Funding Insight update 20.03.19

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

Grants for projects that enable young people to challenge social injustice

The Paul Hamlyn Foundation has announced that its £3.2 million Act for Change Fund is open for applications.  The Fund, which is a joint initiative between Paul Hamlyn Foundation (PHF) and Esmée Fairbairn Foundation (EFF) in partnership with the National Lottery Community Fund, provides resources for young people to challenge social injustice and find ways of overcoming inequality and give voice to issues they are experiencing.

Act for Change Fund promotes the potential of young people with experience of disadvantage to devise and develop activities and programmes to shape the world around them. It aims to create a more diverse group of social, cultural and political leaders for the future.

There is a two-stage application process.

Stage 1 includes an eligibility quiz and some qualifying questions which need to be submitted by Monday 1st April 2019.

Applicants will be notified if they are eligible to progress to Stage 2 and will need to complete a more detailed application form by Monday 3rd June 2019.

Grants will range between £20,000 to £100,000 for activities taking place over the next two years. Funding will support around 30 organisations in this way. Larger grants will be considered on an exceptional basis.

For further information about the application process, please email actforchangefund@phf.org.uk

Further information can be found on the Paul Hamlyn Foundation website

Homes in Community Hands

Power to Change is awarding grants of between £15,000 and £100,000 (the average will be around £50,000) through the “Homes in Community Hands Fund” to community led housing projects that will create schemes that deliver affordable homes for rent or sale to locally connected people. These can be either as new build housing or by refurbishing empty properties.

Small amounts of capital funding averaging around £25,000 are also available to applicants to sit alongside the main revenue grant.

The funding is focused on community groups in the early stages of their community-led housing development and is intended to support feasibility and pre-development work, leading up to submitting a planning application.

Grants awarded through the programme can be used for the following:

• Feasibility work to assess the viability of a site or buildings for development
• Pre-development costs to develop plans, leading to submitting a planning application (if required)
• Post-planning costs for work to get your project ready to start on site

Applications can be submitted at any time. All funding must be committed by December 2021.

Further information can be found on the Power to Change website

Grants available to use the power of science to make a positive difference to disadvantaged young people

Applications are currently being invited for the second and final round of the Curiosity scheme. The £2.5 million Curiosity Fund is provided in partnership between BBC Children in Need and the Wellcome Trust and aims to use the power of science activities to create change for children and young people experiencing disadvantage in the UK.

The Fund is not about formal education. Projects should encourage young people to be curious about the world around them and inside them, making a positive difference in their lives:

• building confidence and self-esteem,
• developing life skills and expanding horizons.

Round 2 is making two levels of grants available:

• Small grants of up to £10,000 per year (for up to three years);
• Large grants of up to £40,000 each year (for up to three years).

The Fund is open to applications from not-for-profit organisations with a track record of working with disadvantaged children and young people up to 18 years old and living in the UK.  BBC Children in Need expect to make no more than 35 small awards, and no more than 15 large awards in total in this final round.

Before submitting an application to Curiosity, applicants must email cin.curiosity@bbc.co.uk so that proposal can be discussed. The closing date for applications is midnight on the 12th April 2019.

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

Funding to support vulnerable young migrants

Not for profit organisations and private law firms that work with young migrants can apply for grants through the Strategic Legal Fund (SLF) for Vulnerable Young Migrants.

The maximum grant available is £30,000, however, limited funding is available and therefore lower applications are encouraged. The average grant size is around £12,000. Grants are available to undertake strategic legal work to benefit children and young people (under the age of 25) who are significantly disadvantaged by migration status. The fund will accept applications in any area of law that affects:

• Vulnerable young migrants including immigration
• Asylum and asylum support
• Human rights
• Education; etc.

The SLF only funds two kinds of strategic legal action- pre-litigation research and “third party intervention” in an existing case. The maximum grant length is 12 months, and most grants are for around six months. The next closing date for applications is the 3rd May 2019.

