Published Wednesday 15 April 2020 at 18:55
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
£750 Million Coronavirus Funding for Frontline Charities
The Government has announced a £750 million emergency support package for charities across the UK to ensure they can continue their work during the coronavirus outbreak. The funding package consists of £360 million direct from government departments to charities such as hospices and victim support charities that are providing vital services and helping vulnerable people through the current crisis;
These will include:
- hospices to help increase capacity and give stability to the sector
- St Johns Ambulance to support the NHS
- victims charities, including domestic abuse, to help with potential increase in demand for charities providing these services
- vulnerable children charities, so they can continue delivering services on behalf of local authorities
- Citizens Advice to increase the number of staff providing advice during this difficult time
£370 million will also be available to smaller charities, including through a grant to the National Lottery Community Fund. The National Lottery Community Fund is currently discussing with Government on how best to distribute the funding.
Government departments will identify priority recipients, with the aim for charities to receive money in the coming weeks. The application system for the National Lottery Community Fund grant pot is expected to be operational within a similar period of time.
The Government also announced the Government will match fund whatever the public decides to donate to the BBC’s Big Night In charity appeal on 23 April, starting with a contribution of at least £20 million to the National Emergencies Trust appeal.
Prince’s Trust and NatWest Launch Enterprise Relief Fund
The Prince’s Trust and NatWest have launched a £5million grant fund for young entrepreneurs affected by coronavirus. The Fund is available to entrepreneurs aged 18-30, who can apply for grants and tailored support from today.
Grants can be used to maintain core business operations during the crisis, as well as meet any existing financial commitments, such as paying for essential equipment or settling invoices from suppliers. In conjunction with these grants, the initiative will also offer one-to-one support and guidance to applicants who need it.
To be eligible, businesses must have started up in the last four years and be run by someone aged 18 to 30. Young people who are in the process of starting a business and don’t have any other source of income during the crisis are also eligible to apply for a grant.
Applications can be made at any time.
COVID-19 Emergency Surplus Food Grant
The UK Government in collaboration with the Waste and Resources Action Programme (WRAP) have launched a £3.25 million fund to support the operations of not-for-profit food redistributors to ensure that any surplus food can reach people in need or those considered most vulnerable.
The COVID-19 Emergency Surplus Food Grant will be delivered in three phases. During Phase 1 WRAP will contact redistribution organisations who have applied previously to the fund to ascertain their immediate need for potential funding support. Phases 2 and 3 will be launched on Thursday 9 April. Phase 2 will provide funding opportunities for small surplus food redistributors, and WRAP are also launching funding support aimed at medium to larger operators (phase 3).
The grants can be used to fund both capital and revenue costs associated with redistribution activities such as:
- access to surplus food through logistical collections;
- sorting, storing, freezing, labelling / repackaging food, and;
- onward distribution of food to charities or end beneficiaries.
For any question or to register your interest please contact a member of the WRAP grants team by email.
Cure Parkinson’s Trust Grant
Commercial organisations, appropriately qualified scientists or clinicians based in an accredited university or hospital in any country worldwide can now apply for funding for laboratory or clinical research projects. Projects should have the potential to advance knowledge that might lead to a cure for Parkinson’s disease or that represent a substantial advance in treatment.
The Cure Parkinson’s Trust has a particular interest in projects that show the potential to delay, slow, stop reverse or prevent the progression of Parkinson’s disease. There are no specific limits to the amount of funding available but previous awards have been between £50,000 and £250,000 with a duration of 1-3 years.
Applications are considered four times a year, the next deadline for applications is the 1st October 2020.
