Tuesday 29 September 2015

Innovation in Funding 12 October 2015, Cardiff City Stadium

WCVA in partnership with Institute of 
Fundraising Cymru with support from Welsh 
Government

The growing influence of innovative products such as crowdfunding and digital fundraising are both relevant to the sector. The tools are out there. It's a case of picking them up and using them.
Moreover, technology is only one aspect. Innovation comes in many forms. You do not have to rely solely on fundraising to finance the impact you want to create. There are several new financial tools available, including loan finance, social impact bonds and community shares.
This event is aimed at individuals who are keen to explore innovation in funding, from fundraising online to social investment. The conference promises to deliver practical tips to help your organisation explore innovative approaches to reach your fundraising targets and push boundaries.

The Lotus Foundation

The Lotus Foundation awards grants for social welfare projects across the UK and internationally in diverse areas including, but not limited to:
• Substance abuse;
• Domestic Violence;
• Children and Young People;
• Education;
• Female victims of domestic violence and their children;
• Homelessness;
• Animals in need;
• Medical (Cerebral palsy, cancer, brain tumours).
There are no stated minimum or maximum amounts. Awards tend to range from £1,000 to £25,000. The Foundation allocates around£200,000 each year.
In its last recorded financial year the Foundation made just under 50 grant awards. Previous awards have included:
Children/Youth
Dream Holidays (£1,500)
Whizz Kidz (£10,000)
Substance Abuse/Domestic Violence
Refuge (£25,000)
Knot Violence (£7,019)
Education
TTT – Training Teachers of Tomorrow (£10,000)
Animal Welfare
Canine Partners (£2,500)
Community
The 999 Club (£2,500)
Medical
Moon Bear Rescue (£1,000)
Royal Blind Society (£1,000)
Registered charities and other charitable organisations that are operating in the UK are eligible to apply.
The application process is ongoing and interested applicants may apply at any time. Applications should be made in writing.
If you like minimalism, the Foundation's website will probably be right up your street.  
More information is, however, available on the Charity Commission website.
Contact details for the Foundation are:
Mrs B Starkey
The Lotus Foundation
Startling Music Ltd
90 Jermyn Street
1st Floor
London SW1Y 4JD
Tel: 0207 930 5133  

(Source: GRIN)

Monday 28 September 2015

POWYS COUNTY COUNCIL BUDGET SIMULATOR

PCC's budget simulator goes live today & will be open for 6 weeks. It invites people to engage with PCC's processes for deciding how to prioritise its spending decisions:

http://www.powys.gov.uk/en/corporate/find-out-about-consultations-in-powys/powys-budget-challenge/

Have your say!

Friday 25 September 2015

THE LLOYDS BANK FOUNDATION – Enable and Invest Grants for agencies working with people experiencing multiple disadvantage aged 17 and over


After being closed to applications for the month of September, theLloyds Bank Foundation for England and Wales is expected to reopen to applications on Monday 5 October with a major change.
Previously, charities could apply for funding at any time. The Foundation reports that it will now change to a ‘grant round approach from 2016’.
Three grant rounds will operate in 2016 with decisions at the end of March, July and November.
Detailed timetables will be published on the Foundation’s websiteto provide clear guidance on the deadlines for each round.
The Foundation provides funding to charities and charitable incorporated organisations (CIOs) in England and Wales through the following two programmes:
Invest is a flexible, long-term core funding programme for charities delivering clear, targeted outcomes for disadvantaged people.
These grants are up to £25,000 per year for two or three years, with the opportunity for continuation funding for a further period - up to six years in total.
This is a smaller and shorter grants programme for charities that have identified clear development needs. This funding aims to help the organisations deliver their mission more effectively. Grants are up to a total £15,000 over two years.
Applicants to either programme are expected to be working with people experiencing multiple disadvantage at one of the critical points in their life.
Applicants must be working with people who are 17 years or older and experiencing at least one of the following:
o Have been abused or are at risk of abuse.
o Are victims of sexual exploitation.
o Are ex-offenders or those at risk of offending.
o Are long term unemployed.
o Are leaving care.
o Are homeless.
o Have learning disabilities.
o Have mental health and wellbeing issues.
o Have addictions.
o Are isolated and vulnerable.
o Have severe financial difficulty as a compounding disadvantage.
The only exceptions are young people who are under 17 years of age and young parents or looked after children and disabled young people moving into independent living.
To be eligible, organisations must:
o Be registered with the Charity Commission.
o Operate mainly in England and Wales.
o Have at least one year of published accounts covering a 12 month operating period.
o Have a one year track record of direct service delivery.
o Have an income in the last set of published accounts of between £25,000 and £1 million.
o Have free reserves of less than 12 months’ expenditure in the last set of published accounts.
o Have an active board of at least three Trustees.
Further details can be found on the Lloyd’s Bank Foundation’s website.  

