New fund opens to boost innovation in tackling e-waste, & other funding news
Melanie May | 28 October 2022 | News
Here’s more funding news – opportunities and grants allocated. Including Virgin Media O2 and Hubbub’s new fund to help tackle e-waste, and funding from London Marathon Charitable Trust, VSSN, the Essex High Sheriff’s Fund, and a last chance to apply to the LGBT+ Futures Equity Fund.
Virgin Media O2 & Hubbub launch £500,000 fund to boost innovation in tackling electronic waste
For the next six months, the Time after Time e-waste fund will award grants of between £10,000 and £75,000 for UK projects which reduce e-waste, encourage recycling of electronic goods, or support devices being used over and over again.
Virgin Media O2 and Hubbub’s Time After Time fund will focus on projects that support the reuse, repair and recycle of small WEEE (waste electrical and electronic equipment) from smartphones and laptops to toys and DIY equipment. Projects should aim to prevent e-waste by extending the life of small electrical items; that increase the recycling of e-waste; or increase our understanding of e-waste and reach new audiences.
Advertisement
Hubbub and Virgin Media O2 are inviting applications from charities, academic bodies, community interest companies, social enterprises, registered companies, local authorities and Business Improvement Districts. Projects will have to demonstrate measurable impact and a clear legacy and will need to launch by April 2023.
This initiative forms part of Virgin Media O2’s Better Connections Plan – the company’s new sustainability strategy.
Gavin Ellis, Co-founder of Hubbub said:
“E-waste is a pressing environmental issue so this funding is very welcome and will help us support a range of initiatives that could have a significant impact. Whether that’s a research project that supports a reduction in e-waste, a campaign that raises awareness amongst key audiences, or a project that directly tackles the causes of e-waste. We’re particularly welcoming applications that engage people aged 16-24 who are not only heavy users of electrical items but are key to helping tackle this issue in the future.”
The application process opens today, Friday 28 October, and closes at 17:00 on Wednesday 14 December. Selected projects will then be asked to submit a full application.
London Marathon Charitable Trust opens Active Spaces Fund for applications
The London Marathon Charitable Trust (The Trust) has today (28 October) opened its new Active Spaces Fund, aiming to support projects across the capital that will inspire activity for people who need the most help to be active.
Through the Active Spaces Fund, organisations and community groups in London can apply for funding for projects that will improve and activate spaces, places and facilities that will help children and young people and marginalised groups and communities to lead active and healthy lives. It is hoped that up to £5 million will be available through the fund over the next three years, with most grants being between £5,000 and £50,000 per project.
This is The Trust’s first open fund since April 2020. During the pandemic, The Trust focused on supporting its existing funded organisations, while working on a new strategy to inspire, encourage and champion participation and diversity in physical activity. The Active Spaces Fund is the first open fund as part of this new strategy.
More information on the fund and how to apply is available here.
Essex High Sheriff’s Fund opens for applications
The High Sheriff’s Fund in Essex is open for applications. Charities and voluntary groups that are playing a vital role in keeping people safe from harm, helping victims of crime or delivering activities that are making their local communities safer places, can apply for funding to support their work.
Grants are available from the independent charitable trust, Essex Community Foundation (ECF), which manages the High Sheriffs’ Fund and other charitable funds that support community safety initiatives across the county.
A service supporting victims of modern slavery, counselling for women and children who have experienced domestic abuse and work placement opportunities for ex-offenders are among the projects that have received funding previously.
The deadline to make applications for the latest round of grants is Thursday 1 December and organisations across Essex are being encouraged to contact ECF to apply.
While this fund is for Essex, each county has its own High Sheriff and is likely to have a similar fund.
VSSN offers grants for ideas & activities that will benefit voluntary sector studies
The Voluntary Sector Studies Network is offering grants to members for proposals to support and develop an idea or activity that will benefit voluntary sector studies in the UK.
The grants are for creative approaches using multimedia (such as podcasts, film/ animation) or can be used to fund seminars, workshops, roundtables, webinars and other activities linked to research, learning and teaching. The main focus will be to bring individual researchers and/ or practitioners and/or policy makers together to create a dialogue on a voluntary sector and volunteering related issue. In particular, the VSSN encourages applications that will provide ongoing dialogue.
