Guidance and criteria
This document is to provide you with criteria, guidance and instructions for the Grant Application Form (RFQ3) and the Grant Financial Breakdown (RFQ3a).
You must read the following sections:
- General
- Guidance on completing and uploading a submission
- Scope of requirements
- Further information
- Notes for completing the application form in full
- Grant agreement terms
- Sub-contract arrangements
- Consortia arrangements
- Confidentiality and freedom of information
- Publicity
- Applicant conduct and conflicts of interest
- Fraud, corruption and ethical standards
- Authority's rights
- Quotation costs
- Award criteria
- Price
Introduction
The Cultural Passport for Young People Programme aims to encourage young people of secondary school age, from the areas of greatest deprivation within the Combined Authority area of York and North Yorkshire, to freely engage in the region’s culture.
The purpose is:
- to build aspiration for young people when they consider their future careers and employment choices, increasing their active participation and engagement, leading to a more resilient sector
- To increase health and wellbeing of young people who participated
- To drive inclusive growth and sustainability;
The Cultural Passport for Young People Programme is entirely funded by the York and North Yorkshire Combined Authority. It is designed and managed by the City of York Council. It is supported by North Yorkshire Council. Following a successful Phase 1 of pilot projects in York and North Yorkshire, we are now in Phase 2 of Grant Project rollout, whereby recipients can apply for up to £20,000 to deliver a suitable project/ projects.
Pre-application criteria
Criteria to be eligible to apply for a grant of up to £20,000, the proposed project:
- is based within the York and North Yorkshire Combined Authority boundary (link opens in new window)
- targets young people from areas of greatest deprivation (link opens in new window - select a 'Type of deprivation': Income deprivation affecting children (IDACI), then select 'Geography Level': Lower layer super output areas (LSOAs) and ensure you are inside the York and North Yorkshire Combined Authority boundary that is more deprived Overall (IMD) than 50% and upwards of neighbourhoods in England)
- the organisation is based within the York and North Yorkshire Combined Authority boundary
- offers a creative and cultural activity/activities free of charge to young people of secondary school age, 11 to 18 years old
- increases knowledge and understanding of the positive impact creativity has on health and wellbeing
- supports sustainability and local growth in the creative and cultural sector
- promotes upskilling and career or educational opportunities
- develops local creative talent
- promotes community cohesion
Important information:
- grants are not transferable to other parties or events
- joint-funding applications will be considered (maximum £20,000 for the proposed project in its entirety)
- an organisation can receive a maximum of £20,000 (regardless of single or multiple proposed projects)
- the proposed activity can be an extension and/or enhancement of a past and/or current activity. However, we do not accept grants for activities that have already taken place
- charity fundraising events and private parties are not eligible
- all funded projects must be completed by 31 December 2027
1. General
1.1 The 'Authority' means the public sector contracting authority City of York Council, or anyone acting on behalf of the contracting authority, that is seeking to invite suitable applicants to participate in this procurement process. Information about the Authority is available on our website www.york.gov.uk.
1.2 'You'/'Your' or 'Applicant' or 'Recipient' means the body completing these questions i.e. the legal entity responsible for the information provided. The 'Applicant' or 'Recipient' is intended to cover any economic operator as defined by the Public Contracts Regulations 2015 and could be a registered company; charitable organisation; Voluntary Community and Social Enterprise (VCSE); Special Purpose Vehicle; or other form of entity.
1.3 'RFQ' means 'Request For Quotation' for a grant from the Cultural Passport for Young People programme. We, the authority, require a quotation of the proposed project of activities to make an informed decision for grant approval.
1.4 'Proposed Project' means the collective activities, events and/or workshops you are requesting grant funding to produce and provide.
2. Guidance on completing and uploading a submission
2.1 Raising a question:
- Should you have any queries regarding this project, please submit a question via email: [email protected].
2.2 Completing your submission:
- Your document(s) must be downloaded and completed in full and where necessary signed and dated. Failure to submit a completed document will invalidate your submission.
- Please ensure that the declaration is signed and dated by an authorised person of appropriate seniority within your organisation.
- Completed documents should be submitted via email: [email protected]
- If you require a paper copy of the forms, these will be available from City of York Council, West Offices, Station Rise, York, YO1 6GA.
- You can return a paper copy of the forms to: Cultural Passports Programme, City of York Council, West Offices, Station Rise, York, YO1 6GA.
- To ensure you are within the submission deadline we recommend tracked delivery. The authority is not responsible for the postage of forms or any delays incurred in the delivery process.