Funding opportunities between £25,000 and £100,000
Housing Charity Crisis Launches Emergency Grant
Crisis has established an emergency grants fund to support local groups who are financially affected by additional demands on their resources and who have expanded their provision to meet the current needs of those experiencing homelessness across the UK. Two types of grants are available:
- Awards up to £5,000 for short-term responses to the coronavirus emergency (projects within 3 months), following a limited/fast-tracked application process (payments made in advance)
- Awards up to £50,000 to fund long-term needs and potential expansion or change in service delivery, following a full application process (payments in advance, but potential for staged payments over a specified period)
The funding is available to:
- Local organisations across the UK (i.e. providing specific services in a set number of locations – not national or sub-regional)
- Registered charities who provide services to those experiencing homelessness
- Funding to be restricted to assistance needed to cope with the impact of coronavirus, and not simply to meet wider funding gaps
- Funding could be to meet additional demand or reduction in staffing or other resources caused by impact of coronavirus
For any of the grants, applicants must complete the relevant application form below and email this back to bestpractice@crisis.org.uk
Funding to Support Education in Disadvantaged Areas
Grants are available to support schools and registered charities that wish to undertake educational work with children and young people in disadvantaged areas. The British & Foreign Schools Society (BFSS) normally makes grants for educational projects totaling about £600,000 in any one year. The majority (85% of grants) are made to charities and educational bodies (with charitable status). Schools, Colleges and Universities wishing to apply need to have either charitable status or “exempt charity” status.
The Society currently has three priority areas for which it particularly welcomes applications:
Conflict or natural disaster: Projects designed to address the need for re-establishing and renewing education where the provision of education has suffered from conflict or natural disaster.
Girl’s education: Projects which focus on enhancing the opportunities and reducing barriers for girls to access education
Looked after children: Looked after children have significantly poorer educational outcomes than children not in care. BFSS welcomes projects which pilot approaches to improving the educational attainment of looked after children so that in time they are able to take advantage of opportunities afforded by tertiary education and employment.
Previous projects supported include:
- Teens and Toddlers, a charity based in Southwark London received a grant of £19,500 towards the cost of two 18-week youth development programmes to help raise the aspirations of at risk young people.
- The Afghan Association Paiwand received a grant of £33,240 for a new Saturday school in the deprived area of Colindale, North London which focus on maths and English in partnership with local authorities and mainstream schools.
- The Sensory Trust received a grant of £3,000 for a project aimed at developing sensory nature tools for schools aimed at students with learning disabilities
The Society also offers a small number of grants for organisations and individuals through its Subsidiary Trusts. Eligibility criteria depend on area of residence and/or particular field of educational activity.
The next closing date for applications is the 14th July 2020.
Enovert Community Trust
The Trust is committed to supporting community and environmental projects, such as improving community halls, creating new children’s play areas, restoring green spaces and habitats, and enhancing community sports and recreation facilities.
Funding is available to non-profit making organisations, constituted organisations or groups within 10 miles of a landfill site operated by Enovert Management Limited, or within ten miles of a waste facility managed by the company. These are located primarily in South West England, the West Midlands, South East England and East of England.
Most grants are up to £50,000 but there are no maximum or minimum grant levels given.
To discuss the project before submitting it, please contact Angela Haymonds, Trust Secretary, Enovert Community Trust, PO Box 3138, Slough SL3 9ZH, or email: ahaymonds@enovertct.org
The Enovert Community Trust has announced that the next closing date for funding applications is the 14th August 2020.
Magic Little Grants 2020
Online fundraising platform Localgiving, together with the Postcode Community Trust have announced that this year’s Magic Little Grants programme is now open for applications. Small charities and community groups can apply for grants of up to £500 to support and inspire people to participate in sports or exercise.
To be eligible applicant organisations will need to have an annual income of below £250,000 or be in their first year of operation. A total of 900 grants will be available. Localgiving members will be able to complete the 10-minute application process via their charity account on the Localgiving website.
Organisations who are not members of Localgiving will also benefit from an annual membership funded by Postcode Community Trust, which will provide them with access to Localgiving’s suite of online fundraising tools.
Applications can be submitted at any time until the 31st October 2020.
Previous projects funded include:
- Flamingo Chicks, who received a grant to provide sensory kits for disabled children to attend dance classes.
- Featherstone Rovers Foundation, who received a grant to deliver a range of activities to encourage more young people to try Rugby League.
Important Coronavirus Update
- Organisations now have longer than 12 months to spend the grant and we do not require specific dates for projects that you would like us to support. We want our funding to be able to be used flexibly and trust that you will deliver projects only when it is safe to do so.
