Funding Bulletin

Welcome to our funding roundup – updated October 2024!

Welcome to the CVS Inverclyde Funding Bulletin for October 2024.

We hope this page provides you up to date information and inspiration to submit applications to support your valuable work across Inverclyde. Please make sure that you follow us on Facebook to keep up to date on deadline information and funds with short lead in time.

If you are working on an application and need some support, please contact us at funding@cvsinverclyde.org.uk to find out about our editing and enhancement service, or sign up for one of our funding events on our website.

Upcoming Funding Events

Funding Surgery

Looking for funding for a project, or running costs and need some help?

Then come along to our next in-person funding surgery on Thursday 10 October at our office in West College Scotland, Finnart Street, Greenock.

Anne from the Funding Team will be on hand to answer your queries.

For those who can’t make it to the above, we will also have a virtual funding surgery on the Tuesday 22 October in the afternoon. These sessions will be held over Zoom.

Spaces for both surgeries are limited, please email sabrina.sigler@cvsinverclyde.org.uk to book a slot.

News

Inverclyde Communities Mental Health and Wellbeing Fund for Adults Grant Programme (2024-25)

The Inverclyde Communities Mental Health and Wellbeing Fund for Adults is now open for 2024/25. The grant programme is managed by CVS Inverclyde on behalf of the Scottish Government.

The overarching aim of the Fund is to support community-based initiatives that promote and develop good mental health and wellbeing and/or mitigate and protect against the impact of distress and mental ill health, with a particular focus in 2024/25 on:

Tackling mental health inequalities through supporting “at risk groups”.

Addressing priority issues of social isolation, loneliness suicide prevention and poverty and inequality, with a particular emphasis on responding to the cost of living crisis and support to those who face socio-economic disadvantage.

Supporting small ‘grass roots’ community groups and organisations to deliver such activities.

Providing opportunities for people to connect with each other, build trusted relationships and revitalise communities.

Supporting recovery and creativity locally by building on what is already there and by investing in creative solutions.

Applications will be accepted from a range of voluntary, ‘not for profit’ organisations, associations, groups and clubs or consortiums/partnerships which have a strong community focus, including un-constituted groups provided they have a bank account in their name.

Organisations can apply for a maximum of £15,000 and applications close at 10am on Monday 4 November 2024.

Further information and related documents can be found below.

A virtual fund information session will be held at 10 am on Tuesday 15 October 2024. Sign up by emailing funding@cvsinverclyde.org.uk

The Robertson Trust – Transport Grants and Wee Grants: Now Open

The Roberston Trust has opened their Transport Grants and Wee Grants Programmes.

Transport Grants offer increased funding for charities of between £5K-20K per year for 1-3 years. By supporting the costs of a vehicle, or transport costs more broadly, the fund aims to help charities deliver their services and remove barriers for people and places affected by poverty and trauma.

Wee Grants offer funding of up to £5,000 for constituted community groups and charities in Scotland with an annual income of less than £30,000. This marks an increase from the previous maximum of £2,000. These grants aim to support organisations who are focused on building strong communities in places which have higher rates of poverty and trauma, or who are working with certain groups of people who are at a higher risk of experiencing poverty and trauma.

Spotlight On

Corra Foundation – The Way Forward for Families Partnership

Overview: The second round of The Way Forward for Families Partnership (Way Forward) is now open, with a total of £900,000 of funding available. Way Forward is focused on improving the lives and outcomes for children, young people and families in Scotland who are affected by drugs and alcohol.

Applications are invited from partnerships – with a third sector organisation as the lead applicant and one or more partners, one of which must be a public sector body. To apply for this fund your organisations should:

Be a constituted third sector organisation
Currently be delivering services for children, young people and families affected by drugs and alcohol
Have endorsement from a relevant public sector partner
Be able to demonstrate at least 50% matched funding in each funding year
Have formal partnership arrangements with public sector partner for delivery of the project

Grant Levels: Partnerships can apply for funding of up to £250,000 over three years and must be match funded by a public sector partner.

Deadline: Organisations interested in applying to the fund should email WFFP@corra.scot to arrange an initial discussion about your project. The closing date for applications is 2 pm on Thursday 28 November 2024.

