Grant Guidelines

1. One of the principal aims of the Inland Waterways Association (IWA) is to advocate the restoration of derelict inland waterways in the British Isles.  To achieve this it has agreed Restoration Objectives, which are to:

secure support for restoration from local communities, local authorities, Environment Agency, navigation authorities and funding agencies,

secure human and financial resources for restoration,

obtain legislation and guidance documents, from Government and its agencies, that are favourable to restoration, and

achieve high quality sustainable restorations suitable for navigation and other public uses, with adequate provision for future maintenance to appropriate standards.

2.  In support of its restoration objectives IWA makes grants from its Restoration Grants Fund of up to £15,000 to organisations promoting the restoration of navigable or formerly navigable inland waterways.  Applications from bodies promoting new navigable waterway routes will also be considered.  In exceptional cases the Association may make larger grants.  Applications for grants of up to £2,000 are assessed under a simplified procedure (see below).  All applications are processed by IWA Council's Restoration Committee.  IWA does not normally provide retrospective grants for projects where expenditure has already been incurred or committed.

3. The Committee does not wish to be too prescriptive in setting its criteria: it prefers to leave the door open to new ideas.  Its position is that IWA supports all sustainable waterway restoration schemes and does not have any preconceived preferences or priorities.

4. Each applicant organisation should:

provide a full description of the proposal,

show that the organisation can maintain a satisfactory financial position,

demonstrate that it is capable of undertaking the proposed project.

The application should also include an indication of expected timescales in implementing the project and demonstrate how the organisation will obtain value for money.  Applicants should approach Restoration Committee at an early stage when projects are being planned as IWA may wish to make any grant conditional on Restoration Committee agreeing the specification or means of execution of the project.

5. Applications should generally include:

a full description of the project in words, with location plans and an A4 size drawing of any works,

the proposed programme of activities,

information on land ownership and planning consents,

a description of the overall aims and benefits of the restoration scheme to which the application relates,

a discussion of the benefits of the project,

the total costs of the project, the amount sought from IWA and from other (named) funding agencies,

the proposed means of maintaining any works after construction,

the latest copy of the applicant’s Annual Report and Accounts, including a balance sheet and an income & expenditure account,

the constitution of the applicant organisation, and

a statement that any construction or professional services contract for grant applications of over £2,000 will be let following a competitive tendering process specific to all elements of the contract.

6.  Applications for grants should be addressed to the Chairman of IWA Restoration Committee at: -

IWA Head Office, Box 114, RICKMANSWORTH WD3 IZY Tel 01923 711 114

7.  Applications up to £2,000 - Each application should demonstrate that the grant would be used to initiate or sustain a restoration scheme or significantly benefit a specific small project.

8.  Applications over £2,000 - Each application should demonstrate that the grant would be applied to one of the following types of project:

Construction: works of all sizes including construction or restoration of: locks, bridges, aqueducts, culverts, weirs, pumps, landing stages, visitor moorings or other infrastructure; and excavation, dredging, lining or bank protection of sections of channel to extend or make better use of sections of waterways under restoration.  The Committee favours works directly relating to restoration of navigation although other works such as towing paths, hedges, fences and waterway related buildings may also be considered.

(b)  Administration: support for a specific purpose, such as part-funding of a project officer, supporting a funding appeal or supporting promotional literature or events. Support for general administrative costs is not given but a small percentage addition to projects, for specific administrative items, may be acceptable.

(c)  Professional services: such as funding or part-funding of a feasibility study or detailed work on engineering, economic or environmental issues.

(d)  Land purchase.

(e)  Research on matters affecting waterway restoration - including original research, reviews of research undertaken by others and literature reviews.

(f)   Education: for example, producing information or materials for schools, local authorities, statutory agencies or for the general public to promote the history of waterways, and the nature and benefits of waterway restoration.

9.  Each application for over £2,000 should also demonstrate the extent to which it satisfies one or more of the following conditions:

(a)     The grant would unlock (lever) a grant several times larger from another body.

(b)     The grant would not replace grants available from other sources.

(c)     The project does not qualify for grants from major funding agencies.

(d)     The grant would enable a key project to be undertaken which would have a significant effect on the prospect of advancing the restoration and gaining funds from other sources for further restoration works.

(e)     The result of the project would have a major influence over the progress of a number of other restoration projects.

(f)     Restoration Committee would have a major influence in the management of the project, including monitoring of expenditure.

10.  The Committee will take account of any views expressed by the local IWA branch before making an offer.  Offers are made subject to certain standard conditions, eg relating to reports, publicity and claims, and to other conditions specific to the project.  Each applicant organisation is asked to confirm in writing its acceptance of the grant subject to the conditions and to ensure that this acceptance is recorded in the official records of the organisation.

IWA Restoration Committee
August 2005