Published Wednesday 6 November 2019 at 9:48
This insight outlines a range of funding opportunities open to the public sector, businesses, community groups etc. Regular funding opportunities are also available via the websites below:
Community groups can now access potential grant funding opportunities through the free Blackburn with Darwen Open4Community online search tool.
For all Blackburn with Darwen Council funding bids
Please check whether match funding is required, if it is please contact and inform your Finance colleague.
Funding opportunities greater than £100,000
Funding available to museums and galleries to sustain their collections
The John Ellerman Foundation has announced that £500,000 of funding is now available to regional museums and galleries in the UK to enhance and sustain curatorial development and enable them to attract a broader public. Five or six grants will be available for periods of two or three years with the average grant expected to be in the region of £87,000.
The Fund is open to a wide variety of collection types including visual and decorative arts, archaeology and social and natural history collections.
The Museums and Galleries Fund aims to enable new ways of working for established curators and those just starting out or to ensure that organisations are able to safeguard and advance curatorial skills through a time of development or change. Preference will be given to organisations with an income between £100,000 and £10million.
Local authority, independent museums and contemporary galleries without permanent collections are also eligible to apply. While priority is given to small to medium-sized museums and galleries outside of London, national and/or London-based institutions may also apply if their project brings significant benefits in the regions.
There is a two-stage application process and the closing date for stage one applications is the 29th November 2019.
Funding for the commercial use of quantum technology
Innovate UK has announced the launch of a new £30million fund which will invest in projects that develop new products and services based on the latest quantum technologies. The commercialisation of these quantum technologies could help to transform the automotive, healthcare, infrastructure, telecommunications, cyber security and defense sectors.
Projects should involve at least 2 partners and must look at removing a technological barrier to speeding up commercialisation of second-generation quantum technologies. They must address at least one of the following areas:
- Connectivity – techniques for securing data in storage and in flight.
- Situational awareness including autonomous systems, sensors and detectors for the built environment, transport and infrastructure, imaging and sensing of things currently invisible.
- Transformational computing to solve intractable problems.
Total costs of projects are expected to range between £4million and £20million and businesses of any size can apply. The closing date for expressions of interest is the 27th November 2019.
Funding opportunities between £25,000 and £100,000
Funding for cross-disciplinary research
The Royal Society has announced that grants of up to £100,000 are available over a period of 24 months for researchers with a strong track record for cross-disciplinary research which benefits wider society. To be eligible applicants must be based at a UK university or not-for-profit research institution for at least the duration of the project. Applicants will be expected to collaborate with a research partner from a different discipline from their own or a different university in the UK.
The funding aims to promote collaboration across disciplines, with an emphasis on the boundary between science, engineering and the social sciences and humanities; and will support outstanding interdisciplinary research which is unlikely to be supported through conventional funding programmes. The funding is being made available through the APEX Awards programme, which is a partnership between the British Academy, The Royal Academy of Engineering and the Royal Society (the Academies) and is also supported by the Leverhulme Trust.
The closing date for applications is the 26th November 2019.
Funding to support members of the armed forces and their families
Armed Forces charities and other organisations can apply for grants of up to a maximum of £30,000 for projects and activities supporting serving or veteran members of the Armed Forces and their families. The funding can last for up to three years.
In the last year the Foundation awarded almost £500,000 by way of grants and donations to over 50 small charities. Many of the charities supported are smaller bodies that cannot afford marketing teams and urgently need funds to continue their good work.
The type of activities supported include projects that reduce homelessness, increase employment, provide welfare and medical support, increase confidence and social integration, as well as reduce dependence on alcohol and drugs.
The funding is being provided through the Veterans Foundation.
The Grants Committee sits four times a year in July, October, January and April. Grant applications need to be submitted with supporting documentation and should arrive by the end of the month preceding the Grant Committee meeting.
Funding opportunities under £25,000
Funding for projects that combat abuse and violation of human rights
UK-registered charities that work towards combating abuse and violations of human rights can apply for grants of usually between £10,000 and £20,000 through the A B Charitable Trust. The A B Charitable Trust (ABCT) was set up in 1990 and supports unpopular causes that champion human dignity and to focus on small and medium-sized charities working close to the ground.
