Wednesday 20 July 2011

Summer celebrations

Summer is here (?!), and the season of fetes and celebrations is upon us.
We want to hear:
  • what happens in your area
  • what is a good money spinner
  • what's the wackiest event you've held to raise money
  • how do you get everyone involved?
Don't be shy, post a comment on the blog, and let's see what's happening in Powys!

LandAid - Training, Education and Support Fund and Capital Projects Fund

Grants of between £5,000 and £25,000 are available to registered charities and registered community interest companies in the United Kingdom. The following two funds are available:

  • Training, Education and Support Fund - Funding is available for training, education or support programmes that are targeted at disadvantaged young people, this can include NEETS, homeless and those from a low income background. Projects should engage young people and lead to employment or recognised qualifications.
  • Capital Projects Fund - Funding is available for the refurbishment, conversion, extension or new build of facilities for young and disadvantaged people. This can include hostel/foyers, community or youth centres and accommodation. Preference is given to projects that have an education or learning element.

Applications may be submitted at any time.


For more information go to: http://www.landaid.org/

Monday 18 July 2011

Red Cross chief attacks corporate attitudes to funding charity infrastructure

Sir Nicholas Young, chief executive of the British Red Cross, has hit out at the collective refusal of corporate donors to fund charities’ overheads.

In an interview with civilsociety.co.uk after he had been selected as the winner of the Outstanding Leadership Award at the Charity Awards, Sir Nicholas voiced his frustration at the prevailing attitudes of business leaders who don’t seem to realise that charities need all the same infrastructure as private sector organisations.

He explained that in recent years the British Red Cross had put a lot of effort into building the capacity of Red Cross societies in developing countries.

“There are 186 Red Cross or Red Crescent Societies around the world,” he said, “and a Red Cross society in sub-Saharan Africa has almost nothing compared to what we have here. Yet the scale of disasters and health and social care issues that they face are absolutely enormous.

“The history of big aid agencies like the Red Cross has tended to be that we parachute aid in and hope some of its sticks and increasingly I think we have to put a lot more effort into building sustainable local capacity so they can do much more for themselves.

“We have a number of great partnerships with small African national societies where we’ve been doing this for the last few years and we’re really beginning to see the results now.

Won't fund overheads

“But what is incredibly frustrating is how difficult it is to raise money for that work. I can go to a dozen captains of industry and ask for money for Aids programmes or disaster response or whatever, and I’ll get wonderfully generous support. But if I go to them and say ‘that national society in, say, Liberia really needs the money for a great fundraising director or finance director or computer system’ they’ll look at me as if I’m absolutely mad. They’ll say ‘We can’t possibly fund that, that’s overheads!’. And even when I say ‘Yes but they can’t do anything without those things’, they’ll still say ‘no no sorry, we’ll do the Aids programme, thanks’.”

Sir Nick said he tries to make them think about how their own business would function without a sales director or a finance director, but the corporate chiefs seem to think that’s different. “Of course it’s not different – these societies are businesses, they need to be able to run and manage themselves and then they could look after themselves much more. I find it very frustrating.”

(Source: civilsociety.co.uk)

Communities First programme to change in April 2012

From next April, the Welsh Assembly Government’s Communities First programme will be a community-focused initiative designed to support its reducing poverty agenda from April 2012, following a consultation.

The proposed changes are intended to strike a balance between delivering the priorities of local communities and those at the regional and national level within the following three strategic outcomes:

§ Prosperous communities.

§ Learning communities.

§ Healthier communities.

New structures for the management of the programme both locally, regionally and nationally will provide more consistent governance and financial accountability across the programme, with clear and consistent demarcation of roles and responsibilities.

The document includes proposals on how funding will be allocated for the new programme and details of a new funding scheme to support community organisations in designated Communities First areas.

