March 2018 | Newsletter

Spring has officially sprung – with all manner of daffodils blooming (although mostly hidden under the snow at the time of going to press!) If you’ve got any favourite springtime views, why not tweet us a photo @BewareBull – we’d love to see them!

 

Awards for All Training Course – Last Chance to Book!
This month, we’re running our acclaimed course Write A Successful Awards for All Bid. Recently updated, this focused workshop explains the new guidance and application form for the Big Lottery Fund’s Awards for All programme, leading you through the essential elements in preparing a strong bid. This course is perfect for anyone who’s new to writing Lottery bids, or if you’ve applied to Awards for All before and been rejected.You can book your place on this half-day course for just £75. The course takes place in York on Tuesday 27th March – for more information, and to book your place, visit our website.

 

New Grants For York-Based Organisations
The Two Ridings Community Foundation has recently launched a new funding pot to support charities and voluntary groups in York to ‘take their organisation towards sustainability and/or expansion’.Grants through the new Step Change fund will go towards running costs (e.g. rent, utilities, core staff salaries), but you must be able to show how a grant would help you to make the changes necessary to increase your capacity and/or make your organisation more sustainable.

Grants will be between £5,000 and £10,000, and each grant can cover up to 2 years’ activity. The next deadline for applications is 26th March. For more information, and to apply, visit the TRCF website.

 

The Essentials of Grant Fundraising
We’re running our Essentials of Grant Fundraising training course in York again this year, starting in June. The course takes place over three half-day sessions:

  • Foundation in Fundraising: learning the basic elements that must go in any funding bid, recognising funders’ buzzwords and what they mean, and unpacking funding options you need to be aware of
  • Core Knowledge: learning how to find the most appropriate funding for your project, understanding ‘need’ and how to evidence it, how to write, measure and explain outcomes, and know how to avoid common mistakes
  • Advanced Skills: learning to persuasively evidence your unique selling point, how to ensure your core costs are covered, and how to create your own funding strategy

Suitable for everyone from beginners to those wanting to brush up on their skills or get a final polish on their work, this training course is just what you need to write a winning funding bid.

The full price of this course is £220, but until 23rd April you can book your place for the amazing early bird price of just £120! For more information, and to book your place, visit our website.

 

Brian Mercer Charitable Trust
This charitable trust makes grants in 3 priority areas:

  • Prevention and relief of human suffering – work directed towards reducing suffering caused by poverty and ill health, both in the UK or overseas. In practice this is focused on medical treatment, and scientific/technological research.
  • Art – to encourage and support the development of promising young artists (working broadly in the field of visual arts), especially within the North West of the UK.
  • Causes local to Blackburn, Lancashire – to provide funding for well-designed, evidence-based interventions benefiting those living in the area of Blackburn, Lancashire.

75% of funding goes towards prevention and relief of human suffering, 15% towards art and 10% towards local causes in Blackburn.

The Trust prioritises work that has been proven to be effective (i.e. work that has been evaluated and found to have positive impact). They award around £800,000 worth of grants each year.

There is no official application form, but they ask you to submit your application in the format laid out on their website. The next deadline for applications is 24th April. For more information, visit the Trust’s website.
 

The Charles & Elsie Sykes Trust
This charitable trust supports registered charities, education or health/medical organisations based in Yorkshire or benefiting people in Yorkshire directly, for a range of charitable purposes, but with particular interest in: relief of hardship amongst children, older people and people with disabilities; and medical research projects. They make grants in the following categories:

  • Medical grants – supporting healthcare and medical research
  • Annual grants – for ongoing programmes, with funding renewed every year
  • Special grants – for one-off charitable projects
  • Exceptional grants/’Super Specials’ – grants made for exceptional circumstances, such as the trust’s anniversary

Grants are generally for amounts under £10,000. Applications should be made on the application form which is available on the Trust’s website. The next deadline for applications is Friday 27th April. For more information, and to download the application form, visit the Trust’s website.

 

Working With People With Acquired Disabilities?
The Paul Bush Foundation Trust makes grants to registered charities in England that work with people who have an acquired disability (including birth injuries that lead to a disability).Grants from the Paul Bush Foundation Trust are for one year only, and they are particularly keen to fund new projects. Grants of up to £10,000 are available, with around £45,000 per year being made in grants to charities. The Trust states that they are keen to fund:

  • Projects/items related to improving the health and well being of individuals suffering as the result of an acquired physical disability
  • Projects or services aimed at providing education to disabled people, their families and professionals regarding the difficulties they face
  • Projects or services that assist individuals or families to overcome social deprivation related to disability

Applications should be made on the Trust’s application form for charities, available on their website. The Trustees next meeting will be in April, so applications should be in before the end of March to be considered. For more information, and to download the application form, visit their website.

 

Transforming Lives With Tech
The Nominet Trust, a UK-based social tech investor, has recently published a report analysing social tech projects, sharing key insights into how social impact can be achieved on a large scale, and revealing five emerging trends in social tech. You can download and read the full report, Transforming Lives With Tech: A Global Conversation, here.

 

Opportunities Through Sport
The Peter Harrison Foundation primarily makes grants to projects which provide opportunities for people who are disabled or otherwise disadvantaged to fulfil their potential and develop personal and life skills through sport. Grants are often one-off grants for capital projects, but the Foundation will consider revenue funding for new projects or if funding is key to the continuing success or survival of an established project.The Foundation is particularly seeking the following:

  • Projects which provide a focus for skills development and confidence building through the medium of sport
  • Projects that have a strong training and/or educational theme within a sporting activity
  • Projects that provide sporting equipment or facilities for disabled or disadvantaged people
  • Projects with a high degree of community involvement
  • Projects that help to engage children or young people at risk of crime, truancy or addiction

Initial application is via an online enquiry form on the Foundation’s website. For more information, and to apply, visit the Peter Harrison Foundation website.

 

Theatres Trust Announces New Funding
The Theatres Trust has recently come to the end of its Urgent Repairs Scheme, a pilot in collaboration with the Wolfson Foundation. They have now announced a new funding programme: the Theatres Improvement Scheme. The scheme will distribute £100,000 each year for the next three years with awards of up to £20,000 per project.The theme for 2018 will be Improving Accessibility. Funding will be awarded to projects which make their theatre more accessible through changes to the building or its systems. The scheme will fund theatres and projects of all sizes “that demonstrate excellence in the pursuit of becoming an accessible theatre”.

The deadline for the 2018 round is Thursday 13th September. For more information, and to apply, visit the Theatres Trust website.

 

Civil Society Strategy – Have Your Say
The government has recently launched a consultation seeking your views on civil society and their future plans with a civil society strategy. If you want your voice to be heard, you can complete the consultation questionnaire here.