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