(Source: GRIN)

Thursday 24 September 2015

Petplan Charitable Trust’s Welfare Grants Open for UK Applications

Welfare grants are offered once a year to UK registered charities to promote the health and welfare of animals, such as dogs, cats, horses and rabbits, in the UK.

Applications are currently being accepted for the following funding:

   - One major welfare grant of up to £20,000 towards an innovative project to improve animal care and welfare.
   - Up to £40,000 to be distributed for general grants of between £5,000 and £7,500. This can include items such        as neutering, kennelling costs and veterinary fees.
   - Up to £40,000 to be distributed for general grants of up to £5,000. This can include items such as neutering,          kennelling costs and veterinary fees.
   - Grants to assist with vehicle purchase.

The deadline for applications is 4 December 2015.

http://www.petplantrust.org/

(Source: Grantfinder)

NFU (National Farmers Union) Mutual Charitable Trust

The NFU (National Farmers Union) Mutual Charitable Trust provides funding in the form of one-off grants and donations to charitable initiatives in the areas of:
o Education,
o Research,
o Social welfare and
o The relief of poverty.
Awards tend to start at £1,000 and continue upwards to £20,000and £30,000.
Charitable organisations based and working within the UK seeking funding for charitable projects in the above areas may apply.
PLEASE NOTE: you do not have to be a registered charity to apply for a grant from this scheme.
The main objectives of the Trust are to:
• Advance the education of young people within rural areas.
• Relieve poverty within rural areas.
• Promote the benefit and social welfare of inhabitants of rural communities by associating together with the inhabitants and local authorities, voluntary and other organisations to advance education and leisure.
• Advance the education of the public by means of research and dissemination of information in relation to agriculture.
• Promote research into agriculture associated activities.
• Advance the education of the public by means of research and dissemination of information in relation to insurance.
The Trustees are particularly interested in initiatives in the areas of education of young people in rural areas and relief of poverty within rural areas.
Following a recent strategic review, the Trustees have indicated that in future, the Trust will focus on providing funding to larger initiatives, which are likely to have a significant impact on the rural community.
Previous grant recipients include:
There is no formal application form. Applications should be made in writing and include the following information:
• The project, initiative or organisation for which funding is sought.
• The amount of funding being requested.
• Any business plans.
• Details of any other funding sought and or obtained.
• Any recognition which would be given to the Trust in recognition of its support.
• Confirmation of whether or not the applicant is a registered charity.
The next deadline for applications is Friday 23 October 2015.
For further information, visit the NFU Mutual Charitable Trust website.
Contact details for the Trust are:
Jenny Dean
The NFU Mutual Charitable Trust
Tiddington Road
Stratford upon Avon
Warwickshire CV37 7BJ
Email:
 nfu_mutual_charitable_trust@nfumutual.co.uk

Tuesday 22 September 2015

Balcombe Charitable Trust

The Balcombe Charitable Trust provides grants to charitable organisations in the UK.
Eligible organisations must be a UK registered charity or a charitable organisation which is exempt from registration.
Grants are intended to support organisations undertaking projects in the following areas:
o Education,
o Environment,
o Health, and
o Welfare.
Previously grants have been awarded for between £200 and£160,000. In the financial year ending 5 April 2014 the Trust made donations to 21 different charitable organisations totalling£419,695. The average award was slightly below £20,00095% of all grants were awarded to health and welfare projects.
In many cases the Trust provides funding for two or three years to help ensure the stability of a project or initiative. New projects are required to have a business plan that demonstrates the applicant’s long-term sustainability.
Funding is not available for individuals.
 Examples of funded projects include:
o The installation of shared kitchens at a hostel for the homeless;
o Welfare advice and support for young people living with HIV;
o Funding for a family support team counsellor in a hospice; and
o The further development of a telephone befriending service for the isolated and elderly along with outreach work to empower and support carers who are otherwise isolated in the community.
The Trust does not maintain a website or have a formal application form. Applications, which may be made at any time, should be in writing to the Trust.
Further information about the Trust is available on the Charity Commission website.
Contact the Balcombe Charitable Trust for further information at:
Jonathan Prevezer
Balcombe Charitable Trust
c/o Citroen Wells
Devonshire House
1 Devonshire Street
London W1W 5DR
Email:
 jonathan.prevezer@citroenwells.co.uk 

