£100,000 Grant Fund opens to reduce re-offending

The Police and Crime Commissioner (PCC) for Thames Valley, Anthony Stansfeld, and the Chief Constable, Francis Habgood, have today (04/12) opened a new grant round of the Police Property Act Fund.

The Fund, which is jointly managed by the PCC and the Chief Constable, is created from money recovered by the police and the proceeds from the sale of items that cannot be returned to identified owners, which includes seizures from criminals.

This is the second round of applications for 2015/16 and the PCC and Chief Constable expect to allocate around £100,000 in this round.

Applications are now invited from local voluntary and community groups who contribute towards the PCC's objective of 'Reducing Crime by Reducing Reoffending'.

Closing Date: Thursday 31st December 2015

For more information and the application pack please click here 

Courtesy of SCVS

Village SOS: Support, Outreach and Sustainability

Village SOS is all about helping communities to survive and thrive. We want to help communities become more enterprising. That might be by keeping services such as shops or playgroups alive for your village or by starting up a new enterprise that could create income to benefit your local area.

A community comes together for a BBQ
With more and more rural communities doing it for themselves Village SOS will help you to re-establish or reinvent services and reinvigorate your community.

Who can get involved with Village SOS?
Anyone with an interest in enterprising rural community action can become a member of the campaign – whether you’ve got experience to share, or want to learn from others, please sign up now to find out more.

Who can ask for support from Village SOS?
Projects, potential projects and organisations that provide a service to their local rural community with a population of fewer than 10,000. Once registered CCB, as a partner organisation, can help you through the process by providing advice and guidance

The five-step VSOS support package:
Step 1 – Sign up as a VSOS Member. Every project supported must sign up, as a VSOS member – it’s free!
Step 2 – More information needed. If you would like support as a project you’ll need to talk to the VSOS Hub, or your nearest partner organisation - CCB, to give us some more details about your project. You can express an interest on the member sign-up form and we’ll give you a call.
Step 3 – It’s all about action planning. You will get support and advice from your local VSOS partner organisation to develop an action plan for your project that matches your needs, ability and timescales.
Step 4 – Action. Through one-to-one support locally, and with the help of expert mentors, you will bring your project’s plan of support to fruition.
Step 5– Preparing for the future. Once your plan of support is complete, a final report of all activity will be written up by your support organisation, this may also include future actions for your consideration.

Who is my local support organisation?
Village SOS is a UK-wide campaign, and there are local partners in England, Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland available to help you now. This ensures communities are able to access support and advice from an organisation that knows their area. In Berkshire the Community Council for Berkshire is the local partner - contact us on admin@ccberks.

Funding - West Berkshire Council Building Community Together Fund

Building Community Together Fund
West Berkshire Council “Building Community Together Fund” is available over the next two years and will close in November 2017.

Local community groups can bid for funds from this pot to help them take responsibility for providing projects and services in their communities to meet local needs. The primary purpose of the money is to provide “start up” or “seed corn” funding to assist community based projects to start up. Funding provided would be on the basis that any service established would need to be self financing from the outset.

WBC have created a fund of £150,000 (£100k capital and £50k revenue) to provide one-off funding to help communities get their ideas going. Grants up to a maximum of £12,000 will normally be permitted.  However, in exceptional circumstances this amount may be exceeded.  As part of this funding there will also be a “small bids” category for grants of between £500 - £1,000.

WBC want to encourage creativity and innovation in our communities. Your proposal needs to meet a recognised community need. They are particularly interested in schemes that are relevant to more than one priority area: 
1. Community hubs: Small investment in local community buildings to enable them to be utilised more by the community   and better used as outreach points for disseminating information/advice. 
2. Elderly and vulnerable: Schemes such as luncheon clubs, befriending schemes, volunteer-led practical help services   or hospital transport schemes, etc) 
3. Flood prevention: Efforts to provide flood prevention measures for small scale equipment or items which improve coordination during flood or other extreme weather episode.
4. Child Protection and Family Support: For example local working groups/networks that help address the dynamics within families for better outcomes for all family members and enhanced protection of vulnerable children. Finding ways to prevent pupil exclusions from school, family evictions and homelessness, etc. 
5. Crime and Anti-Social Behaviour: Finding practical and innovative ways to reduce crime, anti-social behaviour and          repeat offending behaviour.
6. Emotional and Mental Health: Support for schemes which improve the physical and emotional health outcomes for local residents.
7. Skills and Jobs: Schemes that increase employment, volunteering, educational attainment, skills development, debt management or job creation ventures.       
8. Children and Young People: Schemes that encourage physical, social and emotional wellbeing in children and young people e.g. youth clubs, sports provision or other activity. 

