Published Thursday 17 September 2020 at 18:36
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
Scottish Power Foundation’s £1.2 Million Fund Open to Applications
Charities in the UK can now apply for a share of £2.1 million being made available by the Scottish Power Foundation.
The Foundation supports projects which make a difference to the lives of people living in communities throughout the UK. Funding will be awarded to twenty-one charities, all making a positive difference in education, arts and culture, citizenship, and environmental initiatives.
Grants of between £35,000 and £200,000 will be made available by the Foundation which champions benevolent work in local communities. Applying for funding is highly competitive each year. Successful charities will need to fill in an eligibility form and an application form, showing passion, skill and commitment to making a positive change in their communities.
To apply, charities will need to complete an eligibility form. Charities that pass the eligibility test will receive an email with a link to the application form.
The deadline for applications is 1pm on the 24th September 2020.
Funding for Projects That Contribute to the Ongoing Transformation of the Northern Ireland Conflict
Registered, excepted or exempt charities based within any of the four jurisdictions of the UK can apply for programme or project funding or for unrestricted or core support for work which will contribute to the ongoing transformation of the Northern Ireland conflict.
The Joseph Rowntree Charitable Trust (JRCT) aims to fund work delivered by organisations, individuals and charities and grants range from a few hundred pounds to £100,000+ and may be single payments or spread over up to three years.
JRCT is interested in funding work which:
- Addresses the root causes of violence and injustice, rather than alleviating symptoms
- Cannot be funded from other sources
- Is likely to make a long-term, strategic difference.
Funded projects will address the following priority areas:
- Strengthening human rights and equality
- Supporting inclusive, non-sectarian and participatory politics
- Supporting processes of demilitarisation
- Dealing with the past i.e. work that promotes a shared understanding of the root causes of past violence, or which encourages government to implement initiatives to address the legacy of violence at a societal level.
The Trust is particularly interested in receiving applications related to women’s participation in all of these areas.
In addition to applications from Northern Ireland, it is open to receiving applications from Britain and the Republic of Ireland for work related to the above areas, and for work with an all-Ireland focus. Registered, excepted or exempt charities based within any of the four jurisdictions of the UK can apply for programme or project funding or for unrestricted or core support. Further details on eligibility can be found here.
Local work will be supported only where it is likely to have a wider impact, for example if it is testing a model which can then be replicated, or is addressing a local issue that has wider social or political implications.
To apply, organisations need to register with the Trust’s grants management system. The deadline to register is the 13th November 2020 and the deadline to apply is 5pm on the 30th November 2020.
Funding to Help Schools & Colleges Reduce Energy Usage
Individual academies, academy sixth forms, free schools and those in Multi-Academy Trusts will be able to apply for funding to install energy efficient technologies to lower energy bills and create a more comfortable learning environment.
Loans of up to £150,000 will be available from Salix’s Energy Efficiency Fund, in partnership with the Department for Education, to reduce energy usage. Each applicant may submit one application, which can consist of multiple projects, and must cost no more than £222 for every tone of carbon saved. The loan value must be repaid within an eight-year period. Projects exceeding this payback can be part funded.
A new round is anticipated to open in autumn 2020 with more details to follow shortly.
Latest Round of Funding to Improve Air Quality Across England
The UK government has announced the latest round of funding for local projects to improve air quality across England.
The £2 million Air Quality Grant scheme will allow Local Authorities to bid for funding to support a wide range of projects to help clean up dirty air and create cleaner and healthier environments.
This is a competitive grant application process, with projects to tackle levels of fine particulate matter (PM2.5) or liquid droplets in the air particularly welcomed by Defra. The best projects will also develop long-term solutions to increase awareness and encourage behaviour change.
The scheme has previously awarded around £64.5 million to a variety of projects benefitting schools, businesses and communities, and reducing the impact of dirty air on people’s health.
The deadline for applications is 12pm on the 14th October 2020.
Grants of up to £1 Million Available for the Recovery of Foundation Industries
UK-registered businesses can apply for a share of £8 million in grant funding for projects supporting the recovery and growth of foundation industries such as cement, glass, ceramics, paper, metals and bulk chemicals. Grants of between £100,000 and £1 million are available through Innovate UK.
