Funding & Training Focus - 12 June

Welcome to the first fortnightly edition of our funding newsletter.  

I will use this wee bit of ‘chat’ to highlight and direct you to funds of particular interest and anything with imminent deadlines.  

The first fund that could be of interest to a variety of groups is the Aldi Community Sport Fund, this is open to a range of community organisations and sports, just note the closing date is 23rd June. There is a good mix of grants available for those working on environmental projects. Under miscellaneous you’ll find The Hedley Foundation, this funder provides grant from £250 to £5000 to charities with income below £1million. They like to fund project costs that benefit the lives of young people, disabled people, elderly people, the terminally ill, and otherwise disadvantaged people and their carers.  

As always if you would like any one to one support with funding, please get in touch. 

Jane – jhamilton@engagerenfrewshire.com 

Funding

• Children and Young People
• Community Sports
• Digital
• Environmental
• Families
• Food Poverty
• Miscellaneous
• Museums
• Refugees and Asylum Seekers
• Safer Roads
• Traditional Arts
• Funder Updates
• Pro Bono Scheme

Children and Young People

Equipment Grants for Disabled and Disadvantaged Young People (UK) 
Schools, charities and not-for-profit organisations in the UK can apply for funding for equipment that helps mentally, physically and socially disadvantaged children. The funding is made available through the Wooden Spoon Society's Grants programme, which has previously provided funding for sensory rooms and gardens, playgrounds and outdoor spaces, specialist equipment and facilities, and projects promoting health and wellbeing. The funding available is for capital items only and will not support revenue costs such as staffing and other ongoing costs. There is no maximum grant limit, but projects under £5,000 are unlikely to be considered. Applications can be submitted at any time. Find out more here 

The7stars foundation  
Grants are targeted to further the potential and opportunity of children and young people who are surviving abuse, at risk of or experiencing homelessness, caring for a loved one, and challenged by addiction (either personally or through a member of their family).  
They have several funding streams, each with slightly different eligibility criteria. See the Foundation website for full details: 

• Project Funding: Grants for charities to deliver a project for young people, aged 16 years old or under, aligned to the prioritised themes. –  
• Shine Bright: Grants for charities to purchase educational, wellbeing, or recreational items for young people, aged 16 years old or under, aligned to the prioritised themes. –  
• Social Impact: Grants aligned to awareness days (see list on fund website). A maximum of three charities will be shortlisted for each award, with the7stars agency team voting on which charity will be awarded. 

Next deadline: 31 August 2024. Find out more here 
 
Funding for Rural Community and Education Projects
Charities supporting rural development, particularly the education of young people and the relief of poverty within rural areas, can apply for funding through the NFU Mutual Charitable Trust. The funding focuses on providing financial support to larger initiatives that would significantly impact rural communities. Grants available are for £1,000 - 50,000.  Larger grants are used to support organisations that significantly impact rural communities at a national level. Projects supported in the past have ranged from City farms, Federations of Young Farmers Clubs and farming Community Networks. The next closing date for applications is 04 October 2024. Find out more here 

Funding to Support the Education of Young People with Physical or Learning Disabilities
Schools, charitable organisations and other groups in Scotland supporting the education of young people under the age of 21 who have a physical or learning disability or are socially disadvantaged can apply for funding to the John Watson Trust. Whilst the Trust operates primarily within Edinburgh and the Lothians, it may also award grants Scotland-wide to eligible individuals and organisations, including schools, established charitable organisations and other groups supporting disadvantaged young people. Grants can cover expenses such as special or additional tuition, school trips, bus passes, school expenses such as books and equipment, and laptops where there is a special education need. The next closing date is 26 July 2024. Find out more here 

Community Sports

Funding of up to £2,500 for Community Sports Projects
Grants of up to £2,500 are available to organisations, including sports clubs, schools, religious organisations and Scout and Guides groups in Glasgow and the West to run sporting activities for the benefit of people in the local community. The funding is being made available through the Aldi Scottish Sport Fund, and to be eligible, projects must be located where there is currently an Aldi store. Stores in the Glasgow areas include, Renfrew, Paisley Fulbar Road, Paisley Printers Place, Johnstone. The closing date for applications is 23 June 2024. Find out more here 

Digital

£1.5 Million Fund to Tackle the Digital Divide 
The UFI Voctech Trust is launching a funding call for projects that develop technology to help people most impacted by the digital divide to get the skills they need for work. The VocTech Challenge Impact Network + Grant Fund seeks innovative technological ideas that tackle one of three specific challenges: employer integration, pathways into and within work, and vocational language barriers. Successful applicants will each receive between £200,000 and £250,000 to refine and deploy their solutions. They will also join a network of organisations to help them create connections, share knowledge, test assumptions and accelerate adoption and deployment. The fund will open for applications on 11 June 2024. Find out more here 

