A monthly bulletin facilitated by your membership of the Rural Services Network highlighting a selection of current funding opportunities

- Download a printable version of the Funding Digest here

Platinum Jubilee Village Halls Fund – Department for Environment, Food & Rural Affairs and Action with Communities in Rural England (ACRE)

The aim of the Platinum Jubilee Village Halls Fund is to support the modernisation and improvement of village halls, so that they are fit for purpose and can provide activities which seek to achieve one or more of the following outcomes for their communities:

• improved health and/or wellbeing and/or reduction in rural loneliness,
• positive impact on the local environment, contributes towards net zero,
• support for the local rural economy,
• promotion of community cohesion.

Grants are for capital improvements only, where projects aim to either upgrade, extend or improve facilities, or where capital items need to be purchased. They cannot be used for maintenance, repair or renewal work.

The initial deadline for Stage 1 applications was 20 January 2023. The fund will re-open for Stage 1 applications in mid-February 2023. Demand on the fund will then dictate how long ACRE is able to accept Stage 1 applications.

Platinum Jubilee Village Halls Fund - ACRE

Smart Energy GB in Communities grants programme

Grants of up to £25,000 are available to help people in vulnerable circumstances understand the personal and national benefits of smart meters. The Smart Energy GB in Communities fund works with expert regional organisations from the voluntary and public sectors to ensure those who may need extra information or support understand how smart meters may help them manage their energy use and how to request an installation.

During 2023, three funding streams are available, each targeting a specific audience:

• Grants for organisations reaching people who are in fuel poverty. The total amount of funding requested should be between £15,000 and £25,000.
• Grants for organisations reaching people who are lacking basic digital skills The total amount of funding requested should be between £10,000 and £15,000.
• Grants for organisations reaching people who are carers. The total amount of funding requested should be £7,500 and £10,000.

Applications must be received by 10 February 2023.

Smart Meter | Smart Energy GB in Communities Grants Fund (nea.org.uk)

Sea-Changers Coastal Fountain Fund 2023

Following its successful introduction in 2020, the launch of the 2023 Coastal Fountain Fund has been announced.

The purpose of the fund is to reduce the impact of single-use plastic water bottles on coastal habitats by funding communities to purchase water drinking fountains and install them for use by the public in busy or environmentally important areas.

Grants of up to £2,500 are available, per applicant, towards the cost of a fountain.

They welcome applications from all types of not-for-profit organisations who have identified a need and are well-placed to get the stakeholder involvement needed to make the project a success.  They particularly welcome applications from Wales, Scotland, East Anglia and Northeast and Northwest England as these areas have been under-represented in previous years.

The closing date for applications is 28 February 2023.

Coastal Fountain Fund 2023 | Sea-Changers 2021

Outreach grants – British Ecological Society

Outreach grants of up to £2000 are available to promote ecological science to a wide audience.

Awards are open to individuals and organisations to organise ecological public engagement events. This includes, but is not limited to, our members, researchers, schools, museums, libraries and community groups.

They support projects that:

• Increase public understanding of, and engagement with, ecology
• Stimulate discussion about ecology and its implications for society
• Inspire and enthuse people of all ages about the science of ecology, especially those not previously interested
• Develop skills in communicating the science of ecology

The deadline for applications is 15 March 2023.

Outreach Grants - British Ecological Society

Green Match Fund – Big Give

The Green Match Fund is designed specifically for charities working on environmental issues.

This may include: biodiversity and conservation; climate change; agriculture and food; sustainable communities; energy; transport; trade and finance; consumption and waste; toxics and pollution.

Charities seeking to raise either £2,500, £5,000 or £10,000 in public donations can have this doubled through matched funds.

The deadline for applications is 17 February 2023.

Green Match Fund - Big Give (thebiggive.org.uk)

Food for the planet grants – Sustain

Grants up to £5000 are available from Sustain as part of the Food for the Planet project. The grants aim to support communities to campaign and advocate to make food in their area better for people and the planet. Applicants are encouraged to propose their own ideas for great local action, but should focus on areas that have a big impact locally, for example:

• Improving your council's score in the Every Mouthful Counts report and/or developing a food strategy
• Supporting groups and communities that are marginalised to campaign for food climate justice and tackling racial injustice in the food system
• Encouraging climate-friendly food in public institutions and council settings
• Supporting sustainable farming systems through planning policy
• Tackling unfair and unhelpful pricing and advertising of the most climate-damaging foods

The closing date for applications is 10 February 2023.

