Published Friday 11 September 2020 at 11:53
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:
National Lottery Grant for Heritage
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 to Support Textile Recycling and Re-Use
Grants of between £20,000 and £170,000 are now available to commercial and not-for-profit organisations of any size to support clothing or linen waste textile recycling and re-use. The aim is to keep waste textiles out of landfill so that it remains a valuable resource.
WRAP is offering a total of £1.5 million in grants for projects that use innovative ideas, technologies and equipment, and that fit a range of criteria, including demonstrating “innovation beyond normal practice”. Projects also require match funding: 10% from not-for-profit and 50% from commercial organisations.
Funding is intended for capital expenditure only; either for equipment or technologies (excluding software apps) that enable recycling or re-use. Financing comes from Defra’s £18m Resource Action Fund, which supports resource efficiency projects across the board.
The next closing date for applications is the 30th October 2020.
Funding to Understand the Impact of Covid-19 on Health & Social Care
The Health Foundation has launched a new Covid-19 Research Programme offering funding of between £100,000 and £200,000 for projects seeking to understand the impact of Covid-19 in the UK. Projects can have a duration of up to 12 months.
The programme is an open award programme, available to suitably qualified and experienced research teams from a broad range of disciplines based in the UK. Priority will be given to projects that
- explore how health and social care service delivery has changed in light of COVID-19,
- the impact of Covid-19 on health inequalities and the wider determinants of health.
Applications involving patients, the public and people with lived experience are strongly encouraged.
The deadline for applications is the 30th September 2020.
Funding for Data Analytics Projects to Help the Social Care Sector Respond to Covid-19
The Health Foundation has launched a new £300,000 funding programme for projects which demonstrate how data analytics can be used to improve social care and help the social care sector respond to COVID-19 and its aftermath.
Through the Strengthening Social Care Analytics programme, funding of up to £60,000 will be available to support up to five projects across the UK that can present the effective use of data in improving outcomes for vulnerable people and building a resilient, safe workforce.
Proposals must address three key priorities:
- Improving the quality of social care for cohorts of people that experience the worst outcomes.
- Building a resilient, safe workforce.
- Understanding the lived experience of people needing social care.
Teams must be prepared to share their learning with other social care analytics teams.
To apply, social care providers and commissioners, including domiciliary care providers, must complete an expression of interest form by 12pm on the 2nd October 2020.
£8 Million Programme to Boost Pupil and Teacher Wellbeing
The UK Government has put new funding in place to help teachers cope with the impact of the Covid-19 pandemic on children’s mental health.
Support from the new £8 million Wellbeing for Education Return programme will be available in schools and colleges in England from September to provide them with access to resources and the knowledge they need to improve how they respond to the emotional impact of the pandemic on their students and staff.
This might include the additional pressures some students may be feeling, as well as any emotional response they or their teachers may still be experiencing from bereavement, stress, trauma or anxiety over the past months.
The programme will be delivered to nominated staff in schools and colleges by mental health experts via interactive webinars through to March 2021.
Government Announces £1 Billion Coronavirus Catch-Up Premium for Schools
The government has announced £1 billion of funding to support children and young people to catch up. This includes a one-off universal £650 million catch-up premium for the 2020 to 2021 academic year to ensure that schools have the support they need to help all pupils make up for lost teaching time.
The Government has also launched a £350 million National Tutoring Programme to provide additional, targeted support for those children and young people who need the most help.
The £650 million of universal catch-up premium funding will be available for all state-funded mainstream and special schools, and alternative provision.
It will cover:
- primary, secondary and all through local authority-maintained schools, academies and free schools
- local authority-maintained special schools
- special academies and free schools
- special schools not maintained by a local authority
- pupil referral units
- alternative provision (AP) academies and free schools
- local authority-maintained hospital schools and academies
- independent special schools
The £350 million National Tutoring Programme will comprise of at least 3 parts in the 2020 to 2021 academic year, including:
- a 5 to 16 programme that will make high-quality tuition available to 5 to 16-year old’s in state-funded primary and secondary schools from the second half of autumn term 2020.