For full details please click here 

Courtesy of EWB

The Galaxy Hot Chocolate Fund 2015/16

Supporting warm-hearted people and projects

Every week, until February 28 2016, we will be looking to help local community groups and charities across the UK and Ireland by awarding five £300 cash awards a week.
Four of these will be awarded by our judges’ panel. There will also be a People’s Choice Award every week which will be awarded to the entry with the most votes in any given week.

http://galaxyhotchocolate.com/

First Steps Enterprise Fund

First Steps Enterprise Fund is offering loan-grant (90% loan/10% grant) packages to charities and social enterprises working in communities in England to help them grow their services and become more sustainable.

Eligibility 
The fund is open to organisations that meet all of the following criteria: 
1) Community groups with well evidenced local connections as set out below: 
Organisations established for charitable, benevolent or philanthropic purposes. Our usual expectation will be that applicant organisations have one of the following types of legal structure:
⦁    Registered charity; 
⦁    Community interest company; 
⦁    Company limited by guarantee that is non-profit distributing 
⦁    IPS community benefit society that is non-profit distributing
2) Based and working in England. 
3) Organisations operating for longer than a year 
4) Applying for an investment of up to £30,000, of which 10% will be a grant. 
5) Able to repay the loan in 4 years at 5% (with a capital holiday in the first year- during which only interest is payable). 
6) Able to provide evidence of need for activities outlined in the proposal. 
7) Able to demonstrate the benefits to the community that arise from the proposed work.
What For?
It is a pilot partnership between Asda Foundation and the Social Investment Business Foundation. 
This fund is for community enterprises looking to take on their first loan to help the organisation move forward from start-up stage. 

Charities and social enterprises working in communities in England will be able to apply for a loan-grant package of up to £30,000 (10% will be a grant) to help them grow their services and become more sustainable. These investments are the first step towards accessing the wider social investment market and more financing options. 

How Much? 
You can apply for up to £30,000 and eligible organisations will have been operating for longer than one year. 

Deadline 
Deadline is noon Friday 11 December 2015. 

More Information
http://www.sibgroup.org.uk/firststeps/?utm_campaign=First+Steps+Enterprise+Fund+campaign+2015&utm_source=emailCampaign&utm_medium=email&utm_content= 

Information courtesy of Bruce Wright Funding Matters

FUNDING NEWS: Loads of information and news on funding opportunities for communities and charities

People’s Postcode Lottery Dream Fund

Applications are welcomed from projects that meet at least one of the Postcode Dream Trust’s six charitable purposes:

• Community development
• Environmental protection
• Health
• Human rights
• Participation in sports
• Prevention of poverty

There will be two awards; one of £1million and two of £500,000 to give groups an opportunity to deliver their dream project.  For more information please click here.
 

Youth Music Grants

Youth Music grants fund developmental music-making projects for children and young people up to the age of 25 as well as projects that support the development of the workforce, organisations and the wider sector.  The fund is made up of three separate streams:

• Fund A – Up to £30,000 for high quality music making projects.  Deadline for applications is Thurs 22nd October
• Fund B – Between £30,000 - £100,000 for larger programmes of work.  Deadline for applications is Thurs 5th November. 

For more information please click here. 

 

The Prince’s Countryside Fund

The Prince’s Countryside Fund supports the sustainability and protection of farms and rural communities.  Applications for up to £50,000 are invited from not for profit organisations focusing on at least one of the following:

• Thriving Rural Communities –providing solutions to deliver assets and services that keep rural communities together
• Rural Livelihoods –focus on developing stronger, sustainable farm and rural enterprises
• Farmers of the Future – improving skills and increasing opportunities for rural careers, particularly in farming

The deadline for applications is Thurs 8th October.  For more information please click here.
 

