Brechfa Forest West Wind Farm is a 28 turbine wind farm developed, built and operated by RWE Renewables Ltd. The forest is managed by Natural Resources Wales on behalf of Welsh Government.

RWE have committed to delivering a community fund of £459,200 per annum (index linked) for the operational lifetime of the wind farm which is expected to be up to 25 years.  This will result in a total investment in excess of £11 million which will significantly benefit the communities that surround the wind farm.

The monies belong to the community and are distributed by the administrators under the direction of the funding panel who choose which projects to support.

• Voluntary or community organisations
• Town/Community Council
• Constituted community groups, registered charities
• Societies or Membership organisations
• a not for profit company or Community Interest Company
• Companies Limited by Guarantee
• Social enterprises
• Clubs
• Schools/PTA’s
• Statutory bodies will be eligible if they can demonstrate the project has strong partnership links with the local community and that they are the best placed organisation to undertake the project.

Your application will need to demonstrate how your project significantly benefits communities within the area of benefit for the fund (this area is initially 6km from the wind turbines, as defined on the map provided).

The project must demonstrate value for money and be costed properly. The panel would rather fund a project that is properly costed, rather than an application which cuts corners and might soon become obsolete or outdated.

Exclusions-:

• Initially the scheme will not be open to individuals and businesses.  However, the eligibility criteria will be reviewed over time depending upon demand in the 6km area of benefit.
• Projects that don’t significantly benefit people living within the area of benefit for the fund (see the map provided).
• Retrospective funding i.e. for costs that have already been incurred.
• Projects that promote religion or that support a party political campaign or cause or may bring the fund or the funder into disrepute.
• Anti-wind farm/renewable energy activities.

All funds are paid into a bank account, therefore if you do not have an account you can start one by speaking to Save Easy Credit Union, who deliver services in the area of benefit. You can go to their web site: https://www.saveeasycreditunion.co.uk/

No, the panel have made the decision that as the fund is oversubscribed they are unable to fund trips and outings, unless there is a commitment to learn and feedback to their community with clear knowledge transfer taking place.

The map provided shows the area of benefit quite clearly: however you may be delivering services or support within the area of benefit and a number of your service users may be inside the 6km radius of the wind farm.

Therefore the panel will consider funding bodies who are outside the area of benefit but deliver services inside the area of benefit.

If you are considering making such an application though you will need to be able to provide evidence of your activity in the area of benefit.

So for example if you were a club outside the area of benefit and have 50 members, 30 of which live or work inside the area of benefit, then you might like to apply for funds on a proportional basis for your project as 60% of your members come from the area of benefit.

The panel will not fund projects that are created within the funds area, specifically to apply to this fund. Due diligence checks to ensure that the project is imbedded locally will always take place, before the Fund Manager will take any project to panel.

There are over 70 groups in the funds area of benefit therefore the panel feels this is something the fund can’t sustain if all of these projects were funded. However the ‘grant bach’ might be something you’d like to consider for small projects, activities and special events.

The fund is currently oversubscribed and at present we do not fund individuals.

Yes,  we have funded salaries, but please bear in mind that there is a limit to how many salaries the fund will support, given the size of the fund.

The fund is discretionary so the panel will only fund posts which can demonstrate value for money, and deliver tangible benefits in the area of benefit.

As the area of benefit is relatively small in most cases part-time posts to deliver activities seem to be easier to justify than full-time posts, but this will of course depend upon the project or activity being proposed.

A conversation with the fund manager prior to making your application would be advisable. Please contact us on 01239 710238 to make an appointment.

When you have a project idea but don’t know if it is feasible or you haven’t looked at all the possible options, a feasibility study might be the most sensible place to start. Therefore the panel will consider requests to fund feasibility studies and options appraisals as they ensure that funds are spent in the most appropriate way.

If you are thinking of such an application, please book into a funding surgery or speak to our fund manager by calling 01239 710238.

The area of benefit remains within the 6km radius of the wind farm. With the fund being so heavily oversubscribed at present, it's unlikely to extend whilst there is a pipeline of local projects.

In the future IF applications reduce the panel will consider the funds area of benefit in liaison with RWE and the Fund Manager.

We have on occasion funded projects out of the area of benefit on a proportional basis,  when they have demonstrated how many residents from the funds area that they are supporting. For example Calon Tysul

RWE always intended for some of the £11 million fund to benefit the wider region whilst also benefitting the communities that live closest to the wind farm.  However, our closest neighbours have always been the first priority.