- Submissions will not be permitted after the stated deadline has passed. This deadline will be written on the form: ‘Grant Application Form (RFQ3)’.
- The Authority will accept no responsibility for difficulties during the process of submission. You can send any queries regarding this project via email: [email protected] however we cannot guarantee timeframe of response and ability to answer in full. We will always do our best to assist.
- All questions should be answered in English.
- Please ensure electronic documents are submitted in PDF format. Submitted documents must not include embedded files.
3. Scope of requirements
3.1 The Authority wishes to award a number of grants for the delivery of the Cultural Passport for Young People programme, to support the active participation of young people in culture and encourage interest in cultural and heritage careers alongside other identified outcomes. Please review the Pre-Application Criteria.
3.2 Applications are encouraged from a wide and varied range of operators including but not limited to, for example, companies/sole traders/charitable organisations/museums/theatres, voluntary community faith organisations, schools, SME’s etc.
3.3 Applicants should be aware that the full amount of funding requested may not be allocated and it is subject to the evaluation and decisions approved for the award of the Grant application made by York and North Yorkshire Combined Authority and City of York Council.
3.4 The Authority aims to notify Applicants of the grant award decision in reasonable time, approximately 2 to 4 weeks after the application deadline or closing date. Applicants should note the timescales may need to be flexible depending on the content and quantity of the Grant Application Form (RFQ3) submissions.
3.5 Applicants should note carefully the dates for this procurement process and ensure their availability as appropriate. The timetable is indicative at this stage and may be subject to alteration by the Authority.
| Stage | Task | Date |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Grant Applications open | 2.00pm on 27 July 2026 |
| 2 | Deadline for Grant Application submissions | 2.00pm on 24 August 2026 |
| 3 | Grant applications reviewed | 24 August to 21 September 2026 |
| 4 | Decision/Approvals obtained to award successful Grants | 7 September to 21 September 2026 |
| 5 | Appointment and due diligence with successful recipients | Approximately 2 to 6 weeks following approval |
| 6 | Grant Agreement start date | To be agreed* |
* Please note that the start date of the Grant awarded by City of York Council will be agreed between the council and successful recipients.
4. Further information
4.1 Please note that for emailed submissions, electronic signatures and the name and position of the designated person is required.
4.2 The Authority can only consider submissions which have been fully completed. If you do not complete the documentation properly the Authority cannot consider your submission at all.
5. Notes for completing the application form in full
5.1 This Request For Quotation (RFQ) is made up of four parts:
- Guidance and Criteria (RFQ1) – Instructions, guidance and criteria for Applicants
- Grant Agreement (RFQ2) – Applicants to review and understand the agreement if they are successful with their application
- Grant Application Form (RFQ3) – Application form to be returned
- Grant Financial Breakdown (RFQ3a) – Grant Funding Schedule and Breakdown, form to be returned
5.2 To apply you must complete and return:
- Grant Application Form (RFQ3)
- Grant Financial Breakdown (RFQ3a)
5.3 The Request For Quotation documents has been designed to assess the suitability of an Applicant to deliver the Authority’s Contract requirement(s). If your organisation already provides goods/works/services to the Authority you must still complete all questions in full. The Authority can only evaluate information provided as part of this submission.
5.4 Please ensure that all questions are completed in full, and in the format requested. Failure to do so may result in your submission being disqualified. If the question does not apply to you, please state clearly ‘NA’ (for 'mot applicable').
5.5 Please note where a word limit has been specified this will be enforced by the evaluation panel, that is, any content over and above stated limits will not be evaluated.
6. Grant agreement terms
6.1 The draft Grant Agreement that the Authority proposes to use is set out in the ‘Grant Agreement (RFQ2)’ document. By submitting a ‘Grant Application Form (RFQ3)’, Recipients are agreeing to be bound by the terms of this 'Guidance and Criteria (RFQ1)' and the 'Grant Agreement (RFQ2)' without further negotiation or amendment.
7. Sub-contract arrangements
7.1 Where the Applicant proposes to use one or more sub-contractors to deliver some or all of the grant requirements, please provide details of the proposed bidding model that includes members of the supply chain, the percentage of work being delivered by each sub-contractor and the key grant deliverables each sub-contractor will be responsible for.
