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British Council Business and Investment Readiness (pilot) Programme 2015-16 Guidance to applicants

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Business and Investment Readiness programme pilot 2015/16

Table of contentsPage

Section 1: Information about the British Council Social Enterprise Programme 1.1 Overview of the Global Programme 4 1.2 Overview of the Business and Investment Readiness programme 5 1.3 How does BiR work? 5 1.4 Measuring the impact of the programme 6 1.5 The BiR programme pilot 2015-16 6 1.6 The British Council’s role 8

1.7 The strategic partner’s role 8 1.8 The grant to delivery partners 8 1.9 Other financial and non-financial contributions 10

11.0 Intellectual property rights 11

Section 2: Applying for funding 12 Including eligibility criteria and how your application will be assessed

Section 3: Step-by-step guidance on completing the application form 16

Section 4: List of participating countries 21


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Guidance to applicants

Please read all parts of this Guidance to Applicants carefully before completing your application. The Guidance contains essential information to enable you to decide if you are eligible to apply, to help you find out more about the programme and how it is delivered, and to help you to complete the application form correctly.

Contacting us

Please read the guidance notes fully before attempting to complete the application form. If however you do have a question which has not been addressed in the guidance notes, please email us at [email protected]

We regret that we are not able to read through draft applications.

Submitting your application

Applications must be word processed and completed in English. They must beE-mailed along with scanned copies of supporting documents, with “BiR programme application” in the heading of the email to [email protected] by: 2300 on Friday 10th July 2015

mailto:[email protected]


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Section 1: The Global Social Enterprise programme

1. Overview of the global programme

The British Council’s Global Social Enterprise programme draws on the UK’s expertise to support the development of social enterprise and social investment in the UK and other countries and share best practice and create opportunities between them. The programme was launched in East Asia in 2009 and is currently operated in 24 countries.

Our programme is delivered with partners who share our determination to support positive social change, sustainable development and inclusive growth. They provide business consulting, study tours, networking opportunities and funding support, enabling proven social enterprises to scale up their beneficial activities.

Through the programme, we provide aspiring and practising social entrepreneurs as well as NGO practitioners, community leaders and university students with skills training, mentoring and access to UK expertise.

We also offer proven social enterprises access to partner supplied mentoring and funding opportunities through business plan competitions.

In 2013, we launched a Social Investment Platform in Greater China to connect established social entrepreneurs with social investors and provide them access to the capital, networks and mentoring they need to grow into thriving social businesses that can attract and deploy substantial capital and support more beneficiaries.

We organise high profile policy dialogues and public engagement activities which promote social enterprise and social investment, corporate social responsibility and sustainable economic development. They also disseminate best UK and international practice on building ecosystems to promote social enterprise and investment.

Through such initiatives, the programme showcases UK best practice and innovation and builds connections across borders between social entrepreneurs, intermediary organisations and social investors. This fosters trust and creates opportunities between the UK and other countries while supporting a more sustainable, inclusive and prosperous future for all.

The programme is owned and managed globally by the British Council. It is funded and delivered in partnership with a wide range of organisations that work internationally, as well as at a national and local level.


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2. Overview of the Business and Investment Readiness programme

The Business and Investment Readiness programme (BiR) aims to strengthen social enterprises around the world by providing them with the support they need to enhance and scale the impact of their work.

Ready for business

BiR provides business readiness support to Social Enterprises at start-up or early stages in their development or organisations making a transition from a donor dependent model, to allow them to strengthen their organizational capacity and put in place plans for future growth and increase impact.

Ready for investment

BiR provides investment readiness support to Social Enterprises which are in need of finance in order to grow and enhance impact. Finance could be in the form of grants or social investment or a mix of the two. BIR will also support Social Enterprises to identify potential Social Investors

BiR supports Social Enterprises that might require a mix of business and investment readiness support.

Participation in BIR by no means guarantees that a social enterprise will access investment, the programme does not provide finance to social enterprises.

Ready to measure impact

BiR provides support for organisations to more effectively account for, measure and communicate the impact they are making. It does this by drawing on the diversity of approaches that exist both across the UK and globally ensuring sensitivity and relevance to local contexts.

