Financial & Personal Development - Funding Advice

Working Neighbourhoods Fund Explained

Grant News You Can Use  from SCVS

Access the latest grant information here from the team at SCVS. Grant News April 08

Changes to Gift Aid

The basic rate tax change and the announcement of Transitional Relief to the third sector in the budget on 12th March 2008 has thrown up a number of questions around how charities should communicate these changes to their donors.

The Institute of Fundraising's Tax-Effective Giving Team has produced a short briefing document intended to assist charities and other bodies in administering these changes as efficiently as possible. Go to the following webpage to access the free briefing

http://www.tax-effective-giving.org.uk/downloads/dyk/DYK_Budget

BBC Children in Need / The Hunter Foundation – Positive Destinations (UK)
Positive Destinations is a new £2 million grants programme delivered jointly by BBC Children in Need and The Hunter Foundation. The programme is aimed at organisations working with the most vulnerable children and young people (from early years up to and including age 18). Funding is available for innovative projects working to ensure that children and young people achieve a positive and sustained future in terms of education, employment or training.

Applications must be made online at: www.bbc.co.uk/pudsey/charity/positive_destinations.shtml

The deadline for submitting applications is 30 March. Shortlisted organisations will undergo a further assessment, with grants awarded by the end of July.

For information and enquiries contact: Tel: 020 8576 7788 Email: pudsey@bbc.co.uk (put “Positive Destinations” in the subject line) www.bbc.co.uk/pudsey/charity/positive_destinations.shtml

NEWLY ADDED GRASSROOTS GRANTS PROGRAMME

The Grassroots Grants programme aims to increase grant funding available to community groups that is tailored to local needs. The programme offers grant funding to third sector organisations to become 'Local Funders' and manage a small grants programme and a community owned endowment for voluntary and community groups in their area. The grants are administered by the Community Development Foundation (CDF) on behalf of the Office of the Third Sector (OTS) at the Cabinet Office.
Go to http://www.governmentfunding.org.uk/VCSLaunch.aspx?SCHEME_ID=12-S118

 or go to www.governmentfunding.org.uk for information on funding.

Community Development Foundation appointed to deliver £130 million ‘grassroots grants’ scheme

The Cabinet Office today unveiled the name of a new, multi-million pound funding programme to boost local community organisations with much-needed access to small grants and long-term financing. It also announced the appointment of the Community Development Foundation as its lead national partner in delivering the scheme.

‘Grassroots Grants’ will launch in the new year with £130 million available from 2008-2011 to strengthen the community sector. It will be divided into two parts: an £80 million small grants fund for community organisations; and a groundbreaking £50 million endowments programme to enable local foundations to generate additional donations from the private sector on a matched basis and invest them in endowments, thereby building their capacity to provide long-term funding for frontline community organisations.

The Community Development Foundation (CDF) will open an application process in January to identify and appoint local funders who will deliver Grassroots Grants locally. Applications will be invited by April with further details of the process and the programme to be confirmed next month.  Further details are available from :Sunderland website: http://www.sunderlandcvs.co.uk/news/funding/grassrootsgrants.html

CDF website : http://www.cdf.org.uk/pooled/articles/BF_NEWSART/view.asp?Q=BF_NEWSART_297231

Tesco Charity Trust – Community Awards (UK)
The Tesco Charity Trust’s Community Awards support local organisations by providing grants for the following areas of work:

• Children’s education and welfare (including special needs schools).  • Elderly people and/or people with disabilities.

The Awards are one-off donations of between £1,000 and £5,000. You can make only one application each year.For each category of Award, applications are considered in two rounds of funding each year, with the following deadlines:

• For children’s education and welfare projects: applications should be submitted between 1 December and 31 January, or between 1 May and 30 June.
• For projects in support of elderly people and/or people with disabilities: applications should be submitted between 1 February and 31 March, or between

You can submit an online application by registering your details at: www.tescocharitytrustcommunityawards-applications.co.uk/init.pl

Or for more information or to request a hard copy of the application form contact:

Tesco Charity Trust, Tesco House, Delamare Road, Cheshunt, Hertfordshire EN8 9SL
Tel: 01992 646768            Website: www.tescocorporate.com/charitablegiving.htm

News from Capacity Builders

On the 4th december 2007 Capacity Builders announced new funding for 2008-2011 and details can be found on the website: www.capacitybuilders.org.uk on the news page.

