Funding Insight update 12.03.19

Published Tuesday 12 March 2019 at 8:53

Blackburn with Darwen Open4Community

Community groups can now access potential grant funding opportunities through the free Blackburn with Darwen Open4Community online search tool.

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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 reduce poverty in the developing world

UK Aid Direct has announced that the next funding round for its Community Partnership and Impact Grants Programmes has re-opened for applications.

Funded by the UK’s Department for International Development (DFID), UK Aid Direct was established in 2014 as a successor to the Global Poverty Action Fund (GPAF), which was created in 2010. The aim of UK Aid Direct is to fund small- and medium-sized national and international civil society organisations (CSOs) to reduce poverty and work towards achieving the Global Goals. Specifically, UK Aid Direct funding reaches the most marginalised and vulnerable populations, supporting the DFID agenda to ‘leave no one behind’.

Community Partnership Grants: Offered to small organisations with an average annual income of less than £1 million for the past three years. Grants of up to £250,000 are available for projects lasting three years or less.

Impact grants: Offered to medium sized organisations with an average annual income of less than £10 million for the past three years. Grants worth between £250,001 and £4,000,000 are available for projects lasting between three and five years.

All applicants will be:

  • Registered in the UK
  • Working in one of the lowest 50 countries in the UN Human Development Index (HDI) or
  • Working in a country considered by the UK Department for International Development (DFID) to be of high or moderate fragility

The deadline for applications is Wednesday 17th April 2019.

Further information can be found on the UK Aid Direct website

Funding opportunities between £25,000 and £100,000

Grant programme to support rural communities

The Prince’s Countryside Fund provides more than £1m in grants each year to projects delivered by Charities, Community Benefit Societies, Community Interest Companies, Companies limited by guarantee, Not for profit organisations, Social enterprises and Unincorporated associations.

The Programme re-opens in June 2019 when grants of up to £50,000 will be available for innovative projects that will provide a lasting legacy to the individuals and communities they seek to benefit. Supported applications will deliver activity that result in a long-term positive impact on rural communities by helping the people that live and work in the countryside by tackling the following key rural issues:

  • Improving the prospects of viability for family farm businesses
  • Sustaining rural communities and drive economic vibrancy
  • Supporting aid delivery in emergency and building resilience

The Fund will reopen for grant applications in June 2019.

Previous projects funded include:

  • Countryside Classroom, a network of more than 30 organisations based around a website offering school children the opportunity to learn about food, farming and the countryside through a variety of activities and resources linked with curriculum subjects.
  • Farm Cornwall, £49,235 to support farming families through the challenges, opportunities created by the farm and help them back towards stability and sustainability.
  • Uplands Alliance,£13,800 to enhance the capacity of English hill farmers and land managers to run viable and resilient businesses post 2020

Further information can be found on the Princes Countryside Fund website

Funding for digital technology projects that address social needs

After two successful co-funded rounds, Comic Relief and the Paul Hamlyn Foundation (PHF) have extended their commitment to the Tech for Good funding programme. The first UK Tech for Good funding programme of this 3-year partnership is worth a total of £2.4 million. The programme was developed in response to the emerging need for charities to use technology to explore different approaches to delivering better services. The aim is to support charities in tackling the biggest social challenges enabling them to increase the range of digital products and services available to their beneficiaries in an increasingly digital world.

Tech for Good aims to help 13 not-for-profit organisations to develop their digital products or services. Projects should address one of four core issue areas:

  • Children Survive and Thrive
  • Global Mental Health Matters
  • Fighting for Gender Justice
  • A Safe Place to Be.

For this initiative, Comic Relief would also welcome applications addressing challenges related to disability and inclusion outside of the themes specified above, recognising the critical potential of digital technology in tackling these issues.

Successful organisations will receive funding of up to £48,000 for nine months alongside access to dedicated technical expertise and an intensive support programme between July 2018 and March 2019. This will include a residential camp at the start to connect the funded projects with leading tech for good experts, and ongoing mentoring and report back days. A public ‘wrap-up’ event at the end of the funding will allow the projects to show what they have created with the grant and support.

