If you are thinking about expanding your out-of-school club or opening a new one, you should consider the funding available through the New Opportunities Fund (NOF) - although don't wait too long, as there are ONLY THREE more rounds to go in June and October this year, and February the next!
The fund offers clubs a chance to access significant funding for new childcare places for school-aged children. However, applications for young people aged 15 to 16 years old are only allowed if the children have special needs. The fund can be accessed for almost any type of provision - breakfast, after school, holiday and weekend provision in clubs, and for wrap-around care in pre-school groups and nurseries. The funding can be for one year, or for three years for clubs in areas of deprivation. Once you have heard your bid has been successful, you have one year to open your provision.
Three routes
There are three ways to access NOF:
* Single route
* Consortium route
* Partnership route
The single route requires you to take the lead, communicate with NOF throughout the bid's progress and take responsibility for monitoring the funds. The NOF criteria require that you prove the need for the club, write a project plan and provide detailed accounts. NOF requires strict monitoring of the use of NOF funds, and you must provide a mid-term and end-of-term report, with financial details. Private profit-making businesses cannot access NOF via this route.
The consortium route enables a number of settings to access the fund together. It requires a lead body to organise and collate the separate bids, taking responsibility for the whole bid. NOF will contact the lead body with requests for information during the progress of the bid. Once the bid has been approved, the lead body must allocate, manage and monitor the funds and provide reports to NOF.
The partnership route is similar to the consortium route, except that an Early Years Development and Childcare Partnership (EYDCP) is responsible for collating the individual bids. It is likely that EYDCP development workers will have worked with the clubs concerned prior to submission. The EYDCP maintains contact with NOF and the provider, acting as a conduit for information exchange. This route is the most popular and, together with the consortium route, provides the best opportunity for success.
What is needed
The main criteria that clubs need to fulfil are as follows, although these may vary depending on the EYDCP:
* Good quality market research
* Costings for the provision
* A business plan
* OFSTED registration (the club can be in the process of attaining registration)
* A club bank account
* Premises
Deadlines
The deadlines for the rounds vary with which way you are accessing the funding. They are:
* 15 June 2002 (single route)
* 1 July 2002 (consortium and partnership route)
* 15 October 2002 (single route)
* 1 November 2002 (consortium and partnership route)
* 15 February 2003 (single route)
* 1 March 2003 (consortium and partnership route) Step by step
To apply for funds:
* Contact your EYDCP and arrange an appointment with the out-of-school development officer to discuss your plans. He or she will give you the support, assistance and advice you need to complete your NOF application. This service is free of charge.
* Organise your market research and work on your costings and business plan (see 'Holiday time' in Out of School, 9 May, for more details).
* Complete the application form, with the help of the development officer if necessary, taking care to copy all the information for your records. Submit the application.
* You will hear the outcome four months later. Make use of this time to build and refine your club - look into staff recruitment and training; brush up policies and procedures. This will save time later on when you know you can open or expand.
Good luck! Here are some useful telephone numbers: Kids' Clubs Network: 020 7512 2112
NOF England: 0845 0000121
NOF Wales: 0845 0000122
NOF Scotland: 0845 0000123
NOF Northern Ireland: 0845 0000124
Jane Morgan works for Kids' Clubs Network as the project manager of local development projects in Essex