Grants to help communities tackle food and the climate and nature emergency | Sustain (sustainweb.org)

Single Homelessness Accommodation Programme (SHAP) – Department for Levelling Up, Housing & Communities

The objective of SHAP is to increase the supply of high-quality accommodation with accompanying support to address gaps in homelessness pathway provision. SHAP will be targeted at two groups: those with the longest histories of rough sleeping or the most complex needs, to help them recover from rough sleeping and its associated traumas; and vulnerable young people (age 18-25) at risk of or experiencing homelessness or rough sleeping. The focus will be on longer-term accommodation. Given the likely support needs of these target groups, supported housing, Housing First and housing-led schemes will be within scope.

Councils will play a key role in framing the need for SHAP funding at a local strategic level. Councils will be supported through co-production to submit a Strategic Gap Analysis identifying gaps in local housing pathway provision relating to SHAP’s target groups. Councils can deliver directly, or work with housing associations, charities and other organisations in the subsequent development of specific Bids.

To receive SHAP capital funding via Homes England the landlord of the homes to be delivered is required by law to be registered with the Regulator of Social Housing as a registered provider (RP). Where organisations wishing to submit a capital Bid are unable to meet this requirement, Bids may in limited circumstances be submitted directly to DLUHC.

Bidding will open in January 2023 and remain open through a period of continuous market engagement (CME). The CME period will last for up to twelve months, subject to available funds. Applications will be considered on quarterly assessment dates within the CME period (or more regularly as necessary). Dates will be specified once CME begins.

Single Homelessness Accommodation Programme - GOV.UK (www.gov.uk)

Small Grants Programme – Sport England

The Small Grants Programme seeks to develop opportunities for communities to get more people physically active. New projects from not-for-profit organisations will be supported through providing National Lottery funding of between £300 and £15,000.

They want to support projects that bring communities together and provide sport and physical activities for people who may be less physically active.

They also particularly want to support projects focusing on environmental sustainability.

They believe that communities that work together and share resources provide a stronger and more sustainable impact. Therefore, Sport England want applications from projects that demonstrate how they connect with their communities, make best use of the existing skills and assets in an area, and will provide the biggest possible impact to those who need it most.

The closing date for applications is 30 June 2023.

Small Grants Programme | Sport England

Specialist Grant Programme – Lloyds Bank Foundation

The focus of this programme is to support small, local, specialist charities with an income of £25,000–£500,000 where the Foundation’s three-year unrestricted £75,000 grant and support to develop, can make the greatest impact. They’ll support charities that understand the complexity of the issues people face and are best placed to make a genuine difference to people’s lives.

Grants are available up to £75,000 and three years. The deadline for applications is 3 March 2023.

Apply for funding (lloydsbankfoundation.org.uk)

Big Energy Saving Loans – Big Issue Invest

Big Issue Invest is offering loan finance between £20,000 to £150,000 to social enterprises and charities in England, for energy efficiency and renewable energy installation.

This lending programme is aimed at enabling social enterprises and charities to access loan funding to help save money on energy during the unprecedented cost of living crisis. Investment can be used for a variety of projects, including:

• Insulation
• Buying and installing renewable energy equipment
• Heat exchangers and heat pumps
• LED light installations
• Replacing old gas fired boiler systems with new efficient ones
• Property improvements, such as extra single glazing on existing windows, double glazing improvements, systematic draught improvements
• Energy efficiency survey and technical assistance costs

The loans can be structured to your individual needs.  They can be unsecured which means they will not require you to put any personal guarantees in place, or interfere with other financing arrangements that require security.

Big Energy Saving Loans - The Big Issue

The Get Fishing Fund – Angling Trust and the Environment Agency

Building on the successful launch of the Get Fishing Fund in December 2020, the Environment Agency and Angling Trust have announced an additional £100,000 investment to encourage more people to give fishing a go for the first time in 2023.