Further information can be found on the Strategic Legal Fund website

Teaching Physics Scholarships

The Institute of Physics (IOP), in partnership with the Department for Education offers teacher training scholarships, worth £28,000 for people in England who would like to train to teach physics or physics with maths. Scholarships also include a package of benefits such as Institute membership and early career mentoring. 140 scholarships are available each year.

The scholarships are worth £28,000 and to apply applicants will need to:

• Have a physics or related degree (such as engineering or mathematics) with a proven or predicted grade of at least 2.1; or hold a relevant PhD or master’s degree or recognised equivalent; or have completed a Subject Knowledge Enhancement course in physics. Those with a 2.2 degree may be considered where thay can demonstrate significant physics-related experience and knowledge.
• By September 2019, the applicant must secure a training place on an eligible university-led or school-led (fee based, non-salaried) physics or physics-with-maths ITT course in England for the 2019/20 academic year. The training place must have been allocated in accordance with the ITT allocations methodology for academic year 2019 to 2020 and must be delivered by an institution accredited by DfE as an ITT provider. Additionally, eligible courses lead, upon completion, to a recommendation, on behalf of the trainee, for the award of QTS.
• Be classified as a ‘Home’ student. Refer to the UKCISA website for full details.
• Meet the bursary eligibility criteria as set out by the Department for Education.

The deadline for applications is the 1st April 2019.

Further information can be found on the Institute of Physics website

Funding opportunities under £25,000

Funding for projects that combat abuse and violation of human rights

The Trust supports UK-registered charities that work towards combating abuse and violations of human rights and to support the disadvantaged by fostering community action. The Trust is particularly focused on charities supporting unpopular causes reaching the most vulnerable and marginalised in society. This can include:

• Prisoners and penal reform
• Migrants, refugees and asylum seekers
• 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 10th May 2019.

Further information can be found on the AB Charitable Trust website

Funding support for former mining communities

The Coalfields Community Investment Programme, which provides grants to community and voluntary groups to tackle key challenges that still affect the top 30% most deprived coalfield communities in England will re-open for applications on the 18th March 2019.

Grants totaling £125,000 will be available in this funding round for projects that address the following themes:

• Skills – growing the skills of people in order to increase their opportunities;
• Employment – developing pathways to increase the number of people in work;
• Health – supporting projects that increase participation in activities/services that improve health and wellbeing.

The maximum grant per project will be £10,000 of which a maximum of £2,000 may be for capital expenditure. Applicants are advised to consult the eligible wards list on the website before making an application.

Organisations eligible to apply include:

Registered Charities; Companies Limited by Guarantee; Community Benefit Societies; Community Interest Companies; Charitable Incorporated Organisations; and Unregistered groups with formal rules.

To apply, organisations need to complete an eligibility survey to determine whether the applicant organisation/group meets the criteria to apply for funding from the Coalfields Regeneration Trust (CRT). The Eligibility survey opens on 18th March 2019 and closes at 5pm on 7th June 2019. The deadline for applications is 14th June 2019 at 5pm.

Projects previously supported include:

• Durham Christian Partnership, a County Durham based charity that provides foodbank and signposting services to members of the local community £10,000.

Further information can be found on the coalfields regeneration trust website

Funding for international school exchanges

Schools in England can apply for grants to take pupils aged 11 and above overseas. The funding which is being made available through the British Council’s International Exchanges Programme is aimed at schools with a high proportion of pupils from disadvantaged backgrounds and with above-average numbers of pupil premium students. Young people are encouraged to stay with host families where possible, giving them the best opportunity to practice their language skills and be fully immersed in another culture.

