Monday 15 January 2018

Financial Conduct Authority now regulates for digital giving platforms

The Financial Conduct Authority is now responsible for the regulation of the digital fundraising sector, after a revised piece of European legislation became UK law over the weekend.
As of 13 January, professional digital fundraising and crowdfunding platforms will now need to register with and be regulated by the FCA, after the revised Payment Services Direct (PSD2) came into effect. Civil Society News understands that this development will have no bearing on the Fundraising Regulator's continued efforts to bring digital fundraising platforms within its regulatory scope. 
The revised directive is the EU legislation which sets regulatory requirements for firms that provide payment services. PSD2 removes certain exemptions enjoyed under the previous 2009 iteration of the legislation by digital fundraising platforms, as it now draws a distinction between “professional” organisations and those who raise funds “non-professionally and as part of a not-for-profit or charitable activity”, or as volunteers.
In its Guidance on the scope of the Payment Services Regulations 2017, the FCA says that “e-commerce platforms” will be subject to regulation under PSD2 if they are “providing payments services as a regular occupation or business activity and does not benefit from an exclusion or exemption”.
In response to a question in the handbook from an “online fundraising platform which collects donations in the form of electronic payments”, the FCA said that such organisations “do not fall within the exclusion, unless they themselves are carrying this out both non-professionally and as part of a not-for-profit or charitable activity”.
A list of exemptions and exempted organisations can found in the Payment Services Regulations 2017, which made provisions for a “limited number of exempt bodies, notably credit unions and municipal banks” for which the regulations did not apply.
Civil Society News understands that digital giving platforms which have had a turnover of over £30m for three years will be subject to the new regulations. They will pay an annual £5,000 registration fee to the FCA to register with and be regulated by it.
The FCA has a “wide range of enforcement powers – criminal, civil and regulatory” which include: withdrawing a firm’s authorisation, issuing fines against firms and individuals “who breach our rules” and applying to courts for injunctions, restitution orders, winding-up and other insolvency orders. 

Fundraising Regulator to work closely with FCA to avoid ‘double regulation’

The Fundraising Regulator has told Civil Society News that it will “continue to work closely with the FCA” to ensure there is no doubling up of regulation, as it continues its own push to get digital giving platforms to register with it.
The Fundraising Regulator spent much of 2017 wrestling with its regulatory remit regarding digital fundraising platforms. Last April, the regulator said it was “assessing” is remit regarding commercial crowdfunding and digital giving platforms, in response to concerns raised about a possibly fraudulent JustGiving page set up in the memory of one of the victims of the Westminster attack.
The regulator subsequently held a joint digital giving summit with the Charity Commission in September before making moves to “update and expand” certain elements of the Code of Fundraising Practice to better cover the activities of commercial digital fundraising platforms in October.
A spokesman for the Fundraising Regulator said: “PSD 2 affects any organisation that is involved in transferring payments from “A to B” and the FCA has a statutory responsibility to regulate, by registering organisations that do this and where required, authorising them to trade. This includes on-line fundraising platforms because, for example, they transfer funds raised by individuals to charities.
“We are working with the platforms and the FCA to make sure that the platforms are registered and authorised before PSD 2 comes into effect on 13 January. With the Charity Commission we are continuing to discuss other aspects of regulation with the platforms, including advice and support to the public, fees and charges, anti-fraud measures and support for the Code of Fundraising Practice before inviting the platforms to join our regulation later in 2018.
“We will continue to work closely with the FCA to make sure there is no double regulation.”

JustGiving and Virgin Money Giving respond

Jo Barnett, executive director of Virgin Money Giving, said: “We welcome the regulation by the FCA of digital giving and fundraising platforms. We will continue to charge the same low donation fee to all our charities, charge no monthly fee and reclaim Gift Aid on their behalf at no extra cost.”
Neil Bannister, managing director of JustGiving, said: “JustGiving is proud to be the first online giving platform to achieve the status of an ‘Authorised Payment Institution’ by our new regulator, the Financial Conduct Authority.
“We have always worked hard to be as transparent as possible with the millions of fundraisers and donors who give via our platform every year, and we hope this will build on the already high levels of trust that our customers have in us and allow us grow the world of giving even further.”

Monday 8 January 2018

Come and 'Meet the Funders' in January


In the latest instalment of our popular 'Meet the Funders' events PAVO are teaming up with Chris Davies MP to provide organisations in and around Builth Wells and Ystradgynlais with the opportunity to get the inside track on three key lottery funders: Heritage, BIG and Sports Wales.