Previously funded projects have included the development of a Braille e-reader, a programme to digitise food vouchers for fruit and vegetable markets, and an app to help young people who sleep rough find a safe place to stay. Tech for Good will be open to applications from February 11th to March 25th 2019.

Further information can be found on the Comic Relief website

Grants for urgent structural repairs to Churches

National Churches Trust has changed its grant programmes in line with the new Building Resilience Strategy for 2019-2023 and now offers three grant streams.

The Cornerstone Grant Programme supports the conservation and sustainable use of church buildings, focusing on larger and more complex projects.

Grants are offered towards the cost of urgent structural repair projects costed at more than £100,000 including VAT. The Trust will also consider projects that introduce kitchens and accessible toilets to enable increased community use, costed at more than £30,000 including VAT.

Grants of between £10,000 and £50,000 are awarded to represent a maximum of 50% of the project cost.

Applications are accepted from listed and unlisted Christian places of worship, of any denomination, across the UK. The next deadline to apply for a Cornerstone Grant is 1st July 2019 for a decision in July 2019.

Further information can be found on the National Churches Trust website

Funding opportunities under £25,000

 Let teachers SHINE competition

The Shine Trust which funds projects that help disadvantaged young people to realise their academic potential, has announced that the Let Teachers SHINE competition is now open for applications.  The competition aims to find the country’s best teachers and some fresh, imaginative and practical ways to raise attainment among disadvantaged students in literacy, numeracy and/or science. In previous years, funding of up to £15,000 has been available for 10 winning ideas that help disadvantaged children and teenagers to recognise and then realise their academic potential.

The competition is free to enter and open to any teacher working in England with students aged up to 18. Successful ideas might involve after-school programmes or innovative use of technology; etc.

Previous winners included:

  • Amy Hanna: Ark Academy, London for the Miss Hanna Loves Grammar project working with students from year 7 and 8, the large majority of whom have a reading age below their peers. Amy created 150 engaging and age-appropriate YouTube videos, covering basic grammar rules.
  • Andrew Otty: Exeter College, Exeter for Andrew’s Write On! project aiming to produce a bespoke English curriculum for post-16 GCSE learners with very low prior attainment.
  • Elizabeth Hope: Children’s Hospital School, Leicester to develop Science at the Bedside, a comprehensive set of teaching resources for specialist and non-specialist staff, both at her own hospital and others around the country. These resources will enable children of all key stages and abilities to have access to practical, stimulating and engaging science lessons whilst in hospital.

The closing date for applications is midnight on the 23rd April 2019.

Further information can be found on the Shine trust website

Funding for research and 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 July 2019.  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.

Further information can be found on the Baily Thomas Charitable Fund website

Grants to support disadvantaged and neglected children

Not for profit organisations such as schools; registered charities; voluntary organisations; churches; and community interest groups; etc. can apply for grants of up to £10,000 per year for up to 3 years for projects that help children and young people overcome the effects of illness, distress, abuse or neglect; disability; behavioural or psychological difficulties; and poverty and deprivation.

Projects supported in the past include:

  • Trewirgie Junior School which received a grant of £9,760 to provide after school sailing sessions to disadvantage children aged 7-11;
  • Corley Special School in Coventry which received a grant of £6,000 to provide lunchtime horse riding sessions for children with disabilities; and
  • Horton Park Primary School which received a grant of £10,000 to deliver a series of holiday activities for young people.

The closing date for applications is 27th May 2019.

Further information can be found on the BBC.CO.UK website

Project development funding for Churches

The Gateway Programme supports congregations and local communities to look after and build a sustainable future for their church buildings.

Preference is given to projects from Churches that can demonstrate strong community engagement and sound plans for economic viability. Priority is given to projects that demonstrate support beyond the congregation, and into the future.

Gateway Grant Programme grants can be used for project development and investigative work up to RIBA planning stage 1, to support churches preparing for a major project, and in developing their project to the point at which they can approach a major grant funder.

Grants of between £3,000 and £10,000 for up to 50% of the project costs are available.

Applications are accepted from listed and unlisted Christian places of worship, of any denomination, across the UK. The Trust particularly encourages applications from priority areas i.e. North East England, Northern Ireland and Wales. The first deadline to apply for a Gateway Grant is the 9th May 2019.