The £30 million fund for 2008-11 has two principle strands, both of which will commence in April 2008:

* £12m in consortium development grants to local and regional consortia, tied to agreement of delivery of core roles and strategic outcomes, and a clearer relationship with Capacity Builders.

* £18m modernisation project fund, to help achieve a step change in the way third sector support services are delivered locally and regionally.

New Working Neighbourhoods Fund

The Government has announced the areas in England that will receive a share of the new Working Neighbourhoods Fund. Sixty-six local and twenty-one transitional authorities will receive allocations over the next three years totaling over £450 million in 2008/09, and £500 million in 2009/10 and 2010/11.

The Fund is a new, dedicated fund for local councils and communities to develop more concentrated, concerted, community-led approaches to getting people in the most deprived areas of England back to work. It replaces the existing Neighbourhood Renewal Fund and incorporates the Department for Work and Pension's Deprived Areas Fund to create a single local fund.

At least £50 million of the £1.5 billion Fund will be available as a reward fund which will go to areas that have made good progress over the first two years on tackling worklessness and improving enterprise levels.

Individual local authority allocations are listed in the attached, together with the narrative from DCLG. Additional info is on the website of the Department for Communities and Local Government: www.communities.gov.uk

          News article: http://www.communities.gov.uk/news/corporate/566533

Architectural Heritage Fund (UK)
The Architectural Heritage Fund (AHF) is a registered charity formed to promote the conservation of historic buildings in the UK. As part of its mission the AHF awards grant funding to building preservation trusts (BPTs) – that is, charities established specifically to preserve historic buildings. The AHF also provides other types of financial assistance, in the form of loans, options appraisal grants or refundable project development grants, to BPTs and to any charities with eligible projects.

Financial assistance is available only for projects involving buildings that are listed, scheduled or in a conservation area and of acknowledged historic merit. Projects must involve either a change in the ownership of a property or a change in its use.

The AHF offers the following types and levels of funding:

• Options Appraisal Grants – for up to 75% of the costs of an initial options appraisal, to be carried out on projects likely to qualify for an AHF loan. The maximum grant size is normally £7,500.
• Refundable Project Development Grants - once the feasibility of a project has been established, the AHF can offer a refundable grant, usually of up to £15,000, for specific professional work (such measured drawings, specifications, costings and conservation or business plans) to help charities develop the project to meet the application requirements of the AHF and other funders. The grant is refundable and is converted into the first installment of an AHF loan, becoming repayable when the loan is repaid. If an AHF loan is not required, the AHF would still expect the grant to be repaid.
• Loans – AHF loans, usually up to £500,000, are available as working capital to allow charities to purchase and/or finance the cost of the capital works. The recipient must have, or acquire, title or a long lease for the historic building to be repaired. Interest on loans is charged at 4% simple (6% on loans for acquisition), payable at the end of the loan period. The normal loan period is two years, or until the building is sold, whichever is earlier.
• Project Administration Grants and Project Organiser Grants – these grants are available to BPTs only, for projects that have undergone an options appraisal and are considered to be viable.

Further guidance and application forms for each type of funding are available from the AHF’s website:
www.ahfund.org.uk/finance.html

Trustees consider applications for both grants and loans at quarterly meetings. The application deadlines for 2008 are:

• 31 January (for consideration at the March meeting)
• 8 May (for the June meeting)
• 14 August (for the September meeting)
• 23 October (for the December meeting)

For more information contact the AHF:  The Architectural Heritage Fund, Alhambra House, 27-31 Charing Cross Road, London,    WC2H 0AU.  Tel: 020 7925 0199, Fax: 020 7930 0295, Email: ahf@ahfund.org.uk  Website: www.ahfund.org.uk

Big Lottery Fund – Breathing Places (UK)
Phase 3 of the Big Lottery Fund’s Breathing Places programme is now open for applications. Breathing Places is a small grants programme developed by the Big Lottery Fund in partnership with the BBC. It complements the BBC’s Breathing Places campaign by giving funding to small groups for environmental projects.