Projects must demonstrate how they address resource or energy efficiency of foundation industries and support resilience and sustainability of the sector and its supply chains. Applicants can include techno-economic assessment of new products, services and business models and must:
- help the UK’s foundation industries remain globally competitive and become more environmentally sustainable
- indicate how the innovation helps meet the needs of business and/or industry as it emerges from Covid-19 pandemic and aids rapid recovery
- demonstrate that the business has the capability to deliver the project
UK businesses of any size and research and technology organisations can apply. The closing date for applications is 11am on the 11th November 2020.
Funding opportunities between £25,000 and £100,000
Women in Innovation Awards Opens for Applications
Innovate UK, as part of UK Research and Innovation, is offering ten Women in Innovation Awards to female entrepreneurs across the UK. The 2020-21 Awards aim to fund and support women with innovative ideas and ambitious plans that will inspire others.
Female founders, co-founders and senior decision makers within UK registered micro or SME businesses that have been operating for at least one year are eligible for an award of £50,000, and a bespoke package of mentoring, coaching and business support.
Applicants must be confident that they can make a significant contribution to a pressing societal, environmental and/or economic challenge through projects across a variety of innovation areas. Projects must start by 1 April 2021 and will last for one year.
Anyone who self-identifies as a woman is also eligible to apply.
The competition closes at 11am on the 14th October 2020.
For more information, email support@innovateuk.ukri.org or call the competition helpline on 0300 321 4357.
Funding opportunities under £25,000
Funding to Improve Online Digital Presence for Small Charities
UK charities can apply for funding of up to £2,500 to help them improve their online digital presence. The Fat Beehive Foundation awards small grants to charities with an average income of less than £1 million a year to support hard-to-fund digital expenditure that other funders will often not cover.
Funding will help organisations to build websites and apps, digitise services, and purchase digital products. Priority will be given to projects which focus on
- environmental protection or climate change mitigation,
- human rights,
- international development,
- equality and diversity,
- social justice / refugees / housing,
- education,
- art and culture,
- health and wellbeing,
- prisoner rehabilitation.
Applications are considered on a rolling basis at quarterly trustee meetings.
Funding to Increase Engineering Knowledge in Young People
Funding is available for UK-based educational projects that aim to increase engineering knowledge in young people aged 4-19. Jointly funded by the Institution of Engineering and Technology and the Institution of Mechanical Engineers, the Engineering Education Grant Scheme is open to applications from any organisation capable of developing and delivering UK-based educational activities, including schools, youth clubs, museums, and FE colleges.
Two levels of funding are available for projects that aim to inspire young people to study science, technology, engineering and maths subjects or raise awareness of engineering and technology-based careers. Up to £5,000 is available for standard applications, and a small number of awards of up to £15,000 are available for projects that aim to make a bigger impact.
The deadline for applications is the 19th October 2020.
Grants for Chemistry Outreach Projects in Schools and Colleges
The Royal Society of Chemistry is making grants of up to £1,000 available to schools, colleges and universities to help students in the development of the practical chemistry skills and experience. To be eligible for funding through the Royal Society of Chemistry’s Partnership of 3 grant scheme, the projects should bring together at least three different partners to benefit in the delivery or attendance at a chemistry centred outreach activity.
The Royal Society of Chemistry awards grants for activities that to involve the development of the practical skills/ experience in chemistry of a target group in a manner that is not achievable through normal timetabled activities.
Activities funded could include, for example, a university collaborating with a sixth form college in providing an experience for KS3/ 4 students (it may be that staff and students from the same institution are considered as different partners if they both have significant and different roles in the delivery of the proposed programme).
Strong applications will be able to demonstrate, in addition to key scientific benefits, how as many of the partners in the scheme as possible will develop through involvement in the scheme. Schemes that involve visits from one partner constituency to another will be particularly favoured.
Applications can be submitted at any time and will be evaluated at quarterly meetings throughout the year. To be considered for the next evaluation meeting applications should be submitted by the 15th November 2020.