- Localgiving are happy to support projects that support people to stay active during social distancing, such as online fitness classes delivered via video conferencing software or YouTube.
Grants of up to £100,000 Available for Community Facilities
Registered Charities, churches, Parish Councils, Local Authorities and CASC registered sports clubs can apply for grants of between £2,000 and £100,000 for the provision, maintenance or improvement of community facilities.
This can include:
- Village Halls and Community Centres;
- Public Play Areas;
- Publicly available Multi use games areas;
- Skate parks and BMX tracks;
- Sport and recreation grounds including pavilions and clubhouses with full public access;
- Churches – community spaces only;
- Nature Reserves;
- Public gardens, parks, country parks and woodlands with at least dawn to dusk access;
- Museums.
The funding is being made available through the FCC Community Action Fund and is available to projects located within 10 miles of an eligible FCC Environment site.
The scheme is currently closed but is due to re-open for applications on the 18th March 2020 and will close for applications at 5pm on the 3rd June 2020.
Funding opportunities under £25,000
Tesco Bags of Help COVID-19 Communities Fund to Support Local Communities
Tesco Bags of Help has launched a new Fund in response to the Coronavirus outbreak. The new short-term fund is open to registered charities, voluntary and community organisations, schools, health bodies, Parish, Town and community councils, social enterprises, local authorities and social housing organisations across the UK.
Grants of £500 are available to organisations that support vulnerable groups whose demand for services has been increased or disrupted, or who need to put new services in place.
The fund will prioritise the following organisations:
- Whose need for services has been disrupted – for example a food bank whose stocks are running low and need an immediate donation to enable the food bank to restock.
- Require to put in place new services – for example charities setting up a new home service for the elderly who usually attend a monthly lunch club or a charity needing to set up a telephone service to support beneficiaries.
- Have increased demand – a holiday hunger club needs more resources due to schools closing, or a children’s centre needs an additional temporary staff member.
The Fund is set up to support organisation need rather than fund specific projects and expects to make weekly awards.
Applications can be made at any time.
For any queries please contact: tescocv@groundwork.org.uk
COVID-19 Emergency Fund for the Sight Loss Sector
To support the essential role sight loss organisations play in providing vital services to blind and partially sighted people, Thomas Pocklington Trust (TPT) has suspended its normal grant funding activities and set up an emergency fund for sight loss organisations.
£500,000 of essential support will be available to sight loss sector organisations which are providing critical services for the physical and emotional well-being of blind and partially sighted people in these uncertain times.
Grants will be available of up to £10,000 pounds or the equivalent of two months’ running costs (whichever is less) for use over the next six months.
Applications are being accepted on a rolling basis.
For any questions, please email the Trust at: grants@pocklington-trust.org.uk
Funding to Help Musicians Affected by the Coronavirus
Grants of £3,000 are available to help professional musicians aged 18 and over with no significant backing, who are finding their health, and performance and teaching commitments affected by the Coronavirus.
The Covid-19 round of Help Musicians’ Do It Differently Fund aims to do the following three things:
- Offers a package of support for professional, creative and wellbeing development
- Enable creative independence for music creators who wish to explore working innovatively through digital methods
- Encourage new habits and good practices of sustainable wellbeing
Groups of 6 members or less can also apply.
There will be multiple rounds of the Fund over the next three months but applications can only be made once. The deadline for applications for this round is 5pm on the 14th April 2020.
Funding to Encourage Young People to Study Science Subjects
In response to the much publicised skills gap in the British engineering industry, the Ironmongers’ Foundation wishes to support initiatives that encourage talented young people under the age of 25 to study science subjects at school and go on to pursue engineering-related further education or vocational training.
The funding is available to registered or exempt charities within the UK, with a preference for urban areas outside London and particularly areas in the north and midlands with a manufacturing presence.
Activities must be additional to those funded by government or other sources e.g. covered by school budgets. The Foundation prefers to support smaller projects where its contribution can make a real difference.