The term “breathing place” refers to a green space that benefits wildlife and the local community. It may be local woodland, roadsides, parks, local nature reserves or wildlife areas, ponds, green corridors and wildflower meadows. The aim of phase 3 of the programme is to:

• Increase the number and range of people making use of, and helping to develop and maintain, breathing places; and
• Make a lasting improvement to the natural environment of new and existing breathing places.

The programme aims to bring about the following changes:

• The natural environment of the breathing place is developed to encourage plant life and animals.
• People in the local community make more and better use of the breathing place.
• People in the local community are more engaged in developing and maintaining the breathing place.

Activities supported by the programme might include:

• Creating a community wildlife garden, accessible to all the residents of a housing estate.
• In partnership with a library, involving children in creating a story-telling area in a local wood or wildlife garden.
• Training volunteers and providing accredited voluntary experience.
• Obtaining professional support to advise on wildlife management.
• Offering a ‘taster’ experience of conservation work for new visitors.

The programme is open to voluntary and community groups, schools, statutory health bodies, and town councils. Parish councils in England, community councils in Scotland and Wales, and district councils in Northern Ireland are also able to apply.

There is a total of £5m available under this phase of the programme. Organisations can apply for grants of between £1,000 and £10,000. Total project costs must not exceed £25,000.

The deadline for applications is noon on Friday 18 January 2008. BIG expects to award grants in June 2008. You must be able to start your project by December 2008 and complete it by June 2009.

For an application pack telephone the Big Advice Line: Tel: 0845 367 0610

More information is also available from BIG’s website at:  www.biglotteryfund.org.uk/prog_breathingplaces

Or to find out about the BBC’s Breathing Places campaign visit: www.bbc.co.uk/breathingplaces/

Cabinet Office – Unclaimed assets to be reinvested in the community (England)
The Government has published the Dormant Bank and Building Society Accounts Bill. Once it is passed into law, this will allow money lying dormant in banks and building societies to be reinvested in the community.

The focus for the reinvested money in England will be on funding youth services, particularly places for young people to go, as well as financial capability, financial inclusion and, resources permitting, social investment.

The Bill enables ministers in the devolved administrations of Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland to determine the distribution priorities in their areas.

Following a consultation, a dormant bank account has been defined as one where there has been no customer-initiated activity for 15 years. The industry and their representative bodies will launch a drive to reunite account holders with their lost accounts. If the account holder cannot be found, the money will be transferred to a central reclaim fund, regulated by the Financial Services Authority, which will hold back money should people later come forward to reclaim their accounts. The remaining money will be reinvested back into society.

The resources will be distributed on a UK-wide basis by the Big Lottery Fund.

The Government has also published its response to two consultations on the unclaimed assets scheme, which you can download from the Cabinet Office website:
www.cabinetoffice.gov.uk/third_sector/news/news_stories/071114_assets.aspx

Her Majesty’s Revenue and Customs (HMRC) – Grant in Aid Funding Programme 2008/2009 (England)
The 2008/2009 round of the Grant in Aid Funding Programme from Her Majesty’s Revenue and Customs (HMRC) is now open to applications. Grant funding is available for third sector organisations to help them carry out activities that help HMRC meet its key aims, outcomes and priorities.