Further information can be found on the National Churches Trust website

Funding for projects that promote a better understanding of the environment and countryside

UK based not for profit organisations and schools can apply for funding to the Nineveh Charitable Trust for a broad range of projects and activities that promote a better understanding of the environment and countryside, whilst facilitating improved access, education and research. Whilst the Trust does not specify a minimum or maximum grant amount that can be applied for, an analysis of previous grants would suggest a maximum of £5,000 per year for up to three years.

Previous projects supported include:

  • Busby Primary School which received a grant of £2,000 to build a ‘vertical garden’ for environment enhancement as well as the children’s educational value;
  • a grant of £1,400 to Bickleigh-On-Exe Primary School to create an all-weather school and community gardening area with poly-tunnel and shed;
  • Castlemilk Day Nursery which received a grant of £5,000 to build a multi-function shelter with provision for special needs teaching; and
  • St Joseph’s Specialist School & College, which received a grant of £4,000 towards a community garden expansion.

Applications are usually discussed at the Trustees’ quarterly meetings and applications can be submitted at any time.

Further information can be found on the Nineveh Charitable Trust website

Funding 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 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, eg 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 September 2019.

Further information can be found on the Kelly Family Charitable Trust website

Holiday grants for disadvantaged and disabled children

Schools, youth groups, not for profit organisations and charities have until the 30th April 2019 to apply for grants of £500 to £2,500 to support recreational trips or holidays within the UK between the 1st May and 30th June 2019 for groups of children experiencing disadvantage or who have disabilities. Children need to be aged 13 or under to qualify.

Priority will be given to applications coming from the 20% most deprived areas in the UK. Funded by the Henry Smith Charity, grants can cover up to two-thirds of the cost of a holiday or trip lasting one to seven days. In this round, trips must be taken before the end of April 2019. For more details and to apply, complete the eligibility quiz on the website and submit the application form online at least 6 weeks before the trip is due to take place. Although the deadline is the 30th April 2018, decisions are made on a first come-first served basis until all the funds have been allocated.

Applications must be made at least six weeks before the trip or holiday is due to take place.

Previous visits supported include:

  • All Saints’ Catholic Primary School which received a grant of £1,500 towards a two-night trip to Wales for a group of disadvantaged children from Merseyside;
  • Bridgewater School which received a grant of £1,900 towards an overnight trip to London for a group of disadvantaged children from Newcastle; and
  • Armitage Church of England Primary School which received a grant of £750 towards a day trip to London for a group of disadvantaged children from Manchester.

 Further information can be found on the Henry Smith Charity website

The Japan Society small grants programme

Educational establishments such as schools and colleges as well as community based organisations that wish to develop projects and events that promote an understanding of Japan and Japanese culture are able to apply for funding through the Japan Society’s Small Grants programme.

The awards support projects with an education or youth focus. Most awards are of £1,000 or less and should not, in principle, cover more than 50% of the total budget. Applications may be made at any time and applicants are informed of the decision within 4 weeks of receipt of the application.

The Japan Society Small Grants give priority to projects:

  1. Which enhance understanding and awareness of Japan and its culture
  2. With an education or youth focus
  3. Which include an element of participation
  4. Which focus on the local community or take place in the regions

Previous projects supported include Witchford Village College which ran a Japan Day for year 9 students. It involved a variety of activities, such as kendo and taiko drumming performances, Japanese cookery, origami folding and haiku writing. The Japan Society small grant was given to support the workshop leader, lecturer and performer of the event.

Further information can be found on the Japan Society website

Grants for the conservation of wildlife and the environment

Monthly grants are made to support the conservation of wildlife and the environment by the HDH Wills 1965 Charitable Trust. The Trust makes grants of between £250 and £1,000 (sometimes up to £5,000) to general, environmental and wildlife charities, so long as they are registered with the Charity Commission of England and Wales or they are exempt or excepted charities (within the meaning of the Charities Act 2011).

The Trust also makes grants to charities which focus on the conservation of wildlife and the environment which are typically in the £1,000 to £2,000 range.

Supported charities will be small in size or be applying for support for a modest project, such that the grant will have a meaningful impact. There are no deadlines, grants may be made towards revenue, capital or project expenditure and email, postal or online applications are accepted.