8. Consortia arrangements
8.1 If the Applicant completing this Request For Quotation is doing so as part of a proposed consortium, the following information must be provided:
- names of all consortium members
- the lead member of the consortium who will be contractually responsible for delivery of the contract (if a separate legal entity is not being created)
- if the consortium is not proposing to form a legal entity, full details of proposed arrangements within a separate Appendix
9. Confidentiality and freedom of information
9.1 As a public body, the Authority is subject to the provisions of the Freedom of Information Act 2000 (FOIA) in respect of information it holds (including third-party information). Any member of the public or other interested party may make a request for information.
9.2 Applicants are responsible for ensuring that any confidential or commercially sensitive information, the disclosure of which would be likely to diminish the Applicant’s competitive edge, has been clearly identified to the Authority.
10. Publicity
10.1 No publicity regarding the Services or the award of any grant will be permitted unless and until the Authority has given express written consent to the relevant communication.
11. Applicant conduct and conflicts of interest
11.1 Any attempt by Applicants or their advisors to influence the grant award process in any way may result in the Applicant being disqualified.
11.2 Applicants are responsible for ensuring that no conflicts of interest exist between the Applicant and its advisers, and the Authority and its advisers. Any Applicant who fails to comply with this requirement may be disqualified from the bid process at the discretion of the Authority.
12. Fraud, corruption and ethical standards
12.1 The Authority believes in a strong ethical culture and expects all Applicants and their staff who work on Authority grants to comply with the requirements of the Authority’s policies. These policies are available on the Authority website: www.york.gov.uk.
13. Authority's rights
13.1 The Authority reserves the right to choose not to award any grant as a result of the current quotation process. Please note we expect more applications than funding available. We are not responsible for providing feedback.
14. Quotation costs
14.1 The Authority will not be liable for any quotation costs, expenditure, work or effort incurred by a Applicant in proceeding with or participating in this quotation process, including if the quotation process is terminated or amended by the Authority.
15. Award criteria
15.1 The Authority will review and award grants based on the quality and evidence provided in the Grant Application Form (RFQ3) and subsequent Grant Financial Breakdown (RFQ3a) using the scoring criteria below. These quality questions make up 100% of the scoring process.
15.2 Quality questions are scored on a scale of 0 to 5. This is based on how your organisation responds to the question with reference to the detail contained in the Specification. The score your organisation receives will then be divided by the maximum score available; 5, and then multiplied by the question weighting to give you a score for each question.
15.3 Quality questions will be scored using the following scoring criteria:
| Score | Criteria for awarding score |
|---|---|
| 0 | Complete failure to grasp or reflect the issue or does not provide a proposal. |
| 1 | Serious weaknesses, or doesn’t address the question in any meaningful way. |
| 2 | Proposal falls short of expected standard, and reflects limited understanding missing some aspects. Significant weaknesses or risks associated with answer. |
| 3 | Proposal meets the required standard in most material respects, but is lacking or inconsistent in others. |
| 4 | Good understanding and interpretation of requirements |
| 5 | Excellent understanding and interpretation. Innovative and proactive with sound strategy. |
15.4 Note: Applicants that score a 0 or 1 for any question may have their quotation rejected entirely.
15.5 Subsidy Control - In order to comply with the provisions of the Subsidy Control Act 2022, the Authority may require recipients to undertake an assessment of compatibility and provide some additional documentation in due course. More information will be provided following the grant award.
16. Price
16.1 Please complete the pricing spreadsheet in 'Grant Financial Breakdown (RFQ3a)' in order to complete the price element.
16.2 The costs in the 'Grant Financial Breakdown (RFQ3a)' must include all cost and expenses for all obligations under the 'Grant Agreement (RFQ2)'.
16.3 The payment of the Grant by the Council under this Agreement is believed to be outside the scope of Value Added Tax (VAT) but in the event any VAT shall become chargeable all payments shall be deemed to be inclusive of all VAT and the Council shall not be obliged to pay any additional amount by way of VAT.
16.4 The Applicant shall not include VAT on costs and/or invoices provided to Council where the Applicant is able to reclaim VAT. Any such costs and/or invoices provided to Council must show the true final cost to the Applicant.
16.5 In order to achieve best value with the limited amount of funding received we have set a maximum allocation and a condition that bidders can apply for. The maximum allocation, which is applicable to all grants, is up to £20,000 per application and per Proposed Project.
16.6 The price submission will be assessed based on questions contained in the Grant Application Form (RFQ3) and Grant Financial Breakdown (RFQ3a).
Print a copy of this page for your records
Alternatively, download a copy of the Guidance and Criteria (RFQ1) in Portable Document Format (PDF).