The events, starting at 6 PM, will be held at Wyeside Arts Centre in Builth Wells on Friday 12th January and The Welfare in Ystradgynlais on Friday 19th January. Refreshments are provided - come and join us!








Thursday 4 January 2018

Tampon Tax Fund - deadline for applications is midnight on Sunday 28 January 2018.

Government Invites Women’s Charities in the UK to Apply for £15m in Funding

The Government has launched the £15 million Tampon Tax Fund for a third year in a row with grants starting at £1 million.
The Tampon Tax Fund was announced by the Chancellor during the 2015 Autumn Statement. The Office for the Civil Society, which is part of the Department for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport (DCMS), is running and managing this UK-wide fund.
Charitable, benevolent and philanthropic organisations based and working in the UK can submit applications for grants of at least £1 million.
There is £15 million for the current fund which covers 2018-19. The minimum grant is £1 million. There is no maximum level of grant. The grant must represent more than 50% of the applicant’s collective annual income. Grants may be for one or two year projects, with a maximum of two years up until 31 March 2020.
The funding will support projects that focus on at least one of the following categories:
Violence against Women and Girls - Applications will be considered from organisations that support women and girls affected by or at risk of violence or abuse. This includes domestic violence and abuse, sexual violence, so-called ‘honour-based’ violence, stalking and prostitution and sex work, and applications are encouraged from consortia that cover multiple crime types. Projects should include early intervention and prevention of VAWG crimes, as well as victims’ services. Proposals must provide additional activity not currently within mainstream provision.
Mental Health and Wellbeing - Applications will be considered from organisations that promote mental wellbeing and prevention of mental illness for vulnerable and disadvantaged women and girls. This includes applications that promote mental wellbeing, public health prevention, early intervention, digital innovations, community based provision and working across sectors. Proposals should provide additional activity not currently within mainstream provision.
General programme - Applications will be considered from organisations working to improve the lives of disadvantaged or under-represented women and girls. As an indication, the work may be in the following areas (this is not an exhaustive list) and proposals that address other issues will be considered:
·         Alcohol and drug abuse.
·         BAME services.
·         Education and employment.
·         Engaging excluded and vulnerable women through sport.
·         Female offenders.
·         Gender equality.
·         LGBTQI specific services.
·         Multiple complex needs.
·         Older women.
·         Period poverty.
·         Women with disabilities.
·         Women with learning disabilities.
Applications are particularly welcomed from organisations that support women and girls across multiple regions.
The deadline for applications is midnight on Sunday 28 January 2018.



Final Round now open - deadline Jan 25th !

The third round of Rosa’s Woman to Woman fund is now open. With grants of up to £25,000, local grassroots women’s organisations across the UK will be supported using funds from the ‘Tampon Tax.’ In celebration of the centenary of the women’s vote, this round of the Woman to Woman fund will have a renewed focus on leadership and representation and we are particularly interested in funding work that increases women’s representation, skills building and civic engagement.
Grants are available for groups with an income of under £100,000 per year, to support a wide range of charitable work that benefits women: from building confidence and leadership skills, tackling harassment and violence, to training in financial literacy and increasing engagement in decision-making – and much more besides.
Rosa is also interested in increasing the impact and sustainability of women’s groups. Therefore, grants can pay for core costs such as financial management, business planning, staff salaries, office rent, leadership development and staff training; as well as project costs such as drop-in support services, mobilising volunteers and outreach. We especially want to support groups that work with disadvantaged communities or in disadvantaged areas.
As well as grants, Rosa will provide additional support that women’s groups tell us they need, including mentoring, training and networking opportunities.

 

Who can apply?

If you meet the following requirements you can apply for a grant:
  • You are a women’s sector organisation
  • You are a charitable organisation – your organisation need not be a registered charity, but your activities must be charitable and legal
  • You are a local organisation, which is not part of a national enterprise
  • You have an annual income less than £100k or you employ less than two full-time paid members of staff
  • You have a written governing document, such as a constitution or set of rules
  • You have a governing body with at least 3 unrelated members
  • You have a UK-based bank or building society account in the name of your organisation, with at least two unrelated signatories

 

What size grants are available?

Grants of between £5,000 and up to and including £25,000 are available. Any grant awarded must be spent within 12 months of receipt.

 

How will organisations be shortlisted?