Kellogg’s Breakfast Club Grants Programme Due to Re-open for Applications in September 2020
The Kellogg’s Breakfast Club Grants Programme is due to re-open for applications on the 21st September 2020. The programme offers grants of up to £1,000 to schools in the UK to set up Breakfast clubs for those children in most need.
To qualify for the programme:
- The breakfast club must be based in a school in England, Wales, Scotland or Northern Ireland;
- A limited number of grants are available so priority will be given to schools that have either:
35% and above of children eligible for pupil premium funding and / or eligible for free school meals.
or
Schools that are based in an area which is classified as falling in the 10% of most deprived areas according to the Index of Multiple Deprivation. Schools can find out if this applies to their school by following the instructions which you can find here.
- Additionally, if your school has received breakfast club funding from Gregg’s or Magic Breakfast within the current academic year, your club will not be considered a priority for support.
- Only one grant per school in each academic year is available.
For any queries please contact Forever Manchester on 0044 161 214 0940 or e-mail kelloggs@forevermanchester.com
Disabled People’s Organisations Secure £1.5 Million to Help with Impact of the Pandemic on Disabled People
Disabled people’s organisations (DPOs) working on the frontline of the coronavirus pandemic can apply for a share of a new £1.5 million emergency fund to help them respond to the COVID-19-related needs of disabled people. Grants of between £1,000 and £25,000 are available.
Funding is being distributed to grassroots DPOs across the UK to try to ensure disabled people are less isolated, more independent and their voices are heard and reflected in recovery strategies. The £1.5 million funding has been awarded to a consortium of regional and national DPOs by the National Emergencies Trust (NET) that will award grants to local DRPs.
Disability Wales, Inclusion Scotland and Disability Action Northern Ireland (DANI) will allocate the funding to local DPOs in the devolved nations.
The two national partners for England are Inclusion London and the Reclaiming Our Futures Alliance (ROFA), which have chosen regional DPOs – Spectrum Centre for Independent Living in the south-east, The West of England Centre for Inclusive Living, Equality Together in Bradford, Disability Sheffield, Equal Lives in the east of England, Birmingham’s Disability Resource Centre, Greater Manchester Coalition of Disabled People, and Inclusion London in the capital – to allocate funding to local DPOs in their areas.
These larger DPOs will encourage the local DPOs to apply for funding, support them with their applications, monitor how funding is spent, and evaluate the success of projects.
The application process for DPOs will last from early September to 5 October, with funding distributed by the end of October for projects that must be completed by the end of June. The fund will open for applications from early September 2020.
For more information, email NETgrants@disabilityaction.org
The closing date for applications is the 5th October 2020.
Public Engagement Spark Awards Re-open for Applications
The Science and Technology Facilities Council’s (STFC) Public Engagement Spark Awards has re-opened for applications.
Awards of up to £15,000 are available to schools as well as scientists and engineers, museums, science communicators, and amateur astronomy groups, etc to deliver high-quality public engagement activities that focus on a topic within the Council’s remit. This can include:
- astronomy, solar and planetary science,
- particle physics,
- particle astrophysics,
- cosmology,
- nuclear physics
- accelerator science.
Applicants are encouraged to contact the Council’s Public Engagement Team to discuss their ideas in the first instance. To discuss a potential application email STFCPublicEngagement@stfc.ac.uk
The closing date for applications is 4pm on the 22nd October 2020.
Grants for Churches for the Conservation of Decorative Features and Monuments
The next closing date for applications to the William and Jane Morris Fund is the 31st March 2021.
The Fund accepts applications from churches, chapels and other places of worship built before 1896 for grants of between £500 and £5,000 to carry out small programmes of conservation work to decorative features and monuments. All work funded must be directed by a professional architect or established conservator and completed according to the principles of the Society for the Protection of Ancient Buildings (SPAB).
Eligible work could include (but is not limited to):
- Stained glass windows
- Sculpture
- Furniture
- Internal monuments
- Tombs
- Wall paintings.
Previous awards have been made to:
- St Mary’s Church, Cerne Abbas for the conservation of wall paintings (£1,000).
- Holy Trinity Church, St Austell to restore a monument to Joseph Sawle (£750).