Heritage Enterprise Grants

The Heritage Lottery Fund “Heritage Enterprise Grants” funds the restoration of historic buildings carried out by not for profit organisations in partnership with private organisations.  There are two levels of funding:

• Grants of between £100,000 - £2million – decisions are made every three months
• Grants of between £2million - £5million – the next deadline is Thurs 8th October

For more information or to apply, please click here.
 

The SITA Trust

The SITA Trust offer grants to not-for-profit organisations including charities, local authorities and councils, to improve community leisure facilities and historic buildings and structures.  All projects must be in a SITA Trust funding zone.  (To check if your project is in an eligible locations please click here)  There are two funds available:

• Primary Fund – Grants of up to £50,000 for improvement projects that have an overall cost of no more than £250,000.  The deadline for applications is Mon 12th October. 
• Smaller Projects Fund – Grants of up to £20,000 for projects whose overall costs of no more than £40,000.  The deadline for applications is Mon 12th October.

For more information or to apply please click here.
 

Charity Bank

Charity Bank offer loans of between £50,000 - £2.5million to charities, social enterprises and organisations with a charitable purpose, or up to £3.5million to housing associations.  Examples of how a loan can be used are:

• To buy property, community assets and development sites and develop them for community use
• To fund new projects or the expansion of existing ones
• To provide bridge finances in the time it takes for a grant or other funding to arrive
• To fund day to day operations

For more information please click here or call 01732 441919.

This funding news is courtesy of Community Action Norfolk

Big Lottery Fund - Reaching Communities

BLF Reaching Communities funding is for projects that help people and communities most in need.

Eligibility
You can apply if you are:

• An unincorporated association, incorporated association, trust or company set up and registered as a charity.
• An unincorporated association set up as a voluntary and community group.
• A community interest company.
• A not-for-profit company limited by guarantee.
• A community benefit society.
• A town or parish council.
• A statutory body, including schools.

Projects must help people and communities in England. Project activities must take place in the UK.
They strongly encourage partnerships between the voluntary and community sector and the statutory sector.

What For?
Reaching Communities funding is for projects that help people and communities most in need.

All projects must address one or more of the following outcomes:

• People have better chances in life, with better access to training and development to improve their life skills,
• Stronger communities, with more active citizens, working together to tackle their problems,
• Improved rural and urban environments, which communities are better able to access and enjoy,
• Healthier and more active people and communities.

How Much?
Grants are available from £10,000, upwards and funding can last for up to 5 years. If you think you need more than £500,000 you must call them before you apply to discuss why you believe a larger project is appropriate. There is no upper limit for total project costs.

They can fund, salaries, running costs, a contribution towards core costs and equipment. They can also fund up to £100,000 for land, buildings or refurbishment capital costs.

If you need more than £100,000 for a land and/or buildings project please see the Reaching Communities buildings page at:
https://www.biglotteryfund.org.uk/global-content/programmes/england/reaching-communities-buildings-england 

Deadline
Ongoing.

More Information
https://www.biglotteryfund.org.uk/prog_reaching_communities 

Courtesy of Bruce Wright Funding Matters

Local Funding Opportunities: Berkshire Community Foundations

Berkshire Community Foundation is seeking applications for projects working on ‘Vital Signs’ issues across the County of Berkshire.  
This year’s funding will have a specific focus on supporting projects working with:

• Housing and homelessness
• Crime prevention/rehabilitation
• The environment

In addition, grants of up to £7,000 are available to groups in Slough working in projects that:
Relieve poverty

• Increase access to employment/employability skills
• Crime prevention/rehabilitation
• Applications must be submitted by 1st November 2015.

For more information and to apply for these grants please click here
Grants of £1,000 to £5,000 are also available for:

• Projects working with NEETS in Slough and Reading – ongoing deadline
• Projects benefitting those in Bracknell – ongoing deadline
• Projects benefitting those in West Berkshire, specifically volunteer led –ongoing deadline

For more information and to apply for these grants please click here

Comic Relief Local Communities Programme
Comic Relief is pleased to be working with UK Community Foundations and Community Foundations across the UK, to deliver this Local Communities programme. Berkshire Community Foundation is one of the delivery partners. The Local Communities programme will run for 18 months and during this time, grants of between £1,000 and £10,000 will be available. 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.

They are now open for applications. The closing date is Monday 9 November 2015.
 (For this round only, they 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). 

