Grants for music projects with children & young people, plus more funding news
Melanie May | 10 September 2024 | News
Grants available for a range of good causes, from music projects, to women-led projects working with women and girls, and funding for grassroots organisations from the Happiness Fund.
Grants for music projects with children and young people
Youth Music has opened round 8 of its Trailblazer Fund, which offers grants of £2,000 to £30,000 to organisations in England to run projects for children and young people (25 or under) to make, learn and earn in music. Projects should trial work for the first time, test a new way of working, or disrupt the status quo.
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Projects must also meet one of Youth Music’s themes to be eligible:
- Early years
- Disabled, d/Deaf and neurodivergent young people
- Youth justice system
- Young people facing barriers
- Young adults
- Organisations and the workforce
The deadline for applications is 30 November at 5pm, with notification in March.
More information here.
Unity Trust Bank launches new £15,000 grant programme to mark its 40th birthday
Unity Trust Bank is inviting eligible customers to apply for a new Unity Impact Grant, as part of its 40th birthday pledge to make £40,000 in charitable donations this year. The scheme will provide grants of £5,000 to three socially-minded organisations to support their own projects – a total of £15,000.
Launched on 2 September, the initiative is part of the employee-led ‘Unity & Me’ programme, which was established to empower staff to deliver positive outcomes for employees, communities and the planet.
Unity has already supported multiple good causes throughout the year, so far allocating £20,500 to 24 organisations across the UK, including some that have been chosen directly by Unity employees. These include London homelessness charity, Providence Row, through sponsorship of its rooftop vegetable garden; the Mazi Project’s community kitchen in Bristol, which helps disadvantaged people learn new skills; and the John Thorton Young Achievers Foundation in Dorset, which provides scholarships and bursaries for young people.
More information here.
Energy debt grants now available for people on a credit or pre-payment meter account
One to share with service users: The British Gas Energy Trust is now offering energy debt grants up to £1,700 for both British Gas and non-British Gas customers with debt on a credit or pre-payment meter account.
Only pensioners in England and Wales who are in receipt of any one of Income Support, Income-based Jobseeker’s Allowance, Income-related Employment and Support Allowance, Pension Credit or Universal Credit will receive a winter fuel payment of between £100 and £300, subject to eligibility conditions.
In 2023-24, the Trust was able to support over 5,300 households with more than £7.8mn in energy debt grants, with over £5.1mn provided to those in England.
More information here.
Happiness Fund grants available for grassroots community-led organisations
Laughology’s Happiness Fund is available to enable and support projects that improve mental health, wellbeing, inclusion, learning and skills development in local communities.
Its objectives are to build happy, strong, resilient communities by supporting grassroots, not-for-profit projects that enable sustainable outcomes in: mental health wellbeing & happiness, inclusion, learning and skills development.
The fund is intended for new groups and activities, an applicants will need to indicate how the activity/group can become self-sustaining or able to attract funding from other sources in the longer term.
It awards £5,000 twice a year, and the deadline for applications is 4 October.
More information here.
Grants for Sussex community-led projects & chalk grassland restoration projects
Not-for-profit groups from Shoreham, Hove, Brighton and Lewes to Peacehaven, Newhaven, Seaford and Eastbourne can now apply for grants to fund projects that will make a lasting difference to their local communities through Changing Chalk’s Community Grants Scheme.
The scheme, run by the National Trust and funded by The National Lottery Heritage Fund, supports grassroots community-led initiatives that will help to restore lost habitats, bring local histories to life, and provide new experiences in the outdoors.
With a total of £150,000 to award over three years, there are grants of up to £7,500 available for community projects and up to £15,000 available for projects focusing on restoring the chalk grassland of the Downs, a priority for Changing Chalk. Due to inflationary cost increases, the total amounts groups can apply for has been increased. Over £90,000 has been awarded in total since June 2023 to Sussex community organisations.
Community groups, charities, local organisations, and other non-profit making organisations such as social enterprises or community interest companies, can apply for these grants. Schools, town councils and parish councils can also apply, as long as their project demonstrates wider community involvement and benefit. The deadline for applications is 13 October 2024. Groups with larger chalk grassland habitat conservation projects in mind should submit an Expression of Interest for an award of up to £15,000.
More information here.
Grants for women-led organisations in Scotland supporting women and girls
Corra’s Henry Duncan Grants 2024 are open for applications until 12 noon on 30 October, and are for women led organisations in Scotland that support women and girls within their local communities.
In particular, the grants will support women led organisations whose work has a focus on addressing the impacts of gender based violence of women and girls, as well as women led Black, Asian and Minority Ethnic organisations who are working on issues that impact women and/or girls in their communities.
Corra anticipates making grants up to a total of £865,000. Approximately 21-25 organisations in total are likely to receive funding, and in recognition of historic inequity in funding, Corra will commit 50% of this fund budget to support organisations that are led by women from Black, Asian, and Minority Ethnic communities.
More information here.
Hospice receives funding boost following cancer patient’s compensation claim against former employer
A different kind of funding story, from Kent: a Gravesend hospice has received a funding boost of £12,374.91, donated following a successful compensation claim against a former employer by a patient with a cancer linked almost exclusively to asbestos exposure.
The funds reflect the amount spent to date on the care of Norman (Nobby) Scott, 69, who was diagnosed in August 2022 with mesothelioma.
His health deteriorated rapidly within weeks of receiving the news that he had cancer, and he reached out to the London Asbestos Support Awareness Group (LASAG) for support, which referred him to ellenor Hospice to receive palliative care.
The hospice’s medical and support staff worked to stabilise his condition and found a combination of medication that helped to improve his symptoms. This meant his day-to-day health improved significantly enabling him to return home to his family and regularly return to ellenor Hospice for outpatient treatment, with his wife also receiving support.
Thompsons Solicitors secured the payout for Scott through a civil claim because he was negligently exposed to asbestos whilst at work. As part of the claim, Scott recovered the charitably funded portion of his treatment costs on behalf of the Hospice.
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.