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Heritage Lottery – Government’s £40million Green Recovery Challenge Fund Opens for Applications

September 16, 2020by Libby Mahoney in Blog, Funding tagged , ,

Grants from £50,000 to £5m are now available to kick-start the nation’s green recovery from the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic. 

Ros Kerslake, Chief Executive of The National Lottery Heritage Fund, said: “I am delighted that we are distributing the Green Recovery Challenge Fund on behalf of Defra. We are committed to supporting the nature and environment sector quickly and effectively through this fund.”

Who is it for

The Green Recovery Challenge Fund is open to environmental charities and partnerships that include at least one environmental charity, with projects in England that are ready to start.

All projects must contribute to at least one of the following themes:

  • nature conservation and restoration
  • nature based solutions, particularly focused on climate change mitigation and adaptation such as through tree planting and restoring peatland
  • connecting people with nature
  • Projects will be favoured that create or retain jobs, providing opportunities and benefits for all ages, including young people. Projects from both rural, urban and inshore marine areas are welcomed.

How to apply

Applications for grants up to £250,000 must be submitted by midday on 2 October 2020. For applications over £250,000, there is a two-step process, with initial expressions of interest required by midday on 24 September 2020.

Up to 100% of project costs will be available.

Please read the full criteria and application guidance before submitting your application.

Applications under £250k

When you are ready to apply, complete and submit your application via their Application Portal.
If you do not already have a logon you will need to register.

Applications over £250k: Expressions of Interest

For applications for a grant above £250,000 a short Expression of Interest (EOI) form is mandatory. Guidance on the questions to be answered and a copy of the form is available.

An assessment panel involving all the Fund partners will use the information you provide to decide whether or not to invite you to submit a full grant application. If you are not invited to apply we will explain our reason.

We will aim to respond to all EOIs within ten working days of the deadline. You will then have three weeks to submit a full application.

Click here to submit your Expression of Interest.

A greener future

The Green Recovery Challenge Fund, part of a wider HM Government green economic recovery jobs and skills package, will enable environmental charities and their partners to restore nature and tackle climate change.

The fund will help create up to 3,000 jobs such as ecologists, surveyors, nature reserve staff and education workers. In additional, it will safeguard up to 2,000 existing jobs in areas such as protecting species, finding nature-based solutions to tackling climate change, conservation rangers and connecting people with nature. It will also support suppliers in areas such as agricultural engineering, horticulture, and equipment and seed supply.

The National Lottery Heritage Fund is distributing the Green Recovery Challenge Fund in partnership with Natural England and the Environment Agency, on behalf of the Department for Environment, Food & Rural Affairs (Defra). It has been made possible by bringing forward funding announced at Budget 2020 including £10m from the Nature Recovery Fund and £30m of Nature for Climate Funding.

For more information click here.

Source: Heritage Fund

How Grant Making Practice has Changed Following COVID-19

September 14, 2020by Libby Mahoney in Blog, VCS Feature tagged ,

Charities are having to be increasingly savvy as they look to compete for a smaller pool of funds from grantmakers amidst the COVID-19 outbreak.

COVID-19 has transformed the relationship between charities and grantmakers, such as corporate partners, government funders and foundation trusts.

There is simply less money for funders to invest and distribute to good causes, amid financial uncertainty globally caused by the pandemic.

According to National Council for Voluntary Organisations (NCVO) data and research manager Lisa Hornung: “Investment values have fallen in 2020 and so will have the reserves of some organisations.

“In the longer term, the fall in investments will impact on the ability of grantmakers to give out funding to the sector, since many of them are heavily reliant on investment income.”

The pandemic has also altered grantmakers’ funding priorities, with long-term recovery from the pandemic and supporting at-risk communities increasingly key to their decisions.

Knowing what grantmakers want to spend their falling funds on is key to success for charities amid COVID-19.

Targeting grantmakers is especially important as many charities are currently being left vulnerable by an over-reliance on public donations, which have been hit by the cancellation of in-person fundraising events and charity shop closures during lockdown.

The fall in public donations to charities could be around £1bn, according to estimates in July this year by online fundraising platform Omaze.

According to Blackbaud Europe’s Status of UK Fundraising 2020 Benchmark Report, 27% of charity professionals say their income has fallen, an increase on the 21% who said there had been a decline in 2019.

Diversifying income streams, especially by ramping up the search for grant-giving could ensure the long-term future of those charities reliant on the public.

Read the full Charity DIgital News Artcile by clicking here.

