Terms and Conditions

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Too often the terms and conditions set by funders are not available at the point of application, which makes it impossible to make a fully informed decision about whether to apply. Many terms and conditions are simply unfair, irrelevant, unnecessary or there for historical reasons, and some may not even stand up to legal scrutiny.

Funders should have a sound understanding of why they are needed and what they are intended to achieve, and should be open to negotiating them to accommodate the diverse needs of different types of organisations.

Read more about our policy principle of Responsible Giving and our  policy principle of Responsible Regulation

DSC Response to Liverpool City Council Community Resources Unit Funding Programme 2011-2014 Consultation (June 2010)

DSC wrote to local authorities across the country to ask them to make their funding terms and conditions publicly available with other application materials. One which responded was Liverpool – who have included their terms and conditions online as part of a recent consultation on their Community Grants Programme. This report is DSC’s response to the Liverpool consultation, including our critique of the terms and conditions of the grants programme.

Download DSC Response to Liverpool City Council Community Resources Unit Funding Programme 2011-2014 Consultation (June 2010) (70.75 Kb)

Critical Conditions : Investigating the Transparency of Grant Terms and Conditions (June 2009)

This report examines and reveals a number of interesting differences in the terms and conditions of grant funding from central government departments, trusts and foundations, and companies. The main themes of the research concern whether terms and conditions are publicly available, how they are made available to prospective applicants, and whether they are negotiable.

Download Critical Conditions : Investigating the Transparency of Grant Terms and Conditions (June 2009) (247.69 Kb)

Critical Conditions: Investigating the Transparency of Grant Terms and Conditions : Summary Findings (June 2009)

Download Critical Conditions: Investigating the Transparency of Grant Terms and Conditions : Summary Findings (June 2009) (189.62 Kb)

DSC e-news survey on availability of grant terms and conditions (February 2008)

We asked enewsletter subscribers whether grant terms and conditions were made clear during the application process.

Download DSC e-news survey on availability of grant terms and conditions (February 2008) (279.55 Kb)

Grant funding inequalities (June 2007)

Failure to disclose terms and conditions at the beginning of the funding process is reinforcing the unequal relationship between grant makers and grant recipients, argues Ben Wittenberg

Download Grant funding inequalities (June 2007) (81.01 Kb)



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