Community Celebrations Grants Application Guidelines Refugee Week Scotland Festival Wednesday 3 Sunday 21 June 2015 Deadline for Grant Application: Friday 27 February 2015, 12pm (Noon) Refugee Week Scotland provides opportunities for communities to participate in and experience arts, cultural, sports and heritage projects that raise awareness of refugee issues and celebrate the contributions refugees make to Scotland and the welcome given by its people. 1) How much funding is available? Scottish Refugee Council award grants of up to 500 to support community organisations and groups to carry out arts, cultural, sports or heritage events and activities as part of the Community Celebrations programme for Refugee Week Scotland. 2) What is Refugee Week Scotland Festival? Refugee Week Scotland is an annual festival of arts and cultural events that celebrates the positive contributions of refugees and the welcome offered by our communities. The festival is centred around World Refugee Day on 20 June, a global celebration of the strength and resilience of the millions of people around the world forced to flee their homes because of war, persecution or human rights abuses. 3) When is Refugee Week Scotland 2015? Due to the popularity of Refugee Week Scotland and the number of events taking place across Scotland, we have extended the period in which events can take place in 2015. Although Refugee Week Scotland takes place on 15-21 June, the Refugee Week Scotland Festival Programme will run from 3 June - 21 June. 4) Refugee Week Scotland 2015 Theme: Celebrate: rights, dignity, protection. Please consider the theme of Refugee Week Scotland when developing your application ideas. The theme of Refugee Week Scotland is 2015 'Celebrate: dignity, rights, protection'. This year, as Scottish Refugee Council turns 30, we want to celebrate the human 1
right to respect and dignity and Scotland s long-standing commitment to protecting refugees - something we can all be proud of. Refugee Week Scotland is an opportunity for you to reflect on your community s achievements, raise public awareness about your community and take action towards the future you want to see for refugees in Scotland. It s important that you consider the Refugee Week Scotland 2015 theme of Celebrate: dignity, rights, protection in developing your event. For example your activity could: Celebrate integration, diversity of and welcome shared between refugees and local Scots in your community. Celebrate refugee cultures, arts, skills, enterprise, contributions to and impact on your community. Please also consider using other events or programmes to inspire your event, for example, Scottish Government s year of Food and Drink 2015. 5) What kind of events or activities are we looking for? We welcome all kinds of community celebration events from storytelling, music nights, dance or theatre performances, fashion design and display, visual arts and crafts activities, discussions, film screenings, book readings, exhibitions, workshops, themed walks or food events, sports events or quizzes. We are looking for you to think creatively about how you can celebrate Refugee Week Scotland with your community. Contact Suzi Maciver, Arts & Cultural Development Officer for Scottish Refugee Council suzi.maciver@scottishrefugeecouncil.org.uk / 0141 248 9799 if you need help - or to discuss ideas. Or you can browse last year s programme for inspiration. 6) Who can apply? You must be a group or organisation working in the community. If you are an individual wishing to apply, you must find a community group or organisation to apply on your behalf. You must have a bank account or your application will not be considered. 2
7) How we assess your application: criteria Scottish Refugee Council will assess the following: Completeness of the form - please ensure you answer all questions in the application form. We are unable to consider incomplete forms. Project timing - although Refugee Week Scotland takes place from 15-21 June, the Refugee Week Scotland Festival Programme will run from 3 June - 21 June. Please ensure your event takes place within the festival programme dates 3 21 June 2015. Your group s experience of and commitment to working with asylum seekers and refugees. Your group s skills and experience in running events previously: o Evidence of financial planning / budgeting o Evidence of publicising / marketing o Evidence of organisational / planning skills Your event or activity s connection to the theme of Celebrate: dignity, rights, protection. You must provide a proposed date and venue for your event. You must demonstrate how your event will appeal to other communities and general public and how you will involve them. 8) How to apply Please ensure you have referred to the above criteria when submitting your application. Please complete and send an application form with your budget to suzi.maciver@scottishrefugeecouncil.org.uk by Friday 27 February 2015 at 12pm. We may contact your organisation to discuss your application, so please ensure you provide contact details for an appropriate person. 3
9) Next Steps (successful applicants) If your application is successful, a written grant offer will be made by Monday 16 March 2014. o Please note we may not award the full amount applied for. Following this, your organisation will be required to submit an invoice to Scottish Refugee Council by Monday 23 March. o Please ensure the address on your invoice is the address where you want the grant cheque to be sent. o The invoice can take up to 10 days to process, and we will distribute the money by cheque. o Your organisation must have a bank account and send your bank details on your invoice. We will ask you to confirm your event details including venue, date, time and a 50 word description by Monday 23 March for the Refugee Week Scotland printed brochure. You will be invited to attend a Refugee Week Scotland briefing prior to the festival and will be contacted about this date. This is a good opportunity to find out what other groups involved in the festival are doing and make new contacts. Once you ve accepted your grant award from Scottish Refugee Council, we ask that your organisation keep us informed about the event and any changes that happen during planning so that we can update out website and listings. We require that you complete an event organiser evaluation form, which will be sent to you in advance and return this by Friday 3 July. Any other documentation of the event is also useful (ie. photos). You will be invited to attend a Refugee Week Scotland evaluation session on Friday 3 July. This is a relaxed event where we share experiences and learn together about what went well and what could be improved. We understand this grant may not be enough to entirely fund an event. We encourage you to work in partnership with local organisations and venues who may be interested in supporting your work. 4
10) Next Steps (unsuccessful applicants) If you are unsuccessful in your application we will notify you before Friday 20 March. We are happy to feedback on your proposal via the most helpful method. If you would still like to be part of the programme, complete the event submission form and send to suzi.maciver@scottisrefugeecouncil.org.uk by Monday 23 March, 12pm. 11) Training Opportunities Scottish Refugee Council offer free skills workshops to help you prepare for your event. We advise your group s committee members to take up this opportunity. Further details on our website. For more information, or to discuss your grant application, please contact: Suzi Maciver, Arts & Cultural Development Officer for Scottish Refugee Council on 0141 248 9799 / suzi.maciver@scottishrefugeecouncil.org.uk 5