Funding News: Grow Wild Community Sites, Trust and Tesco Large Grants

Tesco Large Grants
The Tesco Charity Trust offers grants of between £4,000 and £25,000 to charities working around their stores, and in the countries sourced from. Priorities are children's education and welfare, those with disabilities and the elderly. The deadline for this round is 9 January.

Grow Wild Community Sites
A Grow Wild site might be an unloved, neglected and rundown area that you'd like to reclaim for the local community . Grants of £500 - £5,000 are available to local voluntary or community organisations, a group of young people or a creative group turn it into an inspiring place. Closing date for applications is 6 January.  

The Will Charitable Trust
The Will Charitable Trust has announced that its Blind People & Learning Disabilities grants programme is now open for applications. UK charities can apply for funding for the care of and services for blind people, and the prevention and/or cure of blindness. Around 12 charities are supported each year with grants varying from £5,000 to around £20,000. The deadline 31 January.

Help The Homeless (UK)
Help the Homeless , a national Charity which aims to help homeless people throughout the United Kingdom to resume a normal life, is currently accepting applications from small and medium sized charities and voluntary organisations. Grants of up to £3,000 are available towards capital costs to support projects that assist disadvantaged individuals in their return to mainstream society, through residential or training facilities.

Information courtesy of NAVCA Update

National Housing Federation Home Truths 2013-14

Written by Arlene Kersley, Rural Housing Enabler, CCB

The National Housing Federation has published its annual Home Truths report for 2013-14.  The report always makes for sober reading. 

This year the report focuses on the impact of high rents on employed people earning marginal wages.  Working people are being forced to rely on Housing Benefit to meet the costs of housing.

While house prices continue their relentless rise in London and the SE other areas of the country have not seen any benefit from recent economic improvement.  This implies a significant imbalance between north and south. Extreme shortages of homes in London and the south east, and build rates still significantly below what is required, house prices are set to continue their upward climb.

Over the course of the next 7 years to 2020,  house prices in Berkshire are projected to increase between 39-54% and private rents to increase around 40%.

Read the report at:

http://issuu.com/nationalhousingfederation/docs/home_truths_2013-14/12?e=4073936/5882031

Our Place Programme open for bids in January

On the 10^th of December, Communities Minister Stephen Williams announced that Locality will be running the Our Place Programme, a support package of £4.3m from the Department of Local Communities to help at least 100 communities deliver local services focused on local priorities. 

This package of grants and support represents the next step in Localism, and provides communities more power to develop and run a diverse range of services locally.

Bidding opens in January 2014.  For more information see:  http://mycommunityrights.org.uk/ourplace/

Funding News

Funding & awards    

Together in Service
Together in Service is a new programme supported by the Dept for Communities & Local Government. Its objectives are to:

• celebrate the practical contribution that faith communities make to society through social action 
• support faith groups in undertaking new multi-faith volunteering projects at local level

Grants of £2,000 - £5,000 are available. Match funding of half the amount is needed, which can include volunteer time. There is no set deadline.

Community Energy Peer Mentoring Fund
Community energy projects are being given a boost with a new £0.5m fund announced by the Cabinet Office's Centre for Social Action and the Dept of Energy & Climate Change. Grants of £10,000 - £50,000 are available for community energy projects that mentor other smaller community projects and share skills to boost the number of projects across the country. The new funding is designed to help new groups get off the ground so they can start saving money and generating energy in their community. It will also help existing groups to professionalise, develop business plans and scale up their work. Deadline is 12 December.

Tesco Charity Community Awards (UK)
The Tesco Charity Trust opened its Community Awards for grants for children's welfare and/or children's educations (including special needs schools) on the 1st December 2013. Through the Awards, one-off donations of between £500 and £4,000 are available to local projects that support children and their education and welfare. Application deadline: Thursday 30th January 2014.

News courtesy of NAVCA e-bulletin

NEW: Funding News & Updates

Together in Service
This a new programme supported by the Government to celebrate the practical contribution that faith communities make to society through social action, and to support faith groups in undertaking new multi-faith volunteering projects at local level.  Grants of £2,000 - £5,000, are available. Match funding of half the amount is needed, which can include volunteer time. There is no set deadline.

