Funding Announcements 

Funding

• Funding Newsletter November 2024 from Lincolnshire Community and Voluntary Partnership (LCVP) – Read the funding news here.
• Shine Mental Health and Wellbeing Community Investment Fund – Wave 3 Open for Stage 1 Applications Please be advised that the next Wave of the Mental Health & Wellbeing Community Investment Fund is open to Stage 1 applications until Friday, 15th November at 12 noon, inviting VCFSE organisations to submit innovative and sustainable project proposals aimed at improving the mental health and wellbeing of adults aged 18 and over. Applications are submitted through SurveyMonkey, if you are looking to apply please visit: https://shinelincolnshire.smapply.io/ Further information on the fund is available via Mental Health And Wellbeing Community Investment Fund 2024 – Shine (shinelincolnshire.com) The last remaining support session held via Microsoft Teams will be held on Tuesday 12th November 14:00-15:00 Please email [email protected] if you would like to register to attend and for all general queries. For those unable to attend an information session, the workshop slides are available on the Application Support Section of SurveyMonkey.
• Funding to Improve Homes & Community Spaces (UK)4th November 2024 UK registered charities can apply for funding to deliver projects that improve homes and community spaces for those most in need, such as those experiencing homelessness, financial hardship, poor health, disability, or other disadvantage or distress. The funding is made available by the B&Q Foundation to decorate, renovate, or create spaces where people can feel at home and have a sense of belonging. Up to £10,000 is available for building or internal projects, and £5,000 for garden projects. Projects could include improvements such as decorating; fixing roofs; refurbishment of garden space; upgrading key fixtures and fittings; creating new buildings or rooms. The deadline for applications is 6pm on the 15th of November 2024. Useful Links: FAQs and Guidance  Link: https://bqfoundation.org.uk/apply-for-a-grant/
• Grants for Cultural Organisations Working to Create Social Justice  – Antiracist. Grants ranging from £90,000 to £300,000 are available to build the capacity of cultural organisations that use art to create positive social change, particularly amongst historically underfunded communities across the UK. The Paul Hamlyn Foundation – Arts Fund provides core funding to arts organisations over three years, to increase their sustainability and to deepen the impact of their work. The Foundation will fund up to 50% of an organisation’s annual turnover. To be eligible, organisation’s should have a turnover of no less than £60,000 per year. Priority will be given to applications which are anti-racist and intersectional in their approach. The deadline for applications is 12pm on the 31st of January 2025. Useful Links: How to Apply  Deadline: 31-01-2025 Link: https://www.phf.org.uk/funding/arts-fund?tab=section25008
• Funding to improve Not- for- Profit Debt Advice Services – The Money and Pensions Service invites applications to its Debt Advice Modernisation Fund, which supports UK not-for-profit organisations in improving their debt advice services. Organisations can apply for grants of up to £25,000 to fund projects that modernise the accessibility, quality assurance, and effectiveness of their services and help build a foundation for longer-term success. Eligible focus areas include but are not limited to: Digital Transformation; Adoption of a new technology: Such as mobile apps, AI-driven tools or digital self-service platforms to enhance advice delivery and efficiency; Access and Inclusion: Expanding access to debt advice for underserved or vulnerable populations, such as those with disabilities, language barriers, or in remote regions; Operational modernisation: Streamlining internal processes, improving case management, or developing tools that increase the efficiency and scale of services; Workforce Development: Enhancing the skills and capabilities of staff by providing training for wellbeing, and digital and technical skills to improve modern service delivery. Proposals submitted must ensure that there is a modernisation or innovative component and the project must not focus solely on ongoing operational costs. The fund will enable organisations to access tools, technologies, and training that improve service quality, particularly for the most vulnerable. Registered not-for-profit organisations, such as charities or community interest companies, are eligible to apply. Projects must be completed by the end of March 2025. The deadline for applications is 12pm on the 22nd of November 2024. Organisation name: Money and Pensions Service – Debt Advice Modernisation Fund Deadline: 22-11-2024 Link: https://find-government-grants.service.gov.uk/grants/debt-advice-modernisation-fund-202425-1#summary

• The BGF Foundation is offering funding and pro bono support to growing charities that support disadvantaged young people across the UK. The Foundation expects to award four to five grants of £100,000 each, spread over two years, to help these charities grow, build resilience, and increase their impact. The funding is available to charities with annual incomes between £1 million and £3 million that work to improve life outcomes for disadvantaged young people aged 7 to 30 in the areas of: education; employment;  enterprise; mental health; physical wellbeing. Priority will be given to charities that can demonstrate growth in recent years, such as improvements in income, reach, evidence base or effectiveness of their work. There is a two-stage application process. Expressions of interest are open until the 29^th of November 2024. Those successful at this stage will be invited to submit a full application. Guidance Link: https://145182168.hs-sites-eu1.com/bgf-foundation-2024-funding-call?__hstc=25316514.d02ef60765bcb8499f07096f08ee9ee9.1717684031697.1730724749846.1730727228016.139&__hssc=25316514.1.1730727228016&__hsfp=4245361148
• The British Gas Trust has reopened its Energy Support Fund to help British Gas customers in England, Scotland and Wales struggling to pay their energy bills. The fund, set up in response to the rising cost of living and inflation, will provide eligible customers with grants of up to £2,000 to help clear outstanding arrears. To be considered for funding, applicants must meet all the following criteria. Applicants must be British Gas credit or pre-payment meter customers living in England, Scotland, or Wales. Applicants have not received a grant from the British Gas Energy Trust within the last 12 months. Applicants must be seeking a grant to clear an outstanding debt on a current or open gas, electricity or dual fuel energy account in their name or be a member of that household. The energy account must relate to their main residence. Applicants must have a minimum debt of £50 as a pre-payment meter customer, or £250 as a credit account customer; Applicants must have a maximum £2,000 gas and/or electricity debt; Applicants must be in or facing Fuel Poverty; Applicants must have received help from a money advice or guidance agency within the last 6 months; Applications take up to four weeks to be assessed. The fund will remain open until all available funds have been awarded. Link https://britishgasenergytrust.org.uk/grants-available/