Carl Sargeant, Minister for Local Government and Communities announced the plans, saying:

"There are currently over 150 Communities First partnerships covering areas of different sizes. In the past it has sometimes proved difficult for key partners such as health providers and local authorities to work together to prioritise their programmes on Communities First areas due to the programme being restricted to fixed geographical boundaries.

“The Welsh Government will be discussing with key partners in each local authority area, including the existing Communities First partnerships how the future of the programme should be targeted in their locality."

The consultation runs until 26 September 2011.

To view the document go to: http://wales.gov.uk/consultations/housingcommunity/futurecommfirst/?lang=en

Source: Welsh Assembly Government

Broadband scheme extended to include 'slowspots'

The Welsh Assembly Government has confirmed that the Welsh Broadband Support Scheme has been extended to include 'slowspots'.

Residents, communities, businesses and third sector groups currently located in broadband 'notspots', where connectivity is less than 512Kbps can apply for a grant of up to £1,000 to give them access to a broadband connection using the most appropriate technology available. The announcement will extend the scheme to include 'slowspots', where connectivity is less than 2Mbps.

The scheme, designed to reduce the number of rural areas of the country without broadband Internet. It will enable individuals and communities in Wales' remaining broadband 'not-spots' to approach service providers directly, with support of Assembly Government funding.

Initial funding of around £2 million has been allocated, with discussions now under way to access European assistance from the Rural Development Plan. Support is available for up to a maximum of £1,000 for individual premises, covering up to 100% of costs.

The scheme is technology neutral and the Welsh Assembly Government does not favour any particular type of technology; however, examples of the types of broadband solutions that could be supported include:

§ a broadband satellite connection installed for the home or business;

§ a community purchasing a 'larger scale' satellite connection which is distributed around the village by a small wireless network;

§ a wireless network being delivered by a service provider across a community; and

§ a community purchasing a next generation broadband service such as Fibre to the Cabinet (FTTC).

Individuals, communities, small to medium-sized businesses and third sector organisations in Wales may apply.

Applications may be submitted at any time.

Go to: http://wales.gov.uk/topics/businessandeconomy/broadbandandict/broadband/bbss/?lang=en

Source: Welsh Assembly Government, 06/07/11

Wednesday 13 July 2011

Public overestimates fundraising costs three-fold

The public grossly overestimate the amount of money charities spend on fundraising, according to research released today by Charities Aid Foundation.

A survey of more than 1,000 people found that on average they imagine it costs 42p to raise £1. In reality, according to CAF’s analysis of charity accounts, it generally costs charities around 12p, less than a third of public estimates.

When asked what they believe to be a reasonable proportion for charities to spend on fundraising, those surveyed came up with an average of 26p per pound.

Richard Harrison, director of research at CAF, said, “This proves that charities are extremely efficient and effective at fundraising, and spend less than a third than we assume they do.”

(Source: Civil Society.co.uk)

Cheques Campaigning success for IoF

The announcement that cheques will be kept as a valid payment method following the Payment Council's investigation into their future is a major success for charity fundraisers and the Institute of Fundraising 'save our cheque' campaign.

According to an announcement on the Payment Council's website "cheques will continue for as long as customers need them and the target for possible closure of the cheque clearing in 2018 has been cancelled."

Simon Morrison, Director of Marketing and Communications at the Institute of Fundraising, comments:

'We are delighted that the Payment Council has disposed with the proposed end date for cheques.

'This will make a world of difference to a lot of our members, especially as some charities currently receive up to 80% of their funding by cheques. For a large cohort of donors cheques are a preferred method of donation.

'However, the next generation of secure payment still needs to be investigated by the Payments Council.'

(Source: Institute of Fundraising)

Tuesday 12 July 2011

CHILDREN IN NEED FUNDING SURGERY - 28TH JULY 2011

Andrea Powell, the National Officer for Wales from Children in Need will be coming to Powys on Thursday 28th July 2011.

If you are considering applying to the fund, we would encourage you to take up this opportunity to meet with Andrea to discuss your application.

