Thursday 16 December 2010

Funding Circle offers loans for small businesses in Wales

Funding Circle is the UK's first ever online marketplace. Members of the public have lent £1 million to small businesses in the first ten weeks of operation.

Funding Circle has given loans to 35 creditworthy businesses across the UK. These range from a water treatment company in Scotland, to a legal services provider in North Wales and a t-shirt printing company in London. To date the average loan size has been £30,000 and has been borrowed at an average interest rate of 8.2 per cent, substantially below the 12 per cent that banks typically charge businesses.

Lenders are aged from 18 to 80 with businesses being able to borrow between £5,000 and £50,000 for either one or three years with the loans repayable monthly.

Each loan is comprised of small amounts of borrowing from many different people who compete to lend to the business in question, enabling it to borrow at a better rate.

The Funding Circle model has been designed to reduce risk to lenders. Experienced Funding Circle underwriters comprehensively assess each application using the same information that banks use and only allow established and creditworthy businesses into the marketplace. Approved borrowers are then split into risk bands to give lenders a clear indication of the level of risk entailed in lending to them. To date, all businesses have fully repaid on time.

For more information go to: http://www.fundingcircle.com/

Funding for Independent Sexual Violence Advisors

Independent sexual violence advisers (ISVAs) are victim-focused advocates, funded to work with victims of recent and historic serious sexual crimes to enable them to access the services they need in the aftermath of the abuse they have experienced.

The maximum grant value is £20,000 per organisation per annum (£80,000 over the four year period). The grant scheme is open to all existing voluntary and community sector organisations and SARCs within England and Wales that have expertise in working with victims of sexual violence and abuse. Applications may be considered from SARCs that will open within the first six months of the start of the funding period (i.e. by end July 2011).

Funding can be given for running costs, such as salary, training and expenses costs for the ISVA post. All ISVAs will be expected to balance a caseload that includes victims progressing through the criminal justice process as well as victims that have decided not to report, or who are no longer in the criminal justice process.

The deadline for applications is 4 February 2011.

For more information go to: http://www.homeoffice.gov.uk/

BT COMMUNITY CONNECTIONS

BT Community Connections is an award scheme which offers community groups the chance to get online and help people discover the internet.

The award will be 12 months’ free connection to BT Business Total Broadband Advance, which includes features described in the standard products and services terms. Award winners will be required to accept the standard terms and conditions for the service.

Applications are welcomed from a diverse range of UK community organisations, charities, social enterprises and community interest companies.

Priority will be given to applications from community groups that operate in areas of deprivation and that have not previously won an award. However, previous award winners are eligible to apply and will be considered, providing they meet the application criteria.

Employees of British Telecommunications plc or Lumina CR Ltd, their families or agents are not eligible to apply.

Applications must be submitted by 13 January 2011.

For more information go to: http://www.btplc.com/

ENGAGEMENT GATEWAY - REMINDER

Organisations across Wales are being given a new opportunity to access funding from WCVA’s Engagement Gateway project.

Voluntary organisations and charities that support out-of-work people could win a contract from the project, which is funding organisations to develop the skills and confidence of disadvantaged and economically inactive people.

To become eligible for Gateway contracts of between £25,000 and £150,000, organisations can join the project’s approved supplier list by submitting a pre qualification questionnaire (PQQ) by 2pm on 24 January 2011.

Organisations whose PQQ meets the assessment criteria will be able to tender for contracts from March 2011.

If you are considering submitting a PQQ, PAVO can support you through this process, and look through your competed questionnaire, before it is submitted. Should your organisation be successfully added to the Approved Suppliers list and receive an Invitation To Tender (ITT) PAVO will provide ongoing support to your organisation at each stage of the Engagement Gateway process.

Powys Zero Waste Action Grant Scheme - SHORT DEADLINE!!

The Zero Waste Action project is a Rural Development Plan funded delegated grant scheme, aiming to support waste minimisation projects throughout Powys. It aims to increase the quantity and range of materials diverted from landfill through support and development of the recycling sector.

The scheme is open to constituted community enterprises and business,

The scheme will offer capital and revenue grant support to projects based in Powys. Examples of the projects that the grant support could be:
  • projects that trial new or innovative approaches to waste management, collection, handling and transportation / reprocessing of recyclates
  • projects that demonstrate a commitment to research and development as part of a wider operational activity
For more information please e-mail kayle.martin@cylch.org.uk for an expression of interest form and more detailed information.

!!PLEASE NOTE - the last round of applications closes on 2nd February 2011!!

Thursday 2 December 2010

The Jubilee People's Millions

The Big Lottery Fund ( in partnership with ITV), is marking the Queen’s Diamond Jubilee by making sixty grants of £60,000 available. The £3.6 million Jubilee People’s Millions awards will be awarded to new projects next year that "will inspire or improve local communities".

Community groups across the UK are being invited to bid for a share of the funding, with finalists appearing on ITV regional news. The public will then vote and decide which projects should receive the Lottery Diamond Jubilee funding.

Groups have until 4 February 2011 to get their entries in. The projects that receive the most votes will be awarded the funding next summer (2011), in order to be up and running in time for the Her Majesty’s Diamond Jubilee year, 2012.

The programme is open to voluntary and community groups, as well as schools, and local authorities and health bodies.

For more information go to: http://www.peoplesmillions.org.uk/apply