3. How does BiR work?

- BiR facilitates collaboration between Social Enterprise and Social Investment intermediary organisations in the UK and their counterparts in countries around the world.


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- These organisations, work together to support social enterprises in these countries, to grow and scale their impact. This could mean supporting organisations to develop more robust business and financial plans, more comprehensive sales and marketing strategies, as well as developing strategies to secure social investment.

- Through collaboration, the intermediary organisations develop knowledge, skills, networks and business opportunities.

- Learning is shared and social enterprise infrastructure is developed and sustained across the social enterprise sector in the UK and globally.

4. Measuring the impact of the programme

The British Council collects data about the BiR programme in relation to the following areas:

Programme management Programme relevance Learning resulting from the BiR programme for individuals and

organisations Actions that result from the BiR programme Programme Legacy, or potential legacy

We then use this data to understand the impact the programme is having at an individual, group, organisational and network level.

5. The BiR programme pilot 2015-16

The British Council is offering grants to up to 9 UK based organisations to take part in the 2015-16 pilot of BiR. Applications are encouraged from organisations wishing to collaborate with each other i.e. we welcome applications from more than one organization working together.

In some cases successful applicants will be offered two different country partnerships, although this is by no means guaranteed.

The grants will be offered in two stages.

Scoping visit grantUpon selection as one of the UK partners, an organization will receive a grant, which is to be used to undertake a ‘scoping visit’ to the country of the partner with which they have been matched. The aims of the scoping visit are:

- To meet and build relationships with the partner.- To visit and assess potential social enterprises to participate in the


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programme.- To develop and agree a project plan.

In certain circumstances, it may not be necessary to complete a scoping visit. This might be the case if the UK partner already has knowledge of the country or partner they have been matched with.

Collaboration grantAfter the scoping visit has been completed, the UK partner is expected to submit a detailed proposal outlining the planned work including budget.

The programme pilot in 2015-16 will run from 8th June 2015 to 31 March 2016.

UK programme Activities Approx. timeframeCall for UK partners 8th June 2015Deadline for application forms to be submitted 10th July 2015

Selection committee meets to select UK organisations and match to partner organisations in participating countries in the programme.

13th July – 17th July

Initial travel grant for scoping visit is made

(optional)

By mid-August

Initial scoping visits take place

(optional)

July/August

Detailed project proposal is submitted to the British Council.

By end September(Proposals can be submitted anytime after the partners have been matched

Proposals assessed and second project grant is released.

By end September

Projects begin August – end March 2015

Second visit to undertake more detailed work with

By end December 2015

Networking and sharing event tbc January/February 2016


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Evaluation and Cycle Closure March 2016Longer term impact evaluation June & September 2016

6. The British Council’s role

The British Council has a UK based Global Social Enterprise programme team which co-ordinates the global programme and works with UK Partners to plan, run and evaluate the programme. We provide strategic advice, help with the development of new content and pilot initiatives, and lead on planning, reporting and impact assessment.

The UK based team’s role includes working with the 2015-16 cycle Partners to agree the UK plan and to help them as they start up their programmes. A British Council team member also provides ongoing day to day support to UK Partners.

We are also responsible for facilitating the effective collection of data about participant and Partner experience and evaluating the impact of BiR.

We will also be keeping you updated about opportunities for Partners to get involved in the global programme or in other British Council managed society programmes.

7. The strategic partner’s role

BiR has been designed in partnership with a number of strategic UK partners. The role of strategic partners is to:

- Form a selection committee which will meet to quality assure the British Council’s assessment and partner matching process.

- Review the progress of the programme.

Strategic partners 2015/16

The Cabinet OfficeThe UK Government’s Cabinet Office is leading the way in promoting social enterprise and social investment internationally.

Social Enterprise UKThe National Body for Social Enterprise, which with its members helps builds business opportunities for social enterprises and markets that reward the creation of social value. SEUK holds key strategic relationships across the


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corporate sector, Government and the media and works extensively in overseas markets.