(Source: GRIN)

Monday 21 September 2015

BBC Children in Need

BBC Children in Need is currently accepting applications from the following types of organisation working with disadvantaged children and young people in the UK aged 18 years old and younger:
o Registered charities;
o Voluntary organisations with a constitution;
o Community Interest Companies;
o Schools; and
o Churches.
Agencies can apply for either a Small Grant up to £10,000 for projects of one year or a Main Grant exceeding £10,000 for projects up to three years.
Children and young people should be experiencing disadvantage through:
o Illness, distress, abuse or neglect;
o Any kind of disability;
o Behavioural or psychological difficulties; and/or
o Living in poverty or situations of deprivation.
Projects should:
o Take the initiative and show clearly how they will make a difference in children and young people's lives.
o Address the challenges the children and young people face, build their skills and resilience, empower them and extend their choices in life.
o Involve children and young people in the design, delivery and evaluation of their work.
o Be keen to keep learning about their work so that their ability to make a difference in children and young people's lives can keep on improving.
The Small Grants programme is looking for projects where a relatively small amount of money can make a big difference for children and young people.
The Main Grants programme offers grants over £10,000 to support projects for up to three years. PLEASE NOTE: there is no upper limit for Main Grants but very few grants over £100,000 are made and most grants are for much less.
The grants are to be used for direct project costs that relate clearly and wholly to a project. Costs can include salaries, volunteer expenses, building hire and travel.
In many cases project costs also include less delivery-focused aspects such as line management, administration, insurance and utilities.
Match funding is not required.
The next deadline for Small Grant applications is  Tuesday 1 December 2015.
The next deadline for Main Grant applications is Friday 15 January 2016.
For further information visit the BBC Children in Need website.  

(Source: GRIN)

Friday 18 September 2015

GSK Impact Awards

Core funding for health and wellbeing charities – deadline 25 September 2015
 
Applications are open for the 2016 GSK IMPACT Awards which provide funding and free training for charities that are working to improve people’s health and wellbeing. Ten award winners will be chosen who will receive core funding of up to £40,000 plus access to free training and development opportunities valued at a further £6,000. 
 
The winning organisations will also receive many other benefits including having a film made, press coverage and showcasing their work at a national award ceremony attended by around 400 guests. 
 
The GSK IMPACT Awards give organisations access to a free leadership programme, designed specifically for health and wellbeing charities, provided by The King’s Fund. 
 
 
The closing date for applications is Friday 25 September 2015
 
Lisa Weaks, Third Sector Programme Manager 
The King's Fund, 11-13 Cavendish Square, London W1G 0AN 
Registered charity 1126980

Source: UK Fundraising 

Thursday 17 September 2015

PAUL HAMLYN FOUNDATION - YOUTH FUND

The Paul Hamlyn Foundation has introduced a new Youth Fund which will provide grants between £10,000 and £60,000 in total over two years.
The Foundation expects to make around 30 awards each year, so this will be an extremely competitive scheme.
Applicants must:
o Be not-for-profit;
o Work in the UK;
o Work at either local, regional or national levels, or at more than one level;
o Provide direct services and/or second-tier support.
The Fund will pay for core operating costs to help grow an organisation’s impact.
Examples of the types of initiative that can be funded include:
o Part-funding for the salary of a key individual, whether the Chief Executive or a post such as a Head of Operations/Finance;
o Additional fundraising or income generation capacity;
o Upgrading IT systems or website to reach young people online;
o Installing a new database to capture data on the organisation’s impact;
o Staff training or development;
o Running costs such as utilities and other bills;
o Policy work. 
Funding is not available for:
o Applications to fund specific projects – the Fund supports core costs of organisations only;
o Academic research, short courses, scholarships or bursaries.
The Foundation wants to grant aid organisations which work with young people in a way that recognises and builds on their strengths and potential.
The following list sets out some the circumstances:
o Poverty and lack of income;
o Unemployment and poor employment prospects or insecure attachment to the labour market;
o Discrimination, for example on the basis of race or ethnicity, gender, sexuality or religion;
o Being stigmatised by others, including the media;
o Experience of abuse, victimisation or exploitation;
o Homelessness;
o Trouble with the law and involvement in the criminal justice system;
o Becoming a parent at a young age and lacking support;
o Lacking support with mental health and wellbeing;
o Lacking support to manage having a learning disability;
o Experience of the care system or kinship care, family mental health or addiction problems;
o Struggling with addiction or a stigmatising health condition. 
The Youth Fund is an open process without deadlines.
It has two stages and applications may be made at any time by completing an online application form (applicants are required to register with the Foundation first) answering a standard set of questions.
For further information visit the Foundation’s Youth Fund webpage.  