The next closing date for applications is the 1st August 2020.
Funding to Engage People with Science and Technology
The Science and Technology Facilities Council has announced that its Spark Awards programme has re-opened for applications. Grants of up to £15,000 are available to fund public engagement activities that inspire and involve audiences with science and technology.
Activities must focus on astronomy, solar and planetary science, particle physics, particle astrophysics, cosmology, nuclear physics or accelerator science.
Almost anyone can apply for a Spark Award, including grant-funded researchers, STFC scientists and engineers, facility users, schools, museums, science communicators, and amateur astronomy groups.
Before submitting an application, applicants are encouraged to contact the Public Engagement Team to discuss their ideas.
The deadline to apply is 4pm on the 21st May 2020.
Grants of up to £1,000 Available for Projects that Improve the Wellbeing of Children
Grants of up to £1,000 are available to registered charities and non-profit organisations who work to improve the education and physical and emotional wellbeing of children.
Applicants applying for funding may focus on one or more of these areas:
- Living in Poverty
- Physical & Mental Health Problems
- Health & Wellbeing
- Living With Disability
Examples of grants awarded in the past include:
- £500 Clydesdale Hockey Club – for coaching and equipment costs for primary school hockey competitions in Greater Glasgow
- £1,000 Shadwell Community Project – to develop its outdoor play space which is used by children and young people from deprived areas in the local community
The next closing date for applications is 5pm on the 5th June 2020.
Funding Available for Green Projects
Delivery Company DPD has announced that grants of up to £2,000 are available through its Eco Fund. The fund is open to anyone but schools and educational facilities across the UK working on green projects with their students and start-up companies working on developing environmentally friendly products are particularly encouraged to apply.
A total of £140,000 is available in 2020 with typical funding per project being approximately £1,500.
Previous projects supported include:
- Hinckley Academy, which received £1,000 to purchase seven recycling bins for the school canteen area. The bins in the canteen area allowed pupils to segregate waste, reducing the amount of waste going to landfill.
- Pitmaston Primary School has received £1,700 funding to redevelop its forest school facility and plant hedgerows creating an environment for wildlife to thrive.
Applications are reviewed monthly and there are no application deadlines.
Funding for Theatre Buildings under Threat and at Risk
Theatres at risk and in need of renovation can apply for grants of up to £25,000 from round two of the Theatres Trust’s Theatres at Risk Capacity Building Programme Fund. Grants are available to those theatres on the Theatres Trust’s Theatres at Risk Register as well as the community and campaign groups, and local authorities that support them.
The aim of the Fund is to restore, reopen or revitalise the theatres and funding can be used for works such as:
- Viability studies and options appraisals
- Building condition surveys and structural reports
- Business planning and fundraising strategies
- Governance reviews
The programme is run by the Theatres Trust and supported by Historic England, the Pilgrim Trust, Swire Charitable Trust and individual donors.
To be eligible to apply, organisations must have UK charitable or not-for-profit status and the deadline for applications is 12 noon on the 21st April 2020.
Applicants are encouraged to discuss their application with Theatres Trust Advisers in the first instance – please contact claire.appleby@theatrestrust.org.uk
Funding to Improve Accessibility in Theatres
Grants of up to £5,000 are available to improve the accessibility of professional theatre buildings for audiences and workforces. The Theatres Trust’s Accessible Theatres Scheme will fund building works and equipment for projects that improve disabled access in both front and or back of house, with applications that show engagement with disabled user groups scoring highly.
Applicants must be not-for-profit and members of UK Theatre, Federation of Scottish Theatres, Independent Theatre Council or Creu Cymru and must pay union rates. Funding of up to £10,000 may be available for innovative and exceptional projects. The scheme is being run in association with the Theatre Development Trust.
The deadline for applications is 5pm on the 5th May 2020.
Funding for Links with Japan
Grants of £2,000 – £7,000 are available to promote and support interaction between the two countries. Daiwa Foundation Small Grants can cover all fields of activity, including educational and other projects and events. New initiatives are especially encouraged.