Source: Charity Digital News

NET Announces Plans for Distribution of £12m to Pandemic’s Most Impacted Groups

August 21, 2020by Libby Mahoney in Blog, Funding, VCS Feature tagged ,

NET Announces Plans for Distribution of £12m to Pandemic’s Most Impacted Groups The National Emergencies Trust has announced plans to distribute a further £12m from its Coronavirus Appeal, this time to a range of charity partnerships offering targeted support to some of the groups most at risk from the pandemic’s impact in the UK.

Since March, the NET’s Coronavirus Appeal has raised £87.25 million. It has distributed £64 million of this through Community Foundations UK-wide, including £250k for BAME charities and infrastructure. The funds have supported more than 8,000 grassroots groups in meeting urgent needs from food access to bereavement counselling.

It has now announced its first charity partners, each one of which will provide support to a disproportionately impacted group NET’s own gap analysis has highlighted as having potentially been underserved through the pandemic so far.

read the full article by clicking here.

Source: Fundraising UK

Enovert Community Trust

August 19, 2020by Libby Mahoney in Blog, Funding tagged , ,

The Enovert Community Trust has announced that the next closing date for funding applications is the 11th December 2020.

The Trust is committed to supporting community and environmental projects, such as improving community halls, creating new children’s play areas, restoring green spaces and habitats, and enhancing community sports and recreation facilities.

Funding is available to non-profit making organisations, constituted organisations or groups within 10 miles of a landfill site operated by Enovert Management Limited, or within ten miles of a waste facility managed by the company.  These are located primarily in South West England, the West Midlands, South East England and East of England.

Most grants are up to £50,000 but there are no maximum or minimum grant levels given.

To discuss the project before submitting it, please contact Angela Haymonds, Trust Secretary, Enovert Community Trust, PO Box 3138, Slough SL3 9ZH, or email: ahaymonds@enovertct.org

For more information click here.

Source: Grants Online

Masonic Charitable Foundation – Support Disadvantaged and Vulnerable Older People

August 19, 2020by Libby Mahoney in Blog, Funding tagged , ,

Local and national charities in England and Wales can apply to the Later Life Inclusions grants programme run by the Masonic Charitable Foundation. The Later Life Inclusion grants programme is open to charities working to reduce loneliness and isolation of vulnerable and disadvantaged people over 50.

Grants can be offered to charities that provide:

  • Mental and physical health support
  • Gateway and access to service, e.g. transport and technology
  • Community based approaches, i.e. volunteering, positive ageing and neighbourhood support
  • Advocacy, social and welfare support

The type of activities that could be funded include:

  • Support for emotional and psychological planning for later life
  • Digital inclusion sessions to enable older people to access services
  • Activities and clubs enabling older people to remain active and make friends
  • Providing companionship and befriending schemes for periods of transition
  • Advice and information on options for those with health conditions
  • Carers and respite support

The programme 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 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 closing date for applications to the small grants programme is 4pm on the 31st August 2020.  The large grants programme is currently closed to applications and will re-open on the 1st September 2020.

For more information click here.

Source: Grants Online

The Barrow Cadbury Trust’s

August 19, 2020by Libby Mahoney in Blog, Funding tagged ,

The Barrow Cadbury Trust’s COVID-19 Support Fund has re-opened with much broader eligibility criteria. The scheme is now open to organisations with an income of between £10,000 to £3 million providing support for refugees and migrants. This includes organisations working directly with these groups, as well as organisations with more general objects seeking to expand or adapt their services for the purpose of supporting refugees and migrants.

The maximum you can apply for is £50,000 or three months’ expenditure, whichever is the smaller. Decisions will be made by mid-October and grants must be spent within six months.

There is no official closing date, as the fund will close once it has received enough applications. It is advised that organisations submit their applications early to avoid disappointment.

More information can be found by clicking here.

Lloyds Bank Foundation – Recovery Fund

July 31, 2020by Libby Mahoney in Blog, Funding tagged , ,

Lloyds Bank Foundation has announced a £7.4 million COVID recovery fund for small and medium-sized charities that support people with complex social issues such as mental health, homelessness or domestic abuse.

Around 140 charities will be given a two-year grant of up to £50,000 as well as a development partner. To ensure funding is distributed equally, at least a quarter of the funding will be given to charities that are led by, or that benefit people from BAME communities.

Applications open on 3 August at 10 am and close on 11 September at 5 pm

This fund is open to small and medium sized charities with an income of between £25,000 and £1 million a year that are helping people overcome complex social issues such as dependency, homelessness and domestic abuse.

Find out more by clicking here.

Source: DSC

New £92million Culture Recovery Fund for Heritage Launches

July 31, 2020by Libby Mahoney in Blog, Funding tagged , ,

Applications are now open for the Culture Recovery Fund for Heritage, which will help heritage organisations recover from the effects of the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic.