- The Lye and Wollescote Chapels, Dudley for the repair of a weathervane (£1,600).
The Open Fund for Music Creators
Songwriters, composers, and artists, bands, producers and performers who are writing their own music or commissioning other songwriters or composers can apply for grants of up to £5,000 to support the:
- Creation, performance and promotion of outstanding new music in any genre
- Enable the UK’s most talented music creators to realise their potential
- Reaching new audiences
The funding is being made available through the PRS Foundation’s Open Fund for Music Creators and can support activities such as:
- touring
- music creator residencies
- promotion and marketing
- commissions of new music by UK-based creators
- exciting community projects involving high-quality music creators
- recording
- live performances featuring new UK music.
The closing date for applications is 6pm on the 5th October 2020.
Funding for High Quality New Music Projects
PRS Foundation’s Open Fund for Organisations supports high quality new music projects led by promoters, talent development organisations, venues, festivals, curators and large performance groups (for example orchestras, choirs, jazz bands or folk groups with 12 or more performers).
Supported projects will involve the creation, performance and promotion of new music and enable Music Creators i.e. songwriters, composers, or solo artists, bands, producers and performers of all backgrounds, to develop creatively and professionally.
Grants of up to £10,000 are awarded to composer’s cover activities such as:
- Touring
- Recording
- Promotion and marketing
- Commissions of new music by UK-based creators*
- Exciting community projects involving high-quality music creators
- Music creator residencies
- Live programmes featuring new UK music
Successful proposals will fit all three of the following funding priorities:
- To support the creation, performance and promotion of outstanding new music in any genre
- To enable the UK’s most talented music creators to realise their potential
- To inspire audiences
Priority is given to not for profit groups.
Funded projects must comply with the latest UK Government advice, lockdown restrictions and social distancing measures. Please be aware that we are still accepting applications which involved live performance or other elements which at time of writing are not allowed but will in the future go ahead.
The closing date for applications is the 5th October 2020.
The Classical Association Grants
The Classical Association (CA), which awards grants to support classical projects and conferences, has announced that the next closing date for applications is the 1st December 2020.
The Association will consider applications for summer schools and to institutions offering courses in Greek, Latin, classical civilisation; and bursaries for teachers attending courses abroad to support their professional development. The Association will also support school teaching and outreach work such as Greek and Latin reading competitions, regional Greek/Roman days and school conferences; etc. The Grants Committee meets four times a year.
Schools and other organisations that are applying for more than £2,000 must submit their application in time for either the March or September deadlines.
Hellenic Society Hardship Grants
The Hellenic Society makes grants of various kinds to schools, universities and other institutions, undergraduates, graduate students and young researchers which are engaged in Hellenic Studies at all levels. In response to the coronavirus, the Society is temporarily offering small hardship grants to those who have been affected by the crisis.
Funding of up to £200 will be made to:
- those who have held a temporary post in a UK Higher Education Institutions in the last twelve months and whose employment has come to an end during 2020;
- self-funded Post Graduate Researchers, especially those in their third or fourth year;
- and self-funded MA/MPhil/MSt students.
The deadline for applications in this round is the 30th September 2020.
Applicants should email secretary@hellenicsociety.org.uk with the following details: a brief account of the personal circumstances necessitating the grant, the purpose for which the money is to be used, and the precise sum needed (not more than 300 words in total). They should also include the name of their previous line manager or thesis supervisor as appropriate and ask them to email the same address separately to confirm their personal circumstances in broad terms.
Please email Dr Fiona Haarer (Executive Secretary: secretary@hellenicsociety.org.uk) with any queries.
Funding to Address Digital Exclusion in Response to Coronavirus
The UK Government has announced a new £5 million funding opportunity which aims to address two of the main access issues associated with digital exclusion in response to coronavirus. These are:
- physical access to the internet,
- the issue of data poverty.
Organisations across England (excluding London) can apply for funding to deliver short-term activity to existing European Social Fund (ESF) participants as an add-on to the ESF support they are currently receiving.
Projects will obtain and loan appropriate devices (e.g. tablets, laptops), provide a three-month data allowance via a data dongle, and set up support to enable users to understand functionality and get online.