- a 16 to 19 fund for school sixth forms, colleges and all other 16 to 19 providers to provide small group tutoring activity for disadvantaged 16 to 19 students whose studies have been disrupted as a result of coronavirus (COVID-19) – guidance setting out further detail of this element will be issued shortly.
- a reception year early language programme that will make training and resources available at no-cost to schools where additional targeted support for oral language would be particularly beneficial. Schools should register their interest to participate in the early language programme by the 30th October 2020.
Funding opportunities between £25,000 and £100,000
Funding to Support the Mental Health and Wellbeing of Veterans
The Armed Forces Covenant Fund Positive Pathways programme has reopened for applications for projects that support the mental health and wellbeing of veterans by getting them out and active.
Armed-Forces-supporting charities or CIC’s can apply for grants of £35,000 for projects developed by and for veterans which have a clearly identified activity for veterans to take part in, and should come under one of four themes:
- sports;
- arts and culture;
- getting outside;
- and heritage.
Applications are encouraged from under-represented organisations in the West Midlands and West Scotland, and activities should be feasible with any social distancing requirements in place. The programme is funded by HM Treasury.
Applications for this round of funding close at noon on the 30th November 2020.
Funding for Projects that Use the Arts and Media to Address the Concerns of Children
Not-for-profit organisations in the UK that are working with children and young people using the arts and creative media can apply for funding through the Ragdoll Foundation. The Foundation’s vision is to support projects where the concerns of childhood can be heard. A variety of art forms can be supported including dance, drama, ceramics, creative play, film, music, puppetry and storytelling. Supported projects need to support equality of opportunity, can include families and take place in rural or urban settings and may be delivered, for example, in children’s and community centres, nurseries, schools and hospitals.
Funding is available through two programmes:
- Main Grants Programme (formerly Open Grants Scheme) – Grants of up to £50,000 are available for new, larger or longer-term projects. Projects can last for up to three years. There is a two-stage application process. Stage1 applications to the main grants programme are assessed on a rolling basis and can be submitted at any time. Applicants successful at this stage will be invited to submit a stage 2 application.
- Small Grants Programme. Organisations can apply for up to £1,500 for small, one-off projects, pilot projects, or research and development projects lasting up to 6 months. The next deadline for applications is the 30th October 2020.
Preference will be given to those projects which have a deep commitment to listening to children and allow the perceptions and feelings of children themselves to be better understood. The Foundation is mainly interested in applications that involve children during their early years, but appropriate projects for older children (up to 18 years) will also be considered.
Whilst the Foundation will fund work in and around London, they will prioritise projects taking place elsewhere in the UK.
Examples of grants awarded include:
- Dance in Devon, £20,550 over 2 years to deliver ‘All Aboard’, a new inclusive dance project for very young disabled and non-disabled children and their families.
- Discover Story Centre, Stratford, £30,988 over 2 years to expand the scope and scale its work with children 0-3 years old by creating 8 original story productions.
- The Paper Birds Theatre Company, £21,102 over 1 year to develop ‘In the Red’, a performing arts project for up to 60 young people, ages 11-18 to take place across SW England, in collaboration with 3 regional theatres.
The applications forms can be downloaded via the Ragdoll Foundation website. (See Link below)
Grants of up to £50,000 Available for Community Projects
Aviva has launched the next round of its Community Fund. Aviva has teamed up with the fundraising platform Crowdfunder to offer funding of up to £50,000 to small charities and community interest groups in the UK with innovative ideas that benefit their community. Every three months from January 2020 onwards, £250,000 will be split equally among Aviva’s UK employees to donate to the projects that matter to them most.
Aviva want to support projects that boost the resilience of communities in the face of uncertainty and will be supporting projects in two key areas:
- Community resilience: tackling inequality and improving environments by building inclusive and resilient communities; or
- Financial capability and inclusion: promoting financially inclusive communities, where people can better manage their finances and avoid problem debt
To take part the project must also be raising funds to develop a new approach, product or technology, pilot a new scheme, implement a new initiative, or expand existing services to a new area or beneficiary group. All beneficiaries must be in the UK.
