Fundraising & Regulatory Compliance Conference

The Fundraising Regulator will be holding a joint conference with the ICO and Charity Commission on 21st February aimed at helping charities & fundraising organisations comply with the law on data & consent. The event will be live streamed; for more information & to register to attend visit the ICO website. 

https://ico.org.uk/about-the-ico/news-and-events/events-and-webinars/fundraising-and-regulatory-compliance-conference/

(Source: Fundraising Regulator)

CAF Offers Resilience Support Package to Smaller Charities

The Charities Aid Foundation (CAF) is offering funding and professional support to 10 charitable organisations across the UK to help strengthen their infrastructure.

The Charities Aid Foundation has launched CAF Resilience, a new programme designed to boost resilience and to help smaller charities strengthen their infrastructure, so they can continue delivering vital services for their communities.

CAF will support 10 small to medium-sized charitable organisations with grants of up to £50,000 per year for two years as well as bespoke support for their needs. This could include expert advice and guidance on key issues such as governance, strategy development, financial planning, and sustainable sources of funding, demonstrating impact and communicating effectiveness.

To apply, applicants must:

• Be registered charities and community interest companies, incorporated in the UK.
• Have an annual income of between £250,000 and £1.5 million. Priority will be given to those with an annual income of less than £1 million.
• Be able to demonstrate a focus on preventing problems occurring or reoccurring, through early action, as opposed to addressing the consequences of an issue.
• Have been delivering their services in the UK for over two years.
• Have 50% or more of their beneficiaries located in the UK.

The deadline for applications is 10 February 2017 (2pm).

Full details can be found on the CAF website.

Source: CAF, 01/02/2017

Royal Bank of Scotland's Skills and Opportunities Fund

The Royal Bank of Scotland's Skills and Opportunities Fund is aimed at projects that will promote education, develop skills for employment and help people to start a business.

PLEASE NOTE: this is a application process that involves a public vote (which has turned into today's theme), the results of which are ‘taken into consideration’ by Regional Judging Panels.

£2.5 million is available in two funding rounds during 2017.

There is no minimum grant. The maximum grant is £35,000 or 20% of the applicant’s previous year’s turnover. The upper limit of turnover is £10 million.

There is no turnover restriction for schools or colleges. While there is no specific match funding requirement, a financial and in-kind contribution from the applicant or partners is encouraged.

The UK and Ireland has been divided into seven regions, each with its own decision making board, in order to distribute the Fund. Although all regions will be looking to fund projects that enable people to help themselves, each will have differing priorities recognising regional differences. 

Applicants should look at their region's priorities and make sure that their application responds to the criteria. For the South West and Wales area priorities, follow this LINK.

Projects must be able to meet these priorities set for their region and focus on:

o A disadvantaged community within the UK or Republic of Ireland;
o One or more of the following themes:
> Enterprise and entrepreneurship; and/or
> Financial capability.

Projects must be completed within 18 months of receiving a grant award.

A disadvantaged community could be a geographical community suffering from a high level of deprivation (this can be checked using the Index of Multiple Deprivation) or a ‘community of interest’ such as young people, lone parents, a Black and Minority Ethnic (BME) community, and/or those with disability.

No more than 25% can be spend on capital costs, which are a fixed one-time expense incurred on the purchase of land, buildings, construction and equipment.

Not-for-profit organisations, such as a charity, social enterprise, or community group can apply. State-funded schools may also apply.

To be eligible, applicants must:

o Be based in either the UK or Republic of Ireland;
o Be able to demonstrate experience of working in and/or with disadvantaged communities;
o Be able to demonstrate experience in measuring impact of the projects;
o Have a turnover of less than £10 million or be a state funded school or college;
o Have been trading for at least two years (schools can be trading for less than two years); and
o Be able to complete the project within 18 months of the award.

Universities cannot apply directly; however, they can partner with a non-for-profit organisation which will make the application as the lead applicant.

The following organisations and projects are not eligible for funding:

o Those that have received funding from the RBS Inspiring Enterprise programme, Large Grants programme (which is currently open to applications in Scotland only), the Skills & Opportunities Fund or the Ulster Bank Community Impact Fund during the last 12 months;
o Those that compete with existing bank programmes;
o A local authority or public sector body (i.e. Councils, ministerial and non-ministerial departments, agencies and public corporations);
o Those that are sectarian or political;
o Universities (although see the note above), ex-service/veteran not-for-profit clubs, trade unions, fraternal, or professional societies;
o Those seeking funding for costs not directly related to the project, or for excluded activities such as personal appeals, research projects or sports teams (unless the outcomes are related to employability, enterprise or education); or
o Those seeking funding for a capital-only project (funding for capital costs must not exceed 25% of overall project costs).

