Big Give’s 2023 Green Match Fund opens for applications – & more funding opportunities
Melanie May | 27 January 2023 | News
The Green Match Fund and The Childhood Trust’s Champions for Children campaign are both now open for applications, while a host of funders are offering support for good causes around the country. More on these opportunities below.
The Childhood Trust’s Champions for Children campaign opens for applications
Applications for The Childhood Trust’s Champions for Children campaign are open, providing unrestricted funding to charities working to alleviate the impact of poverty on children across London. Charities can apply now to be involved and have their donations doubled.
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Champions for Children takes place from 6-13 June. Last year saw £3mn raised for 81 charities.
Charities that complete the application are automatically enrolled on to the next stage, which involves securing the Pledgers for the campaign. Their pledges make up part of the match funding pot. Charities must secure a minimum of £1k in pledges to be eligible for Champion funding. The amount of pledges secured determines the amount of Champion funds charities are eligible to receive. The combined amount of pledges and Champion funds make up the charities’ match funding pot.
During the campaign week, All donations to participating charities are doubled. Pledge funds are used to match online donations first. When these are exhausted, the Champion funds are used to match online donations.
To help, the Childhood Trust provides a free suite of resources to help support charities to maximise the opportunity and market the campaign.
Big Give 2023 Green Match Fund open for applications
Charities working on environmental issues as part of their core mission can now apply to take part in the Big Give’s 2023 Green Match Fund.
Applications are open now until 17 February, with the Green Match Fund taking place from 20-27 April.
Last year’s campaign raised £2.7mn for 146 environmental charities with almost 13,500 donations given.
All public donations made to participating charities via theBigGive.org.uk during the week of the campaign will be matched up to a specific amount.
Last chance to apply for a grant from the Amazon Literary Partnership
The Amazon Literary Partnership has issued a last call for grant applications before the entry period closes on 31 January 2023.
Returning for a fourth year, the Amazon Literary Partnership (ALP) provides grants to UK non-profit literary organisations that support emerging writers, champion diversity and celebrate storytelling. In 2022, the ALP supported 28 literary groups across the UK – from organisations dedicated to helping children and young adults develop their writing skills, to those championing the next generation of playwrights who might otherwise lack pathways into writing.
Applicants can head to apply.amazonliterarypartnership.co.uk to learn more, and successful grant recipients will be notified by 16 May 2023.
Grants for groups to keep services & projects running
The Essex Fund is open for applications with Essex based charities encouraged to apply for financial support to keep their services and projects running.
Groups can apply for up to £5,000 towards their core and operating expenditure, project costs or capital items.
The Fund, which is managed by the Essex Community Foundation, was set up by Essex County Council in 2000 to provide annual support to the voluntary and community sector in Essex. Since it was set up, the Fund has given out nearly £1.5 million in grants.
Organisations and projects that help unpaid carers, improve the environment or engage people in environmental projects, provide a community resource or activities that help young people, including arts, culture and heritage projects, are all eligible for consideration. The panel is particularly interested in supporting smaller voluntary organisations and projects that are working in areas of deprivation where there is a lack of facilities.
The deadline for applications is Friday 3 March, 5pm and organisations across Essex are being encouraged to contact Essex Community Foundation (ECF) to apply.
NFU Mutual announces £3.25mn of funding for local & national charities
In response to the ongoing challenges faced by communities across the country, NFU Mutual has announced £3.25mn of funding for local and national charities during 2023.
NFU Mutual will be donating £1.92mn to local front-line charities through its Agency Giving Fund. NFU Mutual’s Agency and branch offices, covering more than 295 locations nationwide, will be invited to nominate frontline charities to receive a share of this fund.
To support national and regional charities, NFU Mutual is pledging £1mn to the NFU Mutual Charitable Trust, which supports other charities and organisations working in the interests of agriculture, rural communities and the countryside. Details of how to apply to the Trust are available here.
Alongside this, NFU Mutual has also committed £30,000 to its Community Champions scheme, to support causes close the heart of its people, by donating to staff fundraising events and initiatives.
A £300,000 donation will also go to the Farm Safety Foundation.
Virgin Money Foundation provides cash boost to Community Anchor grant recipients
Charities and community groups across Glasgow and the North East of England are set to benefit from a cash boost from the Virgin Money Foundation.
74 organisations that have previously been awarded grants as part of the Community Anchor programme will share additional payments totalling over £213,000 as cost-of-living increases continue to impact local communities.
These community groups offer both ongoing support and emergency provision to people affected by the rising cost of living, all while tackling increased operating costs themselves. To help relieve some of the financial pressure, the Virgin Money Foundation has awarded a further 10% increase on Community Anchors’ Fund grants made in the North East of England and Glasgow during 2022. Each organisation will receive the additional payment by the end of January.
Community anchors are organisations that provide local people with support, services, activities, and volunteering opportunities. More information on what organisations qualify as such, and how to apply can be found here. The Community Anchor Fund doesn’t have a deadline for applications but closes once all the money available has been allocated.
Children receive help from Cambridge winter crisis fund with more funding available
Children under 10 are among more than 100 people to have received aid in the four weeks since The Cambridge Building Society and Cambridgeshire Community Foundation launched their £100,000 Cost of Living Crisis Fund.
The fund is designed to help local households most affected by increased costs over the winter months, and distributes the money via local charities already working with families and individuals who need it most.
More than half of the recipients of the aid recently distributed by one of the partner charities, Cambridge Aid, went to families with children under the age of 10 to help them with food, heating and household essentials this winter. More than a quarter of the beneficiaries of Citizens Advice Rural Cambs also included families with young children. A third charity, Cambridge City Foodbank, is also distributing funds.
The Cambridge Building Society Cost of Living Crisis Fund is expected to run until the end of March. To apply, contact Cambridgeshire Community Foundation, Cambridge Aid, and Citizen’s Advice Rural Cambs directly.
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.