Social Value UKSocial Value UK supports social generally accepted accounting principles (SGAAP) that can be used to account for and manage the social, economic and environmental outcomes created by an activity or organisation.

Social Investment BusinessThe Social Investment Business exists to raise and connect capital to achieve the maximum possible social impact in the UK. We work to provide simple finance for extraordinary charities and social enterprises in the form of loans, grants and other investment products.

The strategic partners will not be eligible to participate in BiR.

8. The grant to Delivery Partners

The grants provided meet the British Council’s charitable purpose of promoting wider knowledge of the UK. This is achieved by promoting UK expertise within the social enterprise sector.

The British Council pays UK partners a grant as a contribution to the costs of delivering BiR. We would like to see the BiR programme being delivered in partnership with the UK social enterprise sector and encourage delivery partners to make an in-kind contribution to the programme in order to support the development of the social enterprise sector worldwide.

Delivery Partners are required to account for how funding has been spent by completing a financial report at the end of the cycle and providing receipts for any items of expenditure above £100. The grant must be spent in accordance with the detail outlined in the Grant Agreement. Partners must retain all receipts for seven years after project closure, as 20% of all grants awarded are subject to full post-activity audits by the British Council.

Scoping visit grant (optional)The maximum grant available per country partnership is £3000

Area of expenditureStaff time for consultancy, project management, co-ordination and administrationTravel and expenses for scoping visit, assumption that one person would conduct the scoping visit. Other approved contingency funds within the total value of the delivery grant.

Total costs National £3,000


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The size of the scoping visit grant received by each Partner will be determined by the location of the partner, we expect scoping visits to last no longer than 5 days.

The grant given will be reasonable, but will be based on the expectation that tickets are booked early, that participants travel economy class, that public transport is used where it is the cheaper option and feasible, and that prices are compared in order to obtain the best value fares. Visa costs and vaccinations, if required, may be paid for from the grant. Per diem subsistence, insurance, regular medication and any passport costs cannot be covered from the grant.

If actual expenditure on international travel is less than the grant already paid, the difference will be deducted from the second installment of the Delivery grant, or otherwise recovered. Please note that if expenditure on International Travel exceeds the grant provided you will be expected to cover this amount from your own sources.

Expenditure from the Delivery and International Travel grants needs to be reasonable and show value for money, and costs that appear to be excessive may be queried.

In certain circumstance, it may not be necessary for a scoping visit to take place, and partners can instead bid directly for the collaboration grant. This may be the case, if the UK partner already has a good understanding/relationship with the country or partner they have been matched with.

Collaboration Grant for UK Partners

The maximum grant available per collaboration is 10,000. £7,000 (70%) will be issued on receipt of the signed Grant Agreement at the beginning of the cycle.

£3,000 maximum (30% of the grant available) will be issued after receipt of satisfactory end of cycle reporting in March 2016. Please note that you will only receive up to £3,000 based on actual expenditure so if your expenditure exceeds the maximum grant available for the cycle you will be expected to cover this amount from your own sources. Similarly if your actual expenditure is below the maximum grant available, you will not receive the maximum amount available. If actual expenditure is below the 70% already paid, you will be required to return the unspent portion of the grant.

What the Delivery grant is for

Area of expenditureStaff time for consultancy, project management, co-ordination and administration


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Travel and expenses for project visit

Other approved contingency funds within the total value of the delivery grant. Total costs National £10,000

9. Other financial and non-financial contributions

The British Council grant is a contribution towards the total cost of delivering BiR. As such Partners will expect to contribute staff time in kind to the programme including for consultation and providing on-going advice and support to partners in participating countries.

We encourage projects to complement existing activities and priorities for partners wherever possible.

The British Council requires that Delivery Partners inform them where they are seeking additional resources and where they are working with other organisations to deliver BiR. We also welcome opportunities to collaborate together to put together proposals to potential funding partners.

The Grant Agreement issued to successful applicants outlines the British Council’s requirements in relation to sub-contracting elements of the BiR programme to other organisations.

10. Intellectual property rights

The applicant will retain copyright in any materials they produce in conjunction with the BiR programme. The applicant will need to agree that the British Council can use any such materials for non-commercial purposes to publicise and report on the BiR programme and the grant scheme.

