Welcome
Welcome to the December edition of the Voluntary and Community Sector (VCS) newsletter, with the latest funding news, events and opportunities for the sector.
The Mayor’s Small Grants Programme is now open
What is the Mayor’s Small Grants Programme?
The Council’s vision is to support and invest in a thriving and diverse voluntary and community sector to enable it to improve the lives of residents.
To support this vision the Council launched the Mayor’s Small Grants Programme on Monday 11th December 2023 and applications are now open for this fund.
This is a four year programme that will provide £800,000 of annual grant funding.
The Small Grants Programme is targeted at small sized organisations with a maximum annual income of £150,000, to ensure a wide range of organisations can access Council funding and that all sections of the community can benefit from this funding.
What projects will it fund?
The Mayors’ Small Grants Programme was developed in partnership with residents and partners and consists of five themes:
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Mayor’s & Young Mayor’s - Youth Empowerment Fund – Support young people to design, bid and deliver projects for their peers
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Mayor’s Positive Activities for Young People – Support activities during school holidays
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Community events – Support events that brings communities together, celebrate our diversity, national and regional celebrations
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Mayor’s Capacity Building Programme – Support organisational development which strengthens local organisations’ ability to deliver services
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Community chest - Very small grants to support community events and activities
How can organisations apply?
The first round opened for applications on 11th December 2023 and will close on 2nd February. All the information on how to apply is provided on the Council’s website, available on the link below.
The website includes information on eligibility, how much funding is available, what the funding can be used for, bidding process and assessment process.
Organisations are required to apply using the Blackbaud Grant Management online portal which can be accessed through the website.
What support is available?
The Council is providing support on how to apply for the grants through online and in-person information events. Further details on the information events can be found on the What’s On section of the newsletter below.
If you have a question or need support, then they can get in touch with the Grants Team by emailing vcs@towerhamlets.gov.uk/ if your query relates to Community Events, Capacity Building, or Community Chest.
If your query relates to the Youth Empowerment Fund or Positive Activities for Young People email Young Tower Hamlets at ythlondon@towerhamlets.gov.uk.
The Mayor's Small Grants Information Events
The Council will be hosting a number of Information events that will provide more information on the Small Grants fund.
Date: 14 December
Time: 10 to 11.30 am
Venue: Haileybury Youth Centre, Ben Jonson Rd, London E1 3NN
Date: 9 January
Time: 3 to 4.30 pm
Venue: Online
Date: 18 January
Time: 5.30 to 7 pm
Venue: The Reach Community Hub, 11 Oliphant St, London, E14 0GB
Date: 24 January
Time: 10 to 11.30 am
Venue: Council Chamber, Tower Hamlets Town Hall, 160 Whitechapel Road London E1 1BJ
Winter tea dance for over 50s
 Celebrate the festive season with our festive-themed over 50’s Tea Dance at Victoria Park
There will be food and drink, live music, games including a raffle, bingo and maybe a quiz.
This event is for over 50s only.
Family festive day
 Meet Santa and his elves, listen to live music while you wait, eat mince pies, do festive arts and crafts and enjoy kiddie rides
Suitable for all ages.
All children must be accompanied by an adult.
Date: Saturday 16th December 2023
Time: 11 am to 2 pm
Location: The Hub Building Victoria Park.
Free session: No need to book.
Tower Hamlets Scrutiny Sub-Committees
 If you want a question submitted to any of the Council's Scrutiny Sub-committee meetings, please forward them to:
committee.services@towerhamlets.gov.uk
To attend meetings go to:
Tower Hamlets Town Hall
160 Whitechapel Road
London
E1 1BJ
For full information on the meetings scheduled for December visit the website using the link below.
 Good Practice in Managing Volunteers
Free Training
Wednesday 24th January 2024, 10.30 am - 1.00 pm
This practical, interactive, online session will provide an overview of the essential aspects of managing volunteers or coordinating a volunteering programme. It is aimed at both staff who are fairly new to managing volunteers (or have not previously had formal training) as well as those who need a refresher.
By the end of the course, you will:
- Understand the key principles of good practice in managing, supporting and motivating volunteers.
- Have identified good practice at each key stage of a ‘volunteer journey’ (e.g. enquiring, application, interview, induction, support and supervision, exit) as well as in developing roles and managing risks.
- Understand the policies and procedures you should have in place to recruit and safeguard volunteers.
- Know where to find practical support with volunteer management.
- Have identified actions that you can take back to your organisation to improve how volunteers are managed.
For more information please email info@vcth.org.uk
Book using the link below.
The Dare to Lead training is aimed at elevating the skills and knowledge of Ethnically Diverse Women living in Tower Hamlets.
The course is aimed at BAME women who would like to be leaders in their chosen field and contribute to a positive change in the community.
Start date - Monday 19th February 2024
Time - 10 am to 2:30 pm
For more information on the dates and times of this course,
contact: admin@account3.org.uk
Tower Hamlets Emergency Fund
The Council has a vision to support and invest in the Voluntary and Community Sector (VCS) to help it improve the lives of residents.
To support this vision the Council provides funding to local Voluntary and Community Sector organisations who are facing an emergency.
The Emergency Fund has an annual budget of £100,000 per year and organisations can apply for a one-off grant of up to £10,000.
