Funding

Tech Partnership's Training Fund (England)

Following a successful bid into the government's Employer Ownership of Skills Pilot, the Tech Partnership has launched the Tech Partnership Training Fund.
The Tech Partnership Training Fund has been introduced to help stimulate increased investment in training from employers to support business growth and competitiveness in the digital economy. Funding is available to support Enhanced Apprenticeships, for additional training for IT apprentices over and above their standard programme. It is also available for short courses, for training in strategically important skills such as cyber security, big data, mobile, cloud and e-commerce. Employers can apply for up to 50% of the cost of training with limits of £1000 for enhanced apprenticeships or £500 for strategic skills short courses.
http://www.thetechpartnership.com/news-tech-partnership-training-fund.html

Equipment Grants for Mentally & Physically Disadvantaged Children (UK)

Schools and not for profit organisations have the opportunity to apply for funding through the Wooden Spoon Society's Capital Grants programme. Wooden Spoon the British and Irish Rugby charity which supports mentally, physically disadvantaged children.
Through the programme funding is available for:
• Buildings and extensions
• Equipment & activity aids
• Sensory rooms and gardens
• Playgrounds and sports areas
• Transport
• Soft playrooms.
Since being founded in 1983, Wooden Spoon has made grants of over £20 million to more than 500 projects in the British Isles.
Projects funded in the past have included:
Ashmount School in Leicestershire, which received a grant of £13,500 towards a sensory room.
Enfield Heights Academy in London which received a grant of £23,000 to improve its play areas.
The Colehill &Wimborne Youth & Community Centre which received a grant of £8,000 towards a wheelchair lift.
Applications can be made at any time and applicants should contact their regional volunteer group. For more information on how to apply, please click on the link below.
Applications can be made at any time.
http://www.woodenspoon.com/projects/apply_for_funds.php

Breaks for Kids

The Youth Hostel Association has announced that its "Breaks for Kids" fund is open for applications.
This is a discretionary fund in support of disadvantaged young people. These are young people under the age of 18 who receive either free school meals, or whose family receive housing benefit or income support. Funding may be available for schools/groups who have a provisional booking with a Youth Hostel in England or Wales and who have yet to pay the balance on their stay.

Applications must be received at least eight weeks in advance of your arrival date and grants are deducted from the final bill. See - http://www.yha.org.uk/school-trips/breaks-for-kids

Funding for Projects that Address Urban and Rural Deprivation

The Trusthouse Charitable Foundation has announced that capital and revenue funding is available to support the work of local and national charities and not-for-profit organisations that address rural and urban deprivation.
Within these two main headings, the Trust is interested in helping established projects which work in the fields of:

• Community Support
• Arts, Education & Heritage
• Disability & Health Care.

The type of projects the Trust are interested in funding include projects providing transport for the elderly, disabled or disadvantaged; contact networks for the young disabled; projects which encourage a sense of community such as community centres and village halls; employment training schemes especially those promoting local, traditional crafts; projects addressing issues such as drug/alcohol misuse or homelessness.

There are three grants schemes. These are:
• The Large Grant Scheme, with grants of between £10,000 and £30,000 to cover capital costs
• The Small Grant Scheme, grants of between £5,001 and £9,999 to cover capital and revenue costs;
• The Fast Track Scheme with grants of up to £5,000 to cover capital and revenue costs. In addition,

The Foundation also provides funding to support capital projects at hospices throughout the UK; and on local projects providing support for mothers and babies in the first two years of life.
The Grants Committee meets quarterly to consider applications at the beginning of February, May, September and November. The deadlines for submitting applications are generally 2 months before the date of a meeting.
http://www.trusthousecharitablefoundation.org.uk/

Percy Bilton Charity

Grants are made to organisations and individuals in need throughout the U.K to help with basic household furnishings; building or refurbishment costs; clothes and essential household equipment.

The fund is appropriate for charities assisting - disadvantaged youth; people with disabilities; people with mental health problems and older people; Social workers; community psychiatric nurses; and occupational therapists within local authorities or NHS Trusts on the behalf of individuals in financial need who have a disability or severe mental health problem, or who are over 65 on low income.

For details of how to apply, see the Percy Bilton Charity website.

Big Potential Opens for Applications

The Big Lottery Fund has announced that Voluntary & Community groups and Social Enterprises (VCSEs) can now start their application process for its new £10 million "Big Potential" programme.

The "Big Potential Fund" which will be managed by the Social Investment Bureau will provide grants of £25,000 - £75,000 to help VCSEs carry out investment readiness work with a small group of approved providers. Big Potential will be targeting not for profit organisations that are both at an early stage of their investment readiness journey and those that are further along that journey, who are seeking to raise up to £500,000 in external investment.

The programme is designed to complement a range of other initiatives including the Cabinet Office's Investment and Contract Readiness Fund. Eligible organisations can include:

Before charities apply to the fund they will be able to access support from Charity Bank, Social Enterprise UK or Locality before submitting an application. They will then be expected to approach an approved provider, and the charity and provider will make a joint bid to the fund.

Applications will be accepted on a rolling basis.

More information here.

Lloyds Bank Foundation Launches Two New Funding Programmes

The Lloyds Bank Foundation for England & Wales has announced the launch of two new grants programmes to replace its flagship "Communities Programme". The aim is to support projects that help people over the age of 17 who are experiencing multiple disadvantage at one of the critical points in their life.

The new funding programmes are:

•    "Invest" which is a flexible, long term core funding programme for charities helping disadvantaged people. Grants are up to £25,000 per year for two or three years, with the opportunity for continuation funding for up to six years in total.
•    "Enable" which is a smaller and shorter grants programme for charities that have identified clear development needs.

This funding aims to help the organisations deliver their mission more effectively. These grants are up to a total £15,000 over two years. The funding is available to registered charities and charitable incorporated organisations (CIOs) with an income of between £25,000 and £1 million.

To be eligible, organisations are expected to be working with people 17 years or older, experiencing multiple disadvantage at one of the critical points in their life. The only exceptions are young people who are under 17 years of age and young parents or looked after children and disabled young people moving into independent living.

There are no closing dates and applications can be submitted at any time.

More information here.

The Alec Dickson Trust

The Alec Dickson Trust provides grants of up to £500 to help young people of up to 30 or small groups of young people run a volunteering project in their local area. The fund seeks to support projects that enhance the lives of others, particularly those most marginalised by society such as:

•    The homeless
•    Those with drug dependency problems
•    People with disabilities

Trustees will meet twice a year to consider applications. For further information on how to apply contact This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.  or call 020 7278 6601.

More information here.

Paul Hamlyn Foundation Social Justice Programme

The Paul Hamlyn Foundation is currently accepting applications under its Social Justice Open Grants Programme. Through the Social Justice Programme the foundations aims to help integrate marginalised individuals and communities, and seeks to support younger people up to the age of 30 who are at time of transition because of their circumstances such as; leaving care or leaving prison or settling into a new community, or changes to the cultural environment in which they live such as; established communities in refugee dispersal areas.

There is no minimum or maximum grant that can be applied for.  In 2012/13 the Foundation made 26 grants totalling £3,263,886. The average grant was £125,534 and grants ranged in size from £4,898 to £750,000.

There is a two stage application process. First stage applications can be made at any time. Those that are successful will be invited to make a second stage application.

More here: http://www.phf.org.uk/page.asp?id=91