Projects can be funded at 100% ESF through this Call. There is no upper or lower financial limit for project applications in this call.
The deadline for applications is 11.59pm on the 30th September 2020.
Funding to Help Disadvantaged Young People and Children
Charities in England and Wales can apply for Early Years Opportunities Grants through the Masonic Charitable Foundation. The Early Years Opportunities programme is open to charities that help disadvantaged children and young people (up to the age of 25 years) overcome the barriers they face to achieve the best possible start in life.
Grants can be offered to charities that provide:
- Mental and physical health support
- Learning and development, including language and communication skills, social and emotional etc.
- Parental support, including whole family approach
- Pastoral and advocacy support
The type of activities that could be funded include:
- Additional educational opportunities such as improving literacy and numeracy
- Individual interventions, i.e. parent education, home visiting or mentoring
- Encouraging healthy behaviours with regards to diet, activity and wellbeing
- Psychological interventions for domestic abuse and behavioural issues etc.
- Provision of vital adaptive technologies and equipment removing barriers
- Alternative methods or specialist therapies to help children and young people integrate into the mainstream education system.
The Foundation offers both small grants of up to £5,000 per year for up to 3 years to charities with an annual income of up to £500,000 ; and large grants on average of between £20,000 and £60,000 to charities with an annual income of above £500,000 for projects lasting up to three years.
The next funding round for small grants will open on the 1st October 2020 and will close for applications on the 23rd December 2020. The large grants programme is currently open for applications with a closing date of the 31st October 2020.
Interest-Free Loans for the Purchase of Musical Instruments & Equipment
Interest-free loans are available for the purchase of musical instruments and equipment, to help ensure that more people across England and Northern Ireland can access instruments and learn to play.
The Take it Away Scheme works with music retailers to allow applicants to buy almost any musical instrument available, such as traditional instruments like violins, clarinets, guitars and pianos, contemporary equipment like synthesizers, drum machines and recording equipment, or musical accessories like cases.
The Scheme is backed by the Arts Council and makes loans of up to £5,000 to people in England aged up to 25 years, and up to £2,000 to all ages in Northern Ireland.
Applicants must have an annual income of £5,000 or more and applications can be made at any time.
Funding for Projects that Address Severe Learning Disabilities
The Baily Thomas Charitable Fund is a registered charity which was established to provide both research and project funding in the area of severe learning difficulties, including autism for both children and adults.
Grants are made to cover capital projects and core costs to include staff costs, general running and office costs at charitable organisations, schools and centres.
Projects funded include:
- Capital works for residential, nursing and respite care, and schools
- Employment schemes including woodwork, crafts, printing and horticulture
- Play schemes and play therapy schemes
- Day and social activities centres including building costs and running costs
- Support for families, including respite schemes
- Independent living schemes
- Support in the community schemes
- Snoezelen rooms.
Applications will only be considered from voluntary organisations which are registered charities or are associated with a registered charity. Schools and Parent Teacher Associations and Industrial & Provident Societies can also apply. Funding in the past has ranged in value from £250 to £150,000.
The next deadline for applications seeking funding in excess of £10,000 is the 1st December 2020.
Applications for £10,000 and below are considered under the Small Grants procedure and can be submitted at any time.
Recent awards have been made to:
- Rose Road Association, £30,000 towards capital costs and funding of short breaks.
- Stepping Stones Play and Learn Group, £25,000 towards core costs of Play Group.
- Willow Tree Garden, £30,000 towards refurbishment and development of buildings connected with the woodworking workshops.
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 31st October 2020.
Volant Trust Announces Launch of Covid-19 Response Fund
The Volant Trust has announced that it will open its Covid-19 Response Fund on the 1st August 2020. The Trust is accepting applications from registered charities, community interest companies, community organisations or social enterprises in the UK and internationally that demonstrate a strong focus on alleviating social deprivation and helping vulnerable groups who have been particularly impacted by the Covid-19 pandemic.
Funding is available to support running and core costs as well as for medical equipment and the production or distribution of PPE will also be considered.
There are no funding levels indicated at the award of grants will be at the discretion of the Trustees.
The closing date for applications will be the 31st December 2020.