Read more: https://www.corra.scot/grants/the-way-forward-for-families-partnership/

Last Chance to Apply – Deadlines until 16 October 2024

The Gannochy Trust – 4 October 2024

The Gannochy Trust awards grants to registered charities for work across Scotland. They hope to develop and inspire young people aged 11 – 21 with the following aims.

Increased peer leadership or peer mentoring.
Better employment options that can be measured.
Accredited non-formal learning through voluntary activity in the community.

Programmes that lead to improved mental health or wellbeing are particularly encouraged.

The Bromley Trust – Prison Reform – 11 October 2024

The Prison Reform grants programme currently focuses on funding charities working to bring about a more humane and effective UK prison system that supports people’s rehabilitation.

Successful applicants will be using the expertise developed through their direct frontline work with people in prison to have a wider impact and help bring about improvements to policy or practice in this area.

The size of each grant is decided by the Trustees and usually ranges from £15,000 to £30,000 a year for up to 3 years (most grants awarded will be at £20,000 or £25,000 a year).

Impact Funding Partners – Anti-Racism Community Engagement Fund – 11 October 2024

The Anti-Racism Community Engagement Fund aims to provide community groups and organisations with funds, within this short timescale, to create a focused engagement/ or a series of engagements on the future Anti-Racism Observatory of Scotland (AROS). The intention for the funding is:

To build a deeper community understanding of the future AROS.

To undertake a series of focused conversations about how the participatory community research undertaken by the Anti-Racism Interim Governance Group (AIGG) in 2023 fed into the developing plan for the new organisation. More information on this research can be found in the documents below.
To build a deeper community understanding of the future AROS.
To explore, from this baseline, how people think the future AROS could work for them.

Organisations led by people adversely impacted by racism are particularly welcomed to apply. Community events must take place between 10th September, October and up to 15th November 2024.

The Armed Forces Covenant Fund Trust – Free from Fear Programme – 16 October 2024

This programme offers grants between £75,000 and £150,000 to address the impact of domestic abuse and support initiatives aimed at having a long-term effect in preventing domestic abuse in serving Armed Forces communities or assisting those affected.

Applications are welcome from registered charities, Community Interest Companies (CICs), and Armed Forces bases/units.

Projects should achieve one or more of the following outcomes:

Deliver effective, preventative and educational measures regarding domestic abuse within Armed Forces communities, by addressing emerging and current challenges.
Provide clear routes, or remove barriers, to enable victim-survivors to access effective support, including the ability to recognise and report domestic abuse.
Establish long-term, sustainable improvements and adaptation of support to meet the evolving needs of victim-survivors.

Funds with Deadlines

Corra Foundation – Henry Duncan Grants – 30 October 2024

Corra’s Henry Duncan Grants 2024 is for women led organisations in Scotland that support women and girls within their local communities.

The grants will provide unrestricted funding of £40,000 across five years (£8,000 per year) to charities and registered not for profit organisations with a yearly income of up to £250,000.

Henry Duncan Grants will support Women Led organisations whose work has a focus on addressing the impacts of gender-based violence of women and girls. The grants will also support Women Led Black, Asian and Minority Ethnic organisations who are working on issues that impact women and/or girls in their communities.

WCIT Charity – 31 October 2024

The WCIT Charity is a national charity with the purpose is to use the power of tech for impact through digital inclusion, education, charitable, and public engagement initiatives across the UK.

Registered charities, educational establishments and organisations with a formal not-for-profit constitution such as a community interest companies are eligible to apply for funding which relate to one or more of the priority areas listed above.

Projects need to demonstrate an innovative use of IT, be scalable for wider replication, and be sustainable over time.

Ramble Worldwide Outdoor Trust – 31 October 2024

Ramble Worldwide Outdoor Trust supports a variety of outdoor, walking related or environmental conservation projects.