HMRC’s aim is to administer tax and customs systems fairly and efficiently, and make it as easy as possible for individuals and businesses to understand and comply with their obligations and receive their tax credits and other entitlements. The overall aims of the Grant in Aid Funding Programme are to help HMRC:

• Increase the take up of tax credits and other HMRC products.
• Communicate with hard to reach and vulnerable customers to help those customers get the right entitlements and pay the right amount of tax.
• Improve the customer experience for hard to reach and vulnerable customers.
• Gain a better understanding of those customers who use the third sector.
• Identify and reduce barriers to hard to reach and vulnerable customers getting the right entitlements, paying the right amount of tax, and having a customer experience that encourages direct contact with HMRC.

There is a total fund of £1.5m available for new projects in 2008/2009. Funding can be awarded for up to three years. As a general guide, for 2008/2009 HMRC expects bids to fall into the following funding brackets:

• Up to £20,000 – for locally based or smaller organisations.
• Up to £80,000 – for more significant projects involving work on a wider geographical scale.
• Up to £250,000 – for a major programme of work on a national scale.

Under this round, for the first time, the Grant in Aid programme is open to the third sector as a whole. This includes voluntary and community organisations, charities, social enterprises, co-operatives and mutuals.

There is a two-stage application process. In the first stage applicants must complete a pre-bid application. To obtain a form contact Hazel Kilpatrick:

Tel: 0191 224 7416, Email: hazel.kilpatrick@hmrc.gsi.gov.uk

HMRC must receive pre-bid applications by Monday 24 December 2007. Applicants whose bids best meet HMRC’s strategic outcomes and priorities will then be asked to submit a questionnaire about their project, with HMRC making its final decision on successful bidders in March 2008.

Full guidelines for the programme are published on HMRC’s website at:  www.hmrc.gov.uk/vcs/guidance0809.htm

Jeans for Genes (UK)
Jeans for Genes is a UK registered charity whose mission is to raise funds to support individuals and families affected by genetic disorders and to advance medical research into the causes, cure, prevention or relief of such disorders. A proportion of the funds raised are then used to provide grants for patient and support organisations for people with genetic disorders.

Under its 2008 grants programme Jeans for Genes will award grants to UK charities for projects that extend the reach of Jeans for Genes into the genetic disorder community. Grant recipients will support Jeans for Genes in its public relations and fundraising events by providing case studies for Jeans for Genes to use in its publications, and also by providing volunteers to speak at school assemblies. Grants of between £500 and £25,000 are available to support this activity.

To request a copy of the guidelines and application form via email visit:  www.jeansforgenes.com/about/charities/guestcharity/

The closing date for applications is Friday 4 January 2008.

If you would like to discuss your application contact Elana Levinson or Hannah O’Riordan at Jeans for Genes:  Tel: 020 7163 6901

Prince’s Trust – Royal Bank of Scotland Community Cash Awards (UK)
Community Cash Awards are grants of up to £5,000 to help young people set up projects that will benefit their communities. The grants are available for young people who are:

• Aged 14-16 who are in school but are struggling; or
• Aged 16-25 who are unemployed or working fewer than 16 hours a week.

Projects can involve any activities or initiatives that will improve life in a local community in the UK. Examples of eligible projects include: sports facilities or projects, music studios, youth clubs, sex education workshops in schools, youth advisory boards or local magazines. Projects currently supported by the scheme include:

• Bish Bash Boys – an amateur boxing project in the North East.
• The Kurdish Project – a film project involving young asylum seekers in Wakefield.

Projects must:

• Be run and managed by young people aged 14-25.
• Clearly benefit the local community.
• Benefit the people running the project.
• Be a new or developing project.

There is funding of up to £1,000 for 14-16 year olds and up to £5,000 for people aged 16-25. The Prince’s Trust will also provide advice and support for funded projects.

Please note that the following are not eligible:

• Formal groups or organisations.
• Expeditions or overseas travel.
• Fundraising acts for charity.
• Trips and outings, unless they have educational value.

To apply for a Community Cash Award complete an online form at:  www.princes-trust.org.uk
(Go to the section headed “14-30 & need help?” and then click on “grants for community projects” from the menu on the left hand side of the page.)

