I'm working with a very new community group on an environmental project which needs to secure some grant aid. Many of the funding sources I've looked at require that applicants be somehow formalised and constituted.

The group has adopted a very simple set of rules, but it doesn’t have a bank account and I’m not sure what status it has legally, if any. It’s really just a group of enthusiasts.

The simplest and most quickly achievable way to get formalised appears to be to set up as an unincorporated association. Is this correct? and if so, what is involved in establishing an unincorporated association?

Alternatively, could the existing Community Association, which is a registered charity, apply for grants on behalf of this group and receive the funds?