Receiving a grant: Nature Networks Fund (round six)
Introduction
When you receive a grant from us, it is important that you understand the steps you will need to take throughout your project. Our funding is public money from the Welsh Government, so you must read and understand all our guidance to make sure you are compliant with our requirements. This includes:
- this receiving your grant guidance
- your full application
- the Nature Networks Fund (round six) application guidance
- the grant contract
The grant contract is made up of:
- the grant notification letter
- the standard terms of grant
- any additional grant conditions
- your signed permission to start form
The standard terms of grant include defined terms which may appear capitalised or not and which will apply and have the same meaning wherever they are included in this guidance. If you do not comply with our requirements, you may be in breach of the grant contract, which could have an impact on your grant and your grant payments.
Additional guidance is available in the Funding and Good practice guidance sections of the website. You can also explore our position and advice on using artificial intelligence (AI) tools during project delivery.
If you have any questions or concerns after you have read this guidance, please contact natur@heritagefund.org.uk for support.
If you have already been awarded a grant, you should contact your Grant-in-Aid Manager, who is there to support you throughout your project. They will work with you in a way which is proportionate and appropriate to your grant, and you should keep in regular contact with them.
Project timeline
There are several key stages you will go through as you deliver your project. As you work with us, you will:
- attend your start up meeting
- submit your permission to start form within six months of receiving your grant notification letter
- complete the give us more project information task
- deliver your project activity, including the approved purposes, and give us regular project updates
- request your grant payments and give evidence about how you have spent the money
- submit your final project update and completion report, and request your final payment, by 31 March 2030
Providing evidence of your project
Throughout your project delivery, we will expect you to collect evidence to show:
- how you are achieving the approved purposes
- how you are complying with the grant contract
- how you are spending the grant
- the impact of our funding
You should make sure to follow good practice and keep records throughout your project to help you answer any questions we may ask.
Find out more about providing evidence of how you are spending your grant.
Complying with our requirements
When updating us on your project, we will ask you questions to help us understand how you are complying with the grant contract and our requirements. You may also need to send us evidence of this.
For example, we will ask you about:
- any staff you have recruited to help you deliver your project
- any goods, works or services you have procured
Evidence of this could include:
- a report on the recruitment process for a staff member
- a report on a service you have procured
If you are unable to provide the evidence we ask for, you may be in breach of the grant contract and this could have an impact on your grant and your grant payments.
You should keep all evidence for seven years after the grant contract has finished.
Your project’s impact
We will also ask you questions throughout your project to help us gather data on the impact of our funding. This is because we want to learn from and share information about the projects we fund. It also helps inform our practice and how we deliver our strategy.
For example, we will ask you about:
- jobs, apprenticeships and training opportunities created as a result of your project
- any volunteers you had and the hours they spent supporting your project
- people who benefitted from your project, such as the number of people who have visited your project
Evidence of this could include:
- a log of any training staff have undertaken as a result of your project
- the number of hours volunteers have spent supporting your project each year and in total across your project
- the number of people who have visited your project online and onsite each year and in total across your project
Publicising and acknowledging your grant
During your project we will work with you on publicising your grant and will support you in acknowledging our funding. You should also tell us about any key project events and openings, so we can send a representative to attend where possible.
If you are creating publicity or marketing materials, make sure you share these with us so we can approve them first. For example, press releases or signage.
Every project which receives funding from us must publicly acknowledge our support. You should think about how you will acknowledge your grant from the very start of your project. We expect acknowledgement to be prominent and proportionate to the size of your grant.
Find out more about acknowledging your grant and our acknowledgement toolkit.
We also want to celebrate the impact our funding makes across the UK. As part of this, we may contact you about opportunities to feature your project in our own and Welsh Government promotional activity.
This could include, but is not limited to:
- displays in retail outlets
- inclusion in campaigns
- being highlighted as an example of how funding benefits local communities
Taking part can help raise awareness of your project, inspire others and demonstrate the impact made possible by Welsh Government funding.
Before starting your project
You will receive an email from your Grant-in-Aid Manager, providing information about your grant award and your grant notification letter. It will detail what needs to be done before you can start your project and will ask you to complete the following tasks.
You should not start any work on your project until you have our written permission to do so. If you do start any work before receiving this permission, it is at your own risk and we will not cover any costs incurred.
Receiving the grant notification letter
Once we’ve let you know you have been awarded a grant, we will send you a grant notification letter. This letter contains information about:
- your project, including the approved purposes, approved usage and grant expiry date
- the standard terms of your grant
- any additional grant conditions
- any other bespoke requirements that apply to your project, for example subsidy control, compliance or joint grantees
The email will also ask you to sign in to your account to complete your permission to start form and the give us more project information task.
