The following organisations can apply for Discretionary Rate Relief:
- Charities (including charity shops, that are rate payers, occupying premises used for charitable purposes)
- Non profit organisations (that are not charities but the objectives of which are 'charitable', 'philanthropic or religious, or concerned with education, social welfare, science, literature or the fine arts' or who use the premises mainly for recreation)
They will in most part be covered under the following types of organisations:
- Voluntary organisations
- Community groups
- Tenants and residents groups
- Faith groups
- Housing Associations
- Co-operatives and social enterprises (that are set up to benefit of the public at large rather than its members)
- Sports organisations
- Mutuals
- Grant making trusts
Successful applicant organisations must be:
- based in and delivering services in Sandwell
- and non-governmental
- and value driven, for the social good
- and non party political
- and principally reinvest any financial surpluses to further social, environmental or cultural objectives that bring a significant community benefit to Sandwell.
Properties must not be empty and must be used for the purpose of delivering the organisation's objectives to the benefit of Sandwell people