The next round will open on 4 January 2016 and close on Monday 15 February 2016.
If you want to apply for a Local Communities Grant, in the first instance please e-mail grants@berkshirecf.org or phone 0118 930 3021 with brief information on your project.

Starbucks Youth Action Invites Applications from across Great Britain

UK Youth and Starbucks are inviting groups in England, Scotland and Wales who are working with young people not in education or employment to apply for grants of up to £1,000.

Now in its fifth year, Starbucks Youth Action aims to inspire and support 16 to 24 year olds who want to make a positive impact in their community.

Young people in England, Scotland and Wales aged between 16 and 24 years who are not in full time education or employment can apply. The funding is to be used by the young people to develop and run projects in their local community. Projects should provide a positive benefit to the local community and look to enhance the young leaders employability and leadership skills.

Two young people need to lead the project and engage a further 50 young people throughout the course of the project. The young people will need to have a youth worker/training organisation able to support them throughout the project.

To support the project, young people will be given access to a specially designed App. Once downloaded, the app will help them keep track of their milestones and achievements while supporting them with the planning and delivery of their social action project.

All workers supporting young people will receive a copy of an employability toolkit to run through employment ready sessions and the QCF Unit Leadership pack, which will provide activities and recording documents for the young person to complete to gain their QCF unit in Leadership. In addition, young people will have access to job and apprenticeship vacancies within the Starbucks Coffee Chain.

This year's Starbucks Youth Action is a rolling programme running with monthly deadlines.

The remaining deadlines are: 5 October 2015, 2 November 2015, 1 December 2015, 4 January 2016, 1 February 2016 and 7 March 2016.

Applicants will be notified of the outcome within two weeks of the deadline for the month in which they submitted their application.

An online application form and full details can be found on the Starbucks Youth Action website

Courtesy of j4bcommunity.co.uk

Bupa UK Foundation

 Mental health underpins health and wellbeing and impacts everyone.

For many people mid-life, from the late 20s to early 50s, can be a time of increased challenges, responsibilities and pressures, in their working lives, family lives and relationships. The Bupa UK Foundation is looking to fund projects that aim to support and improve people's mental health at this critical life-stage.

What kind of projects is the Bupa UK Foundation looking to fund?
The Bupa UK Foundation welcomes expressions of interest from practical projects or initiatives which will have a direct impact on people's health and wellbeing, fall clearly into theme of mid-life mental health, and focus one of the following priority areas:

Prevention - equipping people with the skills they need to monitor, maintain and improve their own mental health.
Early intervention - enabling people to access effective support directly and as soon as they become aware of their needs.
Integration - addressing the link between physical and mental health.

It is expected that projects receiving funding are likely to be delivered within 12 to 18 months.

How many grants will be available and at what level of funding?
The Bupa UK Foundation expects to make around 20 grants split across the following levels:
Larger grants - over £50,000. For projects that have a broad reach and the potential to deliver a sustained impact.

Medium grants - up to £50,000. For distinct one-off projects, which might include pilots of new models of care or initiatives designed to benefit clearly defined groups.
Small grants - up to £10,000. For smaller projects delivered at local level to directly benefit a specific group.

http://www.bupaukfoundation.org/ 

Peoples Health Trust Active Communities

Local groups and organisations with great ideas to make their communities even better places to live are now invited to apply for funding to turn their ideas into reality.

Eligibility 
You can only apply for Active Communities if:
• You are non-profit 
• Your income is less than £350,000 a year, or an average of £350,000 over two years 
• You have less than six months’ annual running costs in savings (with no restrictions on the money) after you have deducted the grant you wish to request from us 
• Your organisation is constituted and is more than three months old

What For?
They are looking for small and local projects, genuinely designed and run by local people. By small, they mean just a small group of people on an estate, in a few streets or villages. 

They are also looking for great ideas from communities of interest. By this they mean a group of people who have things in common and wish to come together to address something that is important to them. These ideas could be based in one neighbourhood, or cover a wider area. 

They run a two stage application process that begins with a short online form. There's step by step guidance to help you along the way but if you need any support, please call them on 020 7697 4021 or email us. 