Community Energy Peer Mentoring Fund
Grants of £10,000 - £50,000 are available for community energy projects that demonstrate they use social action to mentor other smaller community projects and share skills to boost the number of projects across the country. The new funding is designed to help new groups get off the ground so they can start saving money and generating energy in their community. It will also help existing groups to professionalise, develop business plans and scale up their work. Deadline is 12 December.
 
BBC Children in Need deadlines
As we recover from another four hours of Terry Wogan on the TV, a reminder of what Children in Need will fund: they give grants to organisations working with children and young people to combat this disadvantage and to make a real difference to their lives. Two types of grant are available - small grants under £10,000, where the next deadline is 1 December. For larger amounts, which can be spread over three years, the next deadline is 15 January. There will be further application rounds next year.

True Colours Trust 
Trustees of the Trust are committed to supporting a large number of excellent local organisations and projects that support disabled children and their families on a daily basis. The Trust has a small grants programme which provides  grants of up to £10,000, usually for one-off purposes, to help smaller organisations develop and deliver programmes for children, their siblings and families.

Healthy Hearts Grants
Heart Research UK has announced that its Healthy Hearts Grants Programme will re-open in January 2014. Heart Research UK Healthy Heart Grants support innovative projects designed to promote heart health and to prevent or reduce the risks of heart disease in specific groups or communities. Grants of up to £10,000 are available to community groups, voluntary organisations and researchers who are spreading the healthy heart message.

Courtesy of NAVCA e-bulletin

FUNDING: Rethinking Parks

This joint scheme helps organisations and partnerships to develop, test and scale new approaches to help local parks thrive.  Anyone with an idea can apply for their stake of the £1m pot (grants are likely to be around £100,000). To help people develop their ideas the programme is holding workshops around the country and online in January 2014.  The best ideas will be chosen to receive funding in early summer.

Story courtesy of NAVCA

Henry Smith Holiday Fund

Henry Smith, one of the largest charitable trusts, is running a scheme to provide disadvantaged children under 13 in the UK with a recreational holiday or day trip they would not otherwise be able to go on. The children should be from areas of high deprivation, experiencing disadvantage, or have a disability. Schools, youth groups, not for profit organisations and charities are all eligible to apply for grants between £500 and £2,500. This will only fund a maximum of two-thirds of the total cost. Deadlines vary depending on the date of the trip. Awards are made on a first come first served basis.

Courtesy of NAVCA

Over 80's Parcel Fund - Appeal from Newbury Weekly News

As Christmas decorations fill the shops, the deadline for the Newbury Weekly News Parcel Fund draws even nearer.

Anyone who would like to donate to the fund should send cheques payable to ‘NWN Over 80s’ Christmas Parcel Fund’ to Joanne Fulker, NWN, Newspaper House, Faraday Road, Newbury RG14 2DW. Alternatively you can donate online: https://www.findmeagrant.org/wberks/tla/browse.aspx 

Food for the parcels has already been ordered and is now being stored by Sainsburys and Newbury Weekly News are in the process of gathering up many little green willing and helpful cubs from all over Newbury who will be there on Sunday 1st December together with Vodafone and Sainsbury’s employees packing our 2,150 food parcels.
 
If you would like to add a name of an elderly resident who is over 80 years of age living in Newbury, Hungerford or Thatcham to our list, or to make any other amendments to our list, ring or email Joanne Fulker on 01635 886634 or jo.fulker@newburynews.co.uk

Reading Family Aid Christmas Toy Appeal, 2013

Reading Family Aid seeks more partner organisations for their annual Christmas toy appeal

RFA's "Toys & Teens" appeal is getting under way for 2013. We collect toys and gifts generously donated by local businesses, schools, churches and members of the public and distribute them to disadvantaged families in the greater Reading area. Last year around 1,600 children received Christmas gifts through the appeal but we know there are many more children we haven't reached. We would love to hear from charities, churches and other organisations who are in contact with Reading families in need and who might like to receive a sack of goodies through us.

Learn more at: Christmas Toy Appeal

Hilton in the Community Foundation Central Grants (UK)

Organisations that work with young people have the opportunity to apply for grants through the Hilton Foundation Central Grants Programme.

