GRANTS POLICY

to maintain and improve the twin road bridges and service bridge at Rochester and the Medway Tunnel

Grants will be made only to a registered charity or to a body whose purpose is charitable, operating in the fields of education, health, heritage or community benefit within the historic county of Kent. The historic county of Kent includes the areas administered by Kent County Council, Medway Unitary Authority, and the London Boroughs of Greenwich, Bromley, Bexley, and Lewisham.

Grants will not be made to individuals. This exclusion includes sponsorship for expeditions and fundraising, and also to applications for equipment, travel, etc. made for an individual's benefit whether directly or through a charitable body.

Normally grants will not be made towards construction, improvement, refurbishment or other projects associated with community centres, parish halls, or state funded schools or colleges. In addition, to the above esclusions, grants are not usually made to mainstream schools and colleges funded by the private, faith, or charitable sectors.

When an application relates to major restoration and repair projects for buildings, preference will be given to those applications which identify a specific project, usually with a cost of under £5,000. For example, an application might apply for a grant towards "the restoration of the Norman west door" as part of a major church refurbishment project. The Trust will not make general grants to major projects where its contribution would be a very small proportion of the total required (e.g. less than 10%).

The Trust makes limited total funds available for the making of minor grants. Therefore, preference will be given to applications from organisations which have not previously received a grant from the Trust. A register of grants made each year is maintained. If a second or subsequent application for funding is made, it should set out any special case for further funding in preference to first-time applications.

Every application must include a copy of the applicant's latest available accounts. The applicant's accounts will be reviewed by the Chief Finance Officer and advice given to the decision-making Panel regarding financial viability, sustainability, and the level of unencumbered reserves.

Funds will not normally be released until evidence has been received of the placing of contracts or other relevant evidence of readiness to incur expenditure. A copy of a relevant invoice or order to a contractor or supplier will generally suffice. Retrospective grants are not made towards the cost of projects already completed.

A grant offered will lapse (in the absence of good cause to the satisfaction of the Court) if not taken up within two years from the end of the Grant Year in which the application was made. Applicants are requested to advise the Trust, if the need for the grant has lapsed or if significant delays to progress are anticipated.

Representatives of the Trust do not expect to meet with applicants either prior to consideration of their applications or after a grant has been made. The Trust will notify applicants by post during August about the outcome of applications. It is not generally possible to provide details of the Trust's decision by telephone.

Unless specifically requested, no permanent acknowledgement of the making of a grant is required, although it will be acceptable if a grantee wishes to provide one. Any acknowledgement which a recipient chooses to give shall be styled "The Rochester Bridge Trust" or "The Wardens and Assistants of Rochester Bridge".