Funding & Training Focus - 20 March

Hello,  

There are lots of new funding opportunities on offer this week, but if you can’t see anything that fits with your project idea, or organisation’s legal structure, please get in touch for a targeted search. 

I can also provide support with developing your application, or reviewing and providing feedback prior to submission. These supports take time, so please don’t leave things to the last minute.  

Final reminder for Whole Family Wellbeing Round 2 of this fund will close for applications on 26 March.  

If you would like any support or advice please get in touch as soon as possible.  

jhamilton@engagerenfrewshire.com 

• Animal Welfare 
• Armed Forces 
• Children, Young People and Families 
• Churches 
• Community Assets 
• Employability 
• Football 
• Men’s Mental Health 
• Miscellaneous 

Training

• Lets Talk about Ageism and how we can all thrive together
• Intergenerational Contact Zones
• SCVO Training
• Easy Read Training
• SURF Award Shared Learning Workshops

Animal Welfare
Grants to Support Animal Welfare Charities
Charities registered in the UK and working to offer sanctuary, rehoming and rehabilitation to animals in the UK and/or internationally can apply for grants of up to £35,000. Organisations involved with the conservation of wildlife, the rescue, rehabilitation and (where possible) release of animals are also eligible to apply. The funding supports general running costs or capital purchases. The Trust encourages repeat applications from charities when further financial support might be given if funds allow. The funding is being made available through the Jean Sainsbury Animal Welfare Trust and the next closing date for applications is 01 May 2024.   Find out more

Armed Forces

Funding to Support Local Armed Forces Day Events
Communities that want to show their support for the Armed Forces by hosting an Armed Forces Day event in 2023 can apply for a grant from the Ministry of Defence. The grant is match-funded, meaning it can cover up to half the total cost of the event, with a maximum value of £10,000 depending on the size and format of the event. The funding can be used to pay for road closures, decorations, flags and banners, local or national newspapers and radio advertisements, marshaling, security, first aid, insurance, and PA and communications systems such as hand-held radios or other forms of communication for event organisers. To apply for this grant, communities must first register their event on the Armed Forces Day website. To apply for this grant, communities must first register their event on the Armed Forces Day website. Armed Forces Day takes place on the 29 June 2024. The closing date for applications is 01 April 2024. Find out more
 

£2.5 Million Fund to Deliver Specialist Mobility Equipment for Veterans
£2.5 million in government funding is available to provide seriously injured veterans across the UK with mobility equipment to improve their quality of life. The Veterans’ Mobility Fund will deliver grants and equipment for veterans with mobility needs linked to their service, providing aids usually unavailable through the NHS, such as specialist wheelchairs, mobility scooters, and orthotics such as splints and braces. The fund is administered by Help for Heroes and Blesma, and will deliver support to veterans with physical disabilities through grants across five years. Find out more

Children, Young People and Families
Funding to Enable Disadvantaged Young People Reach their Potential
Registered charities (including Schools that are registered as charities for young people with disabilities) that work with disadvantaged children under the age of 25 can apply for funding of up to £10,000. Of particular interest are projects that provide opportunities for disadvantaged children and young people to fulfil their potential and educational activities that develop learning, motivation and skills. Projects could, for example, support special educational needs; address behavioural problems or promote citizenship; and parenting or life skills. Preference will be given to projects piloting new approaches to disseminate the outcomes to a wider audience. The funding is being made available through the Ironmongers Company's grants programme. The next closing date for applications is the The next deadline for applications is 31 July 2024. Find out more

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 who are socially disadvantaged can apply for funding to the John Watson Trust. Previous awards of around £1,000 have been made for items such as dyslexia tuition or books and equipment. For example, Castleview Primary School, Edinburgh received a grant of £1,000 to support field trips and days out for eligible pupils; and Women’s Aid East and mid Lothian received £1,000 towards their summer programme. The next closing date is the 24 May 2024.  Find out more
 

New Funding Opportunity for the Youth Homelessness Sector 
As part of its new funding strategy, Comic Relief has announced that it will be launching a new fund for organisations that specialise in providing support to young people aged 16-25 in the UK, who are at risk of, or experiencing homelessness. The opportunity will be for organisations that are already working in this area. Further funding criteria is being developed. Information about the funding and the application process will be made available in April 2024. Find out more

Whole Family Wellbeing Fund  
Applications should describe the work the organisation wants to host and how it meets the needs of families who come into one or more of the following categories:  

• families of children with a neurodevelopmental disorder, for example Autistic Spectrum disorder (ASD), Attention Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD) either pre or post diagnosis  

• families of children 0-8 requiring parenting support and/or support for distressed behaviours  

• families of children 11-16 displaying distressed and/ or risk-taking behaviour  

• families of children with disabilities.  