Organisations such as charities and other not for profit organisations can apply for grants ranging from a few hundred pounds up to £30,000 per year for up to 2 years that meet one of the Foundation's chosen areas of focus, these are:

•     Disabled children
•     Children in hospital
•     Homelessness
•     Life-limited children in hospices.

If favoured, grant applications for up to £10,000 can be approved by the Committee, and applications for more than £10,000 are recommended to the Trustees for final approval. There is no limit on the amount of money that a charity can request. However, the Foundation is a small charity and generally will not make awards of over £30,000 (per year). Funding can be requested for up to 2 years for any particular project.
The next closing date for applications is the 11th February 2014.  Full details at:
https://www.hilton-foundation.org.uk/apply.html

Story courtesy of BFVA e-bulletin

B&Q Waste Donation Scheme

Every B&Q store is striving to be a 'good neighbour' by forming partnerships within its local community.   B&Q operates a waste donation scheme through all stores. This scheme allows donation of waste materials, for example slightly damaged tins of paint, off-cuts of timber, odd rolls of wallpaper and end of range materials, to community groups, charities and schools.

The waste donation scheme is co-ordinated in store either by the environmental champion, duty or Warehouse manager who will keep a Waste Donation Form on file for interested groups.   Before any materials are donated, the form must be signed by a representative of the group.

Please note that it is company policy that health and safety is taken into consideration, therefore electrical, petrol and gas items are not available for donation. Any waste or surplus stock donated must not be re-sold.  Full details at:
www.diy.com/diy/jsp/corporate/content/environment_ethics/ethics/community/waste_donation.jsp

Story courtesy of BFVA e-bulletin

Grants for Scouting Groups

Over the years The Scout Association has been extremely fortunate to receive generous donations from many individuals and organisations who wish to support our work at a national and local level. The result of these donations is that there are a range of funds available, particularly to support local groups/units and individual members who require financial assistance in undertaking their scouting.

Grants are available for:

•     Opening or re-opening new sections
•     Starting a new group (min. two sections) in a recognised area of social deprivation
•     Local development planning events; capital equipment for promoting Scouting; adult recruitment events; youth recruitment events aimed at the cub and network sections; training adviser recruitment and retention
•     Employment of local development staff
•     Non-wood badge leader training; capital equipment for the delivery of adult training; young leader training; activity assessor training and assessment; activity permit assessments; DofE assessments; trustee/executive training; trainer training; minibus training and assessment
•     Air and sea scout training and capital equipment purchase
•     Support for members 'in financial hardship' - volunteer expenses, uniforms, camp and activity costs
•     Members with special needs and the development of special needs scouting, including small scale building works to ensure accessibility for all

Deadline: Applications can be submitted any time but must be at least 6 weeks before the event date.

Contact: DGB Grants Manager email: development@scout.org.uk
http://scouts.org.uk/supportresources/search/?cat=262,266,589

News courtesy of BFVA e-bulletin

First World War: then and now

Funding is available from the Heritage Lottery Fund to provide grants of £3,000 - £10,000 for community projects which explore, conserve and share the heritage of the First World War. Applications can be made at any time and the application form is really straightforward. For further details about projects that could be helped visit: www.hlf.org.uk/thenandnow.

Active Communities

The People's Health Trust have opened 'Active Communities', a funding programme offering grants of between £5,000-£50,000 for projects lasting up to two years. The programme closes for applications on 16 October 2013.

Comic Relief Re-Launches UK Grants Programme

 Comic Relief has re-launched its UK Grants Programme with new themes.

Charities registered in the UK and other not-for-profit organisations can apply for grants starting from £10,000 a year for three years if their work benefits people in England, Scotland, Wales, Northern Ireland, the Channel Islands or the Isle of Man.