The initial two years of the funds operation have been hugely successful with demand from quality local initiatives outstripping the funding available.  While there remains more quality applications than funding available, the fund will continue to focus on the communities closest to the wind farm.  This situation is reviewed regularly by RWE and the community grants panel, and when surplus funds start to build up a strategy will be agreed to enable the wider region to also benefit from the fund.  When that happens this website will be updated to reflect this.

The panel do not score applications, they use their discretion and knowledge of the area to decide which applications should be funded.

Scoring applications might mean that organisations who are experienced in writing professional applications for funds may have an unfair advantage over grass roots organisations who have limited skills or experience of writing applications.

Scoring might have the effect of favouring well written applications over projects which have significant community benefits but might not be so well developed and professional in style.

Where the fund manager identifies a group may need support to develop an application, bespoke consultant support can be provided so they are not at a disadvantage.

There are over 70 groups in the area of benefit and the Fund Manager is employed on a part-time basis. Therefore she doesn’t have the time available to her to visit each group individually.

However we hold funding surgeries where you can get support and guidance about developing an application and the kind of supporting information you might need to gather and provide to strengthen your application.

If you would like to make an appointment to attend a funding surgery please telephone 01239 710238

In line with other funders we will consider applications where land is obtained through a lease for a minimum period of 15 years.

In any case it would be good to discuss your idea with the fund manager in the first place to discuss this kind of project. We can be contacted on 01239 710238.

No. The panel will only consider capital expenses once planning permissions are sought and in place, and cannot reimburse a group for retrospective planning costs.

No. This is called retrospective funding and we cannot fund retrospective costs. If you were funded and an unexpected cost arises, contact the Fund Manager to discuss, as once once your grant has been awarded we cannot reimburse the costs without the panel members approval.

We are more than happy to support you to develop your application and have a guide to support you in completing  the relevant forms. This guide explains any supporting evidence you should provide,  along with any documentation you might need to submit. You can book into a funding surgery to have a 45min. 1-2-1 session with our fund manager.

Please note the Fund Manager cannot complete your application form for you, as this would be unfair to the other projects going to panel. 

If additional support is required to complete the forms, or to be funding fit this can on occasion be granted by the panel through the support of an independent consultant.

To arrange this please contact us on 01239 710238.

As our fund is discretionary there is no appeal process.

However you can resubmit an application if the panel gives you specific direction to do so.

If you make the decision to resubmit an application,  you do so at your own cost and in most cases it is highly unlikely for you to secure funding unless you take the advice and guidance of the panel on board,  or you submit an application that is significantly different to the original.

Our fund manager will try to signpost you to other appropriate funders as part of the support we provide.

When the fund was established in the summer of 2018 we advertised for panel members. Each panel  member was required to make a formal application to be considered by Innogy and the administrators, Antur Cymru.

People were chosen who live,  work and volunteer  in the area of benefit. They represent different interest groups and a good mix of demographic characteristics.

All panel members are anonymous, unless they hold a public post such as a County Councillor. Every panel member signs up to a confidentiality agreement to be on the panel.

We will seek to refresh the panel from time to time. If you want to be considered to join the panel you can apply using the forms on this website or you can email us at [email protected] or call us on 01239 710238.

A -  The panel only give responses to funding applications, and are unable to make donations to projects. If you would like to make an application to the fund, please do contact the Fund Manager, as we can in exceptional circumstances contact the panel if the project has community benefit and is an emergency.

Unfortunately not. The fund panel members have met to discuss this question specifically, and merit on fundraising ability alone wouldn’t qualify a project for funding from the fund. Any questions about this subject, please do contact the Fund Manager or book into a funding surgery to discuss your project.

The panel is made up of representatives of each community in the Fund’s area of benefit, as well as a carefully selected range of experience and backgrounds so all areas of the community are represented. All applicants attend a funding surgery before being invited to apply to the Fund and the Fund Manager conducts extensive due diligence and evidence of need on all projects, checking references, invoices for value for money, ensuring if other funders can support the project to maximise the fund, and checking directly that community members are supportive of the project and that there’s evidence of need for the project. If the Fund Manager thinks it’s appropriate, she will request that a community consultation takes place, and if appropriate a consultant can be used for this to ensure best value for money from the fund. These processes take place before presenting the application to the panel members who are representatives of the community.

Due to GDPR it wouldn’t be appropriate to share details of the breakdown of costs of applications with the wider community. We do however provide details of all funded projects overall funding costs on the website and update quarterly on what’s been paid out. The link can be found here GRANT ALLOCATIONS - Brechfa Forest West Community Fund

If you would like to apply to be a panel member the link can be found here. APPLY TO JOIN THE PANEL - Brechfa Forest West Community Fund