There will be higher priority for funding on proposals which focus on:  

• the provision of out of school, holiday and respite support for families of children with disabilities  

• support to families of children under 3.  

Find out more

Churches 
Grants for Urgent Maintenance Works & Small Repairs to Churches 
Grants of between £500 and £5,000 (exceptionally up to £10,000)are available to churches across the UK requiring urgent maintenance works and small repairs identified as high priority within a recent Quinquennial Inspection, Building Survey or Condition Report.. The funding will enable listed and unlisted Christian places of worship, of any denomination, to investigate or address small problems and control building deterioration. This could include improvements to rainwater systems; removing vegetation growth from buildings; replacing gutter systems; addressing lost, damaged or slipped roof tiles; internal repairs to ceilings and walls; and electrical work. Project costs should be up to £20,000 incl. VAT and awards will never exceed 50% of the costs. The funding is made available through the National Churches Trust Small Grants Programme, which will accept applications until midnight on 30 April 2024. Find out more

Community Assets

Grants of up to £2 Million Available to Save Local Community Assets
The UK government has announced that the final round of the £150 million Community Ownership Fund is now open for expressions of interest. This is a £150 million initiative from the Department for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities and is designed to help community groups take ownership of assets that are at risk of being lost, such as pubs, community halls, gardens, and sports clubs. The maximum grant available per project is £2 million although it is expected that most awards will be for up to £250,000 of capital funding. Revenue funding of up to £50,000 or 20% of total capital funding applied for is also available. Successful organisations will be invited to submit a full application when the round 4 bidding window opens. Find out more

Employability

Grants of up to £5,000 Available to Increase Employment Opportunities for Disadvantaged Adults
Grants of up to £5,000 are available to registered charities to support projects that equip people (18 or older in order) from disadvantaged groups with the critical life skills necessary to gain employment. Priority will be given to projects that target people experiencing multiple deprivation or other groups facing major hurdles to employment, especially; women, people with physical, mental, or learning disabilities, refugees and asylum seekers. The funding is being made available through the Thomas Wall Trust. The deadline for stage 1 applications is 29 April 2024.  Applicants successful at this stage will be invited to submit a stage 2 application. Find out more

Football
Grants of £1,000 Available to Support Grassroots Football
Grassroots football organisations across the UK can now apply for a share of £150,000 to support children under the age of 18 to play football. The funding is being made available through a partnership between Tesco’s Stronger Starts programme and the Sun Newspaper’s Footie for All Campaign. 150 grants of £1,000 are available that can be used for a variety of purposes, such as buying new equipment, improving facilities, or funding coaching courses. The fund was introduced to help grassroots football organisations provide essential equipment and facilities for children to play football. It is also designed to help make football more accessible and affordable for children from all backgrounds. The closing date for applications is 30 April 2024. Find out more

Men's Health

Attracting new male participants into creative mental health programmes - The Baring Foundation 

Grants of £20k to £50k are available for either of the following approaches, or a combination of the two: 

• Work which finds ways to achieve equal representation (or a significant increase) of men in mixed gender creative activities; 

• Men-only creative activities. 

We are looking for projects which provide new and attractive creative opportunities for men who are not already taking part, and target those men who are least likely otherwise to take part. 

Projects should take place over at least one year, and preferably two or more years. 

To be eligible, you must: 

• be an established arts organisation of any kind (including museums) operating in the UK; 

• have delivered creative opportunities to people with mental health problems for at least two years; 

• have had an annual income of over £75,000 for the last two years. 

Find out more

Miscellaneous

Grants to Improve the Quality of Life for Disadvantaged & Vulnerable People 
Small-to-mid-size registered charities helping to improve the quality of life of people in the UK, particularly those who are 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 24 April 2024. Find out more

Postcode Trust 
Unrestricted, flexable funding available for organisations that have been operating for over a year and have a set of signed accounts at the time of application. Organisations must meet one of the following themes: physical activity, arts, reducing the impact of poverty, tackling inequality, climate emergency, green spaces, improving mental health.  

