New funding programme for d/Deaf & disabled people, & other opportunities
Melanie May | 12 June 2023 | News
A round up of some of the current funding opportunities available, including a new grant programme for charities led by and working with d/Deaf and disabled people; Clifford Chance’s UN SDGs Award, and grants for small charities.
Lloyds Bank Foundation opens fund for d/Deaf and disabled people’s organisations
A new grant programme for charities led by and working with d/Deaf and disabled people in poverty has been launched by Lloyds Bank Foundation for England and Wales. This year, 40 eligible charities will receive an unrestricted grant of £75,000 over three years as well as additional support to strengthen their organisation.
Grants are open to small charities whose mission is to reduce poverty and disadvantage amongst d/Deaf and disabled people through welfare advice, advocacy, and frontline services. To be eligible, charities must have at least 75% of their trustees and 50% of their staff self-identifying as d/Deaf or Disabled, and an annual income between £25,000 and £500,000.
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Developed in partnership with d/Deaf and disabled groups, the new grant programme forms part of Lloyds Bank Foundation’s wider commitment to strengthen small charities and help communities and people overcome complex issues and barriers so they can transform their lives. By offering unrestricted funding and support to develop and strengthen to frontline charities, the Foundation aims to maximise the difference small charities can make to the lives of people facing systemic barriers.
The closing date for applications is 31 August 2023, 5pm; grants will be awarded from mid-December 2023.
More information here or by emailing en*******@ll******************.uk or calling 0370 411 1223.
Clifford Chance opens applications for 2023 global UN SDGs Award
International law firm Clifford Chance has opened applications for its 2023 global United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (UN SDGs) Award, which will focus on a range of SDGs which support widening access to sustainable economic opportunity and growth. The SDG Award will see the firm donate £50,000 and 500 hours of pro bono support to the winning NGO, helping build their capacity and scale the impact of their operations.
This year’s UN SDG Award aims to recognise outstanding contributions towards widening access to sustainable economic opportunity, with the focus primarily on aligning with SDG 8 (“Promote sustained, inclusive and sustainable economic growth, full and productive employment and decent work for all”), as well as the various targets under some of the other SDGs that are also relevant to widening access to sustainable economic opportunity.
The judges are particularly interested in award submissions that demonstrate innovative approaches that enable people to become economically self-sufficient, establish profitable businesses or access safe and secure employment, including through the use of technology. The submissions should also show potential to be replicated and scaled.
Entries will be reviewed by the same criteria irrespective of the entrant’s size, geographical location, or previous interaction with Clifford Chance.
Key application process dates:
- Application process opens on Monday 12 June 2023 and can be accessed here
- Application process closes on Thursday 20 July 2023
- Winner announced October 2023
£5,000 grants available for local Kent charities from Harmony Energy Income Trust
Harmony Energy Income Trust has launched a £5,000-a-year fund to support local community groups within a five-mile radius of its Broadditch Battery Energy Storage System (BESS) in Kent.
Local groups are invited to apply for a grant by submitting their project ideas. These can be any projects that support or benefit the local area within this area. The fund supports schemes that protect the environment, positively impact biodiversity, and support a happy and healthy community.
The closing date for applications is 1 June 2024, with decisions made on a bi-annual basis.
HS2 Ltd Community and Environment Fund (CEF) & Business and Local Economy Fund grants still available
HS2 Ltd has awarded £13,445,843 to 236 community projects on Phase One and Phase 2a over the last six years. Projects in Warwickshire have received £1.79mn in total.
The latest figures feature in Groundwork UK’s 2023 annual report, which also shows that £2,023,171 has been awarded to 39 projects between London and Crewe in the last 12 months while six projects in Warwickshire have shared £322,211 in funding.
HS2 created the Community and Environment Fund (CEF) and the Business and Local Economy Fund (BLEF) in 2017 for community groups and business partnerships impacted by the construction of Phase One (London to Birmingham) and Phase 2a (Birmingham to Crewe) of the HS2 project. Community charity Groundwork UK independently administers the funds.
Both of these funds are still open to applications. The first offers two types of funding: CEF Local, which focuses on quality of life and environment in individual communities; and CEF Strategic, which focuses on large projects across several communities and address broader rather than purely local concerns. The second invites applications for capital or revenue funding from £10,000 up to £250,000 for interventions that will have a positive impact on local economies.
Manchester foundation offers unrestricted funding to small charities
Following a successful pilot in Autumn last year in which three Manchester charities were awarded funding, charitable foundation The Fore has opened up support to more good causes.
The Fore has brought together a group of local entrepreneurs to donate £90,000 to boost communities in Greater Manchester. These funds will be distributed in July, divided between three small charities and social enterprises for their work supporting Mancunians.
Local business leaders Alistair Marsden, Steve Tudge and Chris Kenna are responsible for raising the funding, and on top of a £30,000 grant, The Fore will provide the charities with access to mentors from some of the UK’s top firms.
The Fore specialises in supporting innovative small charities at the heart of communities across the UK with unrestricted funding. They also offer training, mentoring and ongoing support to their leaders. It was founded in 2017 to support small charities and has so far made 532 grants, distributed £8.3mn in unrestricted funding, and enabled over 12,000 hours of skill-sharing. The Fore funds across four main areas: youth opportunities; mental health and wellbeing; social equity and inclusion; and sustainability.
Applicants’ annual revenue should be less than £500k, and they can be in any location or sector, but need to be registered in the UK.
London Marathon Foundation provides extra funding for Essex communities
Following the second edition of RideLondon in Essex, the London Marathon Foundation has announced additional funding of £750,000 for Essex communities, bringing the Foundation’s total funding awarded in Essex to £1.75 million since May 2022.
Essex became one of the London Marathon Foundation’s core funding areas last year, through a partnership between RideLondon (organised by London Marathon Events, the Foundation’s events company) and Essex County Council.
The Foundation’s funding in Essex will continue to be managed by Active Essex, building on an existing partnership which has supported more than 15,000 residents and counting to participate in physical activity.
In the first year of the funding partnership:
- More than 220 grants have been awarded through the Find Your Active small grants programme, supporting residents of all ages and abilities to get active across Essex by taking part in a wide range of activities.
- More than 700 free bikes have been distributed to residents in Clacton & Jaywick through the Essex Pedal Power programme, with more bikes to be distributed across Colchester, Harwich & Dovercourt and Basildon this summer.
- More than 70 schools have been supported to develop Active Travel Plans, so more pupils can walk, cycle or scoot to school.
Active Essex will use the new £750,000 to continue the Find Your Active small grants programme for another year – supporting projects that will help the Foundation’s priority audiences of children, young people and marginalised communities to get active, while also scaling up some of the projects previously funded through the programme over the past year. The new funding will also support the development of a Junior Essex Pedal Power programme, to provide free bikes to young people most in need.
The London Marathon Foundation provides funding through its Active Spaces Fund, Active Communities Fund, and Partnerships Fund. The Active Spaces Fund is open for applications for projects that will improve and activate spaces, places and facilities where children and young people and marginalised groups and communities can take part in sports and physical activity.
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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.