Funding is available for three different elements:

• A short teacher pre-visit (to conduct risk assessment and plan the school exchange). Up to 100% of the total cost. Max grant: £500 (EU and wider Europe); £1000 (Rest of the world)

• School exchange

Up to 100% of the total cost (families of pupil premium children should not be asked to contribute). On the basis of 20 pupils and 2 to 3 teachers, minimum 4 nights away. Max grant: £10,000 (EU and wider Europe); £15,000 (Rest of the world). Applications may be considered for higher numbers than this depending on particular circumstances (for example if a higher staffing to pupil ratio is required due to the needs of the pupils). Please provide details in your application.

• Administration and management

Up to 100% of the total cost.  Max grant: £500.

Overall maximum grant available per school:

• For visits to EU and wider Europe: £11,000
• For visits in the Rest of the world: £16,500

The grant can be used to cover the following costs:

• travel for pupils and accompanying teachers (*)
• accommodation and subsistence for pupils and accompanying teachers (*)
• local transport
• administration costs

Further information can be found on the British Council website

Funding 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 10th June 2019.

Further information can be found on the PRS Foundation website

Grants to support women in their fight for gender equality

Non-profitable organisations that are run predominantly by, for and with women can apply for grants of between £500 and £5,000 to support women at the front of the fight for gender equality.

The funding is available support projects that will increase the skills, capacity and credibility of women who wish to challenge gender inequality and promote awareness and change.

The funding is being made available through the “Rosa” the UK fund for Women and Girls (Voices from the Front Line programme)  and will support charitable campaigning work across Rosa’s four pillars (leadership and representation, safety, health and economic justice).

The programme aims to:

• Support campaigning, advocacy and activists working across any one of Rosa’s four pillars
  • Amplify the voices of individual women at the Frontline of grassroots work in the UK
  • Support work which can, long-term, tackle the underlying causes of a problem women face
  • Nurture talent. Activism driven by inspiring, committed leaders can achieve remarkable results

The closing date for applications is 5pm on the 14th May 2019.

• £2,000 to Fourth Wave: London Feminist Activists towards their project tackling period poverty
• £1,500 to Tender Education & Arts for their student campaign around sexual abuse and consent and
• £1,200 to GlobalGirl Media UK towards training for young women and girls in film.

Rosa will be hosting two ‘How to Apply’ webinars to help applicants develop their video applications. Please do register for one of these:

Wednesday 27 March 11.00 – 12.00pm Register here, Tuesday 30 April 12.30 – 1.30 Register here

Further information can be found on the Rosa UK website

Grants to reduce deprivation in disadvantaged communities

The Greggs Foundation Local Community Projects Fund distributes around £1.8 million per year to organisations throughout England, Scotland and Wales. The Local Community Projects Fund makes grants of up to £2,000 to not for profit organisations with a turnover of less than £300,000 a year. The Foundation is more likely to make grants to local organisations based near Greggs shops.

The Foundation supports projects that improve resilience within communities. This can include sessional activities/respite support, equipment for sessional activities, trips and residential breaks. New approaches and innovative ideas as well as sustainable approaches to supporting communities are welcomed. All projects must support a community of interest, i.e. people who are:

• Disabled or suffering chronic illness
• Living in poverty
• Voluntary carers
• Homeless people
• Isolated older people
• Other demonstrable significant need

Successful applicants will have demonstrated improvements against at least one of the following Key Performance Targets:

• Beneficiaries have decreased social isolation
• Beneficiaries report improved health and wellbeing
• Beneficiaries report improved resilience/coping mechanisms
• Beneficiaries have improved life skills
• Beneficiaries have improved opportunities

Projects previously funded include:

• In 2017 London Wheelchair Rugby Club were awarded £1,500 to buy new equipment.
• West Norfolk Young Carers received a grant in 2016 to take some of their young carers to an Outdoor Adventure Centre to help the carers build confidence and self-belief.

The closing date for applications is the 30th June 2019.

Further information can be found on the Greggs Foundation website

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 June 2019.

The Association will consider applications for summer schools and to institutions offering courses in Greek, Latin and 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 to make awards for up to £2,000.

Applications which exceed this amount are passed to Council for decision. 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.