Using money raised by society lotteries through The Health Lottery, People's Health Trust has opened Active Communities in your area i.e. HealthConfirm - Wokingham, West Berkshire, Reading, Windsor and Maidenhead, Slough, Bracknell Forest (closes 2 September, 1pm) 

They want great ideas which make neighbourhoods even better places to grow, live, work and age. Projects need to:
• Be designed and led by local people 
• Create stronger connections between people 
• Be seeking funding of between £5,000 and £25,000 a year 
• Last for between twelve months and two years 
• Be small and local, for example, a few streets, a small village or be a community of interest, experiencing social and economic disadvantage 
• Be in one or more of their fundable neighbourhoods
They target their funds at the neighbourhoods which are the most affected by health inequalities. They call these ‘fundable neighbourhoods’. Zoom into the map (using the +/- slider to the left) to check which streets in your area are fundable neighbourhoods. Only areas highlighted in white are fundable. It doesn't matter if a very small part of a street is outside the fundable area. You can still apply.
http://www.peopleshealthtrust.org.uk/apply-for-funding/healthconfirm 

They also accept applications from communities of interest. By this they mean a group of people who have things in common and wish to come together to address something that is important to them. 
For example:
• Young people from Town A living with mental ill-health wishing to address access to work issues or discrimination 
• Isolated older people from the north of Village B who wish to establish more frequent and affordable transport in their area 
• Parents of children with autism from County C coming together to establish a support group to highlight local services and share information 
• A traveller community based in and around City D which aims to address economic disadvantage through encouraging small businesses
Here are some ideas they have funded:
• A women’s volunteering group run by and for Bengali women 
• Computer skills support group run for and by older people 
• Support for local people to become community organisers
They don’t fund projects that are strictly health-related and focus on specific diseases for example cancer, diabetes, stroke, or which aim to change behaviour for example, giving up smoking, losing weight etc.

How Much? 
Projects seeking investment of between £5,000 and £50,000 for projects lasting up to two years. 

Deadline 
To apply for a grant from People's Health Trust's Active Communities funding programme you must first check whether your area is open for funding. If you meet their criteria for Active Communities, you can begin the application process by submitting a quick Stage 1 application form.

They run a two stage application process over a five week period. There is a possibility that they will close stage one applications early in the five week period if they are oversubscribed. You are strongly advised to call them if you are just starting to apply. Decisions are made 12 weeks after the closing date.

Call them on 020 7697 4021 or email us if you would like any help and support

More Information
http://www.peopleshealthtrust.org.uk/apply-for-funding

2015 Starbucks Youth Action Programme Launch

UK Youth and Starbucks Coffee Company have announced the launch of its 2015 Starbucks Youth Action programme.

Eligibility 
Are you working with young people aged 16 – 24 who are not in education or employment? Would you like to support them to run a social action programme with funding of up to £1000, with an additional contribution for youth workers support time?

What For?
To apply, two young people need to lead the project and engage a further 50 young people throughout the course of the project. The young people will need to be aged between 16 and 24 and need to have a youth worker / training organisation able to support them throughout the project.

They are looking for projects that provide a positive benefit to the local community and that look to enhance the young leaders employability and leadership skills.

To support young people through their project they will be given access to a specially designed App which can be download in order to keep track of their project milestones and achievements while supporting them with the planning and delivery of their social action project.

All workers supporting young people will receive a copy of their employability toolkit to run through employment ready sessions and the QCF Unit Leadership pack, which will provide activities and recording documents for the young person to complete to gain their QCF unit in Leadership. In addition, young people will have access to job and apprenticeship vacancies within the Starbucks Coffee Chain.

The programme is primarily focused on young people not in education or employment although strong applications from other applicants will be considered.

This is a fantastic opportunity for young people to get involved in their local community and make a really positive difference while being given excellent support tools and networking opportunities.

How Much?
Up to £1000

Deadline
This is a rolling programme until March 2016. 

More Information
http://www.ukyouth.org/our-work-with-young-people/corporate-responsibility/youth-action#.VazVTxFREiRR
If you would like more information please contact Becky at starbucksyouthaction@ukyouth.org  or call 07720 339 221 

Article courtesy of Involve Bracknell

Berkshire Community Foundation: Grow Your Tenner

It is time to start preparing for Grow your Tenner 2015.
  
For all registered charities the start date and time is 10am on October 13th. Now is the time to start preparing. Start to build your online crowd.