Applications should address one of Comic Relief’s new themes, which are:

• Better futures for vulnerable young people aged 11 to 24 who are experiencing issues such as extreme levels of hardship within their community or family, poor mental health, drug or alcohol use or homelessness. Funding is also available for work with young people not in education, employment or training (NEET).
• Healthier finances by supporting those who are experiencing severe financial hardship by building financial literacy and capability within poorer areas and for people in low income jobs. Funding will support the development of affordable credit and financial services.
• Safer lives by supporting people who face violence, abuse and exploitation – especially people who are 11 years old or older.
• Stronger communities - small grants to locally-based groups or organisations in areas of disadvantage that have a clear understanding of the needs of their community and are working to address them.  These grants are managed by local community foundations.For the Berkshire Community Foundation website please click here.
• Fairer society by empowering and giving voice to marginalised groups of people, so that they can challenge injustice and bring about positive changes for those who face discrimination and stigma.

Although there is no maximum grant, Comic Relief expects that most grants will be between £20,000 and £40,000 a year. Only a small number of larger grants are likely to be made and these will be awarded to work with either regional or national significance, that is delivered by a number of partners or is clearly breaking new ground.

Grants are to be used for revenue costs (including salaries) and small capital items (such as office furniture and computers). Funding cannot be used for building costs, vehicles, land or heavy equipment.

Applications can be made at any time and will be considered every two months.
Full details can be found on the Comic Relief website

Article courtesy of Funding Central

Jessica Ennis-Hill Boost for Santander Foundation's Small Charities Fund

Olympic champion and Santander Ambassador Jessica Ennis-Hill has given her backing to the Santander Foundation’s Community Plus fund, which provides grants to local charities, in a bid to encourage nominations from across the UK.

Community Plus is a £1.23 million fund for small local charities, or local projects of national charities, with grants of up to £5,000 available for projects to help disadvantaged people. To celebrate Jessica’s involvement the Santander Foundation is pledging a further £150,000 to the fund to help more local charities in 2013.

Jessica Ennis-Hill said: “The fund is all about supporting great British charities. We’re keen to hear about those small, local charities where a grant of up to £5,000 could make a real difference to people in the area. It’s quick and easy to make a nomination at any Santander branch, so if you know of a local charity that could benefit from the Community Plus scheme, let us know!”

Nominations can be made by visiting any one of Santander’s 1,200 branches and completing a short form which can then be dropped off in the special Community Plus postbox in the branch.

Alan Eagle, Santander Foundation manager said: “We’ve traditionally focused our donations on education and financial capability projects. Community Plus was set up in 2012 to support a broader range of initiatives, with a simple application process specifically designed to help small charities access vital funding.”

To see Jessica’s video, click here. For more information on the fund, visit www.santanderfoundation.org.uk and click on Community Plus.

Premier League Community Facility Fund

The fund is run through the Football Foundation, to provide facilities which will serve to increase sports participation and physical activity in deprived, inner city areas. It doesn't just cover Premier League clubs, but Football League and Conference as well.

It has to be the football clubs that apply, but if you are in a group which already uses their facilities or has good links with them, you may want to discuss project ideas with them, and be a partner in the bid.

NEW Funding news - Arts & Sports

BBC Performing Arts Fund - Community Theatre

The scheme aims to support the development of not for profit community theatre groups. Grants of up to £5,000 will allow groups to carry out training, attract new audiences, encourage new members and raise their profile in their communities. The Fund  wants to encourage groups to take on more challenging projects through commissions and encouraging collaboration with professional theatre makers and other local organisations.  Closing date 16 September.

Miller Homes

Miller Homes is giving local sports clubs across the country a chance to win £500 . Entrants can collect an application form from their local branch; applying involves saying in no more than 200 words why their sports club deserves to win the money, how it will benefit the club and what it will be spent on. Closing date 1 September.

Sport England

Sport England's Small Grants uses lottery funding to make awards of between £300 and £10,000 to not-for-profit organisations to help more people play sport. To find out more about the fun and how to apply visit the Sport England website.

Story courtesy of NAVCA

NEW: Latest Funding News

Santander Foundation Community Plus

Santander Foundation awards grants of up to £5,000 for small local charities or local projects of national charities. The funding is available to cover salaries, equipment or materials. Projects must directly help disadvantaged people in your local area.

Boshier-Hinton Foundation

The Boshier-Hinton Foundation provides grants for work with children and adults with special educational or other needs. Typical grants range from £500 to £2,000.