Please note that where the British Council is providing payment for content development, the British Council expects that the copyright of that content will belong to the British Council.

The British Council should also be acknowledged in any marketing and promotional activities relating to the BiR programme.


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Section 2: Applying to be a UK partner in the Business and Investment Readiness programme

1. Eligibility criteria

Applications are open to organisations. Unfortunately, we cannot accept applications from individuals.

To be eligible to apply to be a Delivery Partner in the BiR UK Programme Cycle 2015-16, organisations must fulfil these criteria:

Be UK based and work with social enterprises in the UK Have a UK based bank account that requires two signatures Operate from a sound financial position, demonstrated through providing

one of the following documents:

a) A copy of the audited accounts for the most recent two yearsb) A statement of the turnover, profit & loss account, current liabilities and

assets, and cash flow for the most recent year of trading for this organization

c) A statement of the cash flow forecast for the current year and a bank letter outlining the current cash and credit position

d) Alternative means of demonstrating financial status if any of the above are not available (e.g. Forecast of turnover for the current year and a statement of funding provided by the owners and/or the bank, charity accruals accounts or an alternative means of demonstrating financial status).

Have no conflict of interest relating to their involvement as a grantee Be able to guarantee the commitment of a Consultant team to the project Be able to contribute the necessary staff time and additional costs

to ensure effective delivery of the project, including monitoring, evaluation and reporting commitments

Accept the requirements in relation to intellectual property rights

In addition, applications must: be received by the deadline be complete be word processed and completed in English be signed by the appropriate signatories include a completed financial spread sheet include the required supporting documentation

2. Support with your application

Please read the guidance notes fully before starting to complete the


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application form. If however you have a question which has not been addressed in the guidance notes, please email us at [email protected]

We regret that we are not able to read through draft applications.

3. Submitting your application

Electronic applications, including scanned versions of supporting documents, must be received by the stated deadline. We regret that applications received after the deadline of 2300 on 10 July 2015 cannot be accepted.

4. How your application will be assessed

The eligibility of applications will be assessed first, against the criteria listed in section 2.1

All eligible applications will then be sent for technical assessment against the following criteria:

1. The organisation has a sound business model.2. The organisation has at least two years’ experience of providing social

enterprises with support, either business or investment readiness and a proven track record of supporting social enterprises to achieve success

3. The organisation has experience of working in diverse contexts 4. The organisation has experience of working with marginalized and vulnerable

communities5. The organisation has experience of working in an international context6. The organisation has the experience to meet the project and financial

planning, management and reporting requirements.

Priority weighting will be applied to criteria 2 and 5. We regret that applicants who receive a low score in one or more criterion will be rejected at the technical assessment stage due to the limit of available grants.

The technical assessment will be carried out by British Council staff members with a technical understanding of the Global Social Enterprise programme.

An independent selection panel will make the final decision on grant awards. We are looking for a balance of UK partners that reflect the diversity of the global programme and of the UK social enterprise sector. With this in mind, the selection panel will be asked to ensure that, the Delivery Partners have

mailto:[email protected]


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varied areas of interest and expertise that represent the diversity of approaches that exist within the UK social enterprise sector.

The selection panel will be made up of members of the British Council’s global team and representatives from strategic partners on the programme.

Up to 8 organisations will be selected to take part in the Programme pilot 2015-16.

The outcome of the selection process is final. However, we welcome comments on the application and selection process. Unsuccessful applicants will be given feedback on their application.

5. Timings and communication

You will receive an e-mail acknowledging receipt of your application within one week of it being received by the Social Enterprise team.

You will be informed of the outcome of your application by Friday 17th

July 2015.

6. If your application is unsuccessful

If your application is unsuccessful you will receive an e-mail informing you of this as soon as possible after the selection panel, within the deadline given above. This will include feedback on your application, although we regret that we cannot provide detailed feedback.

7. If your application is successful

If your application is successful you will receive an e-mail informing you as soon as possible after the selection panel, within the deadline given above. You will also be invited to attend a Partner Development teleconference.