The next closing date to apply to the Aviva Community Fund is the 13th October 2020.
Once applications have been submitted, applicants will need to create a fundraising page on Crowdfunder that Aviva employees can browse and donate funds to. Applicants can also showcase their projects to raise additional public donations.
Funding opportunities under £25,000
Funding for Projects That Assist Disadvantaged Young People
Grants of between £200 and £2,000 are available for projects which empower disadvantaged young people in the UK to fulfil their potential.
The funding is being made available through the KFC Foundation and is available to local charities, registered community interest companies, unincorporated clubs and associations that have a turnover of less than £300,000 which have a local KFC restaurant in their community.
The KFC Foundation welcomes funding applications from organisations which:
- Benefit young people aged 11-25 years old.
- Supports those in a position of social disadvantage (i.e. care leavers, those experiencing homelessness, young carers, young parents, young people at risk of or with experience of the criminal justice system).
- Empower young people to fulfil their potential and build a positive future by providing spaces that allow young people to feel safe and secure, helping them to unlock talent, build life skills, provide mentoring and improve their chances to gain meaningful employment.
- Are local to a KFC restaurant? (Find Your Local KFC)
- Will demonstrate positive results from their project within 12 months of our funding being received.
Expressions of interest must be submitted via a two-minute video and a short application form by the 25th September 2020.
Tesco Bags of Help Scheme to Focus Support on Children and Young People
At the end of September, the Tesco Bags of Help COVID-19 Communities Fund will close and in its place during October, November and December Tesco will be providing grants of £1000 to support projects focused on local children and young people.
The type of projects funded could include:
- Mental Health support for children and young people – COVID-19 has had an impact on the health and wellbeing of children, particularly mental health.
- Outdoor activities – sport & green space provision for children & young people including use of green spaces support wellbeing through physical activities.
- Non statuary educational activities – to support, widen and rebuild educational support networks for children, web-based activities. Sport, exercise, and arts.
- Young carers– support for young carers as a result of current and continued isolation.
- Bereavement counselling – offering support to children that have lost family members and support networks due to COVID-19
- Child poverty – to support organisations that offer family support that are further impacted by COVID-19, which could include food/educational packs, free activities.
- Vulnerable at-risk children – the pandemic has impacted vulnerable children with challenging home & family circumstances.
Other local good causes supporting children and young people will also be considered.
Eligible applicants include charities, voluntary or community organisations, schools, health bodies, Parish/Town Councils, local authorities and social housing providers.
Projects should last up to 12 months and can be a stand-alone project or discrete, self-contained part of a larger scheme, or part of a phased project. Funding can be used to cover 100% of project costs.
Applications can be made at any time.
New Fund Launched to Support LGBT Communities Affected by Covid-19
A new £350,000 funding scheme has been launched to address the additional needs of LGBT+ people and communities most adversely impacted by the Covid-19 pandemic and to support and strengthen LGBT+ organisations that have been impacted by the Covid-19 pandemic.
The funding is available to any UK based non-profit groups, organisations or projects that work with Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual and Trans + (LGBT+) people.
Eligible organisations can apply through two funding programmes:
- Small grants programme for grants up to £5,000
- Main Grants programme for grants of between £5,001 and £15,00
The grants are likely to be awarded towards ongoing work, core costs and additional work which strengthens the position of organisations and their ability to respond to community needs at this challenging time.
The funding is being made available through the LGBT+ Futures Grant Programme and is financially supported by the National Emergencies Trust.
There are no deadlines for this fund. Applications will be considered on a rolling basis until all the funding has been awarded. Grants are for short-term work only and all funds awarded through the programme must be fully spent by 31 May 2021.
Funding for Charities Supporting the Over 60’s and BAME Communities
Grants of up to £5,000 are available to UK charities that focus on the often complex issues that have arisen from the Covid-19 pandemic for people aged 60 and over. The funding is being made available through the Austin and Hope Pilkington Trust. The Trust will also be prioritising charities that work in BAME communities, in light of Black Lives Matter and the growing awareness that these communities are being disproportionately affected by the Covid-19 crisis.