Applicants will be shortlisted according to the fund criteria, the clarity and credibility of their plans, and to ensure a diversity of applications including across geography, Rosa’s four pillars, new and innovative or tried and tested approaches.

 

When to apply 

Round 3 . There are two stages to submitting an application to the Woman to Woman fund. To apply for a grant you will first need to complete the stage 1 application. The deadline for stage 1 applications is Thursday 25th January 2018 at 5pm and no applications will be accepted after this date. 

 

The deadline for applications is 25 January 2018 (5pm)



The Millennium Stadium Charitable Trust has launched the Youth Fund in Wales to support young people across the most disadvantaged communities in the country.

The Millennium Stadium Charitable Trust provides financial support to inspiring projects throughout Wales. It is due to launch a new fund, aimed at disadvantaged young people, to stand alongside its Local and Regional Fund.
The Trust is keen to support those committed to working with young people in Wales and is particularly interested in supporting projects that improve the quality of life of people and communities facing disadvantage.
Grants of up to £5,000 will support projects costs, volunteer costs, the purchase of equipment and training costs that enable the delivery of projects working with people age 14 to 19.
Priority will be given to projects from ethnic minorities and people with disabilities, and for projects in the areas of the greatest disadvantage.
The Trust’s Local fund has also opened for applications, and will be accepting submissions for environmental, community, arts and sports grants until 12 January 2018.
The one-off Youth Grants will open from 1 January 2018. The deadline for applications is 1 April 2018.       


Children in Need Deadlines 16th January .... 17th May and 13th September

FUNDER

BBC Children in Need – Main Grants Programme

DESCRIPTION
Grants for not-for-profit organisations that are working with disadvantaged children and young people who are 18 years old and younger living in the UK.
AMOUNT AVAILABLE
Maximum value:  £ 120,000
ELIGIBILITY
Grants of over £10,000 are available to support projects for up to 3-years.
There is no upper limit for Main Grants but very few grants over £120,000 (or £40,000 per year) are made and most grants are for much less.
Applications from Not-for-profit organisations that work with disadvantaged children and young people of 18 years and under who live in the UK, the Isle of Man or the Channel Islands are eligible to apply.
Organisations that already hold a grant from Children in Need can apply for further funding providing the current grant is coming to an end within the next 12 months. Applicants will need to be able to provide convincing evidence of the differences the grant has made to the lives of the disadvantaged children and young people the organisation has worked with.

CRITERIA
Funding is available to organisations that are supporting children and young people of 18 years and under who are experiencing disadvantage through:
·         Illness, distress, abuse or neglect, any kind of disability, behavioural or psychological difficulties.
·         Living in poverty or situations of deprivation.
·         Organisations must be working to combat this disadvantage and to make a real difference to children and young people's lives.
There is a two-stage application process.
The first stage is to fill out the initial online application form which can be found on the Children in Need website. Decisions on Main Grants are usually made within five months of the initial application deadline.
Groups that are successful at the initial application stage will be invited to complete a full application form.
Applicants must refer to the A-Z Guidance document before making an application.

MATCH FUNDING
Not specified
CONTACT DETAILS
GUIDELINES
The 2018 deadlines for initial applications are midnight on:
16 January 2018      17 May 2018         13 September 2018.


FUNDER

BBC Children in Need - Main Grants Programme

DESCRIPTION
Grants for not-for-profit organisations that are working with disadvantaged children and young people who are 18 years old and younger living in the UK.Grants of over £10,000 are available to support projects for up to three years.
There is no upper limit for Main Grants but very few grants over £120,000 (or £40,000 per year) are made and most grants are for much less.

AMOUNT AVAILABLE
Up to £120,000
ELIGIBILITY
Not-for-profit organisations that work with disadvantaged children and young people of 18 years and under who live in the UK, the Isle of Man or the Channel Islands are eligible to apply.
Organisations that already hold a grant from Children in Need can apply for further funding providing the current grant is coming to an end within the next 12 months. Applicants will need to be able to provide convincing evidence of the differences the grant has made to the lives of the disadvantaged children and young people the organisation has worked with.

CRITERIA
Funding is available to organisations that are supporting children and young people of 18 years and under who are experiencing disadvantage through:
Illness, distress, abuse or neglect.  Any kind of disability.  Behavioural or psychological difficulties. Living in poverty or situations of deprivation.
Organisations must be working to combat this disadvantage and to make a real difference to children and young people's lives.  The next application deadline is 16 January 2018 (midnight).