The surgery will take place at the PAVO Offices in Llandrindod Wells.

APPOINTMENTS MUST BE BOOKED - to book your place contact PAVO on 01597 822191.

Children in Need run two grant schemes. Grants are open to organisations working with disadvantaged children and young people who are 18 years old and under. · Your organisation and project must be based in the UK and you need to be a registered charity or other not-for-profit organisation.

There are two general grant deadlines remaining for this year: 15 July, 15 October.

Within the general grants programme, you can apply for:

· Small Grants of £10,000 or less per year for up to three years

· Main Grants over £10,000 per year for up to three years For more information go to: http://www.bbc.co.uk/pudsey/grants/guidelines_maingrant.shtml

Queen Elizabeth II Fields Fund (Major Works)

The Queen Elizabeth II Fields Challenge was created to celebrate Her Majesty The Queen’s Diamond Jubilee in 2012. It’s a new campaign to protect 2,012 outdoor recreational spaces in communities across the country as a permanent living legacy of this great event. SITA Trust has joined forces with HRH The Duke of Cambridge and the Fields in Trust to support this challenge.

The Queen Elizabeth II Fields Major Works Fund is provided by SITA Trust through the Landfill Communities Fund.

Community groups, parish councils, charities, local authorities and voluntary organisations may apply for grants of up to £25,000 to improve facilities provided at sports and/or recreation fields which are located within a ten-mile radius of a licensed landfill site in England and Wales.

Funding can be used for a range of things, including but not limited to:

  • Buying equipment that will be used at the project site.
  • Providing disabled access.
  • Resurfacing a sports ground.
  • Refurbishing a club house.
  • Providing playground equipment.
  • Equipment and furnishings such as floor coverings, tables, chairs, curtains, etc.
  • Installation of kitchen cabinets and appliances and any associated electrical and plumbing work deemed reasonable.

Projects must have the support of volunteers in its planning and delivery.

There will be five funding rounds during the programme which runs from June 2011 until February 2013.

It is preferred that applications are submitted online, though for groups that do not have access to the internet, an alternative method can be discussed.

The first closing date is 25 July 2011 (10.00 am) followed by a second closing date of 28 October 2011.

http://www.sitatrust.org.uk/qe2-fields

Queen Elizabeth II Fields Fund (Volunteer Support)

The Queen Elizabeth II Fields Challenge was created to celebrate Her Majesty, the Queen’s Diamond Jubilee in 2012. It’s a new campaign to protect 2,012 outdoor recreational spaces in communities across the country as a permanent living legacy of this great event. SITA Trust has joined forces with HRH The Duke of Cambridge and the Fields in Trust to support this challenge.

The Queen Elizabeth II Fields Major Works Fund is provided by SITA Trust through the Landfill Communities Fund.

Not-for-profit organisations (community groups, parish councils, charities, local authorities and voluntary organisations) working with volunteers to physically improve QEII fields located within ten miles of a licensed landfill site in England and Wales may apply for grants of up to £5,000.

Volunteers must be significantly involved in the planning and delivery of the projects.

Grants can be used to help with the costs associated with clearing sites, planting and fencing to make the fields more healthy and sustainable. Funding can also be used to buy the materials necessary for volunteers to make improvements to existing community buildings such as refurbishing or creating better access.

There will be ten funding rounds during the programme which runs from June 2011 until February 2013.

It is preferred that applications are submitted online, though for groups that do not have access to the internet, an alternative method can be discussed.

The first closing date is 22 August 2011 (10.00 am).

http://www.sitatrust.org.uk/qe2-fields

Thursday 7 July 2011

GSK IMPACT AWARDS 2012

The IMPACT Awards have been running since 1997 and are designed to recognise and reward charities that are doing excellent work to improve people’s health. They are funded by GlaxoSmithKline and managed in partnership with The King’s Fund.