The types of things it funded in 2020 and 2021 include:
• a series of online sessions that explored the issue of emotion and feelings in voluntary sector work.
• an in-person day event running a series of sessions exploring and acknowledging complexity and learning from failure during evaluation research.
• training for small charities in making no/low budget films which led to developing an online course.
Each project can be for up to £750 with a closing date for applications of 5 December 2022.
More details of the grants and how to apply are available on the website. Applicants must fill out the application form either online or download and email it to gr****@vs**.uk
VSSN particularly welcomes applications from people from under-represented groups. It will also be holding an online drop in session on 1 November, at 3 – 4pm to answer any queries about applying for the grant scheme.
Last chance for grassroots funding from LGBT+ Futures Equity Fund
In advance of the LGBT+ Futures Equity Fund closing at the end of October and in addition to its other grants, Consortium is making grants of up to £1000 available to grassroots groups and organisations that are majority led by and delivering services for underrepresented groups in the UK. The priorities are LGBT+ women, LGBT+ people of colour, older LGBT+ people, disabled LGBT+ people, and trans people.
Consortium and its Community Collaborators, working in partnership with The National Lottery Community Fund launched the LGBT+ Futures: Equity Fund earlier this year. This Fund has been enabled thanks to National Lottery players.
£465,000 is available through small grants to LGBT+ groups and organisations who are community-led and whose primary focus is one of its 5 priority targeted areas: trans and non-binary people; those facing racial injustice; D/deaf and/or disabled people; older people; and lesbian, bisexual and trans+ Women.
Thanks to additional funding from Comic Relief, £90,000 is also available for those in Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland.
Grants are available for organisational running costs, projects and organisational / leadership development and can range from £100 – £25,000.
The Fund closes to new applications at 11:59pm on Monday 31 October.
11 community organisations receive funding boost from Black History Month 365 Fund
As Black History Month draws to a close, eleven community organisations are celebrating thanks to funding from the Black History Month 365 Fund.
The fund was first launched by A2 Dominion Housing Group in partnership with Catalyst Housing, Metropolitan Thames Valley Housing and Network Homes. Designed to support local voluntary groups throughout the year, it provides grants of up to £500 for events and activities which celebrate black history.
Sovereign joined the Black History Month 365 Fund earlier this year – providing £4,000 in funding and sitting on the awarding panel for this latest round of funding. In total £5,450 was awarded throughout October to groups celebrating black history and the fabulous achievements of individuals with African and Caribbean heritage.
A2 Dominion Housing Group administers the fund and is responsible for all payments. Sovereign advertises the fund and helps to decide which projects should be awarded funding.
The projects which received funding include:
- African & Caribbean Heritage Association which received £500 to run its annual BHM event at The Phoenix Leisure Centre in Wallington, South London.
- Ameina Centre CIC was awarded £500 to run a health and wellbeing service for young people aged 16-24-years-old within the Ambleside area in Luton. The project also aims to promote the awareness of black history.
- Dee Caf CIC received £500 to host an event with food and music from local artists who have an African or Caribbean background. Dee Caf CIC is a community café based in Tilehurst, Reading.
The Black History Month 365 Fund will go live for the next round of funding in early 2023.
Benefact Group donates over £500,000 to good causes
As part of its Movement for Good Awards the Benefact Group has donated over £500,000 to charitable causes leading the change in key sectors across the UK.
Seven charities working to reduce the impact of climate change have been awarded £132,000, while eight working in education and skills have received £92,200. A further £188,400 has been donated to eight causes operating in heritage and arts, and £91,000 has been given to eight charities in the rural and community sector.
The awards are designed to help charities make a real difference in their communities. More than 500 charities applied for the funding with the winning projects being selected against four criteria: impact and effectiveness, sustainability, innovation, and care and compassion.
The charities set to benefit include the InterClimate Trust, The Landmark Trust, Trees For Cities, The English Heritage Trust, National Operatic and Dramatic Association, Black Swimming Association, Read Easy UK, The Royal Agricultural Benevolent Institution and Alzheimer’s Society.
From rewilding land to protect heritage sites from climate change and teaching children from under-served communities to swim, through to connecting hundreds of children with the countryside and helping farmers with their mental health – the grants will fund essential projects and initiatives that will benefit many thousands of people across the UK.
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.