MATCH FUNDING
Not stated
CONTACT DETAILS
GUIDELINES


Grow Wild Community Project Funding 2018 Deadline January 15th !

Grants are available to groups and projects working on activities to connect communities and celebrate UK native wildflowers, plants and fungi.

Grants of £2,000 or £4,000 are available


Target groups - 


·         Young people aged 12-18
·         Students and young people aged 18-25
·         People living in urban areas
·         People experiencing disadvantage and reduced access to services
·         Adults that are less engaged with their community and environmental activities

     Criteria -

·         Led by the community directly or by an organisation that addresses an identified issue or need.
·         Will encourage large-scale involvement, with the potential to reach at least 300 people through direct participation or as wider beneficiaries.
·         Focuses on UK native wild flowers, plants and/or fungi, and furthers understanding of the importance of these native species for the environment and our lives.










The deadline for applications is 15 January 2018 (12pm).
Groups must contact the Grow Wild Engagement Manager in their area to discuss the project idea and request the online application form.
Guidance notes are available to download on Grow Wild's website. Click here for more information

The Elephant Trust

Grants are available to artists, small organisations and galleries within the UK to make it possible for artists and those presenting their work to undertake and complete projects when frustrated by lack of funds.  

Maximum Value £ 2,000 but larger grants up to £5,000 may be considered

The Trust aims to make it possible for artists and those presenting their work to undertake and complete projects when frustrated by lack of funds. It is committed to helping artists and art institutions and galleries that depart from the routine and signal new, distinct and imaginative sets of possibilities.

Applicants should submit well argued, imaginative proposals for making or producing new work or exhibitions

Click here for more information

Sustainable Management of Natural Resources

Natural Resources Wales (NRW) is making £3million available to projects that seek to take forward Sustainable Management of Natural Resources (SMNR) and which help to improve the well-being of Wales.

The Expression of Interest form, Guidance Note and supporting information is available on their website The closing date for submission of an expression of Interest is 14 January 2018, 23:59.  If this is successful, applicants will be invited to make a full application

Theatres Protection Fund UK Small Grants Scheme

Click here for more information
FUNDER

Theatres Protection Fund UK Small Grants Scheme

DESCRIPTION
Small capital grants are available to theatres in the UK that are run by charities and not-for-profit groups that can clearly demonstrate the value capital improvements to their theatres would make to their work with local communities.

AMOUNT AVAILABLE
Up to £5000

ELIGIBILITY
The Scheme aims to help theatres run by charities and not-for-profit groups that can clearly demonstrate the value capital improvements to their theatres would make to their work with local communities.
Applications towards specific items within capital projects or capital projects under £250,000 will be prioritised.
Grants are to be used for small capital projects that address urgent building repairs, improve operational viability, introduce environmental improvements, and which enhance physical accessibility.
Priority is given to applications towards specific and recognisable items within capital projects under £250,000.
The Trustees take into account a project's urgency, other resources available to the applicant and the extent to which the grant would make a significant difference to promoting the better protection of theatres. Funds are generally awarded where they are considered to have the most impact in realising an applicant's capital project.

CRITERIA
Own or manage theatres with titles or signed leases of more than five years on buildings in England, Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland.
Demonstrate that they run a regular theatre programme of professional, community and/or amateur work presenting no less than 30 performances a year.
Have a bona fide UK charitable or not-for-profit legal structure and be able to provide certified or audited accounts for at least two years.

MATCH FUNDING
Not specified

Did you know?

Did you know, that PAVO can offer the following support around social enterprise and trading?


  • Information – Start up (Information on structures),
  • Support for groups to examine - Social enterprise: is it for you?
  • Mentoring and support – to set up a structure which meets the groups’ needs
  • Guidance on developing a project
  • Support to prepare a business plan
  • Funding support – support to develop skills for preparing applications and  managing and monitoring funding
  • Support on raising funds, ICT, events etc.
  • Support with Tendering applications
  • Preparation or amendment of governing documents
  • Developing policies and procedures Policies (everything from equalities to safeguarding)
  • Providing model policies (everything from equalities to safeguarding)
  • Jargon busting
  • Support to engage with the community and/ or service users
  • Bespoke training
  • Access to training
·         Advice on volunteering
·         Outreach mini events
  • Facilitate multi-agency task groups for potential social enterprise initiatives

Call  PAVO 01597 822191 or email info@pavo.org.uk if you wish to access our support.