Courtesy of NAVCA

NEW: Funding News

Time to Change

Round 4 of the Time to Change grants fund is now open. Time to Change funds projects that create opportunities for people with mental health problems to share their experiences with the public in informal one-to-one conversations. In this round, Time to Change are welcoming applications from Children and Young People projects working in any region of England. Deadline: 18 September 2013.

Council for Disabled Children

The Council for Disabled Children has launched its Innovation and Sustainability Programme . They are looking for applications from organisations to undertake projects that will improve their organisation's sustainability through innovative and creative work, increase the participation of disabled children and young people and those with special educational needs (SEN) and support the implementation at a local level of the government's proposed SEN and disability reforms, as outlined in the Children and Families Bill. Deadline: 6 August

Leeds Building Society Charitable Foundation

Leeds Building Society Charitable Foundation supports the communities around its nationwide network of branches by making donations to charities working in those areas. The Foundation considers applications from Registered Charities  for community based projects which aim to provide relief of suffering, hardship or poverty, or their direct consequences. Grants range from £250 to £1,000. Applications can be submitted at any time.

Story courtesy of NAVCA e-bulletin

Comic Relief Local Communities Programme

 

Comic Relief Local Communities Programme -   Grants of £1,000 to £10,000 (inclusive) available through Berkshire Community Foundation

The programme aims to empower local people, enabling them to create lasting change in their communities.  Projects  should be run  by people directly affected by the issues they are dealing with and priority will be given to small, locally based groups or organisations in areas of disadvantage that have a clear understanding of the needs of their community.

Under the programme, organisations can apply for funding to:

• ·         increase local services,
• ·         build skills of local people,
• ·         increase community cohesion
• ·         respond to local economic needs

 (For this round only, BCF aim to spend at least 50% of the money available, on projects which ‘increase access to sport and exercise for people who face social exclusion and isolation').

Organisations which have received a Community Cash grant or any other grant from a Community Foundation can apply for a Local Communities grant. However organisations which hold a grant directly from Comic Relief, can not apply for a Local Communities Grant.   A Local Communities grant must be at least 30% of the total cost of the project. 
Please complete an expression of interest form found on Berkshire Community Foundations website  http://www.berkshirecommunityfoundation.org.uk/apply-for-a-grant
Deadline for applications 16th September 2013

NEW: Funding news - music, encouraging the youth and supporting the local community

The Brit Trust

The British Record Industry Trust is entirely funded by the music industry. The BRIT Trust considers all applications which meet the criteria within its mission statement 'to encourage young people in the exploration and pursuit of educational, cultural or therapeutic benefits emanating from music'. Applications are only considered annually at a Trust meeting in September so need to be submitted by the end of August.

The Ernest Cook Trust

Schools, registered charities and not-for-profit organisations wishing to encourage young people's interest either in the countryside and the environment, the arts or aiming to raise levels of literacy and numeracy can apply for funding to the Ernest Cook Trust. Meetings to consider applications for the small grants programme take place bi-monthly throughout the year.

Post Office Community Enterprise Fund

DCLG have launched a joint competition with Post Office Ltd to encourage sub postmasters to work with local people to come up with innovative ways that post offices can support the local community.  Post Office branches (excluding Crown branches) can apply to receive up to £10,000 to support a new scheme or service for their local community.

Story courtesy of NAVCA

NEW Grant Programme to Buy Local Community Assets in England

The new £4.75 million Community Assets and Services Grants Programme is accepting Expressions of Interest from local community organisations in England that need funding to acquire or restore a local building.

Organisations that are established for charitable, benevolent or philanthropic purposes and are based and working in England can apply for Capital Grants of between £100,000 and £500,000 as long as they can spend the grant by the end of March 2014.
In order to be eligible, applications will need to meet at least one of this year’s themes:

• Community Assets - Under the Hammer: to facilitate competitive bidding for land and buildings to make use of the Right to Bid.
• Equity Matching Scheme: to match fund monies solicited direct from communities or via community share issues supported by the Community Shares Unit.
• Exercise Your Rights: to facilitate the use of two (or more) of the various legal mechanisms in tandem.
• How Green is Your Asset: Green refurbishment grants to improve the viability of land or buildings acquired by communities through Asset Transfer and/or the Right to Bid.

