Lloyds Bank Foundation Invites Charities to Apply for Enable Funding

The ‘Enable’ grants programme was created to help small and medium-sized charities who have been hit hard by cuts and changes to funding and commissioning to have a more stable future. ‘Enable’ is a rolling grants programme and has £2.5 million still available to award in 2015.

The funding is intended to strengthen charities and charitable incorporated organisations (with an income of between £25,000 and £1 million) that are working with people experiencing issues of multiple disadvantage at points of transition but have also identified clear development areas which will support their growth.

Lloyds Bank Foundation Chief Executive Paul Streets explains:

“38% of charities we surveyed about the issues they face listed capacity and capability issues as the main challenges facing their organisation. Through the ‘Enable’ programme we are helping charities build strong foundations to be able to deliver services better and attract other funding. We are helping organisations to not just survive in these tough times but to thrive for the longer term.”

Enable grants are for up to £15,000 over two years and are available to charities working with people aged 17 years and over who are experiencing at least one of the following:

• Have been abused or are at risk of abuse
• Are victims of sexual exploitation or trafficking
• Are ex-offenders or those at risk of offending
• Are long term unemployed and are considered to be furthest away from the labour market
• Are leaving care
• Are homeless
• Have learning disabilities
• Have mental health and wellbeing issues
• Have addictions
• Are refugees or asylum seekers
• Have caring responsibilities
• Are older and are losing independence
• Are isolated and vulnerable
• Have severe financial difficulty as a compounding disadvantage
• The Foundation has awarded its first Enable grants. Among the first recipients are:

Hope Community Services, based in Bassetlaw Nottinghamshire, which works with individuals who are in crisis or have nowhere to live. The charity will use its £10,750 grant to extend their services to the most rural and remote parts of the county.

Ryedale Carers Support in Yorkshire provides care and respite services for carers. It will use its £15,000 grant for additional managerial hours to help map out a collaborative way of working with other local care services following fierce funding cuts to each individual organisation.

Applications can be submitted at any time. There are no deadlines; however, enquiries should be submitted by the end of July 2015 to ensure a decision will be reached within the current year.

Full details can be found on the Lloyds Bank Foundation website

Article courtesy of J4Bcommunity.co.uk