The Culture Recovery Fund for Heritage is providing £92m with grants from £10,000 up to £3m available for heritage organisations in England.

Funds will be distributed by The National Lottery Heritage Fund and Historic England on behalf of the Department for Digital, Culture, Media & Sport (DCMS).

“For many heritage organisations this funding will be the lifeline they have been waiting for and I urge them to apply as soon as possible.”

Ros Kerslake, Chief Executive of The National Lottery Heritage Fund, says: “For many heritage organisations this funding will be the lifeline they have been waiting for and I urge them to apply as soon as possible.

“As the lockdown has lifted, and the public begin to return to some of our much-loved places, the true value of our heritage is more obvious than ever. Heritage is vital in creating economic prosperity, in making local communities better places to live, and in supporting our own personal sense of wellbeing.”

The deadline for applications is midday Monday 17 August.

It does not matter if you have previously received or applied for funding from us.

How to apply

We have made our application process as straightforward as possible, but please do get in touch with any queries.

Find out more about our criteria (which are set by DCMS) and our application guidance.

The deadline is midday Monday 17 August. Decisions on awards will be made from late September.

Click here for more information or to apply.

Source: Heritage Fund

Wolfson Foundation – £10m Covid-19 Support Fund Announced

July 16, 2020by Libby Mahoney in Blog, Funding tagged ,

The crisis caused by Covid-19 has put unprecedented pressures on all of the sectors that The Wolfson Foundation serve and fund.

Over the last four months they have attempted to be as thoughtful and flexible as possible in their approach (and were an early signatory to the Funders’ Statement on Covid-19 as part of our public commitment to work in this way).

They have offered flexibility on all elements of our relationship with existing grant holders. In a large number of cases this meant offering the opportunity to transfer to entirely unrestricted funding. In April we made grant payments of £7 million: a record in any month in Wolfson’s long history. In June we committed £18.5 million to organisations across the UK, determined that our grant-making should continue – and as flexibly as possible – during this period of uncertainty.

They have spent a lot of time talking to partner organisations and other funders as we frame our programmes for the rest of this most challenging of all years.

While these conversations will continue as we look further ahead, we are pleased to share with you at this point their plan for the rest of 2020.

Their intention is to run two funding streams for the rest of the year:

(1) For universities, research organisations and schools, they are running our standard funding programmes for capital infrastructure projects

(2) For other areas of their work they will run a Covid-19 Support Fund. They have allocated £10 million to provide unrestricted funding to organisations working in (a) heritage and the arts and (b) health and disability

Their hope is that through this Fund, and the offer of unrestricted grants, organisations will be able to use Wolfson’s support in the way which best responds to their own specific needs – at this critical moment and as they plan for the months to come.

Given the widespread challenges faced by so many organisations it has been a difficult task to decide how best to allocate this funding. Indeed, they have agonised over the various choices on how to frame the Fund (given that none will be perfect). They wanted a model that was as straightforward as possible and did not waste precious fundraising time with high numbers of unsuccessful applications.

They are planning therefore to use this funding to support organisations who they have been working with over the past few years (generally through supporting their capital infrastructure projects). The Fund will not be open to speculative applications, and they will be in contact directly with organisations who are eligible for funding.

Invitations to apply will be sent out by Friday 21 August 2020.

Source: Wolfson Foundation

Comic Relief Community Fund

July 16, 2020by Libby Mahoney in Blog, Funding tagged , ,

The Comic Relief Community Fund (England) is offering grants to grassroots community organisations with an income of less than £250,000.

There are two types of grants available to organisations whose work delivers on one of Comic Relief’s four strategic themes:

  • Children Survive & Thrive: projects that support children under the age of 5 to reach their potential and have the best start in life.
  • Fighting for Gender Justice: projects that improve equality for women, girls and initiatives that help people affected by domestic violence, abuse or exploitation due to their gender.
  • A Safe Place to Be: projects that support people who are rebuilding their lives because of homelessness or forced migration.
  • Mental Health Matters: projects that support good mental health in communities, improve access to support and tackle stigma and discrimination.

Funding is available to help you develop your organisation through a Capacity Building Grant or to deliver projects through a Project Delivery Grant. This new and exciting programme aims deliver long lasting community driven change and we will work closely with successful projects to gather learning from the programme to share widely.

Administration of the local funding is being managed by community charity, Groundwork, which specialises in transforming communities and the local environment for the better.

For more information click here.

Capacity Building Grants Information can be found by clicking here.

Source: Groundwork

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