We normally expect you to complete your permission to start form and the give us more project information task, as well as submit the documents requested at this stage, within three months of the date of the grant notification letter. If there are substantial delays and the information we need has not been received within six months, we may decide to withdraw the offer of your grant.
Attending your startup meeting
Soon after you’ve received your grant notification letter, we will arrange a startup meeting with key members of your project team. The purpose of the meeting is to:
- clarify the permission to start process
- clarify the project work
- agree project management, procurement and programme of work
- set out the reporting, monitoring and evaluation requirements of your project
- discuss any legal points, such as ownership, security (for example, legal charge), licences for work or subsidy control
- talk you through the additional information we need to help gather data on the impact of our funding
At this meeting you may be introduced to a consultant from our Register of Support Services (RoSS), who will support you in developing aspects of your project and support us with monitoring your project.
A RoSS consultant may provide advice on general project management, or on specific areas such as:
- construction management
- business planning
- natural environment
- public engagement
- digital assets
The consultant is appointed and paid for by us and will report to us throughout the duration of your project or during a specific part of your project.
Completing permission to start
When completing your permission to start form, it’s important you check the details of your grant notification letter against the information we have in the permission to start form. If there are any errors, you must get in touch with your Grant-in-Aid Manager before moving forward.
Before we can give you permission to start, you will need to provide the following information as required:
- Proof of freehold or leasehold ownership (for all capital projects, if any changes have taken place since your application). This might include confirmation that your lease meets the requirements set out in the application guidance or that you have acquired a freehold interest in the property.
- details of statutory permissions and licences required and obtained, if applicable. If any of these are outstanding, then please complete our Outstanding Permissions Template and record when you expect to receive each statutory permission/license.
- evidence of secured cash contributions as outlined in your application
- cost breakdown and cashflow report outlining your project, as applicable
- an outline of your organisation’s project management structure and a document outlining your approach to choosing consultants, contractors and suppliers
- a project timetable or work programme outlining your project, as applicable
- a proposal for how you will manage procurement taking place in your project, as applicable
- any other details that we feel may be relevant to your project, including subsidy control considerations, as applicable
- proof that any conditions regarding security over the property, such as legal charges and restrictions, have been complied with
You must tell us if there are any changes to your project since you submitted your application. For example if there are changes to your project partners or cash contributions. You’ll also need to provide updated evidence if needed.
You will then be required to provide details of two legal signatories for your organisation. They will need to read and agree the grant contract.
Once we have processed and approved the information you have provided, we will send you a countersigned permission to start form and an email confirming that you have permission to start. If you do start any work before receiving permission to start, it is at your own risk and we will not cover any costs incurred.
Give us more project information
Once you have submitted your permission to start form, you will be able to give us more information about your project. These questions are not part of your application and your answers will not affect your grant award. The information you provide helps us to understand the impact of our funding.
To help you to answer these additional questions about your project, read the Give us more project information guidance and questions.
You need to complete this task before we can release any payments to you. If you do not provide this information to us as soon as possible after we have given you permission to start, your payments may be delayed.
During your project
As you deliver your project, we encourage you to keep in touch with us. This is so we can hear about the things you are achieving and support you with any issues that may come up. You can always contact your Grant-in-Aid Manager for advice on managing our funding at any point during your project.
Updating us on your project
Throughout your project, you must give us regular updates about how it’s going. We will use these updates to:
- monitor the progress of your project and support you as needed
- make sure you are complying with our requirements
- gather information about the impact of our funding
Over the life of your project delivery, you will need to submit:
- a project update every three months
- a separate yearly project update once a year
- a final project update and completion report when you complete your project
If a different project update schedule is needed, your Grant-in-Aid Manager will discuss this with you.
How we will pay your grant
Your grant will be paid in arrears. To claim a payment you will need to submit a payment request, usually every three months. You’ll also need to have recently submitted a project update.
We will pay your grant as a percentage of your project costs. We describe this as the payment percentage. This is explained in your grant notification letter.
For example, if you provide evidence of expenditure totalling £50,000 and your grant percentage is 85%, your payment will be £42,500.
We will pay the final 10% of your grant after you have completed your project and provided:
- a final project update and completion report
- a final payment request and evidence of how the rest of your grant was spent
For all payments, we aim to pay you within 10 working days of having all the information we need.
Once you have made your final payment request, we will not accept any further requests for payments from you. You should agree your final accounts with any contractors and suppliers before you request your final payment.
If you spend less on your project delivery than the money we have paid you, you will need to return any money you have not spent. We will agree with you the amount to be returned when we process your completion report.