Environmental 

Action Earth now open for 2024 Applications 
Volunteering Matters Action Earth is looking to support environmental projects across Scotland. We have grants (up to £250) to support volunteers carrying out habitat creation and improvements on sites in cities, towns, villages and surrounding areas.  Grants can be used to purchase plants, tools and materials. Projects can include tree-planting, wildflower meadow creation, wildlife habitat builds, pond work, community gardens & woodlands and improvements to other green spaces. Find out more here 
 

Neighbourhood Ecosystem Fund - Inspiring Scotland 
The Neighbourhood Ecosystem Fund launched to enable community-led project groups in Scotland to design and deliver local nature restoration projects. The aim of the Neighbourhood Ecosystem Fund is to help communities develop their ideas for nature restoration into a pipeline of deliverable projects with a whole ecosystem approach. Funding will be administered by Inspiring Scotland and supported by the Carman Family Foundation, the Scottish Government’s Nature Restoration Fund (managed by NatureScot) and other funders. The deadline for applications is 12pm Wednesday 03 July 2024. Find out more here 

The Future Routes Fund 
Do you have a big idea to help young people connect with nature and take positive action for biodiversity and the climate? The Future Routes Fund is now open for applications. 

What’s the fund for?  The Future Routes Fund is for young people, by young people. The fund supports projects run by 11-26-year-olds and aims to help young people improve their local environment, provide more opportunities for them to connect with nature, increase their knowledge and understanding of Scottish biodiversity, and empower them to take positive action for nature and the climate. 

Any individuals or teams (2+) of young people, living anywhere in Scotland, who are aged between 11-26 can apply. An individual can apply for £500 to £2000.  A team (2+) can apply for £1000 to £5000. To find out more click here 

Families

Funding to Address Social Issues Facing Communities
Charitable organisations can now apply for up to £400 worth of funding for projects that directly impact families and solve significant social issues in communities across England, Scotland and Wales. The Warburtons Community Grant scheme will support a range of activities which improve Health, Place or Skills for families in their community. Funding is administered by the Charities Aid Foundation and can be used to cover specific costs that will benefit the cause (eg. buying equipment to support an employability project). Applications are considered every quarter. The next closing date for applications is 05 August 2024. Find out more here 

Food Poverty

Austin and Hope Pilkington Trust
The Trust gives grants to registered charities that work in the UK. They focus on specific priorities every year. In rounds 3 and 4 the theme is Food Poverty. They will consider applications that focus on: - providing nutritious meals - food education - cooking skills - eliminating food waste. Next deadline: 31 July 2024. Find out more here 

Miscellaneous

Grants to Improve the Quality of Life for Disadvantaged & Vulnerable People
Small-to-mid-size registered charities helping improve the quality of life of people in the UK, particularly those disadvantaged and vulnerable, can apply for grants of up to £5,000. The funding is being made available through the Hedley Foundation. Each year, the Foundation makes around 250 grants for initiatives that benefit the lives of young people, disabled people, elderly people, the terminally ill, and otherwise disadvantaged people and their carers. Occasional larger sums are given to charities where high impact can be achieved. Applications should be received at least 6 weeks before the next review meeting on the 13 November 2024. Find out more here 

Section 10 Funding
Renfrewshire Health and Social Care Partnership (HSCP) provides grants to voluntary organisations under Section 10 of the Social Work (Scotland) Act 1968. The Act states that grants can be made to voluntary organisations who promote social welfare and the HSCP requires organisations to be constituted, operating in Renfrewshire and promote at least one of the HSCPs strategic objectives, which are:  

1. Improving Health and Wellbeing.  

2. Providing the right service, at the right time, in the right place.  

3. Working in partnership to support the person as well as the condition. 

A maximum of £2,000 can be awarded to an organisation and organisations must comply with Renfrewshire Council’s Conditions of Grant. A copy of the application can be found here. Closing Date: Friday 26 July 2024.

