Weekly grants and community newsletter

Compiled by the Grants Team at North Devon Council.

Email grants@northdevon.gov.uk or call 01271 388253

 

The Varsity Pitch Competition 2019 – deadline Noon, 26th July 2019

The Varsity Pitch Competition 2019 is looking for the best student and graduate business ideas. Current students at UK universities or colleges, or anyone who graduated after 2014, can enter the competition to pitch for £15,000 to invest in their business.

Entrants can apply by submitting a 60 second video pitch under two of the competition categories which include ‘disruptive’, ‘social impact’, ‘genuine innovation’ and ‘digital and technical’. 30 shortlisted applicants will have the opportunity to pitch their ideas live at the semi-finals. The finalists attend a boot-camp to prepare for the finals in November when each finalist will have two minutes to pitch their concept to a panel of industry experts for a chance to win the £15,000 prize.

For more information visit www.nacue.com/events/tata-varsity-pitch-competition

 

Village Hall Grants

The Government has launched a new £3 million fund to improve village halls and better connect rural communities across the country. Village hall committees are now able to apply for grants of up to £75,000 towards refurbishment and alteration of their buildings, from improvement works on existing facilities through to new meeting rooms.

Applications are welcome from Registered Charities, Charitable Trusts, Charitable Incorporated Organisations (CIC), Community Associations which are registered Charities, and Charitable Companies.   Multi-purpose Church Halls and Scout and Guide buildings are also eligible where they are open for the whole community, there is no alternative village hall in situ, they are not single use and they are clearly advertised as multi- purpose.

The new funding will cover 20% of the total costs of a project. The remaining funding comes from a combination of charity reserves, fundraising, local authority funding and other grants such as the National Lottery Community Fund.

The closing date for applications is the 31st March 2020 or until the funds are fully committed.  

The grant funding will be managed by ACRE on behalf of Defra with support from the ACRE Network.

The guidelines and eligibility questionnaire, and the application form, are all available to download from http://acre.org.uk/our-work/village-hall-improvement-grant%20fund

 

Charlotte Heber-Percy Charitable Trust

The Trust aims to fund projects with general charitable purposes. In particular, the scheme is keen to fund work in the following areas

• Animal welfare and the local environments
• Medical, cancer and hospices
• International charities
• Local organisations
• Education and children
• General charitable organisations
• The Arts and museums

Grants tend to range from £1,000 to £10,000, with most being in the £3,000 to £5,000 range. 

The application process is ongoing and interested applicants may apply at any time. The Trust does not have a website.

For further information on how to obtain this grant locally, please contact the following:
The Administrator The Charlotte Heber-Percy Charitable Trust Rathbone Trust Company Limited 8 Finsbury Circus London EC2M 7AZ

Tel: 020 7399 0820 E-mail: linda.cousins@rathbones.com 

 

Places to Ride

The Places to Ride programme has a budget of £15 million to invest in community-based, accessible cycling facilities. The aim is to encourage increased participation in cycling, encourage existing cyclists to ride more regularly and encourage new cyclists to take part.

The funding can be used for small and medium-scale facility improvements or equipment through to large-scale new-build facilities across all types of cycling.

Small grants of between £1,000 and £50,000 are available. It is expected that the average grant will be much less than £50,000. Grants of up to £500,000 are available for larger projects.

Projects could include:

• new cycling facilities
• improvements to existing cycling facilities, such as lighting, fencing, workshop space or toilets
• learn-to-ride areas
• combined and co-located schemes with various cycling facility types available equipment such as bicycles, specialised bicycles, storage facilities, data-tracking monitors, coaching equipment, etc.
• cycling kit and equipment
• training equipment
• cycle storage
• other items that can support innovative solutions to getting more people riding bikes, e.g. using technology.

Applications will be accepted from not-for-profit organisations located in England, including clubs, local authorities, community organisations, education establishments and charitable organisations.

For more information visit https://www.britishcycling.org.uk/placestoride

 

Access to Sport – Fund to open to applications in August

The Angus Irvine Playing Fields Fund exists to increase opportunities for young people in disadvantaged areas of the UK to play outdoor sport.

The fund is available to local community groups, sports clubs and charities. Grants will typically be in the range from £2,500 to £5000 although a larger grant may be possible in some circumstances.

Applications can be made for grants towards some or all of the following types of projects with the intention of growing capacity to reach more young people:

• The development and improvement of playing fields and other facilities
• The development and training of volunteers including the provision of qualifications
• The purchase of specialist disability equipment
• The development of long-term sustainability, for example marketing and finance expertise

Where it can be demonstrated that a grant will help unlock additional funding from other funders, this is encouraged.

For more information on applying to the fund please contact AIPFF@accesssport.co.uk or call the Access Sport office on 0207 993 9883

Please visit the website for further details: https://www.accesssport.org.uk/apply-to-aipff

 

The Philip Bates Trust

The Philip Bates Trust aims to advance the education of young people under the age of 25 in the arts by:

• The provision of awards to encourage and support their pursuit of creative and artistic achievement.
• The provision of financial support to projects or workshops, which aim to develop creative and artistic interests and skills in young people.

The trust supports creative endeavour by sponsoring prizes, and by offering financial support to organisations.

To apply for a grant, please review their ‘Guidelines for Applicants’ on their website: http://philipbatestrust.co.uk/financial-support-2/ and then apply by contacting them to provide them with details of your activities and requirements of your project.

All applications for financial support will be considered by the Trustees at their next meeting. Please be aware that they can only offer support to projects in keeping with the Aims and Objectives of the Trust.

Please contact the Trust on tel. 0121 747 5705 or info@philipbatestrust.org.uk

 

That bit at the end!

Volunteer Opportunity – The National Trust

Room Guide for the House and Carriage Museum at Arlington Court.

If only these walls could talk! That’s why volunteer room guides make such a difference.

They’re passionate about family stories, art and interiors, and love making people feel at home. Arlington Court was the home of the Chichester family and the house is now open 7 days a week between February and October each year. Arlington is also home to The National Trust Carriage Museum with one of the most significant collections of carriages in the country.

You don’t need to be an expert in history our carriages but they are looking for enthusiastic, passionate people who want to help visitors get the most out of their visit.

Making new friends, working in an amazing place and knowing that you're helping a great cause - three fabulous reasons to get volunteering at Arlington Court.

Contact: Kate Collins, kate.collins@nationaltrust.org.uk