Positive Activities Fund FAQ

Want to know more about the new Positive Activities Fund? You're in the right place.

Where can I download the application form from?

The application form and guidance notes for 2012-13 are now available.  You can also download from the Positive Activities page or register an interest/request a form by emailing rosie.boyes@oxfordshire.gov.uk

What is the Positive Activities Fund?

The Positive Activities Fund (PAF) is money to support positive activities for young people. In essence this will be similar to the previous Youth Opportunities and Youth Capital Funds, but it will be funded from a new pot of money taken from the Positive Activities budget. This Fund supports new, young person lead, local positive activities in Oxfordshire.

How much money is there and when must it be spent by?  

There is a pot of roughly £180,000 for the 2012-2013 financial year (from April 2012 - March 2013) for the whole of Oxfordshire. There is a guideline allocation of just under £26,000 for each of the 7 Hub Areas, but this is transferable  as required, dependent on need and demand. All funding must be spent by the end of March 2013. 

How much can we apply for?

Groups can apply for a maximum of £6K per bid, but we review this maximum during the year, depending on demand. Please check back for the latest guidance.

What is the age range? 

The PAF age range is 11 – 19 (and up to 24 inclusive for those with learning difficulties or disabilities) for Panellists and applicants.

Who can apply for PAF Funding? 

Young people linked to any organisation (including those linked to EI Hubs and VCS groups) can apply for PAF funding, including any young people on or linked to the Panel.  So it is a fair process, when the Panel look at any bid, the two young people from that Hub Area will not take part in the decision-making for that specific bid if they have been part of the bid or if they know the young people involved and do not feel they can be objective.  (Issues of bias, vested interest/declaration of interest etc will be addressed in the training.)  Bids from young people applying for funding must be young-person led and in addition to planning their project and submitting an application form, bidders will need to make a short presentation to the PAF Panel if their bid is £1K or over. 

Can I see a list of projects funded last year?

Positive Activities Fund award list 2011-12.

Who decides which projects will be funded?

There is a single countywide grant-giving Panel of young people, with representation from the seven Hub Areas – two from each Hub Area - with a planned total of fourteen young people.  Panellists are fully trained before taking part in Panels. This makes them credible grant-giving decision-makers, able to decide on which bids to fund in accordance with Funding Guidelines. 

What rewards/accreditation do young panellists get?

To recognise the work put in by Panellists and to thank them for their time, each young person will each receive a £10 voucher and the whole group will also go out for a celebratory meal after the last Panel.  In addition to this, Panellists will also be given a certificate to show their involvement, awarded the Oxfordshire Young People’s Award, can count the hours towards the Oxfordshire Volunteering Award scheme and can also have letters written to their school/college/employer explaining what they have been involved in.  Being a member of the PAF Panel will also look very good on any CV, as young people will learn important decision-making and other skills (from the training and through the experience of contributing to Panel sessions) and will have demonstrated high levels of commitment and responsibility.

Number of meetings?

There are meetings throughout the year to assess bids. These are the meeting dates which have been set so far:

1st Grant giving panel -      Date:   Thursday 19th April     Time:   5:45pm – 9.00pm

2nd Grant giving panel -     Date:   Thursday 3rd May      Time:   5:45pm – 9.00pm

3rd Grant giving panel -      Date:   Thursday 24th May     Time:   5:45pm – 9.00pm

4th Grant giving panel -      Date:   Thursday 7th June      Time:   5:45pm – 9.00pm

5th Grant giving panel -      Date:   Thursday 21st June    Time:   5:45pm – 9.00pm

6th Grant giving panel -      Date:   Thursday 12th July      Time:   5:45pm – 9.00pm

All applications received are allocated to the first Panel available on a first-come first-served basis, so get your bids in as soon as possible to ensure you have the best chance to get your project funded.

Venue? 

All Panel sessions will be held at the Oxford Early Intervention Satellite (old Connexions Office) at:

104, Gloucester Green, Oxford. OX1 2RH.

This is in central Oxford, close to the train and bus stations. There is also parking nearby.

Time?

A maximum of five bids can be reviewed during any Panel session and you will be given a time slot. We will try to accommodate any specific time slot requests (or for an earlier or later slot in general) but they cannot be guaranteed.  Please make any time requests you may have when you submit your application.  

Where can I find more information?

If you have any questions, want to add any more questions to this page, or want to know more, please contact Rosie Boyes, Youth Opportunities Officer, on 07919 298 259 or by e-mail: rosie.boyes@oxfordshire.gov.uk