There will be two funding rounds in 2017:

o Round 1 closes at midday on Friday 24 February 2017; while
o Round 2 will take place in August 2017.

Applications must be made online and can only be made during the application period.

When all applications have been received and reviewed, a shortlist of projects being considered for funding in each region will be published. Voting will then be open to the public.

The outcome of the public vote will be taken into consideration by the Regional Judging Panels.

For further information, visit the Skills and Opportunities Fund website.

Contact details for the programme are:

PNE Group
Design Works
William Street
Felling NE10 0JP
Tel: 0191 438 7999
Email: sofapply@pne.org

(Source: GRIN)

Mrs F B Laurence’s Charitable Trust

The Mrs F B Laurence’s Charitable Trust provides grants to projects undertaken by registered charities that have a social welfare focus and those working with disadvantaged people.

In particular, the Trust wishes to fund projects that are hands-on, new and innovative.

While applicants should be UK registered charities, the Trust will fund work both in the UK and overseas.

Previous grants have ranged from £1,000 to £4,000. The vast majority of awards are for £2,000. Match funding is not required.

During the financial year ending 30 June 2016 the Trust made awards totalling £116,000.

Grants included:

o Torbay Mencap Society (£2,000);
o Trinity Sailing Foundation, Brixham, Devon (£2,000);
o Chigwell Riding Trust for Special Needs (£2,000);
o The Cleft Lip and Palate Association £2,000;
o Fishing for Heroes (£2,000); and
o The Landmark Trust (£1,500).

The Trust is willing to consider applications from smaller organisations, particularly those that may normally find attracting funding difficult.

The Trust stresses that awards are only made to registered charities.

The Mrs F B Laurence's Charitable Trust does not maintain a website, nor does it provide an email address or a phone number.

Further information is, however, available on the Charity Commission website.

Applications may be made at any time in writing to:

Mrs F B Laurence's Charitable Trust
BM Box 2082
London
WC1N 3XX  

(Source: GRIN)

Newtown Rotary Club 2017 grant

The Rotary run a competition offering a cash prize of up to £1400 to a project that will enhance the lives of local people.  The winning project should cost no more than £1400 to fund but any voluntary labour need not be taken into account.  The winner must demonstrate that the project can be completed by 30 June 2018.

Entries have to be submitted before 30 April 2017 but there are no complicated application forms or processes involved.  We do however need detailed estimates.  The winning project is likely to be one that offers the greatest benefit for the most people over an extended period and we will not fund any staffing costs. The winner will be expected to take part in local publicity.

 It is sufficient to email a submission to: neil@thegrants.plus.com.  The winner will be notified by the end of July 2017.  Funds will be released before Christmas 2017.

GROW FOR IT!

‘Grow For It’ is a new grant programme designed to raise awareness of the importance of UK native wild flowers and plants. Projects must be led by young people aged 12-25 working with a community organisation. Individuals must be known to a youth, community or education organisation that can receive the grant on their behalf. Applicants aged under 18 will require parental permission to apply to the scheme. Two grant schemes are available: 1. Get Creative: £500 is available to raise awareness of UK native wild flowers and plants. In addition to the grant, Get Creative is aimed at young people who want to use visual art, music, poetry, dance or theatre to raise awareness of the UK’s native wild flowers and plants. All of the Get Creative projects will be showcased at a weekend takeover event in Edinburgh, which will take place at the Summerhall Arts Centre on 23 – 25 June 2017. This will be an opportunity for successful applicants to present or perform at an iconic arts venue. Grow Wild will pay for travel and accommodation costs to attend the showcase event in June 2017. Get Creative projects must completed by Friday 23 June 2017. 2. Transform a Space: £500 is available to transform a space in the community using UK native wild flowers and plants. Transform a Space is aimed at young people who have a brilliant idea for transforming a communal space with native wild flowers and plants in their local area and will work with another group in their community. To be eligible for the Transform a Space grant, applicants: o Need to involve other people from the community who are a different age. This could be a local primary school, residents group or community project; and o Must have secured permission to use the space before they apply. Transform a Space projects must be completed by Friday 1 September 2017. The following are not eligible for funding: o Individuals under the age of 18 years unless they have permission from a parent or guardian; o Individuals operating without a voluntary or community group that can receive the grant on their behalf. Applications can be made by sending a short video application to Grow Wild. Video applications can be as extravagant and creative as necessary and do not have to be filmed on a fancy camera. Smart-phone videos are acceptable. For the Get Creative grant, the following information must be included in the video: o The name of the Grow Wild project; o Why the project has been chosen; o A description and overall concept, as well as the inspiration for the project. Sketches or sound bites can be used to give a flavour of what the final piece will look like; and o How the grant will be spent. For the Transform a Space grant, the following information must be included in the video: o The name of the Grow Wild project; o Why the project has been chosen, including benefits to the community and environment; o A visual guide to the chosen space, including video, photographs etc.; o An explanation of the other people that will be involved in the project; and o How the grant will be spent. The deadline for applications is Monday 27 February 2017. Further information and guidance notes can be found on the Grow Wild - Flowers to the People website. Applicants are advised to contact Catherine Winrow or Kate Allardyce at Grow Wild to discuss their project ideas. Catherine and Kate’s contact details are: Catherine Winrow Grow Wild Tel: 020 8332 5444 Email: growforit@growwilduk.com Kate Allardyce Grow Wild Tel: 020 8332 5445 Email: growforit@growwilduk.com (Source: GRIN)