Applications are particularly welcomed from charities working to support:
- migrants, refugees and asylum seekers
- criminal justice and penal reform
- human rights, particularly access to justice
The Trust generally makes one-off grants to charities registered and working in the UK with annual incomes of between £150,000 and £1.5m that do not have substantial investments or surpluses. Grants range in size, with most grants awarded being in the range £10,000 to £20,000. ABCT does not normally fund charities with large national or international links.
The next closing date for applications is the 26th January 2020.
Grants for families facing financial hardship whilst caring for a child with a serious illness
Families facing financial hardship whilst caring for a child with a serious illness can apply for grants of up to £1,000 per child to fund a variety of essential items and services. This can include (but is not limited to) specialist equipment, creative therapies, hospital travel expenses, everyday items to improve the child’s quality of life, attending medical/support group conference, social activities and memberships.
Marvellous Family grants are open to any family residing in the UK with a child who has a serious illness that could be life-limiting as described by the following criteria:
- Group 1 – Life threatening conditions for which curative treatment may be feasible but can fail (e.g. epilepsy, irreversible organ failures of heart, liver, kidneys.)
- Group 2 – Conditions where premature death is inevitable (e.g. cystic fibrosis.)
- Group 3 – Progressive conditions without curative treatment options (e.g. Batten disease, mucopolysaccaridoses, muscular dystrophy.)
- Group 4 – Irreversible but non-progressive conditions causing severe disability leading to susceptibility to health complications and likelihood of premature death (e.g. sickle cell disease, cerebral palsy, multiple disabilities such as brain or spinal cord insult.)
- Group 5 – Syndromes without a name (SWAN) causing severe, chronic disability or illness.
Applications must be completed by health or social care professionals on behalf the family and are considered at monthly meetings.
The application deadline for the next meeting is 12pm on the 29th November 2019.
Funding for chemistry clubs at schools and colleges
Schools and colleges can apply for grants of up to £1,000 to run chemistry activities. The funds which are made available by the Royal Society of Chemistry, are targeted at activities run at schools and colleges outside the normal science timetable. Activities should be focused on generating interest in chemistry in all ability levels or which may provide opportunities to stretch and challenge the already able and motivated students.
Applications from existing chemistry clubs looking to expand/ enhance activities would be welcome as would those from schools and colleges interested in starting a new club. An application would need to indicate how the longevity of the proposal was ensured and how best practice and experience from it might be shared within and between other (perhaps feeder) schools. The application must be made by a teacher at a primary or secondary school.
Applications can be submitted at any time.
National Archives scoping grants
Funding is available to museums and other public bodies, registered charities and not for profit organisations that hold collections.
A Scoping Grant prides funding of up to £3,000 to produce a report that incorporates expert advice on a range of areas relating to collections management and the development of an organisation’s collection.
The report will provide:
- an overview of the current status of the collection
- analysis of its overall condition, significance, existing and potential use, levels of access, and existing documentation
- a conclusion with recommendations about next steps and development goals for the service
Please note: the fund is currently heavily oversubscribed, and there is currently funding to award four Scoping Grants per application round.
The National Archives has announced that the next deadline for it Scoping Grants is the 27th January 2020.
Funding for school science projects
Primary and secondary schools in the UK can apply for funding to purchase equipment so that students can enjoy practical science, to run science enrichment projects in schools, or to enable students to participate in science events and competitions.
- Primary schools can apply for grants of up to £600.
- Secondary schools up to £1,000.
The funding is being made available through the Worshipful Company of Armourers and Brasiers, which is one of the leading charities in the UK supporting metallurgy and materials science education from primary school to postgraduate levels.
Funds are finite and will be allocated on a first come first served basis in each year starting on 1 April 2019 until all the funds are exhausted.
Greggs Foundation local community projects fund
Not-for-profit organisations developing local community projects are being offered the opportunity to apply for a grant of up to £2,000. Any not for profit organisation working to reduce disadvantage experienced by the most deprived people in the community such as the disabled, those living in poverty, voluntary carers and isolated older people can apply. Larger organisations with a turnover in excess of £300,000 are unlikely to be successful with those located near to a Greggs shop most likely to receive awards.