You will be sent: a Grant Agreement, including reporting requirements a bank details form

You must: return two signed original copies of the Grant Agreement, signed by the

person authorised to enter into legally binding commitments on behalf of your organisation.

return the completed signed bank details form on headed paper giving details of your organisation’s bank account into which the grant should


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be paid.

The British Council will pay the 100% of the optional scoping visit grant within four weeks of receipt of the Grant Agreement and completed bank details form. Any delays in returning either of these documents will result in a delay to the payment of your grant.

In circumstances where it has been agreed that a scoping visit is not necessary, the applicant will be invited to submit a project proposal. After the proposal has been received and approved by the British Council, 70% of the collaboration grant will be released.

8. Monitoring and evaluation

Delivery Partners are responsible for collecting monitoring and evaluation data, including from facilitators and participants, as part of the delivery cycle. The British Council may ask you to use specific online tools or processes to collect and store data, but will provide technical training and support where required.

The British Council will also contact you during the lifespan of your project in order to see how the project is progressing and what support you may need. You may also be asked to contribute to other monitoring and evaluation activity relating to the programme or to international networking activities.

You will also be contacted after the end of the project cycle, as part of the British Council’s work to assess the longer-term impact of the programme.

9. Reporting on your activity

Upon completion of the scoping visit, you will be expected to submit a financial report and a project proposal outlining the planned activity to be delivered in partnership with the local partner.

After the project proposal has been reviewed, the second tranche of funding will be released.

Upon completion of the project, you will be expected to submit a final financial and project report, at the latest this report should be received by the 31st March 2015.

The British Council will assess reports within 14 days of their receipt, and will pay any balance to you within 30 days of the report’s approval.

If the approved cost of the reported activity is less than the value of the grants already paid, the British Council will send you a recovery request for the balance owing to the British Council. This must be paid back in 30 days.


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20% of all grants awarded are subject to full post-activity audits. If your award is chosen for such a check you will be asked to provide the British Council with additional documentation, so please keep all your receipts/evidence of all the costs you have incurred. The audit may result in a recovery of funds by the British Council.

You may be chosen for such a check for up to seven years after the end of your activity, and must keep all supporting documentation for that period.


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Section 3: Step by step guidance on completing the application formIntroduction

Please check that you have filled in the application form correctly before submission. Make sure that you have filled in every section and provided the information requested. Your information should be as accurate as possible.

Please complete all sections of the application form fully as it will be assessed as it stands. The British Council will not contact you for replacement/further information if parts of your form are missing or left blank (but may contact you over minor issues if these can be corrected quickly).

Please refer to Sections 1 and 2 of the guidance notes. You can find out more about the Global Social Enterprise programme on our website and social media sites.

Eligibility checklist

Please check that you meet all the eligibility criteria before you submit your application, or your application may be rejected. The British Council will conduct eligibility checks and if your application is not eligible it will not be forwarded for full technical assessment.

Part 1: Applicant information

Please include contact details of the organisation you are applying on behalf of. You will need to nominate one individual at the organisation to be the Project Co-ordinator for the duration of the cycle.

The Project Co-ordinator is the first point of contact for the British Council and oversees the delivery of the programme on behalf of the applicant organisation. It is important that the Project Co-ordinator has solid experience of project management and of delivering programmes in the community.

Please also indicate whether the organisation has a UK-based bank account that requires two signatures.


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Part 2: Programme interest

2.1: Expectations in relation to working on BiR (max 200 words)

Please summarise why you want to work with the British Council and with the other 2014-15 Delivery Partners on Active Citizens and what you hope to gain from the programme. Give your perspective on what the programme is seeking to achieve and explain why it is relevant to the work of your organisation.

Part 3: Your organisation

3.1: Describe your organisation’s business model (max 300 words)

Please provide an overview of your organisation, its aims and objectives, how it is organised, the technical expertise in the organisation, the sector it works in, who it works with and what work it undertakes. Please show how the model secures the work of your organisation into the future.

3.2: Programme experience (max 300 words)

Please provide some examples of current or recent work that your organisation has been involved with that you feel has elements in common with the BiR programme. Explain how you went about delivering the work, the people involved and the impact of the programme.