(Source: GRIN)

Wednesday 16 September 2015

Central Social and Recreational Trust

The Central Social and Recreational Trust aims to improve the conditions of children and young people under the age of 21 who would otherwise be unable to obtain facilities for recreational or other leisure time pursuits.
Grant awards are normally up to £1,000, although the Trust will consider applications above this figure in exceptional circumstances.
Funding is available for:
o Equipment for the use of all members of the club, and the
o Maintenance of properties, as long as the property is owned by the club or there is a significant lease period.
Funding is not available for individuals or individual items, such as personal items of kit.
All young people who are to benefit must be under 21 years of age. The Trustees will consider the economic and social circumstances surrounding the beneficiaries of the grant.
Sports clubs and organisations that are affiliated to their governing body, for example, the Amateur Boxing Association of England, the National Association of Clubs for Young People or the Football Association are eligible to apply.
Applications may be submitted at any time via an online form and applicants are expected to show what funding they’ve secured towards their project from other sources.
For further information, visit the Central Social and Recreational Trust website.
Contact details for the Trust are:
Beverley Gold
The Central Social and Recreational Trust
Suite 19
Hurlingham Studios
Ranelagh Gardens
London SW6 3PA
Tel: 020 7386 6106
Email:
 beverley.gold@mar-media.com

Big Lottery Fund’s People and Places (Wales) – Change to Criteria


The People and Places programme funds capital and revenue projects that encourage co-ordinated action by people who want to make their communities better places to live.

Public sector as well as voluntary, community and social enterprise (VCSE) organisations can apply for three levels of grants (£5,001-£500,000; £250,001-£500,000; £500,001-£1 million) to support local and regional projects throughout Wales that focus on:

   - Revitalising communities.
   - Improving community relationships.
   - Enhancing local environments, community services and buildings.

Starting from 5 October 2015, the following changes will be made the programme's eligibility:

   - Projects will be able to apply for up to five years (instead of three years) funding.
   - Projects above £500,000 will no longer need to provide evidence that they are innovative in design.

All other programme eligibility will remain the same. Revised application forms and guidance notes will be available on the Big Lottery Fund website on 5 October 2015.

Applications can be made at any time.

https://www.biglotteryfund.org.uk/prog_people_places?regioncode=-wal&progStatus=open&country=%20%20Wales&status=theProg&chan=funding&title=People%20and%20Places

(Source: Grantfinder)

Monday 14 September 2015

WPD Community Chest

The WPD Community Chest is a grant scheme which distributes awards of up to £1,000 to communities to reduce their energy use through improvements to village halls, scout huts and other community buildings.
It is funded by the network operator Western Power Distribution (WPD) and administered by the Centre for Sustainable Energy(CSE), and is open to groups in the South West of England, the Midlands and South Wales (e.g. WPD's area of operation - see the postcode checker in the Guidance and Eligibility document).
All sorts of energy-saving improvements qualify including roof or cavity wall insulation, boiler replacement, new heating controls, double or secondary glazing, draught proofing, smart lighting, and replacing of appliances like fridges or water heaters for more energy efficient models. It can also fund water-saving equipment like new taps and showers.
To qualify for a grant, you need to demonstrate that:
1) You are a legitimate, not-for-profit community or voluntary group with a bank account (schools and publically owned buildings will not be eligible), and your building is used by a wide cross-section of the community. Certain businesses, such as community-run village shops may also be eligible.
2) Your community building is geographically located within the WPD network area. Use the postcode checker to find if your project is eligible.  You can also email wpdcc@cse.org.uk with the address and postcode of the community building if you want to check that you are within the WPD geographical boundary before submitting an application.
3) You have undertaken a full energy survey of the building using the format, checklist and guidance prepared by CSE and available to download at www.cse.org.uk/wpdcc and the requested energy efficiency improvements are appropriate in this context.
4) You are willing for WPD or CSE to use your project as a case study for publicity purposes – which may include photographs and quotes for press releases.
5) You have not previously received a grant through the WPD Community Chest.
The scheme will fund the installation of simple energy saving improvements to community buildings including, but not limited to:
o Lighting upgrades
o Heating system upgrades (in particular improved heating controls)
o Insulation
o Draught proofing, or
o Minor repairs (for example to door and window frames).
Other measures will be considered on a case by case basis.
The grant will cover the full costs, or 100% of a clearly defined energy-saving element, of works undertaken.
Improvements must be carried out within 6 months of receiving the grant.
Applications will be checked for:
• Group eligibility (location, type of group, constitution, not a previous beneficiary)
• Use of facility (extent of building usage and number of beneficiaries)
• Suitability of proposed measures (based on energy survey undertaken by the group)
• Costs (quotes or evidence of cost have been obtained, your preferred quote for each measure is indicated, the costs of proposed improvements are reasonable, and the total requested is not more than £1,000).
Applications will initially be accepted for three months from 7 September 2015 until 27 November 2015 , or until the grant pot has been awarded, whichever is sooner.
PLEASE NOTE: applications will be assessed on a rolling basis – grants for successful applicants will be awarded on a ‘first come, first served’ basis.
For further information, visit the WPD Community Chest website. 