To support decision making, priority will be given to charities and good causes which meet some or all of the following criteria:  

• Funding organisations with an annual income of £250,000 and below  

• Funding for communities that rank as being within the top 15% on the Scottish Index of Multiple Deprivation  

• Funding for groups that are set up to support people from the following minority/marginalised groups • Communities experiencing racial inequity • Disabled people • LGBT+ people 

Round 1: 25th March 9am to 1st April 12 noon. Find out more

The Fore
The Fore is running its Summer 2024 Funding Round. We are offering unrestricted grants of up to £30,000 to help small charities and social enterprises develop, grow or become more sustainable. 

 Successful applicants will receive: 

• A grant of up to £30,000 of unrestricted funding over 1 to 3 years. 

• Access to free, highly skilled support provided by experienced professionals. 

• Access to our programme of skills training workshops, covering areas such as fundraising, communications, finance, strategy and more. 

• A fully-funded place on an impact measurement course. 

• Access to peer networking opportunities. 

You will need to register your interest in applying. Registration will be open for one week from 12pm on 28th March to 12pm on 4th April. During this time, please register your interest on our Apply for Funding webpage (this will take 2 to 3 minutes). 

Training

Lets Talk about Ageism and how we can all thrive together
Tuesday 07 May 2024, 1:30pm - 3:00pm online
Join us in the conversation workshop where we will continue our journey in the right direction to stop ageism. We know that ageism is common and experienced by old and young in our communities. Lets talk about how we can connect generations, get them talking , build new ideas that bring them together and create a world that breaks down stereotypes and celebrates diversity. BOOK HERE


Intergenerational Contact Zones, what are they?
Tuesday 28 May 2024, 1:30pm - 3:30pm online 
ICZs serve as spatial focal points for different generations to meet, interact, build relationships, and engage in joint activities.
You are invited to this session and take part listening to the ideas from sociologist Dr Mariano Sanchez to think about Space, Place, Relationships and Time (the session is a recent recording of a session on our International course).
The session will explore Intergenerational  Contact Zones and open you up to ideas to what they are and how we can look at creating an intergenerationally enriched setting. Mariano will touch upon the ideas of his collaboration with Dr Matt Kaplan. Come along and listen, then take part in a conversation session exploring your own ideas and looking at how we can create intergenerational contact zones. BOOK HERE


SCVO Training
On Weds 27 March, DigiShift 78 with Reema Vadoliya and Tom Watson will spark thinking about how you can use data strategically to deliver more effectively on your organisation's aims, in line with your values. Book your free spot here.

On 20 and 27 March, we're running a free two-part masterclass on how to get started with your first AI strategy. This will be online with limited places. Sign up for the masterclass here.

Finally, on 17 April we have a one-day in-person workshop for CEOs and Leaders on AI and Data. This in-depth workshop is designed to give senior leaders a solid understanding of how to use data strategically to boost their organisation's impact. This workshop is free but there are very limited places - grab your spot here.


Easy Read Training

Across the UK, 1.5 million people have learning disabilities and need information in Easy Read style. 

Easy Read is an accessible format that makes written information easier to understand because it uses simple, jargon-free language, shorter sentences and supporting images.
 
Click here to see an example of Easy Read.
 
It is our responsibility as organisations to provide accessible information. Should your organisation be sharing some of your key information in Easy Read style, alongside your regular documents? 
 
Are there people in your team who need to write in Easy Read style?

• Tuesday 23 April & Tuesday 30 April 2024 (9.30am - 12.30pm)
• Wednesday 4 September & Wednesday 11 September 2024
• Thursday 14 November & Thursday 21 November 2024

It runs over both days each time, Part 1 and Part 2. 
The cost is £500 per person.
 
Our course is delivered online through a series of modules. The modules are communicative and interactive with lots of exercises for you to engage with and learn from. You will be expected to collaborate with others and contribute to groups. The practical exercises build up from simple everyday examples to complex, abstract concepts.

For more information visit: www.disabilityequality.scot/easy-read-training.
Any questions? Ready to book? Email Claire or Sonya at training@disabilityequality.scot or call 0141 370 0968. 


SURF Award Shared Learning Workshops - Book Now
There are 4 workshops, being held throughout May, covering the themes of Employability, Housing and Regeneration, Place-based Regeneration and Creative Regeneration.

The workshops will contain presentations from the 2023 SURF Award Winners and Highly Commended projects, plus input from relevant SURF national partners. You can find out more, and book your free place, using the links above or visiting: https://surf.scot/events/  These workshops are physical events in Glasgow and Edinburgh.