The Trust receives regular applications and gives awards to support groups that encourage responsible outdoor activity, introduce new people to the outdoors and have long-lasting benefits. They have a focus on encouraging both young and old to experience the beauty and rewards that our countryside can bring. Examples of initiatives the Trust has supported in the past include:

Enabling young people to attend adventure courses
Supporting the production of literature to assist children with multiple disabilities to engage with nature
Providing funds to support a new Duke of Edinburgh award centre
Contributing towards training costs of outdoor qualifications
Repairing footpaths
Financial support for The Ramblers

The Linder Foundation – Young People – 31 October 2024

The Linder Foundation supports projects that aim to improve outcomes for vulnerable young people, particularly those who have suffered from Adverse Childhood Experiences and childhood trauma. Priority will be given to projects:

Providing early intervention and rehabilitation designed to prevent offending or re-offending; or
Aiming to strengthen families and keep children out of care.

The Linder Foundation – The Environment – 31 October 2024

The Trustees are especially interested in charities whose work is centred around protecting and enhancing the natural world. Trustees are looking to support projects which:

Focus on land-based projects relating to biodiversity, such as sustainable farming practices, and/or species preservation/re-introduction.
Are locally or regionally based.
Can be rural or urban.
Could contain a research element that seeks to provide the evidence base for change and has the potential to be scaled up.
Involve volunteers and/or community engagement.

The Rowing Foundation – 4 November 2024

The Rowing Foundation provides grants towards the cost of boat equipment or boat refurbishments to support junior & student rowers, and adaptive rowing for all ages.

Grants are only available to o clubs, schools and organisations. The award must be for a specific purpose, not as a contribution to general funds.

Grants are awarded as a 50% match to the monies spent on the equipment purchased (up to a maximum of £4,000 including VAT).

Creative Scotland – Strengthening Youth Music – 19 November 2024

The purpose of the Strengthening Youth Music fund is to improve the youth music sector infrastructure and the services that organisers offer to strengthen the youth music sector in Scotland for the benefit of children and young people.

The fund is for organisations and individuals based in Scotland or those who are working to develop the youth music sector in Scotland for the benefit of children and young people of Scotland.

Applicants can apply to the Strengthening Youth Music Fund for between £1,000–£20,000, for up to 12 months of activity

Women’s Fund for Scotland 18 November 2024

The Women’s Fund for Scotland (WFS) aims to promote systemic change in Scotland to empower women, and to help overcome the multiple disadvantages and discriminatory practices that females experience throughout their lives. 

The Women’s Fund for Scotland (WFS) has £100,000 in total available to distribute in grants of up to £5,000 to projects across Scotland that support women’s development, self-sufficiency and social and economic equality.

The Women’s Fund for Scotland makes grants across six key investment themes:

The programme application portal opens on Tuesday 15 October 2024.

They are interested in organisations who embody cultural democracy through:

Placing communities at the heart of their creative work.
Exploring new ways of connecting arts and society, particularly through Fostering co-creation between communities, artists, and other partners.
Supporting people from across their communities to develop their creativity and discover their individual voices.
Empowering their communities to work together to shape local place, shared identity, and collective agency.
Combatting poverty and building financial resilience

Cultural Bridge – 26 November 2024

Cultural Bridge supports arts and cultural organisations across the UK and Germany to develop partnerships that explore social arts practice. They are interested in organisations who embody cultural democracy through:

Placing communities at the heart of their creative work.
Exploring new ways of connecting arts and society, particularly through Fostering co-creation between communities, artists, and other partners.
Supporting people from across their communities to develop their creativity and discover their individual voices.
Empowering their communities to work together to shape local place, shared identity, and collective agency.

Programmes with Rolling Deadlines

Greene King – Proud to Pitch In

The Proud To Pitch In fund is open throughout the year and offer grants of up to £4,000 to grassroots and community sports clubs across the United Kingdom. Grants will be distributed regularly throughout the year.

To be eligible for funding, projects must be located in the United Kingdom and project beneficiaries must be aged 18 or over.

Shackleton Foundation

The Shackleton Foundation invests in inspirational leaders and early-stage social enterprises with the potential to make a real difference to the lives of disadvantaged young people.

The foundation provides up to £10,000 of seed funding and support to enable aspiring leaders and social entrepreneurs to establish their own ventures to help young people in challenging circumstances.

Applications are considered by trustees four times a year, and applicants that are short-listed will be invited to present at one of the Trustees quarterly meetings.