Funded from fishing licence sales, grants of up to £2,500 are available to benefit angling-based projects. The funding could be used to help purchase equipment, fishing tackle and resources to run fishing events and activities to give people the opportunity to get into fishing.

Angling Clubs, Fisheries, Organisations, Schools, Local Authorities or Charities based in England that want to increase the number of people being introduced to Angling are all eligible to apply.

The final deadline for submitting funding applications is 5 March 2023.

Get Fishing Fund - Angling Trust

Small Grant Programme (older people) – Charles Hayward Foundation

Grants are available up to £7000 for charities with an annual income of less than £350,000.

This programme wishes to fund preventative and early intervention programmes being delivered at the community level which allow older people to stay in their own homes and remain independent.  They are particularly interested in seeking out programmes which show some creativity in improving the quality of life of older people.

• Programmes aiming to alleviate isolation and depression in older people, including informal day care or social, physical and recreational activities.
• Programmes which give practical help, assistance and support for older people living in their own homes.
• Programmes addressing the emotional and practical needs of older carers.
• Programmes designed to meet the specific needs of people with dementia.

Applications will be considered every three months (March, June, September and December).

Older People - Charles Hayward Foundation

Community Action Fund – Civic Power Fund

The Community Action Fund exists to support grassroots campaigning and community organising in the UK. It will provide one-off grants between £2,500 and £20,000.

These grants are available to grassroots organisations that are building the power of their community and campaigning for long-term change.

All successful applicants will be offered support beyond funding. This will include the Civic Power Fund Governance Hub and optional, bespoke cohort and capacity building opportunities.

The deadline is 26 February 2023.

Community Action Fund (civicpower.org.uk)

CLA Charitable Trust

The CLA Charitable Trust is dedicated to helping those who are disabled or disadvantaged to visit and participate in learning experiences about the countryside.

Priority areas for funding are children and young people, disadvantaged financially, physically, mentally, or from areas of deprivation.

There are three grant-making meetings in 2023. Please apply by 6th February for your application to be considered at the March meeting; 26th April for the June meeting; and 31st August for the October meeting.

CLA Charitable Trust • CLA

Green Heat Network Fund – Department for Business, Energy & Industrial Strategy

The Green Heat Network Fund (GHNF) is a 3 year £288 million capital grant fund that will support:

• the commercialisation and construction of new low and zero carbon (LZC) heat networks (including the supply of cooling)
• the retrofitting and expansion of existing heat networks

It aims to develop and grow the heat network market and to address some of the challenges of decarbonising the UK’s heat sector.

The GHNF is open to organisations in the public or private sectors in England. Individuals, households and sole traders cannot apply.

The GHNF main scheme Round 4 is open to applications until 24 February 2023.

There will be a series of quarterly application rounds until the scheme closes in 2025.

Green Heat Network Fund (GHNF): guidance on how to apply - GOV.UK (www.gov.uk)

UnLtd

UnLtd have funding available to get your social business started, or progress to the next stage of your journey.

Up to £18,000 is available to fund organisational costs of businesses less than four years old, including a dedicated support manager, expert mentors, workshops and learning opportunities.

The deadline for applications is 31 March 2023.

UnLtd - Awards | Funding and support to grow your impact |

Project Cost and Core Cost grants – BBC Children in Need

Children in Need often have several funding programmes open at any one time. These include:

• Project Costs grants – support the aims and delivery of a specific piece of work. This work will usually be time-limited and based on a defined set of activities.
• Core Costs grants – can be spent on an organisation’s central running and operational costs.

Charities and not-for-profit organisations can apply for these grants for up to three years. They aim to give quicker decisions for grants of £15,000 or less per year. There is no application deadline.

Apply For A Grant - BBC Children in Need

Defibrillator grants – London Hearts

Grants are available to fund Public Access Defibrillators in communities all over the country.

London Hearts is a charity aiming to help and support communities with the provision of heart defibrillators and teaching CPR/defibrillator skills. They can provide a grant of £300 towards the cost of a defibrillator and storage as well as a free online training video.

When someone has a cardiac arrest, timely intervention is the key to survival. By making more defibrillators available, and by training more people to use them, the better the chance of survival for a cardiac arrest victim.