The funding is aimed at organisations that can demonstrate scale, ambition and innovation in the following ways:

• As an exemplar to inspire other organisations to be ambitious, for example, through demonstrating innovation in acquiring a particular type of asset, the nature and needs of the community the asset is designed to serve, or innovation in the type of business or service that will be delivered from the asset. 
• Demonstrates potential to stimulate similar community asset schemes elsewhere.
• Using asset acquisition to achieve transformative community-led service delivery or to showcase pioneering community-led planning outcomes.

The deadline for Expressions of Interest is 30 August 2013.
The Community Assets and Services Grants programme is being managed by the Social Investment Business (SIB) Group and its partners Locality and ACEVO on behalf of the Department for Communities and Local Government. SIB manages the grant funds while Locality and ACEVO deliver the advice and support element of the programme. The programme will run for three years.
Full details along with an application pack can be found on the SIB website (opens new window).

Story courtesy of J4Bcommunity.co.uk

Funding news

Newman's Own Foundation

Newman's Own Foundation is to make grants totalling £163,800 to registered UK charities that support children with life-limiting conditions. It will make grants of up to £32,750 each. The deadline for applications is 1 August.  

Jeans for Genes

Jeans for Genes Day raises money for Genetic Disorders UK and aims to change the world for children with genetic disorders. Jeans for Genes Day takes place on Friday 20th September 2013. Genetic Disorders UK is accepting new applications for the 2014 Grant Programme.

Momentum Music Fund

The Arts Council & PRS have launched a new scheme aimed at developing artists and bands. If you are looking to record some music in the near future then you might be able to access between £5,000 and £15,000 through The Momentum Music Fund. Application deadlines: 30 August, 11 October and 24 January.

Stories courtesy of NAVCA

Sustainable Development Fund is Open for New Projects

Sustainable Development Fund is Open for New Projects - Over £1.4 million boost for local economy to date

The North Wessex Downs Sustainable Development Fund (SDF), now in its seventh successful year, has thus far helped to inject £1.4 million into the local economy. And we are looking now for new projects to fund.

The SDF scheme is funded by Defra and was launched in 2005. Our aim is to develop and test innovative methods of achieving sustainability and to raise awareness, understanding and appreciation of the unique qualities and sensitivities of the North Wessex Downs.
 
The fund has supported a wide variety of schemes by providing grants to organisations, businesses, community groups and individuals, all wishing to explore and develop practical projects that conserve and enhance the local environment, develop local economic activity or promote local produce and products.

There is a streamlined assessment process for grants below £1,000, while the average grant awarded is currently between £1,000 and £5,000. Larger grants may be considered in the case of exceptional projects. The SDF grant will normally be not more than 75% of total project expenditure.

If you have an idea for a project, please visit the Sustainable Development Fund pages on the North Wessex Downs website.

Families Matter funding available

 

Families Matter is a funding and support programme run by Warburtons (the bread people), which aims to ensure that they support the local communities they serve. One of the key elements of Families Matter is a financial giving programme, which offers a range of grant and project support: They have publicised the following guidance for interested groups...

Grants: £0 - £250, available nationwide. Community grants are for small sums of money, that can be used for something specific that will benefit the cause you support. e.g. Buying equipment, supporting a community day etc.

Projects: £251 - £20,000, available within 15 miles of Warburtons sites Funding for community projects is for a clear, identifiable project that can be attributed to our support. You will be able to identify and report on the impact, in an in-depth manner.

For more information, including how to apply and a list of Warburtons sites, please click here.

NEW: Final round of funding for protecting playing fields

The final round for the National Lottery funding to improve community sports fields in England is now open. They are one of the most important resources for sport in England, but many are waterlogged or in a state of disrepair. There are five funding rounds of £3 million each. The first four rounds have benefited 235 projects who have been able to either create new natural turf pitches or improve existing ones that needed leveling or drainage works. The maximum grant available is £50,000. The latest round opened in June and closes on 5 August 2013.

Find out more at Sport England

NEW: Over £4 million to help communities to save their local buildings

 

Capital grants between £100,000 and £500,000 are available to organisations ready to take the next step in acquiring a local asset. 