Further information can be found on the HDH Wills website

Field Studies Bursary Fund

The Field Studies Council (FSC) Bursary provides support to individuals who are from disadvantaged backgrounds enabling them to take part in FSC curriculum focused courses with their school class. This support, for individuals, is valuable as it can be a deciding factor on whether or not a whole class experiences fieldwork and out of classroom learning.

Bursaries can be awarded to a maximum per school of £1,500 for residential courses and £450 for day visits per academic year.  Each individual student may only benefit from one bursary.

Bursaries will represent a maximum of 80% of the curriculum course fee.  Applications from schools with a group size of more than 30 students of whom at least 50% are eligible for bursary support will be considered on an individual basis.

Children and young people aged 4-19 attending school or college in the state sector who live in the 10% most deprived areas of England, Wales, Scotland, Northern Ireland or the Republic of Ireland and who are attending a curriculum focused FSC course are eligible to apply.

Applications can be made at any time but must be made at least 4 weeks prior to the date of the FSC course.

Examples of Projects Funded include:

  • Archbishop Sentamu Academy, Hull: 25 of the group who visited FSC Malham Tarn to study GCSE geography received a bursary to enable them to go.
  • Corpus Christi Primary, Glasgow: This school received bursary support for 12 of their group of 45 primary students to attend a course at FSC Kindrogan.

Further information can be found on the Field Studies Council website

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 no primary school grants available. Please do not apply as your application will not be taken into consideration.

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, artefacts, videos, tapes and CD-ROMs for use in RE lessons.

Further information can be found on the RE Grants website

Equipment grants for youth clubs

Variety, the Children’s Charity, has grants of £250 to £600 available to youth organisations that are affiliated to Ambition, UK Youth or the National Association of Boys and Girls Clubs. The grants can be used to buy equipment to provide challenging activities that engage young people aged 8-18 and provide them with alternatives to becoming involved in the anti-social behavior that often stems from boredom and peer pressure.

On occasion, applications for improvement of youth club premises, refurbishment of existing equipment or facilities will also be considered.

Applicants have to raise some of the funds and applications that have young people involved in the fund raising will be looked upon favorably. Applications are accepted on a rolling basis.

Further information can be found on the Variety website

Funding available to schools to raise the attainment of children from disadvantaged backgrounds

Schools in the North of England can apply for funding to help raise the attainment for children from low income homes.  The funding is available to try out new ideas to improve teaching and learning in schools and help the best ideas grow to scale. The funding aims to address the following priorities:

  • Ready for School: improving the school readiness of children during the reception year, with a priority focus on language and communication skills (age 4-5)
  • Bridging the Gap: supporting vulnerable children who may not meet Age Related Expectations at primary school to make better academic progress during Key Stage 3 (age 9-14)
  • Flying High: supporting high attaining students to build on their achievements at primary school and stay on a high attaining trajectory during the first few years at secondary school (age 9-14)

The funding is being made available through the educational charity Shine and funding decisions are made four times a year typically in March, June, September and December.

Any grants to non-school organisations, including to other charities, will need to involve a strong element of co-delivery and/or training for schools, with the aim of the project becoming sustainable without SHINE over time.

On average, it takes 3-6 months between initial contact with the SHINE office to a grants decision being reached.

If you have an idea which you think may meet our funding criteria, please email info@shinetrust.org.uk with a basic outline detailing the following points, in no more than 3-4 paragraphs:

  • An overview of the project and its aims, specifically related to academic attainment in maths, literacy or science;
  • How it would meet SHINE’s core priorities;
  • The number of beneficiaries and schools it would reach; and
  • The overall project budget and size of request to SHINE.

Applications can be submitted at any time.

Further information can be found on the Shine Trust website

Support for environmental outreach education for disadvantaged young people

Schools, colleges and youth groups can receive up to 80% towards the costs of providing environmental outreach education for groups of disadvantaged young people through the Field Studies Council’s Kids Fund. The Field Studies Council is an independent educational charity committed to raising awareness about the natural world and works through a network of residential and day Centres in the UK to provide outreach education and training.