You can also telephone 0800 842 842 to request a form or contact your local Prince’s Trust office for information. Contact details for the North East office are:  The Prince's Trust North East Regional Office, Units 9 & 10 Enterprise House, Kingsway North, Team Valley Trading Estate, Gateshead NE11 0SR. Tel: 0191 4973210, Fax: 0191 4973211, Email: webinfone@princes-trust.org.uk

Royal Society of Wildlife Trusts – Local Food (England)
Local Food is a new £50m grant scheme run by the Royal Society of Wildlife Trusts (RSWT) with 15 consortium partners, funded through the Big Lottery Fund’s Changing Spaces programme.

Local Food will distribute grants to a variety of food-related projects to help make locally grown food accessible and affordable to local communities. The scheme will make grants from £2,000 up to £500,000 to not-for-profit groups in England delivering projects such as: growing, processing, marketing and distributing local food; composting; and raising awareness of the benefits of such activities.

The scheme will open to applications in early February 2008. Application forms and guidelines will be available from the Local Food website nearer the time:  www.rswt.org/localfood/

In the meantime you can register to receive updates on the scheme by emailing your contact details to:localfood@rswt.org

Waterways Trust – UK Waterways Grants Programme 2008 (UK)
The Waterways Trust runs a small grants programme for wildlife, environmental, access and educational projects connected to waterways. The programme funds:

• Waterway wildlife conservation projects, especially ponds linked to canals.
• Community-based projects to improve facilities on canals and inland waterways.

Grants of up to £1,000 are available for community groups or schools.

You can complete an online application form or download a form from: www.thewaterwaystrust.org.uk/grants/ukgrant.shtml

Applications should be sent by email or post to: Mrs Jenny Rogers, Small Grants Scheme, The Waterways Trust, National Waterways Museum Ellesmere Port, South Pier Road, Ellesmere Port, CH65 4FW.  Email: jenny.rogers@thewaterwaystrust.org.uk

The closing date for applications is 1 February 2008.  For any enquiries contact: Tel: 0151 373 4387

Launch of Big Green Challenge: the people powered £1m innovation prize.
You may be interested in the £1m Climate Change Prize Fund, launched by NESTA's Innovation Challenges programme. The Big Green Challenge is an ambitious project aimed at stimulating innovation from communities and the not-for-profit sector in response to one of our biggest social challenges: climate change.
The Big Green Challenge is asking communities to compete to achieve 60% reductions in CO2 emissions by October 2009 through innovative and creative methods that can last beyond the life of the Prize.
For more information, visit the website www.biggreenchallenge.org.uk

HMRC Grant in Aid Funding Programme 2008/09

In 2007, Her Majesty's Revenue and Customs (HMRC) made available £2 million per annum for the next three financial years aimed at funding Voluntary and Community Sector organisations.

These funds were aimed at helping with the costs of activity contributing to HMRC’s aims, outcomes and priorities.

From 2008/09 HMRC are widening the scope of their funding programme to include third sector organisations, encompassing voluntary and community organisations, charities, social enterprises, cooperatives and mutuals both large and small.

To find out more about this programme, please visit the HMRC website: http://www.hmrc.gov.uk/vcs/funding-streams.htm

URBAN II Programme for Hetton and Murton
Funding is still available under the URBAN II Programme for Hetton and Murton but you need to act now if you want to apply. The programme ends in December 2008 which means everything must be spent and all projects closed off by then so there really isn't much time left.
In particular, the programme is looking to fund projects under: -
• Priority One - Engaging Young People (13-25 year olds) - over £200,000 still available; and
• Priority Three - Building & Sustaining Economic Activity (both capital and revenue funding) - over £100,000 still available.
They would however still be interested in projects to be funded under Priority Two (Empowering the Coalfield Community) that could take up the small amount of funding still available or potential underspends.
The programme would be keen to hear from you if: -
• You would like to apply for funding to deliver a new project; or
• You are already delivering an URBAN II funded project and you would like to apply for more funding to deliver additional activity; or
• You are already delivering a project which fits with the objectives of the programme and could match your existing funding with URBAN II funding to deliver additional activity in the Hetton and Murton coalfields area.
If you would like to discuss these opportunities further or would like more information on the URBAN II Programme for Hetton and Murton, please contact the URBAN II Development Team on 0191 553 1916 or email urban@sunderland.gov.uk.