The funding is available to UK registered charities that have an operating income and expenditure in excess of £1 million.
The closing date for applications is the 30th September 2020.
London Mathematical Society – Small Grants for Education
Grants of up to £800 are available to stimulate interest and enable involvement in mathematics from Key Stage 1 (age 5+) to Undergraduate level and beyond. The funding is being made available through the London Mathematical Society’s Small Grants for Education scheme and aims to enhance and enrich mathematical study beyond the curriculum; engage the public with mathematics; and encourage unusual ways of communicating mathematics.
The scheme is primarily intended for activities for which there is limited scope for alternative sources of funding. Applicants linked to universities should ideally be supported by a member of the Society and ordinarily the Scheme will not fund University outreach activity. However, anyone based in the UK is eligible to apply for a grant.
There are four application rounds each year and the next closing date for applications is the 30th November 2020.
Funding for Financial Literacy Projects
The MSE Charity has announced that its grants programme has re-opened for applications. The MSE charity gives grants to not for profit organisations that deliver activities which make a lasting impact on how people think, behave and manage their money.
Grants of up to £5,000 will be available for projects that aim to make people living with ‘Long Term Challenges’ become more financially capable. The focus of this funding ground will be on “Building and Developing Resilience” in particular:
- Mental Health
- Well-being
- Cook Well for Less
- Training Others
- Independent Living Skills
- Peer Mentoring
Eligible applicants will be registered charities, Community Interest Companies (CICs) and other not for profit companies and Credit Unions. Preference is given to projects that break new ground in approach, delivery or in audience and are either capable of replication to a wider audience and/or are collaborative i.e. working with other organisations in the field, or geographical area as appropriate.
The closing date for applications is 5pm on the 25th September 2020. The charity limits each grant round to the first 40 accepted applications. Apply early in the month to ensure your application is considered.
Potential applicants are asked to complete an Eligibility Quiz and read the Guidance Notes prior to application.
Funding of up to £5,000 Available to Tackle Problems within Families
Registered charities whose activities support and encourage the family to work as a cohesive unit in tackling problems that face one or more of its members can apply for grants of between £1,000 and £5,000 (but trustees will consider requests for higher amounts) through the Kelly Family Charitable Trust. The trust has decided to prioritise its funding in favour of charities whose activities involve all or most family members where possible, in initiatives that support and encourage the family to work as a cohesive unit in tackling problems that face one or more of its members. The objective is to reinforce the benefit and support that family members as a unit can give to each other.
The Trust will consider both capital and revenue grants. The Trust is happy to support requests for core funding as well as project-based grants, and actively encourages applications from relatively new organisations to help them become established.
The three areas of activity that the charity wishes to support are:
- Interventions that support families and help them in ways that prevent the fracture of the family unit, e.g. practical family support, relationship counselling, mediation.
- Families where sexual abuse, physical abuse, domestic violence, alcohol abuse and drug abuse threaten the integrity of the family unit.
- Prisoners and in particular their families, during and after the period of imprisonment.
The trust prefers to support charities whose income is below £500,000. However, larger charities with pioneering pilot projects will be considered.
Projects supported in the past include:
- “Mosac”, a voluntary organisation that supports all non-abusing parents and carers whose children have been sexually abused.
- Westminster Befriend a Family, which recruits, trains and supports volunteers to befriend individual families under stress and visit them regularly in their homes. The charity’s volunteers can help families where a parent is disabled or has mental health problems, or a child has special needs.
The next closing date for applications is the 1st March 2021.
Funding to Support Charitable Equine Welfare Organisations Affected by the Covid-19 Crisis
Grants of up to £5,000 are available to help small and medium-sized charitable equine welfare organisations which have experienced unprecedented financial and operational challenges as a result of the coronavirus crisis.
The Petplan Charitable Trust has joined together with World Horse Welfare and the National Equine Welfare Council (NEWC) to create a Covid-19 Equine Rescues Emergency Fund to help smaller equine welfare organisations whose primary focus is the rescue and rehoming of equines.