Tuesday 8 September 2015

THE PAUL HAMLYN FOUNDATION IDEAS AND PIONEERS

The Ideas and Pioneers Fund provides grants for individuals and teams to support the early development of ideas with unusual promise to improve the life chances and opportunities of individuals and communities in the UK.
Grants of up to £30,000 are available for up to 18 months. ThePaul Hamyn Foundation aims to make around 30 awards each year.
The Foundation's mission is to “help people overcome disadvantage and lack of opportunity, so that they can realise their potential and enjoy fulfilling and creative lives”.
The Foundation places particular focus on supporting both young people and the arts. Its Strategy 2015 identifies six strategic priorities relating to changes the Foundation wishes to see in the UK. These are:
o To support imaginative people to nurture exciting ideas.
o To widen access and participation in the arts.
o To improve people’s education and learning through the arts.
o To show that the arts make a difference to people’s lives.
o To support the development and growth of organisations investing in young people and positive change.
o To improve support for young people who migrate, and strengthen integration so that communities can live well together.
The Ideas and Pioneers Fund provides seed funding for social change. Funding is available for:
o Ideas that relate closely to the Foundation's charitable mission, which is focussed around helping people to overcome disadvantage and lack of opportunity, so that they can realise their potential and enjoy fulfilling and creative lives.
o Ideas that are in the early stages of development, although some initial work should have already been done.
o Ideas that have not currently received funding from any other funding bodies, although applicants might have applied elsewhere.
o Ideas that will not require follow on funding.
o Ideas that may require a risk, as the Foundation recognises that some ideas are not going to work out.
Funding is available for a wide range of things that might be needed to get the idea off the ground, and the Foundation will consider funding work that will enable applicants to develop the idea from concept to set-up, including problem definition and analysis, scoping, exploratory work, and prototyping.
Applications will be accepted from:
o Individual pioneers working on their own.
o Partnerships or small teams of pioneers working independently (i.e. not as part of an organisation or association).
o People working in small constituted organisations that employ no more than five people (full time equivalent).
o Applicants aged 18 and above.
PLEASE NOTE: priority will be given to applicants who haven't applied to the Foundation before.
The 2015 application deadlines are Monday 14 September, Monday 12 October and Monday 9 November.
Applications to the Ideas and Pioneers Fund must be made online and applicants are required to submit:
o A video lasting up to three minutes, explaining what the idea is and why it should be done.
o A short written form.
o An equalities monitoring form.
For further information on how to apply, visit the Foundation’s webpage on the Ideas and Pioneers Fund.
Contact details for the Paul Hamlyn Foundation are:
The Paul Hamlyn Foundation
5-11 Leeke Street
London WC1X 9HY
Tel: 020 7812 3300
Email:
 information@phf.org.uk
(Source: GRIN)

Monday 7 September 2015

Gwirvol Youth Led Grant Scheme

Grants in the region of £600 are available for projects that provide volunteering opportunities for young people aged 14-25 to help their communities in Powys. Previous successful applications secured funds to:

  • create a community garden
  • hold a fund-raising event to raise money for a village hall
  • open up a footpath for local people and making it accessible for  people with mobility disabilities
  • run a peer-led first aid course
  • train young volunteers.
The applications have to be written by young people.  A panel of young people from Powys will assess the applications.
The Deadline for completed applications is on Monday 26th October at midday.
All volunteering must take place in Powys.