October 2017 | Newsletter

The nights are drawing in, and the rain’s coming down like cats and dogs… we don’t much fancy leaving the house, and we bet you don’t either! Luckily for you, we’ve written a fantastically interesting newsletter to keep you entertained. Enjoy!

 

 

Aviva Community Fund Now Open!
Submit your project now on the Aviva Community Fund page to be in with a chance of winning cash for your project! To be eligible, projects should:

  • make a positive difference in your community
  • be associated with a community organisation or charity, and take place in the UK
  • be completed or well underway before 31 December 2018
  • ideally be able to be completed with the requested funding alone.

There are 4 project categories, and your project will need to fit into at least one of them:

  • Health and Wellbeing
  • Skills for Life
  • Community support
  • Inclusivity

You can apply for various levels of grant, up to £25,000. Submissions close on 10th October, so you’ll have to get your skates on. Voting is then open between 24th October – 21st November – so make sure you’re geared up to get all your charity’s supporters voting! The final outcome of all votes will be announced in January. For more information, and to apply, visit the Aviva Community Fund website.

 

Great Free Resources
The Big Lottery Fund has some fantastic free resources which can help you make your project the best it can be. They’re also really helpful for designing funding bids, evaluation and strategy. One page we’ve found particularly useful recently is their guide to working with young people. Covering all aspects of good practice, with links to some fabulous research, this could be just what you need!If that’s not relevant to your project, never fear: there are heaps more topics covered by their resources. Check out the research section on the Big Lottery Fund website and see what there is for you.

 

Working With Vulnerable Children?
The Magdalen Hospital Trust makes small grants (usually £500 – £2,000) towards projects that support vulnerable children and young adults – particularly projects that:

  • provide training for work and personal development,
  • provide clubs for young people,
  • assist crime prevention,
  • provide emergency care,
  • provide play schemes,and
  • provide mental health support and counselling.

To be eligible, you must be a registered charity, with an income of less than £150,000 per year. The next application round is open between 1st – 31st October – applications received outside these dates will not be considered. Applications should be made on the Trust’s application form, which can be downloaded from their website.

 

Do You Know How To Shine Online?
Managing a charity’s online presence can be a minefield: understanding who your target audience is, where to find them, how to keep them coming back for more – and above all, how much your website is likely to cost. Luckily, user experience and digital agency DotLabel has just launched ​a free e-book which aims to demystify the process. Their new resource promises to give you ​key insider information, as well as actionable advice and ​top tips to consider when planning your new website. You can download the e-book here.

 

Comic Relief
Thanks to last year’s new grantmaking strategy, it’s worth checking Comic Relief’s open funding pots regularly – they change every couple of months. Funding is currently available for:

  • Projects delivering mental health support for young men
  • Rugby-related projects that deliver social change
  • Women-led projects in Ghana, Kenya or South Africa

All Comic Relief funding pots have different opening and closing dates, so it’s worth keeping a close eye on them – you can find out everything you need to know on the Comic Relief website.

 

Peter Stebbings Memorial Charity
This charity makes grants to UK registered charities, for work in the UK and overseas. Projects in the UK should fall into the following categories:

  • Medical research and care
  • Social welfare
  • Homelessness
  • Hospices
  • Mental health/counselling
  • Drug and alcohol therapeutic support
  • Offender support
  • Community regeneration
  • Vulnerable families, women and children

Projects overseas should take place in ‘low or middle income countries’ and fall into the following categories:

  • Education
  • Basic skills and tools
  • Health
  • Sanitation, irrigation, hygiene, access to clean water
  • Women’s education, economics, reproduction
  • Help for marginalised communities

To be eligible to apply, charities should have an income of under £5 million. Grants average around £9,000, and generally range from under £3,000 to over £40,000.

Applications should be made on the charity’s application form, available to download from their website. The next deadline for applications is 30th November – successful applications will receive their grant in February/March next year.

 

Heritage Project Seeking Funding?
If you’re embarking on a heritage project, funding will probably be at the forefront of your mind. Giving to Heritage will be running a funding workshop for heritage projects on Tuesday 24th October, at the Carpenters’ Hall, London, from 9.30am – 4.30pm.The first half of the workshop will offer guidance from the Institute of Fundraising on how and where to look for funds, and in particular the crucial issues of ‘making the case for heritage’ and ‘how to measure and communicate heritage impact’ in order to convince donors, and remain ahead of any competitors.In the afternoon, there will be a focus on social investment by CAN Invest, exploring whether social investment funds are suited to your heritage organisation, where to look for them and how to apply.

The workshop costs £19 for the full day (including lunch). For more information, and to book, visit the event page.

 

 

NFU Mutual Charitable Trust
This charitable trust makes grants towards projects connected with agriculture, the countryside and the insurance industry – in particular, projects which:

  • support education for young people in rural areas
  • improve public knowledge of agriculture
  • relieve rural poverty
  • promote research into agriculture
  • improve public knowledge of insurance

The Trust makes grants of between £1,000 and £50,000, although their current funding priority is to make a smaller number of larger grants towards initiatives that will have national impact.

The next deadline for applications is 27th October. For more details on eligibility and how to apply, visit the Trust’s website.
 

Build Your Charity’s Finances
The Sir Robert McAlpine Foundation makes grants of £5,000 and over to charities with an income of less than £1 million. The foundation generally supports causes concerned with children with disabilities, older people, medical research and social welfare. The majority of grants are made to national charities, but local charities are also eligible to apply.There is no application form and no official deadline – although grant requests are generally considered in November, so now is a great time to submit a request. Applications should be made in writing and posted to the Foundation’s registered office at:

Sir Robert McAlpine Foundation
c/o Gillian Bush
Sir Robert McAlpine Ltd
Eaton Court
Maylands Avenue
Hemel Hempstead
Hertfordshire
HP2 7TR