Austin Hope & Pilkington Trust restructures for 2017

Many charitable trusts have seen a significant increase in the number of applications over the last couple of years and are beginning to adjust their grant programmes accordingly.

The Austin and Hope Pilkington Trust has announced a restructuring of its funding programme for 2017 and now offers 4 rounds per year.

Charitable organisations can apply for funding which directly support the theme selected by the Trust for that year. The funding is intended to support organisations undertaking projects in a variety of fields and works on a 3-year rotation system, with different fields of interests being funded each year.

The categories are as follows:

o 2017: Music and the Arts, and the Elderly;
o 2018: Medical and Community;
o 2019: Children and young people.

The project must fall within the relevant category for the year the application is submitted.

PLEASE NOTE: priority is given to projects with a national remitrather than projects with a local remit. Charities with an annual income of less than £50,000 are unlikely to be funded.

Registered charities and charities exempt from registration can apply for the following levels of funding:

o Charities with an annual operating income of between £50,000 and £1 million can apply a grant of £1,000 (charities with an annual income above £1 million are not eligible to apply for this grant);
o Charities with an annual income of over £500,000 will be able to apply for a grant of £5,000 (charities with an annual income below £500,000 will not be eligible to apply for this grant); and
o Charities with an annual income between £500,000 and £1 million can apply for either a £1,000 grant or a £5,000 grant. (charities may not apply for both).

Priority will also be given to organisations working in the following areas:

o Homelessness;
o Domestic abuse;
o Prisoners and offenders;
o Training and education;
o Counselling and support; and
o Activities for those with limited access or opportunities.

The following are not eligible for funding:

o Overseas projects;
o Capital appeals, including equipment.;
o Schools, including activities;
o Village halls;
o Minibuses or other vehicles;
o Shopmobility;
o Charities involved with religion (including repair of church fabric);
o Charities involved with animals (welfare and conservation);
o Individuals, including individuals embarking on a trip overseas with a charitable organisation;
o Students;
o Scouts, Guides, Cubs, Brownies or Sea Cadets;
o Holidays, including respite holidays;
o Individual hospices (national organisations may apply);
o Organisations with an annual income of over £1 million; or
o Capital projects. This includes churches, schools, hospitals, hospices, museums, galleries and theatres.

The rounds for 2017 are:

o Round 1: The Elderly. The application period is 1 - 28 February. Grants of £1,000 will be available for charities with an operational income of minimum £50,000 and maximum £1 million;
o Round 2: Music and the Arts. The application period is 1 - 31 April. Grants of £5,000 will be available for charities with operational income of minimum £1 million;
o Round 3: Music and the Arts. The application period is 1 - 31 July. Grants of £1,000 will be available to charities with an operational income of minimum £50,000 and maximum £1 million;
o Round 4: The Elderly. The application period is 1 September to 31 October. Grants of £5,000 will be available to charities with operational income of minimum £1 million.

Charities can only apply for one round per calendar year.  

The Trust requests that applications are submitted as early as possible before the deadline so that the Trust has plenty of time to request any additional information if required.

Application forms are available to complete online at the Trust's website.

Contact details for the Trust are:

Karen Frank
Administrator
The Austin and Hope Pilkington Trust
PO Box 124
Stroud
Gloucestershire
GL6 7YN
Email: admin@austin-hope-pilkington.org.uk
(The Trust does not provide a phone number.)  

(Source: GRIN)