Priority will be given to NEWC members and those smaller organisations that have not received emergency funding from other emergency funds. The average grant is expected to be around £2,500-£3,000. The deadline for this round of applications is the16th October 2020.
Successful applicants notified by 23rd October 2020. Payment made by 30th October 2020.
Common Call Grants Programme
Grants of between £1,000 and £3,000 are available to UK based social organisations led by people that identify as Black or Mixed with Black that have a positive impact on deprived communities and are providing services to people that have been adversely affected by the COVID crisis in terms of physical health, mental health and/or financially.
The grants are specifically aimed at supporting Black-led social enterprises and charities so that they are able to survive and even thrive in the COVID period.
The funding aims help grantees:
- Get better informed about their options (moving to new methods of delivery) post-COVID19.
- Develop new enterprising activities and earned income strategies.
- Test the viability of specific propositions.
- Develop clear implementable action plans for such activity.
This is a flexible fund that can be spent on anything that will help organisations best deliver impact to their beneficiaries. The funding is being made available by Do it Now Now’s Common Call Covid Fund.
Do it Now Now is an innovation organisation committed to bringing social empowerment to Black communities across the globe.
Funding to Enhance the Quality of Life for People in Need
Registered charities, Hospices and state schools catering wholly for students with additional needs, can apply for grants to support their work that enhances the quality of life for people in need, specifically the mentally and physically disabled. Priority is given to small and medium size charities making a significant impact in their community and who may lack the time and resources to be able to focus on their fundraising.
The Edward Gostling Foundation’s grants are awarded to projects that have a significant impact across one or more of four life “themes” and priority is given to organisations that clearly demonstrate this within their application for grant funding.
These are:
- Health and Wellbeing
- Independent Living at Home
- Respite
- Transition.
Grants can support:
- Modifications to homes, state schools (wholly for students with additional needs), hospices etc
- The provision of specialist equipment such as the provision of specialised wheelchairs, other mobility aids and equipment including medical equipment to assist independent living
- Financial assistance towards the cost of short-term respite breaks at a registered respite centre.
Grants are awarded through two programmes:
- A fast-track Small Grants Programme for applications up to £5,000 to small and medium-sized charities with a gross annual income of £3 million or less.
- A Large Grants (Capital) Programme for applications of £5,000 or over; open to all charities with a gross annual income of £5 million or less.
There are no application deadlines; applications can be submitted at any time.
Funding for Projects that Work with Disabled Children and their Families
Through the True Colours Trust UK Small Grants Programme, charities and projects with a charitable purpose can apply for funding that supports disabled children and their families.
Grants of up to £10,000 are usually available for hydrotherapy pools; multi-sensory rooms; mini buses; young carers projects; sibling projects; and bereavement support; specialised play equipment / access to play and leisure; and family support / parent-led peer support.
Other projects supported in the past include:
- Friends of Sherwood Park who received a grant of £5,000 towards the creation of the multi-sensory outdoor environment.
- Roddensvale Parents & Friends Association who received a grant of £5,000 towards the costs of refurbishing its sensory room.
Applications can be submitted at any time.
Apply for up to £20,000 from Postcode Neighbourhood Trust
Postcode Neighbourhood Trust has re-opened for applications until the 19th August 2020. The Trust aims to provide funding in Great Britain to organisations affected by the COVID-19 pandemic.
Registered charities can apply for grants of up to £20,000. Constituted community organisations and groups can apply for awards of up to £2,000. Both core funding and project funding will be available to help organisations increase resilience by adapting or expanding their services, or to meet new challenges brought on by the COVID-19 pandemic.
Applications are particularly welcomed from smaller charities and community groups, with preference given to charities with a turnover of under £1 million. In addition, depending on the volume of high impact applications received, the Trust may further prioritise smaller organisations, giving particular preference to those with a turnover of less than £500,000. Funding can deliver activities up to 12 months in duration.
Up to £4 million will be available.