View as a webpage  /  Share

Community News round up - Funding Edition

Welcome to the Funding Edition of the Community Services bulletin. This time we bring you news on a webinar on crowdfunding for sporting organisations alongside grants supporting;

• racial equity,
• social housing projects,
• young people,
• community events,
• heart health,
• local communities,
• the rescue of community assets,
• reducing isolation in the Armed Forces community,
• encouraging the take up of music, 
• encouraging the take up of bike riding, 
• improving homes and community facilities, and
• encouraging activity in those with Parkinson's.  

Introduction to crowdfunding webinar from Sports England

Sport England are organising an introduction to crowdfunding webinar for clubs and community sport organisations needing to learn how to run these kinds of campaigns to raise funds.

The interactive session will talk about Sport England's two match funding initiatives - Active Together and Places and Spaces - and will include a Q&A session and signposting to additional training and support materials. 

Eligible organisations could also receive grant funding of up to £15,000 when they crowdfund from funders including Sport England and British Cycling. Funding is available for:

• Organisations experiencing financial hardship or the ceasing of operations due to the lasting impact of the coronavirus pandemic
• Organisations experiencing financial issues due to the cost of living crisis
• Organisations undertaking a capital build/refurbishment project

All sessions are at 12-1pm, book your place on one of the available dates:

13 June 2023, book your place
12 July 2023, book your place
9 August 2023, book your place
19 September 2023, book your place
16 October 2023, book your place
16 November 2023, book your place
12 December 2023, book your place

The Lloyds Bank Foundation - helping communities experiencing racial inequality

The Lloyds Bank Foundation is inviting applications to its £3 million Racial Equity Fund from small charities and Community Interest Companies led by and for Black, Asian, and minority ethnic (BAME) communities in England and Wales.

The foundation is offering three-year unrestricted grants of up to £75,000 alongside development support to enable organisations with an annual income between £25,000 and £500,000 to provide immediate and long-term support to help people from BAME communities break free from poverty.

The funding will support around forty organisations outside of London that understand the complexity of the issues people face, and give them complete flexibility to use the funding however they see fit.

Deadline: 5pm, 31 May 2023

The Quaker Housing Trust - grants and loans for social housing projects

Grants and interest-free loans are available to registered charities and small organisations providing affordable homes for vulnerable people in need.

The programs aim to help housing projects that meet the needs of people undergoing transitions in their lives, such as those seeking asylum, recovering from addiction, leaving prison, or moving from domestic abuse.

The Quaker Housing Trust provides support through two separate programmes to help these organisations.

• Best Practice Grants of up to £6,000 are offered to support projects in their early stages of development. This grant is aimed at helping organisations get their projects off the ground
• The Main Grants and Loans Programme awards a mixture of grants and loans up to £50,000 (with maximum grants of £25,000) to fund housing projects. This program is intended to help organisations finance their more established projects

Deadline: 2 June 2023

National Express Foundation - supporting disadvantaged young people develop key skills

UK charities and community groups are invited to apply for a share of £100,000 in funding to support their work in helping young people develop key skills and gain valuable life experiences. 

Grants of either £1,000, £2,500 or £5,000 are being made available through the National Express Foundation to help young people aged 15 to 24 to gain the qualifications and build the skills they need to help them find employment, and to help them develop constructive social networks outside of education or work.

This round of funding will support applications that support the following themes:

• Diversionary Activities - initiatives that specifically focus on engaging with young people, providing them support and deterring anti-social behaviour
• Environmental - initiatives could include but are not limited to encouraging young people to engage with the outdoors and support their environment
• Employability - Initiatives that directly or indirectly equip young people with skills, experience or qualifications that will support them gaining access to employment
• Wellbeing - initiatives that positively impact or provide support to young people through physical activity, mental health and social interaction

Deadline: 6 June 2023

Celebrate the Mayor's Community Weekend in the West Midlands

Community and voluntary groups in the West Midlands can apply for grants of up to £2,000 to help celebrate the Mayor's Community Weekend, which is scheduled to take place on 9 and 10 September 2023.

The funding will support events that celebrate the region's resilience and diversity.  Priority will be given to events that focus on one or more of the following:

• bringing communities together – connecting and strengthening the relationships between neighbours and neighbourhoods
• celebrating the strength and diversity of communities across the West Midlands, particularly the role young people can play in the communities
• bringing together volunteers and promoting volunteering
• creating more chances for communities to enjoy green spaces.

The National Lottery Community Fund and the West Midlands are collaborating on the grants programme with a total fund of £150,000 available.

Organisations that can apply include:

• voluntary and community organisations
• constituted groups or clubs
• registered charities
• charitable incorporated organisations (CIOs)
• not-for-profit companies
• community interest companies (CICs)
• schools (as long as the activity benefits and involves the communities around the school)
• statutory bodies (including local authorities, town, parish and community councils)
• community benefit societies.

Potential events include sports and cultural events, litter picks, and picnics.