3.3: Please select the areas of expertise you will draw on for the programme (you can choose more than one)

Idea stage and Start – ups

Social enterprises that have typically been in operation for between 6 months and 2 years.

Early stage

Social enterprises that have typically been trading for at least 2 years and are looking at growing their business to enhance impact.

Investment Readiness

Social enterprises that are interested to explore opportunities to access investment.

CSOs in transition


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Organisations that have typically been reliant on grants from donors to sustain their work, but are interested in exploring how they might begin to generate income through trading activity.

3.4: Please identify the top four countries in order of priority where you would like to work, please also indicate if you have no preferences. (we will do our best to match partners with countries of interest, but no guarantees can be made)

Please provide any additional information or links that you have to the countries you have chosen. Please also list any other countries where you would be interested to work, giving reasons.

The following countries are currently confirmed to be part of the pilot programme:

Bangladesh, Thailand, Vietnam, the Philippines, Indonesia, Malaysia, Myanmar, Pakistan and Ghana.

3.5: Summarise involvement to date with other British Council programmes (max 200 words)

Please complete this section if you have worked previously with the British Council, including on other Society programmes, or are currently involved in any capacity with the organisation. It is not a requirement for organisations to have experience of the British Council in order to apply for the programme.

3.6: Conflict of interest

Please confirm that, to the best of your knowledge, there is no conflict of interest relating to your involvement as a grantee.

Part 4: Project delivery

4.1. Delivery framework (max 300 words – bullet points may be used)

Please describe how you would like to run the BiR programme. Please explain the approach you take to delivering support to social enterprises.

4.2: Successful project outcomes (max 100 words per outcome)

Please provide examples of successful projects working with social


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enterprises either in the UK or internationally.

4.3: Dissemination (max 150 words)

Explain how you will share outputs, good practice and experience gained from the project. In what way will the results be communicated to a wider audience? What is your target reach (organisational, sectoral, national etc.)?

4.4: Intellectual Property Rights

Please confirm that you accept the requirements in relation to intellectual property rights. (Please refer to section 1.10 of the above Guidance.)

Part 5: Project management

5.1: Consultant team

Please confirm that you can guarantee the commitment of a consultant team for delivery of BiR.

Provide information about the role, skills and experience of the person who would be managing and delivering the BiR programme. If there will be additional key personnel please list their experience here.

Part 6: Further information

6.1 Further information (max 200 words)

Include any further information you feel is relevant to support your application.

Part 7: Commitments

Please read carefully the information on Data Protection and Freedom of Information.

Part 8: Signatures

8.1: Checklist of enclosures

Please ensure that you provide all supporting documentation and all information requested when you submit your application. Please do not send additional documents that have not been requested, as these will not be reviewed by the selection panel.

Your electronic application with scanned signatures must be accompanied


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by the following documents:

Completed financial spread sheet Scanned copy of Articles of Association or constitution (signed by three

members) Scanned latest audited accounts, signed by a qualified auditor

8.2: Signatures

Applications must be endorsed at organisation level in the form of scanned signatures from Heads of organization.


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Section 4: List of participating countries 2015/16This is a provisional list of countries, partners and sectors.

Country Partner Social Enterprise development stage

Sector focus

Bangladesh tbc GeneralGhana tbc GeneralIndonesia

DIAGEO-British Council social Enterprise Challenge

CSO’s in transition GeneralCreative Industries/sustainable tourism

MalaysiaMaGICMalaysia Global Creativity and Innovation Centre

Start Up General

Myanmar tbcPakistan

tbcStart Up General

PhilippinesFoundation for a Sustainable Society

General

ThailandThai Social Enterprise Office (TSEO)

The SUPPORT Arts and Crafts International Centre of Thailand (SACICT)

Growth stage/ Investment Ready

GeneralCreative Industries (crafts)/

Vietnam

YUP INSTITUTE[w]: www.yup.edu.

Start Up

Start Up

General

http://www.yup.edu.vn/


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vn

Social Enterprise Scholars Network in Vietnam (VSES), National Economic University



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