Further information can be found on the Classical Association website

Grants for Chemistry-Based Public and Schools Engagement Activities

Grants of up to £2,000 are available from the Chemistry Society through the Small Grants Outreach Fund.

The Fund provides financial support to members, individuals and organisations to enable them to run chemistry-based public and school engagement activities.

Grants can support anything from one off events to large programmes of activity and should aim to offer teachers a range of effective curriculum-enriching activities and opportunities to further engage their students with outreach; provide hard-to-reach student audiences with inspiring chemistry engagement opportunities, and assist members in maximizing their outreach and engagement contribution.

The scheme is open to individuals and organisations, including, but not limited to, members of the Royal Society of Chemistry, member-led groups, and researchers in academia or industry, museums, community groups, not-for-profit organisations, arts groups and libraries.

It is a rolling application process and the next deadline is 12 noon on Monday 13th May 2019.

Further information can be found on the Royal Society of Chemistry website

Royal College of Pathologists Public Engagement Innovation Grant Scheme

The Royal College of Pathologists has announced that applications are now being accepted for the Public Engagement Innovation Grant Scheme.

Under this scheme grants of up to £1,000 are available for individuals or organisations who wish to run a project that engages audiences such as secondary school students, undergraduates, health professionals or local communities with pathology. All proposals must include the involvement of pathologists and/or laboratory scientists as a key part of the activity and applicants are advised to contact the public engagement team prior to submitting an application. All projects funded through the scheme must be completed by the 30th June 2020. Information on the type of projects funded in the past can be found here.

Applicants are encouraged to contact the public engagement team prior to submitting an application. The team will be able to offer practical support in terms of help, advice and resources and will be happy to discuss potential project ideas. They will also be able to put you in touch with pathologists who may be willing to be involved in your project. You can contact the team via email on publicengagement@rcpath.org or by phone on 020 7451 6717. The closing date for applications is the 3rd June 2019.

Further information can be found on the Royal College of Pathologists website

Funding for School Science Projects

Primary and secondary schools in the UK can apply for funding to purchase equipment so that students can enjoy practical science, to run science enrichment projects in schools, or to enable students to participate in science events and competitions.

• Primary schools can apply for grants of up to £600.
• Secondary schools up to £1,000.

The funding is being made available through the Worshipful Company of Armourers and Brasiers, which is one of the leading charities in the UK supporting metallurgy and materials science education from primary school to postgraduate levels.

Funds are finite and will be allocated on a first come first served basis in each year starting on 1 April 2019 until all the funds are exhausted.

Further information can be found on the Armourers & Brasiers’ Company website

Grants to cover running costs for small charities

The Marsh Christian Trust was founded in 1981 with the sum of £75,000 by its current Chairman, Mr. Brian Marsh OBE.  His aim was to create a sustainable way to give something back to society by supporting organisations and people who are making a difference.

The Trust supports around 300 charities every year and focuses on providing funding which could help small organisations pay for various running costs, such as volunteer expenses, training days, equipment maintenance and other core outgoings. The Trust aims to build long-standing relationships with successful applicants and, subject to an annual review, continue its support over time.

Applicants must be a registered charity with the Charity Commission for England and Wales or the Office of the Scottish Charity Regulator. This does not include Community Interest Companies (CICs). Charities will be working in the areas of:

• Literature, arts and heritage
• Social welfare
• Environmental causes and animal welfare
• Education and training
• Healthcare

Charities must have been established for more than one financial year and able to provide a full set of their most recent Annual Report and Accounts, or the equivalent financial information if their annual income is under £25,000.

Grants are unrestricted and range from £300 to £1,500 with new applications at the lower end of this scale.

Applications are considered on the basis of the organisation’s financial position, performance against charitable aims and objectives and the ratio of voluntary income against fundraising expenses.

Examples of the support given include:

• Core costs for Compaid, a digital skills centre in Kent that supports people with disabilities and sensory impairments
• Glassdoor, an organisation that offers shelter to the homeless in London.