Deadline: 12pm, 7 June 2023

Heart Research UK - preventing or reducing the risk of heart disease

Registered charities, voluntary and community organisations, and other not-for-profit organisations in England with an income of less than £1 million per year can apply for funding for local community projects that actively promote a healthy heart, and help to prevent, or reduce, the risk of heart disease for adults.

The Heart Research UK Healthy Heart Grant Scheme 2023 awards grants of up to £15,000 for new, original and innovative projects lasting up to twelve months that encourage people to look after their hearts and promote positive lifestyle changes.

The scheme is particularly interested in supporting vulnerable and isolated groups of individuals who are at an increased risk of developing heart problems in the future.

Deadline: 5pm, 8 June 2023

Co-op Community Fund - supporting projects that benefit local communities

Grants are available for small voluntary and community groups to support projects that benefit local communities centred around Co-op Food Stores and funeral homes across the UK. The Co-op Local Community Fund will fund projects that help local communities come together to help those in need by providing access to essentials such as food; help to improve people's mental wellbeing; create opportunities for young people to be heard and make a difference; and help people to save and restore nature or tackle climate change. The level of funding allocated to each local community is determined by the number of Co-op members who choose to shop with the Co-op.

Deadline: 11 June 2023

The Community Ownership Fund - rescuing community assets at risk of closure - now also open to Parish Councils

The Department for Levelling Up, Housing & Communities has announced changes to the £150 million Community Ownership Fund, to make it easier for communities across the UK to take over local assets that are at risk of closure. Previously only available to charities and community groups, the fund is now also open to applications from Parish Councils. The amount of funding all projects can bid for will be increasing to £1 million, and the requirement for match-funding is being reduced to as low as 10%, making it easier for communities to acquire assets such as sports clubs, music venues and historic buildings without raising additional private funding. Round 3 of the Fund will open to applications on the 31st May 2023.

Deadline: 11.59am, 12 July 2023

Armed Forces Covenant Fund Trust's Force for Change programme – tackling isolation within the Armed Forces communities

Grants of up to £15,000 are available for community projects supporting Armed Forces communities. In particular, funding is available to support Armed Forces communities to become less isolated and engage more in their local area, and to address needs that have arisen as a result of the cost of living crisis. To be eligible to apply, the applicant organisation must be an established registered charity or Community Interest Company (CIC) with substantial recent experience of supporting Armed Forces communities; an Armed Forces unit or base; a local authority; or a school. The funding is being made available through the Armed Forces Covenant Fund Trust's Force for Change programme.

Deadline: 5pm, 17 July 2023 (for decisions before the end of October 2023) and 5pm, 13 December 2023 (for decisions before the end of March 2024)

Music For All - supporting music making

Community groups and individuals can apply for musical instruments or grants of up to £8,000 to develop sustainable community-based music programmes. The Music for All Community Project Fund is looking to support the following different types of projects:

• those based on acoustic guitars,
• electric guitars,
• guitar amps,
• BBB Trust Award,
• projects supporting school aged children
• community projects supporting those with chronic diseases and conditions affecting quality of life
• community projects supporting those with mobility and accessibility needs
• and individuals with physical mobility or accessibility needs.

Deadline: 28 July 2023

Big Bike Revival - helping get people back on their bikes

Cycling UK is inviting volunteer led-groups, social enterprises, and other not-for-profit organisations to deliver cycling events in an effort to get people back on their bikes. Grants of up to £2,000 are available to support organisations across England to deliver the Big Bike Revival Programme in the form of local events until the end of September 2023. The aim is to encourage people who do not currently cycle to consider either starting or returning to cycling, especially people experiencing social, economic and health deprivation, people from diverse backgrounds, and those facing multiple challenges. The funding, which is made available by the Department for Transport, could be spent on equipment to expand delivery, venue hire for learning events, or instructors to lead bike rides.

Deadline: 31 July 2023

Screwfix Foundation – improving homes and community facilities for those in need

Grants of up to £5,000 are available to local charities and not for profit organisations for projects that will fix, repair, maintain and improve properties and community facilities for of those in need in the UK. The funding is being made available through the Screwfix Foundations and the grants are available for all kinds of projects, from repairing buildings and improving facilities in deprived areas, to decorating the homes of people living with sickness and disabilities. Applications are reviewed on a quarterly basis.

Deadline: 10 August 2023

Parkinson’s UK Physical Activity Grants - helping people with Parkinson's to become and stay active

Community groups and organisations can apply for grants of up to £3,000 to help people with Parkinson's to become and stay active. The Funding is for new activities that encourage people affected by Parkinson’s to participate in physical activity and sport, or increased participation in these areas. This could be anything fun and enjoyable that encourages people, particularly those from isolated and ethnic communities, to get moving such as a walking group, joining a Parkinson's boxing class, or playing ball games. The funding, which is made available through the Parkinson’s UK Physical Activity Grants Programme, can be used to cover costs such as equipment, facility hire, maintenance of equipment, coaching fees, and training.

Deadline: 30 November 2023