The Greggs Foundation Local Community Projects Fund distributes around £1.8 million per year to organisations throughout England, Scotland and Wales. The Foundation supports projects that improve resilience within communities. This can include sessional activities/respite support, equipment for sessional activities, trips and residential breaks. New approaches and innovative ideas as well as sustainable approaches to supporting communities are welcomed. All projects must support a community of interest, i.e. people who are:
- Disabled or suffering chronic illness
- Living in poverty
- Voluntary carers
- Homeless people
- Isolated older people
- Other demonstrable significant need
Successful applicants will have demonstrated improvements against at least one of the following Key Performance Targets:
- Beneficiaries have decreased social isolation
- Beneficiaries report improved health and wellbeing
- Beneficiaries report improved resilience/coping mechanisms
- Beneficiaries have improved life skills
- Beneficiaries have improved opportunities
Use the shop locator on the Greggs website to find the nearest shop.
The fund will re-open for applications on the 1st December 2019 and will have a closing date of the 23rd February 2020.
Funding for football equipment and facilities
Grants of up to £10,000 are available to schools, grass roots football clubs, local authorities and professional and semi-professional football clubs and their associated community organisations that are looking to refurbish their existing or develop new football facilities.
The funding is available through the Football Foundation’s Premier League & the FA Facilities Fund Small Grants Scheme and can be used to buy capital items such as portable floodlights, storage containers and other equipment; or to refurbish/improve existing facilities. The aims of this scheme are to:
- Support the growth of football clubs and activity
- Prevent a decline in football participation
- Make improvements to facilities to address any health and safety issues.
The grants awarded cannot exceed 50% of the total project cost. The Football Foundation strongly recommend that applicants use the pre-application advice offered on our behalf by The FA and the network of County FAs around England. This will normally involve completing the FA’s Football Facilities Enquiry Form (FEF) first, which will help The FA to learn more about a project and determine the best way to support the applicant organisation.
Applications can be submitted at any time.
Music grants for older people
The registered charity, Concertina which makes grants of up to £250 to charitable bodies that provide musical entertainment and related activities for the elderly.
The charity is particular keen to support smaller organisations which might otherwise find it difficult to gain funding. Concertina has made grants to a wide range of charitable organisations nationwide in England and Wales. These include funds to many care homes for the elderly to provide musical entertainment for their residents. Some of the charities that have received grants from Concertina include:
- Theatre Chipping Norton to help fund high calibre music recitals in six Care Homes in the area.
- Sue Ryder Care, Lancashire to fund access to music therapy workshops at Birchley Hall near Wigan and St Helen’s.
The next deadline for applications is the 30th April 2020.
Funding for projects that support the education and development of children and young people
Schools, colleges and community groups in England can apply for grants to BlueSpark Foundation to support the education and development of children and young people through educational, cultural, sporting and other projects. BlueSpark is particularly keen to support projects which will help enhance the self-confidence, team working skills and future employability of children and young people. In most cases grants will be made on a relatively small scale. Many grants will be under £2,000, most will be under £5,000.
Funding provided by BlueSpark for a project must be crucial to the project rather than marginally incremental to its funding. The funding available can be for physical assets (such as iPads, sports equipment, or lighting for stage productions) or for services or facilities (such as sports coaching or music or drama tuition) or simply for the provision of experiences (such as theatre visits). These examples are intended to be illustrative and not restrictive as to the funding which BlueSpark may provide to support projects.
Applications can be submitted at any time and must be made online on BlueSpark Foundation’s standard Application Form.
Funding to support community integration or local delivery of services to the armed forces
Under the Armed Forces Covenant Local Grants programme, grants of up to £20,000 are available for local projects that support community integration or local delivery of services to the Armed Forces community.
Community Integration projects: Creating strong local links between the Armed Forces community (current and former members of their armed forces and their families) and civilian communities. Projects supported will be able to clearly demonstrate how they will overcome barriers to better integration and improve perceptions, attitudes and understanding. For the project to be truly effective in achieving community integration there should be shared development, delivery and benefits for both communities.
Delivery of Local Services projects: Local projects which offer financial advice, housing, mental and physical health, employability or social support for serving armed forces personnel, veterans, and their families. Projects must be well connected, both to their beneficiaries and to other relevant organisations, and be able to demonstrate how the services they provide will be well-publicised, accessible and joined up.
Registered charities, local authorities, schools or other statutory organisations, Community Interest Companies or armed forces units are all eligible to apply.
Previous projects funded include:
- Cornbank St James Primary School – £20,000 for a sports facility that will enable the children to come together and enjoy safe play of a multitude of sports. Through sport and games, social and communication skills are developed, this is key to Armed Forces Children entering a new school experience alongside others who have established relationships.