More information on the Trust and projects supported can be found in the Annual Review 2017-18

Applications can be submitted at any time.

Further information can be found on the Marsh Christian Trust website

University Liaison Grants Scheme

The Institute of Mathematics offers University Liaison Grants to university student mathematical societies as funding for activities to enhance their programmes for their members and to promote mathematics.

Grants of up to £360 can be used to support:

• Mathematical activities (such as putting on talks of mathematical interest, printing a mathematical newsletter or travelling as a group to IMA Early Career Mathematicians’ conferences or places of mathematical interest)
• Supporting students participate in and attend the Tomorrow’s Mathematicians Today Conference
• Careers activities
• Promotional activities (printing t-shirts, hoodies, pens, etc. including the IMA logo)
• Networking activities, quizzes etc.

Previous grants have been made to:

• IMA King’s College, London to reduce the barrier that students felt existed between them and the teaching staff through a number of social events and to educate students with some useful skills not taught in the main course.
• The Students’ Actuarial Society (SAS) at Heriot-Watt organised a number of events that included talks given by industry leaders like Scottish Widows and EY on the impact of Brexit and implementation of Solvency II.

University student mathematical societies are eligible to apply at any time.

Further information can be found on the IMA website

New funding round 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 is now open. Apply by 5pm on the 5th April 2019.

Further information can be found on the Ufi Charitable trust website

Grants for projects that promote inclusion and diversity within the Chemical Sciences

The Royal Society of Chemistry (RSC) believes that for chemistry and the chemical sciences to prosper the subject must attract, develop and retain a diverse community of talented people. The Inclusion and Diversity fund has been created to provide financial support of up to £5,000 to members, professionals, network groups, volunteer groups, institutions and organisations to enable them to develop innovative products, activities and research projects which promote inclusion and diversity in the chemical science community.

All applications should clearly show that the proposed project:

• Is centred on increasing diversity and inclusion in the chemical sciences community
• Is relevant to RSC’s inclusion and diversity strategy
• Has a clearly defined target audience
• Has a clearly defined intended impact
• Is deliverable and includes clear evaluation plans
• In addition, applicants should show that the requested funding will make a significant difference to their ability to deliver the project.

Enquiries about the programme, about the application process or informal discussions about projects and ideas for new activities are welcomed.

The closing date for applications is the 16th June 2019.

Further information can be found on the Royal Society of Chemistry website

Funding for projects that support disadvantaged and disengaged young people

The Peter Cruddas Foundation provides funding for projects that benefit disadvantaged and disengaged young people in England and Wales.

Priority is given to programmes designed to help disadvantaged and disengaged young people in the age range of 14 to 30, to pursue pathways to Education, Training and Employment with the ultimate aim of helping them to become financially independent.

There is no minimum or maximum amount and projects can be funded for more than one year. Priority is given to applicants able to demonstrate that they can manage the amount they have applied for and how they intend to continue (if appropriate) after the funding has been spent.

Please note that the Foundation is not accepting applications for Capital Projects.

Eligible applicants will be charities registered with the charity commission in England and Wales benefitting people living in England and Wales.

Projects previously supported include:

• The Enterprise Bootcamp programme. This funding helps Bootstrap deliver the programme to young people and connect them with the Bootstrap community. The latest programme culminated in a pitching event at the end of 2016 where 15 young entrepreneurs pitched for funding. Collectively they were awarded more than £23,500 to start their own businesses.
• The Challenge pilot scheme where young people were taken out of their “comfort zones” and challenged to devise viable and workable community projects for their community. The Challenge aims to put teams of diverse 16-year olds through a one-year training and community service scheme starting with a three-week summer camp and then 50 hours of social action to tackle local civic and youth-related issues.

The next closing date for applications is the 1st September 2019.

Further information can be found on the Peter Cruddas Foundation website

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

Tel: 01254 585825