A Quick A - Z of Funding Sources

The Quick A-Z of Funding Sources gives an updated account of the grants available in the Sunderland area. This information is entered into a brief accessible spreadsheet form, which contains four columns. The first gives the name of the organisation that awards the grant. The second gives the details of the appropriate website. The third column gives details of what the grant funds and the closing date is given in the fourth column. This information is updated on a monthly basis.  This information is collated be Martin Brookes.  Martin is a volunteer 2 days a week with Sunderland CVS. Access the November 2007 edition (Excel format)

NEWLY ADDED COMMUNITY ASSETS PROGRAMME
The Community Assets programme is funded by the Office of the Third Sector and delivered by the Big Lottery Fund. The aim of the programme is community empowerment. It offers capital grants for third sector organisations and local authorities to refurbish local authority buildings in England for third sector ownership. Community Assets aims to empower communities by facilitating the transfer of genuine assets from local authorities to third sector ownership for the benefit of the community. Genuine assets will generate operational, financial and other benefits for third sector organisations without significant liabilities over a long-term period.
http://www.governmentfunding.org.uk/VCSLaunch.aspx?SCHEME_ID=12-S112

Funding News

Are you looking for funding or finance for your project? 

Use this link to help - http://www.open4community.info/sunderland1/page.aspx?sp=Trust_Software

Lifelong Learning Community Development Fund 2007/08

There has been some changes made to the procedure for funding application and guidelines for the Lifelong Learning Community Development Fund 2007/2008. The is aim of these changes are to raise the quality of service and procurement of services. To view the Main Changes, please click here.

Click here for the Fund Guidelines and here for an Application Form

Local Network Fund for Children and Young People
The Local Network Fund for Children and Young People in Northumberland awards grants of up to £7,000 for children and young people living in Tyne & Wear.

Third Sector Capacity Fund - One North East
The Third Sector Capacity Fund has been set up by One NorthEast.  The Fund will support strategic projects to strengthen the capacity of Third Sector organisations at a regional level, which will ultimately promote economic inclusion across the whole of the North East of England.

Camelot Foundation - Transforming Lives Programme
The Camelot Foundation launches four rounds of grant-making every year. Each round addresses a specific theme. The theme for this round is as follows: Tackling Prejudice: Working to reduce victimization and hate crime within and towards selected priority groups.

Funding for Adult and Family Learning Courses In Sunderland
Are you interested in running community-based adult or family learning courses for your service users? Sunderland Adult and Community Learning fund offer learning opportunities through their Lifelong Learning Community Development Fund.

The British Trust for Conservation Volunteers
The British Trust for Conservation Volunteers (BTCV) Chestnut Fund offers start up and support grants to UK community conservation groups.

The Woodward Charitable Trust
The Woodward Charitable Trust is one of the Sainsbury Family Charitable Trusts. The Trusts share a common administration, but are otherwise independent of each other. In 2004/2005 grants totaling£381,966 were paid to 98 charitable organisations.

The Cranfield Trust
The Cranfield Trust offers free consultancy projects to charities involved in addressing issues of poverty, disability or social exclusion.

The Webb Memorial Trust
The Webb Memorial Trust is a registered charity established in 1947 as a memorial to the socialist pioneer Beatrice Webb. Today it distributes annually grants totaling£70,000.

The Pilgrim Trust
Preservation and Social Welfare. The Pilgrim Trust was set up in 1930 with a capital endowment of just over two million pounds. On average, the Trustees commit in the region of £1.5 million each year in grants.

Joanies Trust
The Joanies Trust welcomes applications from registered charities working with young people aged 11 to 25. 

   Sunderland Community Network, Riverview House, West Wear Street, Sunderland, SR1 1XD.  Click here for map.