Irish in Britain’s Member Support Officer Connor Mellegers highlights some funding opportunities for Irish in Britain members.
In the days of funding cuts and budget slashing, it’s important to keep an eye open for funding wherever you can. Below is a collection of funding programmes specifically chosen with Irish in Britain members in mind.
There are funds targeted towards clubs, small community groups, and larger health organisations, with at least one fund well–suited to your organisation. I strongly encourage you to have a look and consider applying to at least one of these funds before they close.
As always, I am available to provide support and would be happy to work with you on a funding application. Simply email me at membersupport@irishinbritain.org or call 0203 409 1286 to get in touch.
I also strongly encourage you to have a look at our newly updated members’ resources on the Irish in Britain website. These resources offer valuable guidance and advice on a range of topics and are particularly useful for anyone writing a funding bid or looking to diversify their income.
Investment in digital tools to combat loneliness
The Department for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport have announced a new £20M fund to support charities and community groups to help isolated people and those suffering from loneliness. The fund has been created as a partnership between the Government and the Big Lottery Fund and includes an £11M “Building Communities Fund” to help develop community connections.
Cash for Clubs
Cash for Clubs is a funding scheme that provides grants of between £500 and £1,000 to sports clubs across the UK. Any sports club that is registered with their sport’s national governing body or local authority is eligible to apply. The deadline to apply is 6 August 2018.
Woodward Charitable Trust
Woodward Charitable Trust provides funding between £500 and £5,000 to organisations that address one of the following areas:
· Children and young people who are isolated, at risk of exclusion or involved in antisocial behaviour
· Prisoners and ex–offenders
· Disadvantaged women, refugees, and victims of domestic violence
· Disability projects
· Arts outreach work involving disadvantaged people
· Projects that promote integration and community cohesion amongst minority groups
They prefer to fund one–off projects from small–medium sized organisations with an annual turnover under £300,000. The deadline to apply is 31 July.
Skipton Building Society
The Skipton Building Society awards pots of £500 to voluntary community groups in the UK. The organisation cannot have any paid employees, must not be a registered charity and must be able to show how the money will help those from disadvantaged demographics. The deadline to apply is 31 July.
Austin and Hope Pilkington Trust – Community £1,000
The small community scheme awards grants of £1,000 to registered charities with a minimum operating income of £100,000 and a maximum of £1M. Groups must be working with their local community to be eligible for this round of funding. The deadline to apply is 31 July.
Central England Cooperative Community Dividend Fund
The community dividend fund supports local community and voluntary groups that operate within the cooperative’s trading area with grants of up to £5,000. The applicant must be a member of Central England Co–operative in order to qualify. The deadline to apply is 27 July 2018.
The Fore
The Fore offers development funding and strategic support to early–stage charities and social enterprises. They provide grants of up to £30,000 to charities and community interest organisations with a turnover under £500,000. Grants are unrestricted and are intended to have a transformational impact on the organisation. The deadline to apply is 23 July.
The Good Neighbour Fund
The Good Neighbour fund supports organisations with an annual turnover of under £500,000 that work to bring people together. They provide grants of between £5,000 and £10,000 and prioritise organisations with an annual turnover under £200,000. Projects must focus on one of:
· Reducing isolation of older people
· Mental health peer support
· Integration for refugees and asylum seekers
The deadline to apply is 16 July.
Glaxo Smith Kline Impact awards
The GSK Impact awards are open to registered charities with an annual turnover of between £80,000 and £2.5M who address community health needs. The programme will award ten winners with an unrestricted grant of £30,000 and one winner with £40,000. Winners will also receive £6,000 worth of training development and support, a specially commissioned professional film and photographs and press and publicity support. Up to ten runners up will receive £3,000.