Shaping North Ayrshire

Application Guidance

A simple guide to help you submit your PB application

Create an account or log in to the site

  • If you have applied in a previous year on this site, you will already have an account. Please use this account to log in. If you can't remember your password, you will have the option to reset it when you enter your email address
  • If you have not logged into the site before:

 

Completing your application

This year there is only 1 fund open, so you should submit your application to the relevant locality area. Before you begin your application, you should read the criteria for the fund, which provides important information about deadlines, eligibility and requirements for applicants.

Once you begin your application, you can save and edit it at any time until applications close by agreeing to the Privacy Policy and Terms and Conditions of Use, and clicking the 'Submit application' button. As the author of the application, you will now have an 'Edit' option appear next to your application which you can use to make any further changes - don't forget to save as you go!

 

Copying and pasting information from Microsoft Word

We are aware that there can be some issues with copying and pasting answers into your application if you have drafted them on Microsoft Word - the website can sometimes think there are more characters in your answer than there really are. If this happens, refresh the page and type your information straight into the application form without copying and pasting. If you are still having issues with error messages, email participatorybudgeting@north-ayrshire.gov.uk with information about any issues you are having and we will do our best to resolve them.

 

What to include in your application

Heading: Use the drop-down box to select the locality you are applying to.

 

Title: Give your application a title. This can either be the organisation's name or the name of the specific project you want to get the funding for. Remember that when people vote for their favourites, the title is the first thing they will see!

 

Project summary: an 'elevator pitch' for your project. Keep it short and sharp; this is to provide a very quick overview of what you want to do and why, and is limited to 200 characters. The voting public might only read this part of your application so make sure you can explain your idea simply.

 

Description: tell us more about your project and why it's a great idea. It's really important to make sure you use this section to cover:

  • the costs you're applying for
  • any specific requirements of the fund laid out in the criteria
  • who it will benefit
  • why you think this is an idea that deserves to be funded

 

I confirm that I will provide any additional information requested to complete my application by the application deadline: you must answer either ‘yes’ or ‘no’ to this question to confirm to us that you have read and understood the criteria requirement to submit a full application by the deadline.

 

I confirm my understanding that if successful, I must submit my bank account information to North Ayrshire Council by the deadline requested: you must answer either ‘yes’ or ‘no’ to this question to confirm to us that you have read and understood the criteria requirement to return your bank account information (if successful) by our deadline. Do not put any bank account information in this box!

 

Did you receive funding in the 2025 round of PB (Locality, Youth or CWB funds)?: you must answer either ‘yes’ or ‘no’ to this question.

 

If you were funded through PB last year, please confirm that you have submitted a monitoring update using this form before submitting your application: Participatory Budgeting: Funding Report – Fill in form

Only complete this box if you were successful in securing funding through PB last year. Even if your activity is still to take place at the time of applying for 2026 PB funding, you must complete a monitoring form. Failure to submit an update will result in your application being withdrawn from the process.

 

Estimated price: confirm the total amount you are applying for. If you are applying for an amount to contribute to a bigger overall cost, please only include the amount you are applying for in your application. Please note that this box will not accept anything other than numbers, so enter 1000 instead of £1,000

 

Supporting videos, images and documents: we can accept video applications for any of the funds so long as they clearly provide all the required information above. 

We encourage you to upload an image for your application as this really brings it to life. If you don't have an image already, you can search Pexels.com for high quality, open source images and find one that suits your project.

You may find that an image you already have is too small for the site. If this happens, open the image separately on your device, and find the option to resize your image in the editing menu. Make sure that the image height is a minimum of 1024 pixels, and save the image. You should now be able to try uploading it to your application again.

If you try to upload a document or image and it doesn't work, check the file types accepted and the size of document allowed. If you decide to not upload a file after clicking the 'Add image' or 'Add new document' button, make sure you click the red 'Cancel' under the box to confirm you're not trying to add anything to your application.

 

Map location: use the plus and minus buttons to zoom in or out of the map, and drag the map to find your project location. This can be just over a town or down to a specific building. Once you're happy click once on the place you want to put your 'pin' and a blue symbol will appear 

Tell us more about the location: why is it important you're working here? What change do you hope to see as a result of your project?

 

If you are proposing on behalf of a group of organisation, write its name: confirm the name of the organisation you're applying for. If you're an individual applying with the support of an organisation, please clearly state the name of the organisation you want to work with on the project.

 

Themes: Choose the theme(s) that your project meets. More information is available in the criteria for each fund, which you should refer to before applying. Choosing every theme will not make your application look 'better' and may in fact cause issues when the application is reviewed! Be clear on the issues you are trying to tackle, and make sure you select them for the correct fund. 

 

Once you are happy with your application, tick the box to agree to the Privacy Policy and Terms and Conditions, followed by the 'Submit application' button.