Organisations with innovative and ambitious plans for community asset ownership will be able to apply for these grants till 30 August 2013 which will help with its purchase. Applications will need to meet at least one of the following themes:

• Community Assets – Under the Hammer: to facilitate competitive bidding for land and
buildings to make use of the Right to Bid.
• Equity matching Scheme: to match - fund monies solicited direct from communities or via
community share issues supported by the Community Shares Unit.
• Exercise Your Rights : to facilitate the use of two (or more) of the various legal mechanisms
in tandem.
• How Green is Your Asset: Green refurbishment grants to improve the viability of land or
buildings acquired by communities through Asset Transfer and/or the Right to Bid.

Organisations interested in the Community Assets and Services Grant products are advised to
contact the Community Rights Advice Service at mycommunityrights.org.uk or call 0845 345 4564 to assess their suitability for the Fund. Information on criteria for funding is available at
sibgroup.org.uk/communityrights

Cory Environmental Trust

 t

Cory Environmental Trust in Britain is celebrating its 10th anniversary by offering  one local community project the chance to secure a £100,000 grant. The Trust was set up to distribute cash raised from landfill tax to environmental or community organisations within ten miles of Cory Environmental Limited's landfill sites. Three deserving projects which reach a wide number of people will be shortlisted to present their proposals to the Trust in September, when the winning bid will be announced. Deadline 19 July.

Children in Need small grants

BBC Children in Need provides grants to support work with children and young people experiencing disadvantage through illness, distress, abuse or neglect any kind of disability behavioural or psychological difficulties living in poverty or situations of deprivation. Next deadline 1st September 2013.

Rural Community Energy Fund opens to applications

The RCEF is specifically targeted at helping rural communities access the money needed to carry out feasibility studies into renewable energy projects, and fund the costs associated with applying for planning permission. 

It is intended that projects will then be able to attract private finance to pay for renewable energy kit and get projects up and running. Funding can be used to support rural projects across the renewable and low carbon energy spectrum including wind, solar, biomass, heat pumps, anaerobic digestion, gas Combined Heat and Power and hydro.

Find out more at GOV.UK

£250 million to help communities buy local assets

Prime Minister David Cameron has announced £250m to help communities buy local assets such as pubs, shops, community centres, sports facilities and affordable housing. Mr Cameron said Big Society Capital (BSC) and the Big Lottery Fund (BLF) were making a long - term commitment to provide a quarter of a billion pounds over the rest of this decade to help communities withambitions to own local assets like pubs, shops, community centres and affordable housing.”

Read more on Action for Market Towns website

NOW OPEN: Community Education Fund

West Berkshire Council is pleased to invite bids for Round 25 of the Community Education Fund for projects to be delivered between 1st August 2013 and 31st July 2014.

The Fund will support education providers, voluntary organisations, charities and community groups to develop adult and family learning across West Berkshire.

A range of projects will be considered covering two distinct areas:
 

• Community Learning which aims to maximise access to learning for adults and families bringing new opportunities, improving lives and communities whatever people’s circumstances

• Adult Skills – short unit/award based qualifications which address local needs aimed at adults without Level 2 qualifications or those who are unemployed and on active benefits

Deadline for bids is 5pm on Tuesday, 9th July 2013.

For more information about the Community Education Fund go to www.westberks.gov.uk/cef25  or contact the Community Learning Team on 01635 519060 or email aclteam@westberks.gov.uk

Grant Opportunities

The Screwfix Foundation  
Grants to maintain and repair buildings and facilities
The Screwfix Foundation invites applications from any charity that is registered in the UK and has a project that involves fixing, maintaining or repairing properties and community facilities specifically for those in need. Grants are determined on a case by case basis, and funding is at the discretion of the Trustees. The grants can be used for a range of projects such as repairing a run-down building. Applications are accepted at any time.
http://www.screwfix.com/jsp/landing.jsp?id=ScrewfixFoundation

Tesco Charity Trust – Community Awards Scheme
The Tesco Charity Trust Community Awards Scheme provides one-off donations of between £500 and £4,000 to registered charities and not for profit organisations, who are working on local projects that support children and their education and welfare, and children with disabilities. There are two rounds of funding each year - one available now, with applications being accepted up to 30 June.
http://www.tescoplc.com/index.asp?pageid=121
 
Foyle Foundation - Small Grants Scheme
The Small Grants Scheme is designed to support smaller charities in the UK with an annual turnover of less than £100,000 per annum, especially those working at grass roots and local community level, in any field, across a wide range of activities. Grants of between £1,000 - £10,000 are available.
http://www.foylefoundation.org.uk/small-grants-scheme/

Active Communities

People’s Health Trust is an independent charity which funds local groups with great ideas in order to create fairer places to grow, live, work and age.