When requesting a payment, you’ll need to tell us how you’ve been spending your grant. You must provide individual invoices for all expenditure over £500. They should also be clear, readable and not damaged or tampered with.
Invoices must have:
- an invoice number
- the date they were raised
- the date payment is expected and the payment terms
- how payment is made and to who
- company details including:
- name
- address of the organisation submitting the payment request
- email address
- telephone number
- company number
- VAT registration number, if VAT registered
- a description of the services provided
- if applicable, the gross amount with VAT, or the net amount with the VAT amount included separately
You do not need to submit invoices for costs under £500, but you must tell us about these costs when you submit a payment request.
Salaries for project staff should be evidenced by providing payslips or a letter signed by a member of your organisation with financial authority.
If you are claiming full cost recovery, you can evidence this by providing a letter signed by a member of your organisation with financial authority.
We will only cover costs which we have agreed to fund. We cannot cover the costs of VAT that you can reclaim. It is your responsibility to seek appropriate advice about reclaiming VAT. If your VAT status changes during your project we will reduce our contribution to the costs where you have managed to claim back the VAT.
Changes to your project
We understand that challenges can arise during a project. This could include:
- issues within your organisation
- changes to your project costs
- delays to your timeline
- difficulty delivering the project or achieving the approved purposes
It is important that you let us know about any challenges you are facing, so we can provide advice and support. If any of these challenges mean there could be substantial changes to your project, you must discuss this with us as soon as possible. This is because any changes will need to be agreed and approved by us before they are made.
This includes any changes to your agreed budget, including moving costs between cost headings or using contingency, and any changes to your approved purposes.
Please note that you cannot move funds between the capital and revenue cost headings as outlined in your application.
The Nature Networks Fund is unable to accommodate extensions to your grant expiry date. If you experience delays in delivering your project, you must discuss this with us as soon as possible.
If the cost of your project increases, we will only consider increasing your grant in exceptional circumstances and if there is budget available from the Welsh Government. In this case you will have to provide further information which will be reviewed on a case-by-case basis.
Any requests for changes to your project must be made in writing. This can either be an email or we may ask you to complete a separate form if there are substantial changes.
You will need to tell us how any changes will impact:
- the quality of your project
- the cost of your project
- the time you need to complete your project
- the future viability of your project
We may decide to re-assess your project or take any other action we consider necessary. We cannot guarantee we will agree to your request and we may only do so if you agree to additional terms and conditions. We will discuss any decision we make with you.
If we do agree to any substantial changes to your project, including offering you a grant increase, the Grant-in-Aid team will contact you confirming the changes offered. You will need to confirm you accept this by replying to the email within five working days.
Procurement
In all projects, whenever you use your grant to purchase goods, works or services, we will ask you to give us details of how you procure them. This is the buying, tendering and selection process. If you have already purchased goods, works or services for your project, you will need to tell us how you did it.
We cannot pay your grant if you have not followed the following procedure.
If you are a public body or your project is subject to Public Procurement legislation then you must follow the relevant legislation.
Procedures to recruit consultants and contracts must be fair and open and comply with relevant equality and employment legislation. Fees for any consultants or other professionals that you recruit during the project should be in line with professional guidelines and be based on a clear written specification.
If any of the contractors, suppliers or consultants you wish to appoint are linked – for example close friends or relatives, or if there is any financial link such as ownership of these suppliers – you will need to obtain written permission from us first.
You do not necessarily need to appoint the contractor, supplier or consultant who provides the lowest quote. When deciding who to appoint for your project, you should look at the overall value for money the tender or quote presents and the skills, experience and financial viability of the contractor, supplier or consultant.
If you are unsure about your obligations, we advise you to take professional or legal advice. You can also see our procurement good practice guidance.
£10,000 or under (excluding VAT)
If you are buying goods, works or services for £10,000 or under (excluding VAT) you do not need to openly tender for these or get multiple quotes. We will expect you to show overall value for money.
More than £10,000 and up to £50,000 (excluding VAT)
You should get at least three competitive tenders or quotes for all goods, works and services worth more than £10,000 and up to £50,000 (excluding VAT) that we have agreed to fund.
More than £50,000 (excluding VAT)
For all goods, works and services worth more than £50,000 (excluding VAT), you must provide proof of competitive tendering procedures. Your proof should be a report on the tenders you have received, together with your decision on which to accept.