What organisations will we fund?
To be considered for funding, organisations must:
- be a voluntary and community sector organisation
- have a Constitution, Memorandum and Articles of Association or other recognised governance document
- have been in receipt of Council funding in the past two years
- be able to show long-term financial viability
- be in danger of closing or unable to continue to provide funded services
- have already taken measures to address the emergency
- not owe the Council a debt of over £1,000
- be registered in Tower Hamlets, have a base in Tower Hamlets or be able to demonstrate a track record of successful service delivery within the borough.
What type of support will we fund?
The Emergency Grant will fund:
- building repairs for essential emergency work or health and safety requirements
- legal costs
- redundancy costs
- staff salaries/wages (to cover unforeseen medium/long term absences)
- recovery from damage or accidents
This is not a complete list. If you are unsure whether the issue you are seeking funding for is an emergency, contact the Voluntary and Community Sector team at vcs@towerhamlets.gov.uk.
For further information please visit the Councils emergency funding webpage on the link below.
The Leathersellers - Small Grants Programme
This is a rolling funding programme for one-off grants of up to £5,000.
The Leathersellers’ Small Grants Programme 2023-24 will consider applications from charities and Charitable Incorporated Organisations (CIOs) registered and operating in the UK. It will not consider applications from Community Interest Companies (CICs).
To apply, charities and CIOs must meet the following criteria:
- Operate in a geographical area of deprivation in the UK. We recognise all relative measures of deprivation as tracked by the Indices of Deprivation or similar tools.
- Deliver activities to meet an identified need for vulnerable members of the community
- Have a planned expenditure of under £200,000 in 2023/24.
 Sport England Small Grants Programme
- Awards of £300-£15,000 are available to not-for-profit organisations.
- Multiple applications can be submitted, but organisations can only have awards of up to £15,000 in any 12-month period.
- Awards are to help inactive and less active people become more active.
- Priority is to support projects working with people living in areas of disadvantage as defined by the Indices of Multiple Deprivation areas 1 to 3.
- Applications should explain why there's a need for the project and how end users have been involved in developing the project.
- Applications should consider how the project adds value to services currently available in your local community, and work collaboratively with other groups to maximise the impact of the project.
The closing date for applications is 31 March 2024.
 Access to legal advice for disabled people
Round 1 - now open
This new programme of funding is available for organisations that provide legal advice for disabled people.
To be eligible organisations must have one of the following quality assurance standard in place:
- Lexel accreditation
- Legal Aid Agency Specialist Quality Mark
- Advice Quality Standard
- Money and Pensions Service Debt Advice Quality Framework
- Accredited by the Scottish Legal Aid Board to provide Type 2 (casework) or Type 3 (advocacy, representation and mediation at a tribunal or court action level) advice
- Northern Ireland Advice Quality Standard
Dates and deadlines
- Opening date: 21st November 2023
- Closing date: 12th January 2024
- Shortlisted applications go to grants panel: 9th February 2024
- Grant decisions released: 27th March 2024
If you provide legal advice and advocacy in at least one of the listed areas, meet at least one of the quality standards for advice and wish to apply, please email grantmaking@threeguineastrust.org.uk. Please include your name, the name of your organisation, your role there, and your email address. A phone number is helpful.
Local networks of organisations can apply provided the lead organisation meets one of the quality standards.
Community Benefit Rent Reduction
VCS Organisations occupying Council Premises can get 80% reduction on their rent.
The Council has a scheme to give rent reduction of up to 80 per cent to organisations that meet its requirements. Organisations that do not meet all the requirements may still get 40 or 20 per cent rent reduction. The scheme is called Community Benefit Rent Reduction (CBRR).
To be eligible for CBRR, an organisation must:
- Occupy premises listed in the Council’s ‘Community Premises Portfolio’ with a lease of three to five years
- Be community led
- Show good governance
- Embrace diversity, work to improve community cohesion and reduce inequality
- Be capable of managing a building
- Be willing to share space, and
- Show how their activities contribute to the Tower Hamlets Plan outcomes.
Full details of the CBRR scheme are set out in the VCS premises policy.
The value of the CBRR may exceed £20,000 per annum. Where this happens, the Council’s assessment includes a Social Value Self-Assessment Tool. You can find the guidance here Social Value UK Self Assessment Tools.
Please email vcs@towerhamlets.gov.uk for an application form, advice and further information.
Office Space and Venue Hire
St.Hilda’s East Community Hub offers a range of affordable office and studio spaces which are available to rent or hire. Located 3 minutes walk from Shoreditch High Street Overground, and just 15 minutes from Old Street and Liverpool Street stations, the organisation is based in the heart of Shoreditch, with multiple food and retail venues just steps from its door.
For further details, please email or call on 020 7739 8066
Useful links
For information on infrastructure support to VCS organisations in Tower Hamlets, please visit Tower Hamlets Council for Voluntary Service.
For information on volunteering opportunities in Tower Hamlets, please visit Volunteer Centre Tower Hamlets.
They are offering VCS organisations high-quality training, workshops, courses and events to help organisations grow stronger and more resilient.
Thank you for reading
We hope you found this bulletin useful. Contact us for any feedback or if you would like anything to be considered for inclusion in future newsletters.
Please note, the next issue of this bulletin will be published in early November.
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