They  just opened Active Communities, a funding programme which may be of interest to groups and charities in Berkshire. They are offering grants of between £5,000-£50,000. The programme closes for applications on Monday 15 July 2013 at 12pm.


Applying couldn’t be easier – the form is online (and available in other formats) and there is detailed guidance to support applicants through each step. For further details please click here: http://www.peopleshealthtrust.org.uk/

Adult Community Learning in Reading

Reading Borough Council receives a grant from the Skills Funding Agency (SFA) to provide community learning and is sub-contracting a portion to voluntary and community organisations to reach deprived communities within Reading. This funding is under the SFA programmes Neighbourhood Learning in Deprived Communities and Personal Community Development Learning.

Amount available: Total amount available is £27,800 to be divided into contracts between £2,000 and £13,000.

Who can apply: Not-for profit organisations delivering learning opportunities to Reading residents aged 19+

Deadline: 12 noon Monday 24 June 2013

To find out more please email childrenscommissioning@reading.gov.uk or call 0118 937 2471

Grants available for young peoples activities in the school holidays

A new scheme has gone live on Find Me a Grant (www.findmeagrant.org) which offers grant money for young people's activites from a pot called the Turnaround Families Programme.

Deadline for applying is by 28th May 2013  and the main funding priorities are as follows

1. Activities for children and young people run in areas with high unemployment and high child poverty levels (above 15%) and/or rural isolation, including Calcot, Thatcham, Clay Hill, Greenham and Lambourn.

2. Activities which young people attend via a selection process and aimed at children and young people who present with one or more of the following life challenges:
• have found themselves in difficulty and are struggling with a positive approach to life and good mental health
• are experiencing a turbulent personal relationship or family situation
• are finding it difficult to stay in school or learning or who are getting into trouble at school and/or with the Police
• come from a household where there is at least one adult who is out of work

3. Whole family activities aimed at building family relationships and strengthening ties to people or place communities and in which are targeted at families managing one or more of the following issues: • unemployment • mental or physical ill health • domestic abuse • bereavement, separation or loss • isolation due to example cultural, language and/or religious needs • rural isolation

Funding News

The Plunkett Foundation

The Plunkett Foundation helps rural communities through community-ownership to take control of the issues affecting them. Their work is focused on Community-owned village shops, Rural Social and Community Enterprises and Community Food enterprises. For further information please visit: http://www.plunkett.co.uk

Path for Communities

The Paths for Communities scheme has been established to develop and enhance the network of Public Rights of Way (PROW) in England in order to deliver benefits to rural areas.
The aim of the scheme is to:
•          encourage and enable local communities to work with land owners to develop and enhance local public paths in ways that deliver wider benefit; and
•          offer a network with more appeal to visitors and tourists, contributing to the rural economy through better support for local services such as shops, pubs, hotels, bed and breakfasts, equestrian and cycle businesses.
For further information please click here: http://www.naturalengland.org.uk/ourwork/access/rightsofway/p4c.aspx

Biffa Award Small Grants Scheme

Small grants available to make a difference to a local facility, such as a community building, nature reserve, cultural facility or outdoor space. You can apply for between £250 and £10,000. For further details please click here: http://www.biffa-award.org/small-grants-scheme

Right to Bid

Pre-Feasibility Grant: Are available from Social Investment Business up to £10,000 and are for organizations to build their internal capacity to prepare to take receipt of an asset transfer or, else, a bid to buy land and buildings of community value.
Feasibility Grants: Feasibility grants will be made available to organisations that demonstrate they have the potential to meet local needs through the acquisition and management of land and buildings. These grants are mixed capital and revenue for amounts of up to £100,000.
Information on both of these grants is available here: http://mycommunityrights.org.uk/community-right-to-bid/grants/