Section 5 - UKPSA Policy on Grants to Individuals, Organisations and Loans to UKPSA Instructors

Background

1. One of the ways by which the Association meets its charitable objects as described in its constitution is the provision of financial assistance to both individuals and affiliated organisations through grants. In addition, the UKPSA also supports its’ Instructors through loans to procure equipment necessary to deliver the Associations’ Safety Courses. This policy statement describes the management of the grants scheme and how individual members, affiliated organisations or UKPSA qualified Instructors can apply for financial assistance from the Association.

The Grant Scheme

2. Management of the scheme. The grant scheme is managed by two groups: firstly, by the Grants Sub Committee and ultimately by Full Council.
   1. The Grants Sub Committee. The Grants Sub Committee (GSC) is chaired by the Association Treasurer and consists of a further 2 members drawn from the wider council. They are responsible for the processing of any requests for financial assistance from individual members or affiliated organisations, liaising with applicants and making a recommendation to Council regarding each application received. The GSC may make any enquiries they deem necessary to inform their report to Council, including but not limited to visits to organisations or individuals. Once a decision has been made by Council, the GSC will communicate the decision to the applicant and where a grant has been authorised, oversee the transfer of any funds or other items from the Association. Thereafter, they will follow up with the beneficiary to ensure that the grant awarded has been applied towards the purpose stated in the application.
   2. Council. Council are the deciding body for any application received for financial assistance. Any decision regarding grants should be made in-committee by council at one of its scheduled meetings with their decisions recorded in the minutes of the meeting. The decision of Full Council on any application shall be final.
      1. Conflicts of Interest. Any member of Council who may be a direct beneficiary of a grant awarded by the Association must declare that a conflict of interest exists and take no part in any deliberations regarding the award. For the avoidance of doubt, they will not be party to any discussion of the potential award nor shall they be eligible to take part in any vote upon it.
3. Applications.
   1. Grants to Individuals and Affiliated Organisations. Any individual or affiliated organisation wishing to apply for a grant from the Association shall do so by filling out an online application form which is available via the Association’s website. Completed applications should be submitted online via the Google Form. If for whatever reason completion of the online form is not possible, then organisations or individuals should contact the Treasurer via email (treasurer@ukpsa.org).
   2. Loans to UKPSA Instructors. Any UKPSA qualified instructor is able to apply to the Association for a loan in order to procure equipment necessary for delivering the UKPSA Safety Course. An instructor wishing to make use of this facility should contact the Secretary directly in order to initiate the process.

4. Reporting Requirements. Any individual or affiliated organisation who has received a grant from the Association must provide a report to the GSC which details how the award was spent. The report should be supported by evidence such as photographs (which may be used to publicise what can be achieved with the help of a grant from the Association) and receipts for all expenditure.
5. Retention of Records. All records pertaining to applications for the award of grants shall be retained by the Association for a minimum period of 5 calendar years beyond the year in which the application is made.

Guidance Material

6. The following guidance is offered to individuals and affiliated organisations considering applying for grants from the Association:
   1. The purpose for which the grant is requested must be clear and unambiguous. The Association will only approve grants for specific purposes. For instance, if an affiliated club is looking to improve its range, it would not be sufficient to simply request a grant to help with ‘the cost of range improvements’. However, an affiliated club who requested a grant of £300 to assist with the cost of timber to extend the IPSC Shotgun bays at the club is both specific in nature and clearly demonstrates the benefit to IPSC competitors.
   2. The purpose for which the grant is requested must result in a clear benefit to IPSC Competitors. The Association will normally only approve grants which directly benefit IPSC shooting. For instance, an organisation who applied for a grant to affect improvements to the Bench Rest area at their range is unlikely to be approved. However, an organisation who applied for a grant to create a single 25m lane for the purpose of load development and load testing for IPSC long gun competitors may be approved.
   3. The benefits delivered by way of Association grants should be able to be realised by IPSC competitors across the Association. Organisations who are awarded grants by the Association should be prepared to host matches and competitions in which the wider Association membership may take part. Clearly this may not be feasible for some organisations due to certain constraints such as the scale of facilities available. However, where such constraints do not exist, an unwillingness on the part of the organisation to host such events may prejudice the approval of grants.
   4. The level of any grant awarded should be at least matched by the organisation in their business case for the project in question. The Association will usually expect that an organisation applying for a grant is both prepared and able to at least match the amount they are requesting from the Association. For instance, if an organisation is requesting a grant of £400 for the provision of targetry, the Association would expect the organisation to spend at least the same amount on targetry. If the purpose of the grant is an element of a more general improvement scheme, then the Association would expect to see evidence of expenditure of equal or greater sums in other areas of that project.
   5. The Association may attach terms and conditions to any awards granted at their discretion. When making any award, the Association may attach certain conditions such as stipulating a time limit by when it expects the implementation of the purpose for which the award was requested. The Association may also state that should the original purpose of the grant not be delivered for whatever reason, then the value of the award made shall be repaid to the Association.
   6. The Association may provide a grant in the form of goods or services in lieu of cash. If the intended purpose of a grant is for equipment or targetry, the Association may undertake to supply the relevant goods directly rather than transfer money to the applicant at its discretion.
   7. Unsuccessful applications. Council may choose not to approve an application for a grant under the scheme for any number of reasons. When an application is unsuccessful, the GSC will inform the applicant of the council’s decision and any reasons given. An unsuccessful application does not however preclude the applicant re-applying at a later date.
   8. Whilst the Association will consider the award of grants to individual members, any application for such an award must be supported by a compelling application. Whilst the principal purpose of the grant scheme is to assist affiliated organisations in providing benefits to as many IPSC competitors as possible (such as better range facilities or props and targetry to improve the quality of matches), the GSC will consider applications from individuals. The GSC will however only consider such an award in compelling cases. For instance, a Junior competitor who the NSD believes has a realistic prospect of a high placing in a Continental or International match who unfortunately cannot afford the associated cost of attending the match may be supported by the Association through a grant to cover certain aspects. Each case will be judged on its merits however, the case for such an award would need to be substantial, compelling and supported by suitable evidence.

7. Loans to UKPSA Instructors. In order to assist UKPSA Instructors with the initial outlay on equipment necessary to deliver Safety Courses, the Association will support them by facilitating loans. The maximum period of such loans will be 12 calendar months; at the end of which, the instructor must pay back the full amount advanced by the Association.
   1. Loans will only be advanced for the purchase of items of equipment that are appropriate to the delivery of Safety Courses.
   2. Instructors will be required to support any request with a short Business Case which the Treasurer will provide guidance on drafting.
   3. Whilst the scheme is open to all instructors, it is principally aimed at assisting newly qualified instructors as they begin delivering Safety Courses on behalf of the Association. Anyone taking advantage of the scheme shall under most circumstances only be eligible to receive a loan once. Subsequent loans will only be approved in exceptional circumstances.