Museums

Grants to Help Museums Become More Resilient
Organisations in Scotland that are running accredited Museums can apply for grants of between £15,000 and £60,000 for projects that will help them to become more resilient. The Museums, Galleries Scotland Museum Development Fund aims to support museums in delivering medium-sized, strategic, sustainable development projects in line with their business plans and Scotland’s museums and galleries Strategy. Projects can run over 2 years. Applicants must demonstrate how funding will improve the resilience and environmental sustainability of the organisations. Expressions of interest must be submitted by the 10 October 2023.  Find out more here 

Refugees and Asylum Seekers

Hilden Charitable Fund Re-Opens its UK Funding Programme
The Hilden Charitable Fund has reopened its UK funding programme and is now accepting applications. The fund is offering grants ranging from £5,000 to £7,000. It focuses on two key areas: supporting asylum seekers and refugees by integrating them into the community and aiding prisoners, especially women, with coping, maintaining family bonds, and successful resettlement post-release. They also welcome applications for post-release projects to reduce reoffending. Eligible applicants include registered charities, charitable incorporated organisations, community interest companies (limited by guarantee), charitable companies, and excepted charities. The application deadline is 3 p.m. on July 11, 2024, and decisions are typically made within 10 to 12 weeks. Find out more here 

Safer Roads

Grants to Promote and Secure Better and Safer Roads
Grants and bursaries are available for research, education, and community projects to promote and secure better and safer roads in terms of design, engineering, and aesthetics, including enhancements of the experience of road users. Funded activity includes courses leading to traffic engineering and transport planning, research projects and programmes or schemes to improve the highway network and the roadside environment, such as roadside parks and open spaces. No maximum or minimum grant levels are indicated. However, most grants given in the past have been between 5,000 and £30,000. The funding is being made available through the Rees Jeffreys Road Fund and the next application closing date is 04 October 2024. Find out more here 

Traditional Arts

Funding to Support Traditional Arts 
Creative Scotland has launched the latest round of its Tasgadh—Small Grants for Traditional Arts fund, which provides support for traditional artists and organisations to create, perform, tour, and showcase their work. The Fund, managed by Fèisean nan Gàidheal, will provide grants of between £250 and £1,000 to organisations and individuals involved in Scottish Traditional Arts, including dance, music, and storytelling. The fund can also support professional development and learning projects. The next deadline for applications is 21 June 2024. Find out more here

Funder Updates

Upcoming Changes to the Robertson Trust Funding Programmes
The Robertson Trust, which supports Scottish organisations and initiatives tackling poverty and trauma, has announced details of upcoming changes to its funding programmes. These changes, taking effect in September 2024, will include adjustments to the income thresholds and maximum award sizes available through the Wee and Small Grants programmes. The maximum Wee Grant award will increase from £2,000 to £5,000, and the maximum Small Grant will increase from £15,000 to £20,000. The minimum award size for Large Grants will also increase to £20,500. Further details will be made available in the coming months. Read more here 
 

Funding for Projects that Improve People’s Lives
Grants between £20,000 and £70,000 per year for up to three years are available to charitable organisations that help people in times of crisis. In particular, funding is available when other sources of support have failed, are inappropriate, or are not available. The funding is provided through the Henry Smith Charity Improving Lives Programme. Eligible organisations include charities and not-for-profit organisations (including social enterprises) in the UK with a turnover of £20,000 - £500,000. After seven years, the charity announced it would close its Improving Lives grants programme at 5pm on the 28 June, 2024. Read more here 


Bank of Scotland Foundation
Bank of Scotland Foundation, an independent charity funded by Lloyds Banking Group, has awarded £2.1 million to 14 Scottish charities through its new multi-year, unrestricted grant programme, Empower, providing them with real security and certainty for the coming years. Each of the 14 charities has been awarded £150,000 as a three-year, unrestricted grant of £50,000. Read more here

Pro Bono Scheme

Creative comms agency seeks charities for summer pro bono scheme 

Creative communications agency, Full Fat, is looking for nonprofits supporting racial, sexual, gender, ability and social equity to apply for its Summer 2024 pro bono scheme. 

A yearly commitment, Full Fat has worked with eight organisations over the last four years and is now in its ninth round. The agency will be investing up to £2,500 of time per month throughout the scheme which lasts up to four months. 

Full Fat will work with the organisation to provide support on a suite of services that can include profiling, messaging, social media strategy/counsel, media coverage generation or opening up the agency’s network for good.  

Find out more here 

Training

Writing Winning Funding Applications

26 June 2024, 9.30am - 10.30am
Funding applications take time and resources, so it’s vital that your funding applications stand out, your message gets heard and your funding needs are addressed. 

In this workshop Layla Moosavi, Associate Trainer, DSC will look at how our approach to funding applications has changed within the shifting funding landscape and share some top tips for writing winning applications. And with our Movement for Good large grants programme just around the corner Chris Pitt, Impact Director, Benefact Group will give some specific advice on what appeals to the Movement for Good team.  Book here