Wouldn’t it be nice? …. applying for Raise funds and Raise Rapid (fast-track) funds
This webpage is for West Hertfordshire Hospitals NHS Trust (WHHT) staff to apply for funds from Raise – your hospital charity. Before you can apply, you must read this page and confirm that your application qualifies. Raise is a charity and money must be used to meet our charitable objectives.
Charitable objectives
Raise money can only be used to enhance patient care, patient welfare, staff welfare, staff training, or the ward and working environments at the three West Hertfordshire hospitals. Raise money cannot be spent on anything that we would normally expect to see funded by WHHT; remember that our donors expect their money to be used to provide “above and beyond” what is provided by the NHS. Also, our money cannot be used to refund expenditure that has already been incurred (retrospective funding).
Basic criteria and guidance
An application must be for a minimum of £100 and a maximum of £250,000. Purchases must be completed or projects started within 6 months of funds being approved, and projects can run for up to 3 years. Remember that you will be making a pitch for donated funds and you might be competing with other requests, so be persuasive in your application. Also, plan it carefully because any changes later are treated as a new application and will lead to delay.
What about COVID-19 funds?
An application for support related to COVID-19 will be referred to WHHT first because COVID-19 exchequer funds may be available. If they are unable to help then your application will automatically enter the normal Raise application process.
Raise Rapid Funds
Requests for up to £1,000 will be allocated to the fast track and assessed based purely on the information you provide in the application form. We will make a decision within 15 working days; please contact us before submission if an emergency response is needed.
Applications over £1,000
For these requests the application form requests much more detail. Applications will be referred to the Charity Committee and we will respond within 20 working days. You may be asked for more information, and it is not possible to accelerate the process. If approved, funds will also be subject to your project being agreed by your Divisional Director (up to £5,000), or approval of a business case by the CFO (above £5,000), or by the full committee (over £25,000).
Some notes about applying
Ensure you have your manager’s agreement for the purchase or project (and a business plan if required) in place. You will have to complete the application form in one visit, so it is prudent to prepare answers to the 8 main questions in a word document first, which you can then “copy and paste” into the form. An MS Word version of the 8 questions is available to download at this link but note that this is only for your convenience – your application must be submitted online!
Remember that you must not commit to any expenditure until your application is approved in writing; Raise will not fund retrospectively. Finally, note that a purchase or project that Raise agrees to fund may also require permissions from WHHT departments such as IT, Infection Control, Estates, and so on, and it will be your responsibility to secure these before any money is released.
Ready to apply … ?