The awards are open to registered charities that are at least three years old, working in a health-related field in the UK, with a total annual income between £10,000 and £1.5 million.

Benefits of applying

· Up to eight winners will receive £25,000

· Up to four highly commended awards of £5,000 and up to three runners-up awards of £3,000 will be made

· You decide how to use the award money

· Organisations that win or are highly commended for an award will be invited to send up to two representatives to take part in the GSK IMPACT Awards Development Network, a free training programme valued at £4,000 for each organisation.

The awards are designed to recognise success and achievements for existing work so you do not have to present a new project

·

· The winning organisations will be visited by a photographer, have a professional film made and will receive support with press and publicity.

An overall winner will be chosen from either the IMPACT Awards or the IMPACT Champions who will receive an additional £10,000.

For more information go to:

http://www.kingsfund.org.uk/current_projects/gsk_impact_awards/

Closing date Friday 23 September 2011

Tuesday 5 July 2011

Llangattock wins British Green Streets Title

A village in the Brecon Beacons has been named Britain's greenest community.

Llangattock Green Valleys project won the Welsh final of the British Gas challenge in 2009, but has now scooped the British title as well.

The village, near Crickhowell in Powys, has won £100,000 to spend on a local environmental project.

Judges said villagers had shown "some amazing levels of commitment to cutting carbon emissions".

Llangattock was chosen from 100 projects across the UK to be one of the final 14 communities who would go head-to-head over 14 months as part of the Green Streets challenge, a project helping communities to save energy and generate their own energy.

Michael Butterfield, from the Llangattock scheme, said: "Winning Green Streets is incredibly exciting.

"We've all worked really hard towards this and it's great to see that British Gas really understands and appreciates what we're trying to do here in Llangattock.

"Llangattock Green Valleys' aim is to make our community carbon negative by 2015, so as well as promoting energy efficiency across the board we plan to become a net exporter of renewable energy.

"As well as reducing our carbon footprint, this strategy will bring revenue, jobs and skills into the community and help us build a strong community asset base.

Source: BBC online

Congratulations to Llangattock on their success and best wishes for the future!

Big Lottery Chief looks to the future

Lots of people tell me that when times are tough, the Big Lottery Fund should focus on the tried and tested. They say that with other funds drying up, the lottery needs to protect the best of what is out there.

The trouble is that the future doesn't look like the past. Just because an operating model worked in one public spending context is no guarantee it will thrive in another.

Not enough of the bids to our demand-led programmes currently recognise this. Too many of the applications we are currently getting - many no doubt facing desperate funding situations and understandably looking for cash fast - are simply requesting larger sums of money on shorter timescales to go on delivering in just the same way they have delivered in the past.

I'm not saying we want to see change for change's sake. But I am talking about the need to move with the times. I'm talking about building on success; capturing within a bid an understanding and appreciation of the future operating context and adjusting one's plans to the new realities. Especially where need is urgent and acute, we want to help organisations that are doing great work to go on addressing that need.

However, simply helping an organisation through a few years until it faces its next funding crisis is not necessarily the best use of our money or doing the best we can for the people that the organisation is seeking to help.

I think it is becoming increasingly important for applicants to consider how to use lottery money to become more resilient as well as deliver essential services. And, it is increasingly important for BIG to recognise and value that.

The current funding situation is not a temporary blip before things return to the way that they used to be. Projects that explicitly address this stand out vividly from the rest.

Another worry I have is around the number of bids to our open programmes that seem determined to show that they and they alone are best placed to help those most in need. This is rarely the case. In fact, splendid isolation is far less impressive than seeing evidence of an organisation that knows what else is available locally, wants to avoid duplication, and is looking to pool resources where it makes sense with other local organisations.

I'm not saying we should force mergers but we like to see people who are thinking about where working with others would benefit those they are seeking to help.

Peter Wanless is chief executive of the Big Lottery Fund

Source: Third Sector online


Food for thought - what do you think?