- Age UK, Portsmouth – £19,875 for Heroes at Home, designed to boost confidence and independence for older veterans; providing community support, information and advice for older veterans being discharged from Queen Alexandra Hospital.
- Army Welfare Service for Larkhill Community Hub Café, South West England – £12,000 to support the establishment of this community café that is coordinated by volunteers and supported by AWS Community Support.
Apply at any time up to the 2nd December 2019.
British science week 2020 kick start grants are now open for applications
The British Science Association has announced that applications for British Science Week “Kick Start” grants has reopened for applications. As part of the British Science Week (BSW), the British Science Association, with funding from UK Research and Innovation (UKRI), is providing grants for schools in challenging circumstances to organise their own science and engineering events.
British Science Week (BSW), which is a ten-day celebration (6th – 15th March 2020) of science, technology, engineering, and maths.
There are four types of grant:
- Kick Start Youth grant: a grant of £150 for your school to run an activity during British Science Week organised and delivered by students aged 10-19.
- Kick Start grant: a grant of £300 for your school to run an activity during British Science Week.
- Kick Start More grant: a grant of £700 for your school to host a science event or activity which involves your students and the local community. The community can comprise of families/carers, members of local community groups, local businesses and local press.
- NEW! Kick Start grant + Youth grant: a grant of £450 for your school to run an activity during British Science Week and an additional activity organised and delivered by students aged 10-19.
To be eligible students must be from a school that fulfills one or more of the following criteria.
- Have a high proportion (over 30%) of pupils eligible for the pupil premium or equivalent;
- Have a high proportion (over 30%) of pupils from ethnic minority backgrounds;
- Be a small school based in a remote and rural location.
For any questions, please contact us at bsw@britishscienceassociation.org
Lord’s taverners accessible minibuses grant programme
The Lord’s Taverners, the UK’s leading youth cricket and disability sports charity, is accepting applications through its Accessible Minibuses grants programme. SEN Schools in the UK can apply to the Lords Taverners for specially-adapted, wheelchair-accessible minibuses.
Last year the Lords Taverners delivered 40 specially-adapted, wheelchair-accessible minibuses. Examples of schools that received a specially-adapted minibus are:
- Lakeside School in Hertfordshire
- The Garth School and the Priory School in Spalding (Lincolnshire) and
- Perseid School in Morden, Surrey.
These vehicles give young people with disabilities access to new places and experiences. Lord’s Taverners minibuses are based on the current Ford Transit model, with a diesel engine. Please note that the Lord’s Taverners are unable to support schools that cater for socially disadvantaged children, or mainstream schools for children with behavioural problems.
Applications to the programme can be submitted at any time and are reviewed at the end of each quarter.
Funding for front of house theatre lighting
Not-for-profit theatres, both amateur and professional, with less than a 500-seat capacity can now apply for the opportunity for a full upgrade to their Front-of-House lights.
The funding is provided by a partnership between the Theatres Trust and GDS, who manufacture LED lighting equipment and controls, and will allow one theatre to benefit from a full upgrade to its front-of-house lights. The GDS Front of House fund will deliver a complete solution package for one theatre including:
- Site visit and survey
- Lighting design
- 3D design rendering
- LED Product manufacture
- LED Product customisation
- Prodigy Series lighting control system
- Installation
- Commissioning and complete project management throughout.
The deadline for applications is the 29th November 2019.
Grants for small museums for conservation and management
The Collections Care Grant Scheme (formally known as the Preventive Conservation Scheme) is managed by the Association of Independent Museums (AIM), supported by funding from the Pilgrim Trust and run in association with the AIM Remedial Conservation Grant Scheme and the AIM ICON Pilgrim Trust Collections Care Audit Scheme. AIM is looking for projects that enable a step-change in the quality of collections care that a museum can provide in the knowledge that better collections care supports museums long-term sustainability.
Grants awarded may be used for:
- Environmental surveys
- Obtaining professional advice to compile conservation and implementation strategies
- Environmental monitoring and control equipment
- Ultraviolet filters
- Integrated pest management
- Display cases and picture framing (where this is required for conservation reasons)
- Storage containers and packing materials
- Development of emergency plans
- Improvements to museum stores, especially to increase their capacity
- Equipment or other support for digitalisation projects where this aids conservation
- Training for volunteers or staff
- Collections audits and collection management plans
The maximum grant is £10,000 with the average grant expected to be around £5,000. Grants of less than £1,500 are paid in full on award; others receive 50% on award, 50% on completion and receipt of the conservator’s report.
