into the following funding brackets:

up to £20, 000 – for locally based or smaller organisations;
up to £80, 000 – for more significant projects involving work on a wider geographical scale;
up to £250, 000 – for a major programme of work on a National scale.

Extended Description:

HMRC recognises the vital role that the TSOs play in helping to achieve its aims, and respects the right that its customers have to draw upon the TSOs for help in complying with their obligations and receiving their entitlements. HMRC understands that customers may prefer not to come to HMRC direct and appreciates that TSOs organisations and advisers get alongside customers that are, for HMRC, hard to reach. For further information, see the HMRC Strategy for working with the Voluntary and Community Sector (opens new window).

Funds are available to help TSOs with the costs of a range of activities aimed at particular HMRC-related customer groups and products, and to help develop the capacity of the Third Sector itself. Projects that take a holistic approach and cover more than one of those customer groups and products are welcomed.

For further information on HMRC's key customer groups and products, applicants should refer to their strategic outcomes and priorities which can be found in the HMRC Grant in Aid Funding Guidance (opens new window).

Restrictions:

Funding is offered as grant in aid only.
Bidders should only make one funding application. Additional applications would only be considered in exceptional circumstances, for example where there is a partnership application involving two or more bidders.
HMRC seeks bids from organisations to carry out activity that do not require support or resources from HMRC.

Key Criteria:

To be eligible to apply for grant in aid funding applicants must be a third sector organisation (encompassing voluntary and community organisations, charities, social enterprises, cooperatives and mutuals both large and small) and be able to demonstrate that their organisation follows these broad criteria:

it is constitutionally independent and not directly controlled by a for-profit organisation or the state;
it is recognised as being independent of the state where there is a majority of non-statutory bodies, appointees or representatives on its 'board of trustees' and a majority of non-statutory members;
it is self-governing with its own internal decision making process;
it is non-profit distributing or surpluses are reinvested to further social, environmental or cultural objectives;
it is able to demonstrate that its objectives would benefit the wider public;
it has a formal constitution or governing document which shows its objectives and management structure;
it is financially viable.