London Hearts

Cost of living grant – Asda Foundation

This grant is designed to support the increased running costs groups will face between September 2022 and February 2023, including rent increases and electricity cost rises. The Foundation state: “The term ‘warm banks’ has emerged in recent months encouraging community locations this winter to remain open for longer to provide people with a warm, safe place to be rather than heating homes or living in a cold property.” This grant is targeted at community groups that are going to open longer to support individuals in their local area and provide a warm place to be.

Each Asda superstore has a Community Champion, and their role is to support groups and projects within the community, as well as managing Asda Foundation grant applications. The Community Champion in your local superstore will support you in completing your application and will submit the application to the Foundation on your behalf. The Foundation cannot accept application direct from groups.

Grants of between £500 and £2000 are available and the grant submission window will close in February.

PowerPoint Presentation (asdafoundation.org)

Climate Action Fund – The National Lottery Community Fund

This funding aims to help communities across the UK to address climate change.

They’re looking for projects that focus on the link between nature and climate. They want to fund projects that use nature to encourage more community-led climate action. The Fund expect these projects to bring other important social and economic benefits such as the creation of strong, resilient and healthy communities or the development of ‘green’ skills and jobs.

They are interested in projects that can do at least one of the following:

• show how creating a deeper connection with nature will lead to changing people’s behaviours and greater care for the environment.
• show how by bringing nature back into the places we live and work, we can help communities to reduce or adapt to the impacts of climate change.

They’re looking to fund between 12 and 15 projects with up to £1.5 million over 2 to 5 years, with most projects between £300,000 and £500,000. Development grants of £50,000 to £150,000 over 12 to 18 months are also available.

Climate Action Fund | The National Lottery Community Fund (tnlcommunityfund.org.uk)

Youth Investment Fund

The Youth Investment Fund (YIF) is made up of £288m capital and up to £80m revenue grants and is funded by the UK Government.

Phase 1 was launched in January by Children in Need on behalf of the UK Government delivering £12 million of funding for small-scale projects and expressions of interest are now invited for phase 2.

The aim is to deliver grants for up to 300 facilities that:

• represent positive value for money,
• are environmentally sustainable,
• and enable positive activities for young people aged 11 to 18 (up to 25 for young people with Special Educational Needs and Disabilities)

in eligible places across England, by 2024/25.

This funding will drive value-for-money facilities that youth organisations can afford to sustain. Using modern methods of construction (MMC) and other innovative construction techniques, as well as supporting redevelopment projects that expand youth service provision, the YIF will achieve savings on facility running costs, so that resources can focus on activities that enrich young people’s lives.

This second phase will support projects in selected eligible areas in England to level up youth provision, assessing and distributing grants so that local youth facilities and services can be the best they can be.

It is being delivered by Social Investment Business, in partnership with the National Youth Agency (NYA), Key Fund and Resonance.

Capital and revenue grants will be awarded over the life of the Youth Investment Fund (2022-2025).  They expect to hold grant committees through until March 2024.

About | Youth Investment Fund

Youth Music Trailblazer Fund – National Foundation for Youth Music

The Youth Music Trailblazer fund 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. The project should trial work for the first time, test a new way or working, or disrupt the status quo (or all three!).

Your work must meet one of our themes: 

• Early years
• Disabled, d/Deaf and neurodivergent young people
• Youth justice system
• Young people facing barriers
• Young adults
• Organisations and the workforce.

The next funding round has a deadline for applications of 24 February 2023 for projects starting between June and August 2023.

Trailblazer Fund | Youth Music

Biffa Award – Main Grant Scheme

Biffa Award’s Main Grants Scheme is aimed at community and cultural groups and organisations, situated in the vicinity of landfill sites, that are in need of funding to improve the quality of life in their community or to conserve wildlife.

There are four themes - Community Buildings, Recreation, Cultural Facilities and Rebuilding Biodiversity. Under these themes we provide funding to create or improve community amenities. For example, upgrading kitchens, meeting rooms and toilets in village halls and community facilities; creating new playparks; installing new seating, lighting and exhibitions within theatres and museums; or establishing, protecting and enhancing habitats for biodiversity.