Eligible applicants will be AIM members; registered or accredited museum, or be confident of achieving accreditation within two years; a registered Charity, an associated charity can receive the grant on the museum’s behalf, if the museum itself is not a charity; have fewer than 50,000 visitors p.a. or a turnover of less than £300,000 p.a.
Applications close on the 31st March 2020.
Harold Hyam Wingate Foundation
The Foundation supports projects, institutions and activities in the following areas:
- Jewish Life and Learning – applications are invited from academic institutions specialising in Jewish subjects and from bodies promoting Jewish culture, including museums, libraries and literary publications.
- Performing Arts (excluding music) – financial support for charities with a record of artistic excellence that require additional funding, not available from public sources or commercial sponsorship, to broaden their repertoire or develop work of potentially outstanding interest which cannot be funded from the usual sources.
- Music – support in those areas of music performance and education which do not readily attract backing from commercial sponsors or other funding bodies, or which are not eligible for public funding.
- Medical Research Travel grants – grants of up to £1,000 are available for visits to laboratories for the acquisition of new skills, and for setting up inter-institutional collaborative research
Applications are invited from smaller charitable organisations only; the Trustees will not consider approaches from large charities who are well represented on the High Street or their local branch offices.
Previous projects supported include:
- £5,000 per year for 3 years to Little Angel Theatre as support for Little Angel Studios, a new building dedicated to education, community and outreach work.
- £3,250 to The Voices Foundation for 1-Year Foundation Programme in a cluster of five schools in Essex to ensure that every child irrespective of ability, means or background has access to high quality music education through singing and the use of equipment
- £6,000 a year for three years to Anne Frank Trust UK to fund educational work in three schools.
The Wingate Foundation has announced that the next deadline to apply is 4thDecember 2019.
Grants to support action for marine conservation
Sea-Changers provides grants of up to £600 (£1,000 in exceptional circumstances) to a range of primarily UK based, marine conservation charities and not for profit organisations.
The projects funded will achieve one or more of the following objectives:
- To address the root causes of marine conservation threats and challenges in the UK.
- To prevent or reduce negative impacts on UK coastal and marine environments and / or species.
- To add to the body of knowledge about marine conservation threats and challenges in the UK.
Sea-Changers is particularly interested in grassroots projects which galvanise community action and in projects which increase the number of people taking action for marine conservation. Data and results from research projects undertaken as a result of Sea-Changers grant funding must be made available to Sea-Changers and shared with appropriate marine databases when completed.
Projects that have previously been supported include:
The installation of a 2minutebeachclean station in Portrush, Northern Ireland and a long-term monitoring programme for local volunteer divers to contribute their observations of the health of the seagrass bed in Porthdinllaen, North Wales.Click hereto view more projects supported.
The next closing date for applications is the 31st March 2020.
Religious education grants for schools scheme
The Jerusalem Trust makes available to schools a number of grants to support the purchase of resources for teaching Christianity in Religious Education. The fund is open to all primary and secondary schools in the UK, although priority will be given to non-church state secondary schools.
The scheme is open to state secondary schools in England and Wales, including middle deemed secondary and upper. There are currently a limited number of primary school grants available.
The maximum size of any grant is £600 and applications can be submitted at any time.
Grants can cover teaching resources including textbooks, teacher resources, artifacts, videos, tapes and CD-roms for use in RE lessons.
Applications are currently being considered for the Autumn term.
Recently purchased items include:
- 20 x NIV Bibles
- Lent and Easter artefacts collection
- Commentary on Paul’s Epistles
- Illustrated Easter story books
Grants of up to £10,000 available to community businesses to improve their trading
The Power to Change Trust has announced that its Community Business Trade Up Programme has re-opened for applications.
Through the programme (which is run by the School for Social Entrepreneurs), Community Businesses in England can apply for grants to improve their income from trading and to improve their impact and sustainability. It aims to enhance the skills of those who run Community businesses and includes a grant of £10,000 to match the income generated from trading as well as a learning programme of 12 days spread over nine months.
The programme will help the leaders of up to 80 community businesses across England. The learning programme will take place in 8 locations across England: Cornwall, Dartington in Devon, Hampshire – Winchester, Liverpool, London (two cohorts), Midlands, York.
The programme is open for applications until the 27th November 2019.