CAN BE
ALTERNATIVE
INVESTMENT

Opening date 7 Dec 2023, 12:01AM
Closing date 30 Aug 2024, 11:59PM
Scheme Overview
The VCSE Energy Efficiency Scheme aims to help VCSEs deliver more efficient services for people and communities by saving money on their energy bills. The scheme has two main components:
Independent Energy Assessment (IEA): This involves arranging an independent energy assessor to work with you to help identify energy-saving opportunities in your building. Groundwork will assess your eligibility and needs and will allocate an independent energy assessor if your application is successful. Up to £3.4 million funding has been allocated to carry out energy assessments and provide energy efficiency advice for VCSEs.
An independent energy assessment is a comprehensive evaluation of your building's energy usage, efficiency, and potential for energy savings, conducted by a qualified and experienced independent energy assessor. The assessment includes gathering data on costs and energy usage, examining your existing systems, providing recommendations, estimating savings, and outlining an action plan. The majority of energy assessments will involve an in person visit to your premises, however, there may be occasions when the energy assessment will be carried out virtually.
Capital Grants: Grants can be used to install capital energy efficiency measures, identified in your IEA (see above), to reduce your building’s energy costs. You can apply for a Capital Grant if you have a satisfactory IEA (see Eligibility Criteria for Capital Grants below). You can apply for a grant of between £2,000 and £150,000, with up to £20 million available in total. Cost savings should be used to support the delivery of your frontline services.
The two components have slightly different eligibility criteria. Please also note that receiving an IEA doesn’t guarantee that you’ll be successful in applying for a capital grant, but we believe the IEA will be useful in itself to help you identify a range of ways to reduce your energy bills.
Eligibility Criteria
For an Independent Energy Assessment:
● You must be a single applicant with charitable, benevolent or philanthropic purposes. If your organisation distributes surpluses to individuals such as members or shareholders, you must have an asset lock and reinvest a minimum of 51% into charitable, benevolent, or philanthropic purposes. In addition, your organisation must have one of the following legal structures/statuses:
- Charitable Incorporated Organisation (CIO)
- Community Benefit Society (CBS)
- Trust
- Unincorporated Association
- Co-operative society
- Community Interest Company (CIC)
- Company Limited by Guarantee (CLG)
- Company Limited by Shares (CLS)
● You must be based and operating in England.
● You must be delivering frontline services or managing a building as a hub that delivers multiple frontline services. You’ll be asked to explain what services are provided within the building for which the grant is being applied, in the application form.
● You must be able to evidence a need for energy efficiency support.
● You must be financially sustainable, and likely to continue operating for at least the next two years.
● You must not be suitable for loans or blended finance to fund energy assessments/audits or capital measures through other schemes. (You can check your governance documents for any restrictions or take a look here to identify if loans or blended finance are right for you: https://www.goodfinance.org.uk/is-it-right-for-us)
● Documents required – you must be able to upload your organisation’s governance document, your last set of annual accounts and, if available, your building’s energy bills from 1st October 2022 - 30th September 2023.
For Capital Grants (in addition to the above):
● You must have been operating for a minimum of 2 years.
● You must have an independent energy assessment identifying the capital energy-saving measures you wish to apply for.
● You can apply for a Capital Grant if you have an existing IEA that identifies capital energy efficiency measures, includes potential cost savings, has been completed within the past two years and was conducted by a qualified and experienced independent energy assessor.
● You must provide evidence that the energy efficiency measure(s) you are requesting a grant for will enhance your financial resilience and support the delivery of your frontline services.
● You must provide a financial plan aligned with the payback period for the energy efficiency measures you are requesting a grant for. (The payback period refers to the amount of time for the cost of installing energy efficiency measures to be recovered through cost savings generated by those measures)
● You must have a long-term arrangement with your premises, either owning the building or having a minimum of 2 years left on your lease and be able to provide documents evidencing this.
● If you have a lease, you must have the building owner’s permission to carry out the capital works and they must complete our Building Owners Permission Form.