Between £10,000 and £75,000 can be awarded to projects that have a total cost of less than £200,000 including VAT.

Project sites must be within 5 miles of a significant Biffa Operation or active Biffa Landfill Site (15 miles for Rebuilding Biodiversity projects) and within 10 miles of

any licenced landfill site in England and Northern Ireland.

This is a rolling programme and as such there are no deadlines to submit an Expression of Interest in the Main Grants Scheme.

Home Page - Biffa Award (biffa-award.org)

Neighbourhood Planning Grant Funding – Locality

The programme offers grants and Technical Support packages. If you're working on a neighbourhood plan or neighbourhood development order, you can apply for grant funding of up to £10,000. Further grant funding up to an additional £8000 is available to groups meeting certain criteria.

The Neighbourhood Planning Support Programme run by Locality on behalf of DLUHC commenced in April 2018, and is currently funded until the end of March 2023. Applications closed at the end of January 2023.

DLUHC are actively exploring the allocation of funds for a further year, until March 2024. As soon as there is confirmation of a further year’s funding, this will be notified on the following website:.

Home - Locality Neighbourhood Planning

Community Transport Grants – Motability

Through this new grant programme Motability aim to help charities and organisations to make an immediate impact for disabled people, by awarding funding to develop, expand and improve community transport options. The programme is focussed on:

• Funding support for staff or volunteer training and costs.
• Funding to increase the number of vehicles available in the community to help organisations support disabled people.
• Funding local, regional, or national initiatives to increase awareness of community transport and influence its inclusion in transport strategy and policy.
• Funding to schemes, programmes and initiatives that already exist, and who provide best practice solutions, but need further support to remain operational or scale up the service they can provide to help more disabled people.

Charities and organisations working in the community transport sector can apply for grants from £100,000 to £4 million at any point over the next three years until March 2025.

Charitable Grants | Community Transport Grant | Motability

Sustainable Farming Incentive – Department for Environment, Food & Rural Affairs

The Sustainable Farming Incentive (SFI) is the first 

of 3 new environmental schemes being introduced under the Agricultural Transition Plan. The other 2 schemes are Local Nature Recovery and Landscape Recovery.

SFI aims to help farmers manage land in a way that improves food production and is more environmentally sustainable.

Farmers will be paid to provide public goods, such as:

• improved water quality
• biodiversity
• climate change mitigation
• animal health and welfare

In 2022, SFI aims to:

• encourage actions that improve soil health
• recognise how moorland provides benefits to the public (public goods)
• improve animal health and welfare by helping farmers with the costs of veterinary advice for livestock

You’ll be eligible to apply for an SFI standards agreement if you’re a farmer who is eligible for the Basic Payment Scheme (BPS), with land in England.  The scheme opened to applications to all BPS eligible farmers on 30 June 2022.

Sustainable Farming Incentive: full guidance - GOV.UK (www.gov.uk)

NFU Mutual Charitable Trust grants

The Trust focuses on providing funding to larger initiatives, which would have a significant impact on the rural community. The Trustees are particularly interested in initiatives in the areas of education of young people in rural areas and relief of poverty within rural areas.

The Trustees meet twice a year to consider applications received. These meetings are currently held in June and November.

The deadline for applications for the June 2023 meeting is 26 May 2023.

Applications for Funding | Charitable Trust | NFU Mutual

General grants programme – Benefact Trust

Benefact Trust’s General Grants Programme supports projects that demonstrate an impact on people and communities.

Churches, cathedrals, denominational bodies, Christian charities, and schools and educational institutions are all eligible to apply. All applicants must be able to demonstrate a clear Christian foundation or ethos.

The programme typically funds capital projects, not salaries or running costs. The Programme supports the repair, restoration, protection and improvement of churches, cathedrals and other places of Christian worship where changes support wider community use and enable greater impact.

The programme also supports projects that help to tackle social issues, for example homelessness, poverty, climate change and cultural cohesion, and projects that support Christian leaders, and help to share the Christian faith.

Most grants range from £1000 to £15,000.

The General Grants programme will close for applications permanently on Monday February 27th 2023. From 28th February, funding for essential repairs and other building improvements can be applied for under their upcoming Building Improvement Grants programme.