Screwfix Foundation

The Screwfix Foundation is a grant giving charity with a purpose to support projects to improve, repair and maintain homes and community facilities used by those in need throughout the UK. They currently offer registered charities and not for profit organisations funding up to the region of £5,000.

Material Focus Electricals Recycling Fund

The Electricals Recycling Fund aims to grow existing methods or test new creative and practical ones for recycling small household electricals.

If you are a registered organisation within local authority, waste collection, non-profits/community sector organisations or retail areas you may be eligible for funding.

Projects should make it easier for the public to repair, reuse or recycle their electricals.

Trusthouse Charitable Foundation – Major Grants

The Major Grants programme funds organisations with a turnover of up to £500,000 with a focus on family support. This may include:

Early intervention
Families coping with addiction
Prisoners’ families

Your organisation’s postcode, or the project area, must be ranked within the most deprived 15% of the Index of Multiple Deprivation (IMD) for urban areas or within the most deprived 50% for rural areas.

Funding available includes:

Providing early intervention and rehabilitation designed to prevent offending or re-offending; or
Aiming to strengthen families and keep children out of care.

Trusthouse Charitable Foundation – Small Grants

The Small Grants programme funds organisations with a turnover of up to £250,000 with a focus on community support.

You may eligible if:

Your organisation’s postcode, or the project area, must be ranked within the most deprived 15% of the Index of Multiple Deprivation (IMD) for urban areas or within the most deprived 50% for rural areas.
Your project has a focus on community support
Your annual income does not exceed £250,000
You can secure 50% of the total project costs
You can supply your most recent annual accounts
You can start spending the grant within 1-2 months of receipt
You are embedded in your local community

AHF – Project Viability Grant

Project Viability Grants (PVG) are to fund studies to look at potential uses for a building and at its current condition, and usually produce a Viability Report to a standard template.

Successful completion of this will be used to judge whether applicants can then apply for the AHF’s Project Development Grant funding and can be used to secure further funding elsewhere. This grant is administered on a monthly rolling basis with a maximum offer of £10,000 and average offer of £6,000.

This grant programme is supported by funding from Historic Environment Scotland.

National Lottery – Climate Action Fund – Our Shared Future

The Climate Action Fund – Our Shared Future is a commitment to help communities tackle climate change and be environmentally sustainable.

The fund hopes to involve more people in climate action and inspire bold and exciting change. Eligible projects should be delivered by formal partnerships that reach more people by either:

Linking climate action to the everyday lives and interests of local communities and inspiring them to take action.
Influencing communities at a regional or national level. Like linking up groups across locations. Or a campaign that inspires change across one country, or the whole UK.

You do not have to be a climate or environment focused organisation to apply but one of the partners should have experience of climate or environment work.

National Lottery – Young Start

Young Start offers funding from £20,001 to £100,000 to help children and young people across Scotland become more confident, so they can realise their own potential.

Work that achieves at least one of the following three outcomes may be successful:

Children and young people have better physical, mental and emotional wellbeing
Children and young people have better connections with the wider community
Children and young people get access to new skills and training opportunities which will help them to get a new job or start a business.

You can apply if you’re a constituted voluntary or community group. This includes co-operatives, housing associations, sports clubs and community interest companies (CIC’s).

Non-Grant Support

B&Q Community Re-use

The Community Re-use Programme donates products to local causes, reducing waste while helping good causes. This includes supporting schools, colleges, refuges, hostels, hospices, wellbeing groups and youth clubs, to access additional resources. These are the most common items donated: 

Plastic plant pots and trays
Plants that are past their best and other compostable materials
Damaged or part filled cans of paint White pallets
Broken tiles and slabs
Ends of wallpaper rolls
End of line stock

Woodland Trust – Free Trees for Schools and Communities

The Woodland Trust wants to make sure everybody in the UK has the chance to plant a tree. Therefore, are giving away hundreds of thousands of trees to schools and communities.

Schools, nurseries, colleges, universities, outdoor learning centres, resident associations, sports clubs, parish councils, scouts, guides and many more are all eligible to apply.

Applicants don’t need to belong to an official organisation but must be not-for-profit.