Great Fundraising Organizations, by Alan Clayton. Book cover.

4 local funding opportunities for charities & community groups

Melanie May

Melanie May | 9 February 2021 | News

If you’re a charity or community group in Kent, Letchworth, Leeds, or Hampshire & the Isle of Wight, here are some funding opportunities to check out. 

 

Kent Community Foundation celebrates 20th anniversary with new fund

To celebrate its 20th anniversary, the Kent Community Foundation has created a 20th Anniversary Fund to distribute over £350,000 to organisations across Kent and Medway.
The 20th Anniversary Fund will open for applications this month, from organisations who have previously received funding from Kent Community Foundation. The successful organisations will receive a first grant of £12,000 in April 2021, a second grant of £9,600 in April 2022 and an additional grant of £6,000 in April 2023 to be used towards their core costs, including utilities, rent, and staffing costs.
Josephine McCartney, Chief Executive, Kent Community Foundation, said:

“This year Kent Community Foundation is celebrating its 20th anniversary as a grant-maker. As part of our celebrations, we are delighted to be able to give thirteen local organisations the opportunity to secure three-year funding for their running costs. In 2020 we surveyed charitable groups in Kent and Medway and the results demonstrated that core funding was the area where these groups really needed help. Setting up a new 20th Anniversary Fund with funding from the John Swire 1989 Charitable Trust, seemed a really fitting way to celebrate our anniversary and we thank them for their support.”

More details about the Fund and its application criteria can be found at www.kentcf.org.uk/20th-anniversary-fund-core-support
 
 

New recovery fund for Letchworth good causes

Charities, clubs and community groups local to Letchworth that have been impacted by the pandemic can apply to a new recovery fund by Letchworth Garden City Heritage Foundation.
The Communities Looking Forward Grant will run throughout 2021 offering grants of up to £10,000 to sustain health, wellbeing and community action across Letchworth. This follows its roll out of the COVID-19 Catalyst Grants Programme in April 2020, which provided a safety net for local groups and charities who faced severe financial losses and administrative disruption.
Alastair Stewart, Head of Charitable Projects and Partnerships said:

“It is important that as a community and a charitable foundation we work together to support groups and charities impacted by the pandemic and at the same time help them plan for the coming year.
“Right now, some charitable organisations, clubs and groups across the town will be thinking about what they will need over the coming months to support or re-establish their offer to service users or club members. This grant will help implement their plans reconnect with their service users, members and communities.”

Applications for funding should:

The deadline for the first round of applications is the 26 February 2021.
For further information email Al**************@le********.com or ring 07714 521567. To apply, click here.
 
 

Deadline approaching for The Leeds Fund strategic grants for grassroot groups

Community organisations across Leeds have until noon this Friday (12 February) to apply to Leeds Community Foundation’s The Leeds Fund strategic grants programme.
The Foundation launched the programme to support community organisations across the city. The £600k fund will distribute grants to grassroots groups supporting core costs which will enable strategic development work alongside daily delivery, giving the sector the best chance of both delivering effectively, and surviving, in the years ahead.
Leeds Community Foundation launched The Leeds Fund in 2016 with nearly £2million distributed in grants to local community projects.
The priority for The Leeds Fund in 2021 is resilience, providing a lifeline and long-term stability for grassroots groups serving our communities. The Foundation will be seeking to attract investment into The Leeds Fund to support the sector by providing single and multi-year grants, which will enable groups to develop their operating and funding models and plan for the future. Priorities in previous years have focused around mental health, loneliness and inclusion.
Kate Hainsworth, Chief Executive of Leeds Community Foundation said:

“There is no doubt community-led activity has played a crucial role in national wellbeing and resilience during Covid-19 – closely connected with and complementing our emergency public services. What is less visible, is how fragmented and fragile is the infrastructure behind that community support — and how vulnerable it is to being swamped or swept away by the ongoing crisis. We need to invest more, and more consistently, in sustained resourcing of the community sector.”

Steph Taylor, Programmes Director at Leeds Community Foundation said:

“We’ve worked with a wide range of partners and groups we fund to develop this programme and approach and are committed to continuing to learn from our Community Organisations. We distributed nearly £790,000 in emergency funding to keep organisations existing during the initial Covid-19 lockdown in April 2020 and we hope The Leeds Fund strategic grants will support those frontline groups to continue to exist and thrive now and for many more years to come.

 
 


 

Grants available in Hampshire & Isle of Wight to support people into work

The Hampshire and Isle of Wight Community Foundation (HIWCF) has opened Round 2 of the Solent Supporting Employment Programme, providing an opportunity for community groups, charities and not-for-profit organisations to apply for grants of between £30,000 – £60,000 to help local people into employment.
The programme is focusing on supporting people in the most deprived communities, with the closing date for applications being midnight on 1 March 2021.
Grants are aimed at organisations with a proven record in employability, that are able to reach and work with people facing complex barriers to employment, including BAME communities, older people, people with disabilities and people experiencing mental health issues and homelessness.
More information about these grants is available here, and there are also three webinars coming up to provide more details.
 
 

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Melanie May

About Melanie May
Melanie May is a journalist and copywriter specialising in writing both for and about the charity and marketing services sectors since 2001. She can be reached via thepurplepim.com.

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