Using e-mails, Facebook, Twitter, your website, newsletters, any other media and face to face, you can start telling people how they can give you £10, gift-aid it, and that you will then get £22.50 (less commission)

Get everyone in your organisation involved, staff, trustees, members, volunteers, friends and relatives.

This is a real opportunity for your organisation to make some money. But you need to tell people about it. Last year Grow Your Tenner finished in 5 weeks, so be ready on October 13th and don’t miss the opportunity.

Dave Soper –Charity Engagement Manager, Berkshire Community Foundation
Tel: 0118 930 3021  07729641450 dave.soper@berkshirecf.org @BCFDave
Address: 100 Longwater Avenue, Green Park, Reading, Berkshire, RG2 6GP
Think Local, Give Local

FUNDING NEWS: Local Sustainability, Big Lottery, Help Through Crisis and more. . .

Local Sustainability Fund
The Local Sustainability Fund is aimed at voluntary, community and social enterprise (VCSE) organisations that provide services to those who are vulnerable and disadvantaged.  The programme also aims to help VCSE organisations become stronger, more sustainable ad more resilient.  Average grants will be approximately £70,000.  For more information about this programme, please click here.
  
Big Lottery Funds
Building Better Opportunities - Big Lottery Fund are matching European Social Fund (ESF) 2014-2020 funding to local projects tackling the root causes of poverty, promoting social inclusion and encouraging local employment opportunities and growth.  The Big Lottery Fund is working with Local Enterprise Partnerships (LEPs) that have identified projects that best meet local need and priorities.   For more information please click here.

Help Through Crisis – grants of £300,000 - £500,000 are available to projects working collaboratively, with a focus on best practice, to support those facing hardship.  Hands-on advocacy and advice projects are encouraged to apply.  The deadline for applications is 26th August.  For more information please click here.

Big Potential Advanced Fund – This extension to the Big Potential fund will support organisations at a more advanced stage of their social investment journey, which are looking to raise investments over £500,000 and / or win contracts of over £1 million. These grants will be up to £150,000.  For more information please click here.
  
Guardian Charity Awards 2015
The Guardian Charity Awards recognise charities that improve social wellbeing and deliver benefits to those disadvantaged by poverty, disability, or are marginalised in some other way. Winning charities will receive £3,000, an iPad mini, one year's free NCVO membership and a tailored package of support from Zurich Insurance, the FSI, Media Trust and Bates Wells Braithwaite.  Entries must fulfil the following criteria: 
• Innovative aims and objectives
• Be able to demonstrate their impact
• Show how an award would boost growth and sustainability
• Demonstrate a contribution to social welfare
The deadline for entries is 5th August.  For more information please click here. 
  
British Gas Energy Efficiency Fund
This fund helps micro-businesses to manage their long term energy costs by providing free advice and energy efficiency measures.  Eligible businesses will receive an on-site energy survey and fully funded installations of energy saving measures valued up to £6,000.  For more information please click here.

Courtesy of Community Action Norfolk
  

M&S Energy Invites Applications to its Community Energy Fund Competition

M&S Energy is inviting not-for-profit organisations in Great Britain to apply to its new £400,000 Community Energy Fund Competition.

M&S Energy launched the Community Energy Fund earlier this month to mark its move to supplying all of its electricity from renewable sources. The fund will support community renewable energy projects and technologies across England, Scotland and Wales.

The competition is open to any not-for-profit organisation that wants to use renewable energy to provide community benefit. This could be, for example, parish and town councils, local action or interest groups, village or community hall associations, community energy groups, sports and recreation clubs, libraries, schools, scout and guide groups, religious or faith groups, or any organisation that wants to have a positive impact on the environment.

The following funding will be awarded:

Two national awards of £40,000.
Two national awards of £20,000
Regional funding pots for projects that require a maximum of £12,500.
A judge's prize of £15,000 which will be split between the most innovative or inspiring projects.
The grants can be used for all capital costs relating to the installation of the specified technology between October 2015 and October 2016.

Entries will be judged upon their social and environmental impact and will be scored against a variety of criteria, including:

A clear business case that gives value for money.
An engaged and supportive community.
A measurable community benefit.
Shortlisted applicants will need to organise support from their community to vote for their campaign on the competition website.

