For funding event attendees
(for applicant FAQs see the bottom of this page)
Where has this money come from?
Levenshulme Market is a social enterprise and profits we make are reinvested back into improving the market or to helping our community to improve the retail environment and entrepreneurship opportunities for residents. After two years of successful operation we are now able to allocate these funds with the support of the South Manchester Regeneration Team of Manchester City Council. You can find further information about our company structure, who does what at the Market and an overview about how we manage our overheads on the About page of this website.
How to attend the event
SORRY – The voting event is now sold out – if you would like to be placed on a waiting list please email info@levymarket.com
If you have registered for a place or places please arrive promptly at 5.00pm for the start of the event – we will have a lot to get through before 9.00pm when we will finish.
When you arrive we will ask you to sign in with your postcode or to declare that you do not live in Levenshulme and will not be voting. This information will not be shared but it is a quick and easy way for us to know that people who are voting are eligible. It does, however, rely heavily on attendees’ honesty and we would ask that everyone ensure that this rule is abided by.
Can I leave early if I need to?
The voting will open at approximately 6.15pm and you may leave once you have submitted your vote, but you must attend the presentations in order to vote.
Timings
Here is a rough outline of the timings for the event – delays happen and things change but this is what we expect for now:
5.00pm – arrival, introductions, summary of proceedings, voting etc etc.
5.30pm – presentations
6.15pm – voting opens, food is served, grab a drink from the bar – this time is designed for you to use as you see fit weighing up your options, reviewing the written applications and asking the applicants any questions you have
7.15pm – voting closes and counting begins – while we crunch the numbers please use this chance to enjoy a drink (and some food if there’s any left) with your fellow Levyites/Leveites/Levistas/Levonites!
8.00pm – winners announced and summing up
9.00pm – event close
Who can attend the funding event?
The following people can attend:
- Residents of Levenshulme. We do not have the facility to check your postcode on the evening so would ask that you be fair to the applicants by abiding by this rule and letting the organisers know if you suspect that someone is not doing so.
- Applicants who will be presenting at the event and up to two non-resident supporters (non resident supporters are not eligible to vote)
Children are welcome to attend but must be 16 or over to vote.
If you have any accessibility issues then please get in touch so we can ensure you have the best opportunity to assess the applications.
Who will be able to vote at the funding event?
All attendees to the funding event who are residents of Levenshulme (with an M19 postcode) and aged 16 or over will be eligible to vote excluding the following people:
- Directors of Levenshulme Market
- Manchester City Council members
- Manchester City Council officers
How will I know enough about the applicants to make my decision?
You can view summaries of the short listed projects here.
We will encourage short listed applicants to canvas for your support in advance of the event so we would hope that you have a rough idea of most of the projects you will be voting on before you get to the event.
At the event itself you will be given a copy of their full application and they will also make short presentations.
We expect the presentations to be complete by 6.15pm and voting will open immediately afterwards. From that point there will be one hour for attending voters to review the written applications, ask questions of the applicants (who will be wearing name badges!) and enjoy some lovely food. Voting slips can be submitted at any time during that hour and we will give a “five minute warning” when voting is about to close and collect any remaining slips.
The presentations
The short listed applicants will be given three minutes (or less) to present their projects to the voting audience. We have asked them to cover:
Exactly what their project is
What work they have done to make sure it can happen
How it will benefit their business/organisation
How it will benefit the high street or the community in Levenshulme.
Questions
There will not be time to ask questions of the applicants when they are on stage but there will be an hour for you to weigh up your choices after the presentations and all applicants will be wearing name/project badges and happy to answer your questions.
Voting process and winners allocation
On the night of the awards there will be 10 presentations from hopeful applicants, asking for varying amounts from £760 to £5000
Once all applicants have completed their presentations the audience will be asked to rank their top 5 projects from 1-5 (1 being their favourite, 5 being their fifth favourite)
The votes will be collected and each ranking assigned a score (i.e. 10 points for a 1, 8 points for a 2 etc) and the scores tallied up to produce an overall ranking of all projects
The votes will be anonymous and counting will be overseen by an independent adjudicator (who will not be able to vote)
We have £15000 of funding to give and we will work through the top ranking applicants based on the scoring system above until that funding is gone – so, for example, the top five might look like this:
1st place – Project X – £5000 – FUNDED (£10000 remaining)
2nd place – Project Y – £1000 – FUNDED (£9000 remaining)
3rd place – Project Z – £3000 – FUNDED (£6000 remaining)
4th place – Project A – £5000 – FUNDED (£1000 remaining)
5th place – Project B – £2000 – PARTIALLY FUNDED (we would work with group B to see which elements of their project they could fund with £1000 and if they could not then this funding would revert to the next group and we would do the same with them)
Announcing the winners
We will aim to announce the winners on the night of the funding event and will publish the information on this website shortly afterwards. If for any reason we are unable to announce the winners on the night the information will be published on this website and via our social channels as soon as possible after the event.
