Grant call: independent chairing, secretariat and partnership support

Delivery Period: April 2026 - April 2028.

1.Purpose of the Grant

The Norfolk Climate Change Partnership brings together local authority officers, portfolio holders, and voluntary and community sector partners to coordinate climate action across the county. This grant will fund a single organisation to provide independent chairing, secretariat support, meeting hosting, basic communications, and knowledge exchange activity for a two-year period.

The purpose is to ensure the partnership operates smoothly, meetings are purposeful and well run, and partners benefit from a meaningful programme of shared learning, collaboration, capacity building and networking.

Interested parties are invited to submit a short (500 words minimum) proposal on how they would deliver the following.

2.Independent chairing

Requirements:

• provide an independent Chair for NCCP regular meetings
• facilitate balanced discussion and ensure clear actions

Outputs:

• chairing of all NCCP main meetings (minimum 8 over two years), with potential extension to sub-groups if needed

3.Secretariat & meeting hosting

Requirements:

• schedule meetings and their content, circulate papers, and manage logistics (virtual or in person)
• produce agendas, minutes, and action notes
• maintain a simple forward plan of topics and responsibilities
• provide a single point of contact for partners
• set up and maintain a SharePoint (or equivalent) shared resource area

Outputs:

• secretariat support for NCCP main meetings and occasional sub-group meetings
• action logs and papers stored in a shared location

4.Governance & partnership support

Requirements:

• review and maintain NCCP's governance arrangements so they remain up to date and proportionate
• ensure clarity around roles, responsibilities, and decision making
• run simple surveys to identify needs and evaluate sessions

Outputs:

• updated governance note and membership list
• annual light-touch review of partnership arrangements

5.Basic website & LinkedIn presence

Requirements:

• maintain and lightly refresh the NCCP website (news, meeting papers, updates), or create a new website to maintain visibility
• manage a simple LinkedIn presence to share partnership activity and climate-related updates

Outputs:

• website updated monthly
• LinkedIn posts published twice per month

6.Knowledge exchange, networking & capacity building

Requirements:

• identify topics of interest for officers, portfolio holders, and VCS partners
• deliver short seminars, briefings, or networking sessions on agreed themes
• run simple surveys to identify needs and evaluate sessions
• be alert to funding opportunities where partners can apply together and build capacity

Outputs:

• minimum of four seminars or learning sessions per year
• survey of partner needs and priorities
• short summary notes shared after each session, with presentations recorded and archived

7.Expected outcomes

• well-run, purposeful NCCP meetings with clear actions
• stronger coordination between officers, portfolio holders, the voluntary sector and other relevant institutions
• refreshed visibility of NCCP activity across organisations in Norfolk
• meaningful programme of shared learning and networking

8.Funding & grant agreement

• a single grant will be awarded for April 2026 - April 2028
• funding covers chairing, secretariat, meeting hosting, communications, and knowledge exchange delivery and associated infrastructure
• a grant offer letter and grant agreement will be issued and signed by both parties before the start date
• the successful delivery partner will be awarded a grant of up to £12,000 exclusive of VAT

9.Monitoring

• annual summary of activity delivered
• light-touch evaluation of seminars and learning sessions

10.Application process

10.1Short written application (minimum 500 words)

Applicants must submit a concise document including:

• how the organisation will deliver the required functions
• who will lead the work and confirmation of capacity from April 2026 to April 2028
• a statement confirming the person submitting has authority to do so
• no additional documentation is required

10.2Confirmation discussion

A short discussion will be held with the applicant to confirm:

• shared understanding of expectations
• the rhythm of meetings and seminars
• the proposed budget and delivery timeline

10.3Grant award

Following the confirmation discussion, the Council will issue:

• a grant offer letter
• a grant agreement confirming delivery period, budget, outputs, and reporting arrangements

Great Yarmouth Borough Council has the right to withdraw this process before the Grant Offer letter is issued.

11.Deadline for applications

5pm on 13 April 2026.

To apply, please contact Emma Punchard at [email protected].