• Funding to Support  Challenged & Vulnerable Young People  – Grants of up to £1,500 are available to charitable organisations supporting challenged and vulnerable young people under 16 in the UK. The 7stars Foundation’s Social Impact Grants Programme will provide funding for projects which support young people living in areas of deprivation and socioeconomic disadvantage who are challenged by abuse or addiction, who are young carers, or who are homeless. The programme will fund projects aligned with selected awareness days, such as Human Rights day, Race Equality Week, PRIDE Month, or Children’s Mental Health Week.  A maximum of three charities will be shortlisted for each award. The next opportunity to apply for funding will be from the 1st December 2024 until the 5th February 2025. Deadline: 05-02-2025 Link: https://the7starsfoundation.co.uk/apply-for-funding#anchor-5
• Grants for Energy Efficiency Improvements in Low-Income Households – Local authorities in England can apply for funding to provide energy performance and low-carbon heating upgrades to low-income households living in privately owned homes. Upgrades will be tailored to individual homes to ensure the most appropriate measures are installed. Grants can be used for a variety of improvements, including Insulation; solar panels; an air source heat pump if suitable. Cost caps are set at £15,000 per home for energy performance upgrades and £15,000 for low-carbon heating, with the option to average these costs across a project. The funding is available through the government’s Warm Homes: Local Grant scheme, which is open for expressions of interest (EOI) until the 1st of December 2024. The total funding available for local authorities will be confirmed in due course, but all eligible authorities that submit an EOI will receive some level of funding. Useful Links: Policy Guidance Organisation name: Warm Homes – Local Grant scheme Link: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/warm-homes-local-grant
• Special Call for Activities to Support Young People from Ukraine –  The European Youth Foundation (EYF) has launched a special call to support young people from Ukraine affected by the war. Applications are accepted from non-governmental youth organisations in the UK and other Council of Europe member states. The special call includes two types of grants: Pilot Activity Grants – up to €15,000 to cover costs of pilot activities designed to engage, support, and involve young people. Eligible activities include peer-to-peer learning and support, training, workshops, information and counselling services, youth workers and leaders, and meetings of young people from Ukraine. International Activity Grants – up to €25,000 to fund international projects, such as training courses, seminars, camps, conferences, networking events, and partnership-building meetings Applications for EYF Pilot Activity Grants and International Activity Grants are accepted until the 1^st of December 2024. Useful Links: Pilot Activity Grants Organisation name: European Youth Foundation Link: https://fej.coe.int/
• Grants and Loans to Improve the Energy Efficiency of Community Organisations – Social Investment Business offers unrestricted loans and grants to help charities and social enterprises in England improve their energy resilience. The Energy Resilience Fund provides up to £250,000 in funding (40% grant, 60% loan) for projects that reduce carbon emissions, save energy costs, and upgrade energy efficiency. Eligible uses include installing energy-saving measures or generation technologies for buildings and land (including new builds) and purchasing energy-efficient or environmentally friendly vehicles and equipment. If required, energy audit support will also be provided. Loans are repayable over ten years at a fixed rate of 8.5% per annum. To be eligible, organisations must demonstrate that they are unable to access mainstream bank lending for this purpose. Link: https://www.sibgroup.org.uk/funds/energy-resilience-fund/
• Funding to Improve Transport Accessibility for Disabled People – The National Centre for Accessible Transport (NCAT) has launched the Scaling Innovation Programme to enhance transport accessibility for disabled people in the UK. Delivered by Connected Places Catapult, the programme offers up to £150,000 in funding, as well as technical and business support, to as many as fifteen selected small and medium-sized enterprises developing accessible transport solutions. This programme offers SMEs the chance to tackle evidence-based challenges, as well as an open call for any organisations working on accessibility innovations in the transport sector. The programme challenges are:  Physical barriers in the street – to include the fixed infrastructure (e.g. pavement and furniture) and non-permanent street obstacles (e.g. signs, parked cars). Interactions with other people – a specific focus should be around transport interactions and experiences including assistance, boarding, alighting, booking, and ticketing. Open call (for ideas that fall outside the defined challenges) The competition is open to organisations of any size, including academia, research and technology organisations, industry, charities, central and local government etc. Applications are encouraged from both individual applicants and consortia.  Applications from D/deaf and Disabled People’s Organisations, as well as from individuals or entrepreneurs with lived experiences of disability, are particularly welcome. The application deadline is 5pm on the 28th of November 2024. Application Guidance Link: https://cp.catapult.org.uk/opportunity/national-centre-for-accessible-transport-ncat-scaling-innovation-programme-2025/