Disputes/decisions
In the event of any disputes we will defer to our independent panel for a decision on the fairest way to proceed but decisions of the Directors of Levenshulme Market CIC are final and binding.
Will everyone who presents at the funding event get funding?
Sadly we will not be able to everyone. We will signpost unsuccessful applicants to other sources of funding and we would hope that by giving them this opportunity to share their idea with the community of Levenshulme they will find ways to collaborate with residents and organisations with similar aims and ideas to get their schemes off the ground.
Will there be food and drink at the event?
Yes, there will be free food at the event – chilli or veggie chilli with rice and chips. The Klondyke are very kindly allowing us to host this event free of charge so we would be very grateful if you could thank them for their hospitality by flashing your cash at the bar!
For applicants
Can I apply for both funds?
Levenshulme residents who want to make applications to create a business for the market or to improve their market-based business AND the high street retail environment may apply to both funds – either for two projects or one single project which covers both set of criteria – please contact us if you are unsure of your eligibility or the process for this.
Who will check to make sure my application is eligible?
The directors of Levenshulme Market will check applications against the basic application criteria listed on the how to apply guidelines found here. Applications will then be forwarded to a panel of independent assessors to check that all decisions are fair and reasonable.
Is there a shortlisting process?
If we receive an extremely large amount of eligible applications we will forward all applications to a panel of independent assessors who will shortlist projects based on the following criteria:
- Feasibility
- Longevity
- Impact
How will I know that I will be presenting at the funding event?
All applicants should assume that they will be presenting at the event and not apply unless they are able to do so. We will contact applicants after the closing date to confirm arrangements for their presentations.
I am shortlisted! What do I need to know about presenting?!
At the event you will be given strictly three minutes (or less) to present your project to the voting audience. We would advise you to practice and time your presentation in advance so you are sure that you will be able to demonstrate the following:
Exactly what your project is
What work you have done to make sure it can happen
How it will benefit your business/organisation
How it will benefit the high street or the community in Levenshulme.
Up to two people can present the project. You cannot your PowerPoint or similar presentation tools (although if you want to bring any visual aids yourself you may (but be aware that the time spent setting anything up or handing stuff out will take away from your three minutes!!!)
There will be an opportunity for Q&A from the audience on your project – at the moment we intend to group you together with a few other applicants and then do a 15 minute Q&A for all applicants in the same “session” to save time getting people on and off stage etc but this may change (if we think of a better way of doing it!!) – we’ll let you know the final running order on the night.
All the attendees to the voting event will be given a copy of your application and supporting documents to review so don’t worry too much about delving into the financial or other detail about your application – appeal to your audience instead!
Attending the event (for applicants)
Please arrive at 4.45pm and find a member of the Levy Market team (Helen, Brenda or Neil) so we know you are here and we can run through the proceedings with you.
We will assume that you will be attending with one guest and allocate you two places at the event.
Any other people associated with your application (and any friends, family or supporters) will need to register their attendance here. SORRY – The voting event is now sold out – if you would like your guests to be placed on a waiting list please email info@levymarket.com.
Remember that only people who have M19 (home) postcodes can vote and we expect lots of people to want to attend so, although you might want your auntie from Rhyl to attend, she would be taking away a potential vote from you or the other projects so it might be best for her to stay at home
Can I vote
Yes (if you fill the eligibility criteria for voting)
Sharing this news
You are now free to let the world know that you have been short listed and appeal to get lots of support at the voting event (remembering that only people who have an M19 postcode can vote and that we want attendees to register to attend here) – social media is a great way to do this
We will let people know you are a short listed applicant via a blog post about the fund, the short listing process and how the voting will work but a that stage we will only share your organisation and/or project name.
It is up to you how much information you share about your project – we will NOT share your full application information until the night of the voting event but if you want to that is your right!
How will I know if I have been awarded funding?
We are aiming to announce the award winners on the night of the event. We will also announce the winners on our website as soon as possible after the event.
How will awards be paid?
Funds will be paid by bank transfer to bank accounts in the name of constituted organisations only. If you are an individual applicant or represent a business or organisation that is not yet constituted or does not have a bank account then you can nominate a community organisation that is prepared to hold funds for you until such time as you are able to use them. All awards will be paid on or before Wednesday 1st April 2015 and award winners must supply bank details before that date.
What happens if I do not spend all my funds?
We will ask you to provide a report of your spending at 6 months and twelve months after you receive your award. All funds must be spent by twelve months after you receive your funding. If you underspend on your awards then we will ask you to provide a report on how else you propose to spend the funds awarded which we will approve. If you cannot find an appropriate use for these funds or if we do not approve your use, we will require that the remaining moneys be repaid to us.
Can I receive an application form in another language?
Forms in other languages will be available at the information drop-in event. If you are not able to attend this event and would like a copy of he form in another language please get in touch.