There are two types of Kids Fund course Wildlife and Environment focusing on wildlife habitats and the environment with team building activities and Eco Adventure which combines environmental and personally challenging activities.

Groups who meet one of the following criteria will be eligible:

  • Disadvantaged young people aged 4-18 years (or up to 25 years for those with special needs).
  • Voluntary youth groups (either run by voluntary leaders, managed by a voluntary organisation, a registered charity)OR
  • School groups may apply if they are aiming to provide benefits which are additional to the statutory school curriculum or clearly show added value, depth and breadth to the taught curriculum. FSC Kids Fund will not pay for young people to attend standard curriculum-focused FSC courses.

All applicants must be based in the UK, Isle of Man, Channel Isles and Republic of Ireland. One free staff/adult place is provided for every 12 young people; additional adults pay 20% +VAT. This includes all equipment, tuition and waterproof hire costs. Food and accommodation are included for residential courses. The next closing date for applications is the 1st June 2019.

Further information can be found on the Field Studies Council website

ChurchCare – Grants for fabric repairs

The Church of England has announced that the next deadline for applications to its ChurchCare – Grants for Fabric Repairs is the 29th July 2019.

ChurchCare supports all those in parishes, dioceses and cathedrals caring for their buildings. The Fabric Repairs programme helps PCCs with the eligible costs of essential fabric repairs in architecturally or historically significant Anglican churches in England, Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland. Applications are considered on the grounds of the historic and architectural significance of the building and also on a parish’s engagement with the history and interpretation of the site/building.

  • The criteria for consideration include the following:
  • The church must only be listed either Grade I or Grade II*
  • The church should not have benefited from a Wolfson Foundation grant in the previous five years

50% of the required funding needs to have been secured as ‘cash in the bank’ or pledges at point of application

Works eligible for funding tend to be Category A or B recommendations in a quinquennial inspection report and include things such as:

  • Roof repairs
  • Masonry repairs
  • Rainwater disposal and drainage.

For further information or advice, please click here to contact John Webster, Conservation Grants Administrator, T: 020 7898 1872. The address for correspondence sent by post is Cathedral & Church Buildings Division, Church House, Great Smith Street, London SW1P 3AZ.

Further information can be found on the Church of England website

Challenge fund for Healthcare technologies

The Biomedical Catalyst has 4 funding strands to support progression of projects from initial concept through to late stage development. This competition combines the early and late stage strands. Projects in the competition can be in any life science sector or discipline, including:

  • Medical technologies and devices
  • Stratified healthcare, which involves grouping patients based on risk of disease or response to therapy
  • Advanced therapies, such as gene and cell therapies
  • Digital health
  • Drug discovery
  • Diagnostics

The aim of this competition is to enable companies to create a data package that can support the subsequent testing of your products or carry out evaluations in a clinical setting or other relevant environment.  Projects must focus on the development of a product or process that is an innovative solution to a health and care challenge.

This competition has 2 stages: Stage 1 is an assessed written application and Stage 2 an interview with our Major Awards Committee (MAC).

UK-registered micro, small and medium-sized enterprises (SME) or research and technology organisations are eligible to lead a project. Grants representing up to 70% of their eligible costs will be awarded.

Projects must start by 1st September 2019 and end by 31st March 2021 and last between 3 and 18 months. The competition is now open and the deadline for applications is midday on 3rd April 2019.

Further information can be found on the GOV.UK website

Funding for digital learning

The Ufi Charitable Trust aims to raise the skills level of the UK workforce through digital solutions for vocational learning. The Trust is running three open funding rounds in 2019 with this new call, The VocTech Specialist Fund, offering support for projects focusing on improving vocational learning in specific sectors that are important to the economy but under-served by current provision.

Grant levels for this new call have not yet been published.

Registered charities, community interest companies, social enterprises, not for profits, companies, community associations, FE colleges and public bodies are all eligible to apply, however, projects for, or targeted at, schools or universities are not supported.

Stage 1 will open on the 12th March when grant levels will also be published. Apply by 5pm on the 5th April 2019.

Further information can be found on the Ufi website

This document is produced by Corporate Policy, Research and Partnerships, Blackburn with Darwen Council. 

Tel: 01254 585825

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