● You must ensure that projects can be delivered within the scheme’s timeframes, with all funds spent and projects completed by March 2025. (Applications will be assessed on how well planned they are, what risk factors are involved and how complex the project is)
● You must obtain any relevant permission for the improvements before applying for a capital grant. For example, planning permission or environmental licences, and provide copies of these. You can find information about permissions at https://www.planningportal.co.uk/
● You must obtain three different quotes from builders/energy professionals outlining the costs of the improvement. We are asking for three quotes so that you can ensure best value for money, considering a range of factors including cost, quality and capacity.
The VCSE Energy Efficiency Scheme aims to support voluntary, community and social enterprise organisations (VCSEs) to improve energy efficiency and sustainability and is funded by the Department for Culture, Media and Sport (DCMS) as part of a cost of living package announced in the Spring Budget 2023.
For further information please visit our website www.groundwork.org.uk/vcseenergyefficiency
Value Ad helps new businesses save 50% to 80% on essential services like marketing and
development. These savings act as an alternative investment, fueling growth.
Service providers gain valuable initial customers, helping them grow and attract investment.
It's a win-win for everyone!
This App/website is not affiliated with any government agency. We collect and organize information from publicly available government websites and provide direct links to these official sources.
For accurate details and to apply for grants or loans, please visit the relevant government websites linked within the App/website.
What is Value Ad?
Value Ad is an innovative policy designed to foster a mutually beneficial relationship between two key groups: new businesses and service providers. This policy helps startups save significantly on essential services while enabling service providers to gain valuable traction and growth opportunities.
How is it a Win-Win Deal?
For New Businesses:
Cost Savings: Startups can save 50% to 80% on essential services such as website development and marketing. This means they don’t need to invest heavily upfront, making it easier to launch and grow their business.
Alternative Investment: The money saved through these discounts can be reinvested into other critical areas of the business, acting as an alternative investment that fuels further growth and development.
For Service Providers:
Initial Customer Base: Service providers, often tech startups themselves, can attract a significant number of initial customers by offering their services at a discounted rate. This helps them build traction and demonstrate value, which is crucial for attracting venture capital (VC) funding and other opportunities.
Marketing Efficiency: By providing affordable services, service providers do not need to spend heavily on marketing to acquire new customers. The discounted services themselves become a powerful marketing tool, bringing in customers who can spread the word and enhance the provider’s reputation.
Growth and Expansion: Attracting more customers through Value Ad helps service providers expand their client base and build long-term relationships, which can lead to increased revenue and business growth.
Alternative Investment for New Businesses:
For new businesses, the significant cost savings achieved through the Value Ad policy effectively serve as an alternative investment. Instead of spending large amounts on website development and marketing, they can leverage the affordable services provided by service providers. The saved funds can be redirected into other strategic areas of the business, enhancing overall growth and sustainability.
Benefits for Service Providers:
Service providers benefit from the Value Ad policy by gaining access to a ready pool of new customers who are drawn by the discounted rates. This initial customer base is crucial for:
Building Traction: Demonstrating product or service viability to potential investors.
Securing Funding: Enhanced customer traction and a growing user base can make the service provider more attractive to venture capitalists and other funding sources.
Market Penetration: Establishing a presence in the market quickly and efficiently without heavy marketing expenditures.
In Summary:
Value Ad is a strategic policy designed to create a win-win scenario for both new businesses and service providers. By offering significant discounts on essential services, startups can save and reinvest those savings, while service providers gain crucial initial customers and market traction. This mutually beneficial arrangement supports the growth and success of both groups, making Value Ad a powerful tool for business development and investment.
We use cookies and similar technologies that are necessary to operate the website.Please read our cookie policy.
We use cookies and similar technologies that are necessary to operate the website. Additional cookies are only used with your consent. We use the additional cookies to perform analyses of website usage and to check marketing measures for their efficiency. These analyses are carried out to provide you with a better user experience on the website. You are free to give, deny, or withdraw your consent at any time by using the "cookie settings" link at the bottom of each page. You can consent to our use of cookies by clicking "Agree". For more information about what information is collected and how it is shared with our partners, please read our cookie policy.