Projects that have received funding in the past include:
- Beckfoot School (Bingley) which received a grant of £3,000 to support a two-week curriculum-based school exchange visit by ten students and two teachers to Hiroshima Kokusai High School;
- Dene Magna School which received a grant of £4,000 to support a school exchange visit by three teachers and nine pupils to enhance links established in 2002 with two partner schools in Okinawa and to consolidate Japanese as part of its curriculum.
The next closing date for applications is the 30th September 2020.
Funding for Cultural and Educational Links with Japan
Grants are available to schools cultural organisations and universities; etc that wish to teach the Japanese language and develop links with Japan and Japanese organisations. The Foundation’s grants average £1,500 to £2,000 and do not normally exceed £5,000 for larger-scale projects.
Grants are available to support the study of the Japanese language and culture, School, Education and Youth exchanges.
In the past, the Foundation has made grants towards visits between the UK and Japan by teachers and young people and the teaching and development of Japanese language and cultural studies in schools.
Organisations that have successfully applied to the Foundation include:
- Hessle High School and Sixth Form College which received a grant of £3,000 to visit to Japan to create curriculum on Japan in Key Stage 3 Geography lessons.
- Truro College which received a grant of £2,000 for a football exchange programme with Tokai Daigo High School in Japan.
- The Boston & Hakusan City Exchange Programme received a grant of £3,500 for an exchange programme between school children from Boston and Hakusan City.
- Campion School received a grant of £2,000 to support a school trip to Tokyo for students of Japanese.
- Escomb Primary School received a grant of £3,000 for an exchange visit with Ogawara Minami Elementary School.
The Great Britain Sasakawa Foundation has announced that the next application deadline for its grants making programme is the 15th September 2020.
Grants to Promote Latin and Roman Studies and Activities
The Society makes grants to schools to help promote Latin and Roman studies. Most of the grants are awarded for the purchase of textbooks and other books on Roman topics. The Committee also makes awards to groups and schools and museums organising lectures or study days on Roman themes, and money has recently been made available for archaeology fieldwork bursaries.
Schools that have recently been awarded funding include:
- Hereford Cathedral School that received funding to run weekly Latin masterclasses;
- A grant from the Roman Society enabled Feniton C of E Primary School to buy books and extra resources to help their pupils have fun learning;
- A grant from the Roman Society enabled thirty pupils in Year 9 at Ysgol Brynhyfryd to study Classical Civilisation GCSE;
- The Sir Robert Hitcham CEVAP School Robert which received a grant to help Year 4 pupils study aspects of the Roman invasion and its impact.
Applications from schools planning to start courses in Latin are particularly welcome. Grants usually range from £50 to £600.
The Society for the Promotion of Roman Studies has announced the next closing date for applications is the 1st July 2020.
Grants for Early Years Charities Affected by the Coronavirus
Small and medium-sized registered charities working with disadvantaged children aged 0-3 years in England and Wales can apply for small, unrestricted grants to help them during the coronavirus pandemic.
The Sylvia Adams Charitable Trust has changed the application guidelines and processes for the spring application round of its Early Years’ Preventative Work Fund to make one-off payments of £5,000 available to charities with an income of less than £750,000 which may need extra assistance.
Charities applying must show a likelihood of increased demand for their services and/or a loss of anticipated income.
The closing date for applications in this round is the 28th April 2020.
Funding for Schools Incurring Additional Costs Due to the Coronavirus
The Government has announced extra funding and support for schools to cover the exceptional costs associated with coronavirus (COVID-19) for the period March to July 2020. Funding will be available for all state-funded mainstream and special schools, and alternative provision including:
- primary, secondary and all through maintained schools, academies and free schools
- 16 to 19 academies and maintained schools
- maintained special schools
- special academies and free schools
- non-maintained special schools
- pupil referral units
- alternative provision academies and free schools
- maintained hospital schools and academies
This can relate to additional costs associated with:
- keeping schools open during the Easter and/or summer half term holidays, for vulnerable children and the children of critical workers;
- support; the provision of free school meals (FSM) for eligible children who are not attending school;
- and additional cleaning – required due to confirmed or suspected coronavirus (COVID-19) cases; etc.