Considerations for procurement
In some circumstances, you do not need to undertake a competitive tendering procedure, and you can invite only one organisation to tender. This is where:
- the total price of the contract is £10,000 or under (excluding VAT)
- a framework agreement is in place for the supply of goods, works or services which has been previously competitively tendered, and the goods or services are directly relevant to the scope of the project works to be undertaken
- There is a project contract in place, which has previously been competitively tendered, and it is logical to extend to cover additional project work. In this case you must confirm that:
- in the case of capital works the prices of most elements of work, including preliminaries, overheads and profits can be directly applied from the existing contract to the new work
- the new work is smaller in scale, and is of a similar type to the main contract work
- the contractor will not claim disruption or prolongation cost to the main contract if the new work is introduced
- the existing contract restricts work being undertaken by others
- the goods, works or services required are unique as set out in a non-branded requirement specification and it is not possible to obtain them from other sources by competitive tender
- You can demonstrate that you have tried to tender the goods, works or services openly and competitively but had not received sufficient interest. The only tender received was submitted by a service provider who believed they were doing so in competition with others.
- emergency work where it can be shown that time taken to obtain tenders would put the project at risk and add considerably to eventual costs
- the company providing the single tender is not connected, either through ownership or through family connections, with senior representatives of the grantee
We will also require you to consider social values in your procurement, including:
- diverse supply chains
- improved employability and skills
- inclusion, mental health and wellbeing
- environmental sustainability
- safe supply chains
You should make sure any contractor, supplier, consultant or partner who may contribute to the creation of digital outputs is aware of our requirement for projects to share these under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International licence or equivalent. You must also make sure you have agreement for the resulting work to be shared in this way.
Where this is not possible, you must seek written agreement to make alternative arrangements with us, for example to use an alternative open licence, prior to issuing any contract of work.
Community grants
As part of your project, you may have asked us to contribute towards a pot of money that you can use to fund other groups or organisations, who we call community grant recipients, to complete pieces of work that will contribute to the overall aims of your project. This is called a community grant.
Before you launch your community grant scheme, you will need to send us details about your application, decision making and progress monitoring processes. This should be sent to your Grant-in-Aid Manager who will review and approve it.
When making a payment request to us, you must include a list of community grant recipients as evidence of expenditure. The list must include how much each community grant recipient was awarded, the date of the decision to award the grant and must be signed by two people from your community grant decision panel.
You are responsible for monitoring the progress of community grants and ensuring compliance with the terms you have agreed to during your project application. You will need to decide how you will keep in touch with each community grant recipient and what information you want to see from them. This can be proportionate depending on the size of the grant and what it was awarded for.
You should tell us how the community grant scheme is progressing in your project updates to us and evaluate the overall effectiveness of community grants within your project in your completion report.
Completing your project
Once you have finished your project, you’ll need to complete a final project update and completion report and request your final payment. You’ll also need to send us all the necessary documents we ask for.
Completion Report
The final project update and completion report helps us to understand how successful your project has been. It also allows us to make sure you have complied with our requirements. It will be similar to your regular project updates and will include questions about how your project went.
For your project to be complete, you will need to make sure:
- your project is finished and you have achieved your approved purposes
- if applicable, you have met any additional grant conditions
- you have submitted a final project update and completion report
- you have appropriately acknowledged your grant
- you have evaluated your project and sent us your evaluation report
- you can supply high resolution images documenting your project, and have secured all individual consents for use of those images
- if your project involved capital works, you have provided a practical completion certificate
- if applicable, you have listed the project’s digital outputs and provided the web address (URL) of the website or websites where they can be accessed
- if applicable, you have filed your conservation plan with the relevant public library, archive and database, and shared the details of this with your Grant-in-Aid Manager
- if applicable, evidence of recording and sharing habitat and species data with local environmental record centres and/or to the National Biodiversity Network (NBN)
We must receive your report before your grant expiry date. You cannot receive your final payment until your report has been approved by your Grant-in-Aid Manager.
After we have reviewed all your information, and processed any final payment, we will confirm with you that your project is complete. The date we confirm this with you will be known as the project completion date.
Requesting your final payment
After you have submitted your final project update and completion report, you will be able to request your final payment. To do this, you must provide evidence of how your remaining grant was spent.
Once you have made your final payment request, we will not accept any further requests for payments from you. You should therefore agree your final accounts with any contractors and suppliers before requesting your final payment.
If you have spent less on your project than the money we have paid you, your final payment may be reduced or you may need to return any money you have not spent. If this happens, we will agree the final amount with you before making the payment.
After your project has completed
We will continue to keep in contact with you at intervals after the project is completed, including through our GDPR compliant customer surveys.
The standard terms of grant will continue to apply for a number of years, as set out in the grant notification letter, after you have achieved the approved purposes. During this time you must comply with the approved usage. You must continue to monitor this and get in touch with us if anything may affect your ability to keep to the approved usage.
Guidance updates
We will regularly review this guidance and respond to user feedback. We reserve the right to make changes as required. We will communicate any changes as quickly as possible via this webpage.