Ofcom’s Community Radio Fund Panel (‘the Panel’) met on Friday 4 February 2022 to consider applications in the second round of funding for the 2021-22 financial year.
The Panel considered each application and awarded funding based on the information provided, and with reference to the Community Radio Fund (‘the Fund’) guidance notes. For each grant bid the Panel decided whether to make a full award, a partial award or not to award any funding.
At the meeting:
- 69 applications for grants were considered;
- The total amount of funding requested in these applications was £1,029,650
- 26 applicants were awarded grants which totalled £390,689 and
- 43 applicants were not awarded a grant.
The grants awarded ranged from £6,384 up to £22,166 for individual positions, with an average of £15,027. A summary of the awards is at the end of this statement.
The Panel considers that, as much as possible, grants from the Fund should help further a station’s financial stability and future sustainability. Therefore, proposals to promote long-term financial security and posts which could become self-sustaining were favoured by the Panel over applications for other support roles.
Regarding the applications considered in this funding round, the Panel would like to make the following points:
Feedback | The Panel does not provide individual feedback as a matter of course. Some verbal feedback may be available, should stations wish to contact Ofcom. The Panel would however recommend that stations request feedback if they re-submit proposals for the same post or project in the future. |
|---|---|
Read the guidance notes | Several stations submitted applications for emergency cash funding, although the guidance made it clear that such grants would not be considered in this Round. |
Provide all the information requested | Applicants should supply the requested supporting information, such as relevant financial information or a job description if applying for funding for a post. Applicants should refer to the guidance notes for further detail on what should be provided. |
Clarity about a station’s financial position | Some applications contained financial information which appeared to show large reserves or significant income. Applicants should be aware that this lack of clarity potentially disadvantages their application, as it may give a misleading impression of the state of their finances. |
Match funding | Several stations made applications to the Fund for posts which they intended to part-fund themselves, for which they had match-funding in place or for which they were seeking match-funding. The Panel welcomed this approach as it demonstrated investment by other funders, or by the radio stations themselves. |
A clear focus for posts | The Panel favoured applications for posts whose job descriptions showed focus and were sufficiently resourced to be successful. Unsuccessful applications included those where the post-holder had a wide range of responsibilities including volunteer management, programming and even presenting daily programmes, alongside revenue development. These were often applications described as Station Manager posts. The Panel was unlikely to favour such applications because the post-holder was unlikely to devote sufficient time to income generation, therefore making the investment unsustainable. Similarly, the Panel caution against bids that are too modest, as it can be unclear how roles will be achieved sustainably where they are funded for only a small number of hours. The Panel welcomed job descriptions with clear targets and well-structured work-plans. A minority of applications showed inconsistency between job descriptions and what was written in the application form. |
Check the sums | Several applications puzzled the Panel as the financial calculations did not add up. |
Contractor or employee? | Applicants continue to state that roles can be awarded to self-employed contractors who invoice on a monthly basis. The Panel does not directly employ those who are awarded funding, so it is not within its remit to decide whether post-holders are self-employed for tax purposes. The Panel reminds applicants that HMRC rules have changed regarding off-payroll working. Should applicants be found in breach of off-payroll rules, the Fund is not liable to make up any shortfall due to repayment of Income Tax or National Insurance Contributions. Full guidance for future applicants Is available at https://www.gov.uk/guidance/check-employment-status-for-tax. |
Station name | Purpose | Amount |
|---|---|---|
101.8 WCR FM | Volunteer Training Coordinator | £12,864 |
ABC FM, Blast 106, IUR FM (joint bid) | Sponsorships Officer | £13,500 |
Blackburn's B102.2 | Business Development Manager | £19,616 |
B Radio (Farnborough) | Business Development Manager | £19,520 |
Cando FM | Sustainability and Business Development Manager | £18,018 |
Chelmsford Community Radio | Community Outreach and Fundraising Support Officer | £22,166 |
Coast FM (Coleraine) | Sales Manager | £9,808 |
Croydon FM | Fundraiser | £14,000 |
East Devon Radio | Outreach and Fundraising Officer | £14,792 |
Future Radio | Sustainability and Project Manager | £8,000 |
Gaydio Brighton | Sales Executive | £14,445 |
K107fm | Fundraiser | £12,770 |
Pride Radio | Partnership Co-Ordinator | £14,560 |
Radio2Funky | Business Development Officer | £6,731 |
Radio MAC | Station Marketing and Engagement Manager | £16,940 |
Revolution Radio | Business Development Manager | £20,238 |
RWS FM 103.3 | Business Development Manager | £13,750 |
Select Radio | Fundraising and Business Development Co-Ordinator | £18,823 |
Skylark | Business and Development Manager | £12,480 |
Somer Valley FM | Station Manager | £11,074 |
Sunshine 1049 | Regular Donations Officer | £9,805 |
SWU.FM | Business Development Manager | £12,350 |
Ujima Radio | Development Programme Manager | £16,250 |
| West Kent Radio | Sales Executive and Grant Funder | £17,480 |
| Winchester Radio | Community Business and Sustainability Manager | £20,933 |
| Zetland FM | Business Development Officer | £19,776 |