The most voted for projects in their national or regional category will secure funding. Funding will also be announced for the most inspiring projects. The results will be revealed by the end of October 2015.

The deadline for applications is 29 July 2015.

An online application and full details can be found on the M&S Energy website.

Souce: J4BCommunity.co.uk

LATEST Funding News: Car Clubs, Music Grant, Grassroot Giving, Parks for People & much more. . . .

Developing Car Clubs in England
Expressions of interest are invited for the Developing Car Clubs in England programme.  The Developing Car Clubs in England programme had a £100,000.  Applications are welcomed from local authorities, transport authorities and LEPs.  The deadline for expressions of interest is 6th July.  For more information please click here.

Youth Music Grant Programme
Grants of up to £30,000 are available for high quality music making programmes for children and young people.  Funds can also be used in projects that support the development of staff and volunteers, and the organisation itself.  Applications are welcome from charities, not for profit organisations and schools.  The closing date for this fund is 23rd July.  For more information please visit here.

Grassroots Giving
The Skipton Building Society’s Grassroots Giving awards grants of £500 to local groups with an annual net profit of less than £10,000 that make life better for local communities.  Community allotments, social groups for older people and groups offering activities for young people are among those who can apply.  The closing date for applications is 31st July.  For more information lease click here.

Joseph Rowntree Charitable Trust
The Joseph Rowntree Charitable Trust (JRCT) welcome applications to their grant programmes:
Peace and Security
Power and Accountability
Rights and Justice
Sustainable Future
JRCT ask that applications that relate to more than one grant (cross cutting) are submitted by 17th August.  Applications that are affected by only one of the grant programmes are to be submitted by 1st September.  For more information please click here.

Heart Research UK and Subway’s Healthy Heart Grants
Grants of up to £10,000 are available to new and original projects that actively promote heart health and help to reduce the risk of heart disease. For more information please visit here.

Parks for People
Heritage Lottery Fund is welcoming applications to their Parks for People fund for grants of between £100,000-£5 million.  Applicants must demonstrate that the park or cemetery is valued by the local community as part of their heritage.  The grant will support work around the following:
Landscaping, archaeological sites, earthworks or features from an earlier phase of design
Historic features or buildings (surviving or lost)
Natural heritage including habitats and wildlife
Collections of plants, trees objects or documents
Cultural traditions such as stories, festivals, fairs and crafts
Memories and experiences of the park or cemetery and the history attached to individual features, such as memorials or veteran trees
The deadline for applications is 12noon on 1st September.  For more information please click here.

Concertina
Concertina make grants for up to £250 to charitable organisations who provide musical entertainment, and related activities, to the elderly.  In particular they like to support small organisations who might struggle to get funding.  This funding can also include Care Homes.  The closing date is 31st October.  For more information please click here.

European Youth Foundation (EYF) Grants
The EYF are an independent organisation which promotes the positive development of children and young people.  Their priorities for this round of funding are:
The innovative encouragement of democratic citizenship
Young peoples’ access to rights and their autonomy
The promotion of peaceful, inclusive societies
The closing date for this funding is 1st October.  The EYF also fund pilot projects and will give priority to projects that focus on one of the following:
Fighting online hate speech and extremism
The integration of migrants and young refugees into society
Strengthening civil society (Especially Ukraine)
These projects can be submitted at any time.  For more information about ether of these funds please click here

Santander Foundation
The Santander Foundation has two funding streams to help disadvantaged people.  Both funds can be used for either capital or revenue expenses.
Learn and Grow – This programme funds activities that improve skills, confidence or employability for disadvantaged people
Money Skills – This programme funds charities and credit unions to carry out work to help disadvantaged people to manage their money. Applications are welcome at any time.  For more information please click here. 

Courtesy of Norfolk Community Action

Table Tennis England

Table Tennis England has a club focused capital facilities fund of £272,000 this financial year.

There are three key areas of investment based on evidence, knowledge and a recent facilities audit:
To provide additional tables for established clubs (£12,000 available nationally)
Grants of up to £10,000 towards upgrading existing facilities.
Grants from £20,000 to £100,000 towards extending or building a new facility.
Match funding is needed. Deadlines are different for each strand. Full details of the scheme can be found here:
tabletennisengland.co.uk/news/facility-grant-schemes/

The Morrisons Foundation - making a difference to communities

The Morrisons Foundation has been set up to make a difference in the communities we serve.