Funding will be available to schools that are unable to meet such additional costs from their existing resources, or which they could only meet by drawing down on reserves and undermining their long-term financial sustainability.
The Department for Education are asking schools to make the necessary payments from their existing budgets and record these in line with local finance policies. In June, the Department will publish further guidance for schools on the process for informing them of any additional costs relating to coronavirus (COVID-19).
In cases where schools are unable to make up-front payments to cover the additional costs due to coronavirus (COVID-19) because of cash flow issues, schools should follow the normal process for seeking short-term advances to support their cash flow by contacting the ESFA if they are an academy, or their local authority if they are a maintained school.
Taking Teaching Further
The Education and Training Foundation has announced that round 3 of the Taking Teaching Further programme is now open. The Taking Teaching Further programme is a national initiative to attract experienced industry professionals with expert technical knowledge and skills to work in Further Education (FE). The focus will be across any of the 15 technical teaching routes.
The programmes long-term aims are to:
- raise the profile and prestige of skilled FE teaching, particularly among industry professionals; and
- increase the overall number of skilled technical teaching roles by helping providers to support experienced industry professionals with the training that they require to become FE teachers.
Taking Teaching Further Round 3 funding is available for all FE providers with two routes to access the programme depending on provider type.
The take-up of the Initial Teacher Education (ITE) places on both Route 1 and Route 2 is subject to individuals meeting the participation criteria outlined in the programme guidance documents.
Route 1
Route 1 of the programme is open to all FE Colleges and Sixth Form Colleges in England (colleges). Places will be made available to all colleges on a draw-down basis.
To participate, FE Colleges and Sixth Form Colleges need to register their intent through this form.
The deadline to register intent to participate is 12pm on 7th May 2020.
Route 2
Route 2 of the programme is open to all independent training providers, employer led providers, third sector training providers, local authority providers, and adult and community learning providers. These places will be allocated on a first-come, first-served basis and the Foundation strongly advise providers to register early from the 1 April 2020 for places.
Registrations to take part in Taking Teaching Further Route 2 will open on 1 April 2020 through this form.
For applicants that have any questions or require further information, please contact the Taking Teaching Further team via takingteachingfurther@etfoundation.co.uk or call 020 3740 8280.
Grants to Support Canoeing and Inland Waterway Conservation
The main purpose of the Canoe Foundation is to “support all to enjoy and benefit from the experience of paddling on our water in a sustainable manner”. The Foundation does this through grant making that facilitates improvements to suitable landing and launching points and by promoting the conservation of inland waterways for the benefit of all sectors of the community.
The Foundation awards grants to projects that:
- Increase and protect public access points, steps or platforms
- Improve the suitability of launching and landing sites, to and alongside water, for all sectors of the community
The Foundation invites applications for grants ranging from £2,000 to £10,000; although grants typically range between £2,500 and £5,000.
Funding applications are welcome from clubs, community groups and regions with an active interest in, and project purpose of, wider canoeing participation.
The Canoe Foundation has announced that the next closing date for applications is the 31st August 2020.
Rowing Foundation Grants Programme
The Rowing Foundation works to promote the participation in rowing of young people (those under 18 or still in full time education) and the disabled of all ages.
The Foundation gives grants of £500-£3,000 to help organisations and clubs involved in on water elements of the sport of Rowing who are individually affiliated to British Rowing (other than via their governing body) and whose requirements may be too small or who may be otherwise ineligible for an approach to the National Lottery or other similar sources of funds. The Rowing Foundation prefers to encourage participation in rowing by the young or disabled through the provision of equipment, such as boats, sculls, ergos, oars and essential safety equipment.
The Foundation’s makes grants of between £500-£3000 up to 50% of the cost, usually to initiate projects when a club, school or other organisation can demonstrate their ability to complete the project. Grants are made to support rowing only.
Applications must be for projects or work that is for public benefit; non-elitist; for the benefit of young people; those in full time education; or those who are disabled.
The next closing date is the 25th May 2020.