Their aim is to support good causes throughout the UK that really make a difference to people's lives.

If your charity is looking for funding on a particular project, please download and complete the following form and send to the address listed below.

Applicants must be from a registered charity whose project will improve people's lives.
http://www.morrisonsfoundation.com/

Pitch to the Panel: An opportunity for a local community project to win a share of £100,000.

An opportunity for a local community project to win a share of £100,000.

Greenham Common Trust is delighted to announce a new initiative in which £100,000 is being offered in a Dragon's Den style competition this autumn.  Pitch to the Panel will form part of The Greenham Exchange - Getting the Community Together - an evening of celebration and networking for the local voluntary sector on Thursday 12 November at the Corn Exchange in Newbury.

Local charities and community organisations in West Berkshire and North Hampshire are invited to participate in Pitch to the Panel.  Applications are invited via www.findmeagrant.org for funding for new projects or initiatives under £15,000 (minor projects) and over £15,000 (major projects).  Once you have created your application on findmeagrant you need to email events@greenham-common-trust.co.uk and request your application is entered for Pitch to the Panel.  In order to qualify, minor projects need to have raised £1000 and major projects £2000 (including Gift Aid and Trust Top Up match funding on donations through www.findmeagrant.org ) by 31 August 2015.  A shortlist of six applicants (3 minor and 3 major) will be drawn up who will be invited to present to the panel and audience at The Greenham Exchange at the Corn Exchange on the evening of Thursday 12 November. Shortlisted applicants will be offered the services of a mentor to help them prepare their pitch or consult on their project once funded.

After the presentations the panel will deliberate and award funding to the projects, and members of the audience will be invited to vote for their preferred project.  Each audience vote will represent a donation of £1 of “public top up” which will be provided by Greenham Common Trust.

The public will also be able to vote on-line before the event for their preferred project and for each vote registered the Trust will allocate an additional £1 of “public top up” to the project, subject to an overall maximum of £10,000.

For details of how to apply for funding by Pitch to the Panel and full terms and conditions please click here or visit www.pitchtothepanel.com.

The closing date for applications to Pitch to the Panel is 31 July 2015 - so don't delay, apply today!

Further details regarding The Greenham Exchange and how to apply for tickets will be available nearer the time.

Round 29 of Community Education Fund

The Community Learning team at West Berkshire Council is pleased to invite bids for Round 29 of the Community Education Fund for projects to be delivered from 1st August 2015 - 31st July 2016. This fund is focused on developing Community Learning and Skills opportunities for adults (19+) and families in West Berkshire. 

The funding available covers the following areas:
·         Community Learning - which aims to maximize access to learning for adults and families bringing new opportunities, improving lives and communities whatever people's circumstances
·         Adult Skills – which supports qualifications aimed at adults without Level 2 qualifications or those who are unemployed and on active benefits


For more details please visit their website by clicking here. on our website.    

To apply, submit the bid form and the course details spreadsheet on the website and email them to aclteam@westberks.gov.uk by 5pm Thursday 2nd July 2015.

 

Buttle UK: providing practical solutions to help children

Buttle UK is named after Frank Buttle, a remarkable man whose hard work and personal sacrifice helped to establish our grant programmes, which have been helping children and young people in need across the UK since 1953.

We do this by providing practical solutions that give children a fighting chance in life.
Buttle UK operates the following grant programmes:

Small Grants Programme 
Delivering essential items to children, young people and families whose development, health and well-being are at risk. An essential item could be anything that we all take for granted but many families in poverty are living without, such as a children's bed, cooker, fridge-freezer or washing machine.

School Fees Programme
Some children, many because of problems at home, do not thrive in mainstream education, and so fail or drop out of school entirely. The School Fees Programme funds places at schools that provide a safe and supportive environment for those at future risk of going into formal care. It enables children with medical, emotional or social difficulties to gain a stable and more supportive secondary education.

Support for Young People
Our Enhanced Packages Programme provides funding of up to £2,000 for estranged young people aged 16-20. Our caseworking team works directly with young people and referrers to remove the financial barriers that stand in the way of achieving their long-term education, employment or training goals

Courtesy of Slough CVS