General Grants Programme | Benefact Trust

Grant schemes for electric vehicle charging infrastructure – Office for Low Emission Vehicles

The government offers grants to support the wider use of electric and hybrid vehicles via the Office of Low Emission Vehicles (OLEV). This includes:

• The EV chargepoint grant provides funding of up to 75% towards the cost of installing electric vehicle smart chargepoints at domestic properties across the UK. It replaced the Electric Vehicle Homecharge Scheme (EVHS) from 1 April 2022. The grant is open to flat owner-occupiers and people living in rented properties. Private landlords and social housing providers can also apply. The grant is not open to homeowners (including people with mortgages) who live in single-unit properties such as bungalows and detached, semi-detached or terraced housing.
• The Workplace Charging Scheme (WCS) is a voucher-based scheme that provides support towards the up-front costs of the purchase and installation of electric vehicle charge-points, for eligible businesses, charities and public sector organisations.
• The On-street Residential Chargepoint Scheme (ORCS) provides grant funding for local authorities towards the cost of installing on-street residential chargepoints for plug-in electric vehicles.

For more information visit the website below.

https://www.gov.uk/government/collections/government-grants-for-low-emission-vehicles

Listed Places of Worship grant scheme – Department for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport

The Listed Places of Worship (LPW) Grant Scheme gives grants that cover the VAT incurred in making repairs to listed buildings in use as places of worship. The scheme covers repairs to the fabric of the building, along with associated professional fees, plus repairs to turret clocks, pews, bells and pipe organs.

The Scheme has been run by DCMS with a focus on preserving heritage in the fabric of UK listed places of worship. Since its establishment in 2001, the Scheme has adapted to changes while continuing to support places of worship by delivering the fairest possible system of making grants and ensuring that all faiths and areas of the UK are equally able to make use of scheme.

The scheme only accepts applications where the minimum value of eligible work carried out on any one claim to the scheme is £1,000 (excluding VAT).

The Government has confirmed funding is available for the Listed Places of Worship Grant Scheme until 31 March 2025.

Listed Places of Worship - Home page (lpwscheme.org.uk)

Dynamic Collections – National Lottery Heritage Fund

This campaign supports collecting organisations across the UK to become more inclusive and resilient, with a focus on engagement, re-interpretation and collections management.

The Heritage Fund want to support museums, libraries, archives and other organisations to make the most of their collections. The Dynamic Collections campaign will support collecting organisations by bringing together project funding through the Fund’s open programmes, digital resources and knowledge sharing.

It is designed to address long-term challenges in the sector, many of which have been made worse by the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic. It will also help organisations build on innovative ideas and trends developed over the past few years, particularly in digital engagement.

The campaign also acts on the demand for collections to evolve to meet the changing needs of the communities around them, and to reflect more people's history and experiences.

Dynamic Collections is primarily aimed at collecting organisations, including:

• museums (accredited and non-accredited)
• archives
• historic libraries
• community and other organisations that hold collections, or are working in partnership to develop a collection-based project

Grants are expected to be below £250,000. There are no specific deadlines – you can apply as part of the campaign until 31 March 2023.

Dynamic Collections | The National Lottery Heritage Fund

Masonic Charitable Foundation

The Foundation now has rolling grant programmes with no deadlines as follows:

• Children and young people: This programme is open to national and local charities helping disadvantaged children and young people to overcome the challenges they face. Small grants are for charities whose annual income does not exceed £500,000. These grants are unrestricted. Small grants range from £1,000-£5,000 per year, for up to three years.

Large grants are for larger charities whose annual income exceeds £500,000. They must be restricted to a project. Large grants usually range from £10,000 to £60,000. They can be awarded over one to three years.

• Later life: This programme is open to local and national charities that are working to reduce loneliness and isolation in later life. Small grants are for smaller charities whose annual income does not exceed £500,000. They are to fund overhead costs. Small grants range from £1,000-£5,000 per year, for up to three years.

Large grants are for larger charities whose annual income exceeds £500,000. They must be restricted to a project. Large grants usually range from £10,000 to £60,000. They can be awarded over one to three years.

Grants to charities - The Masonic Charitable Foundation (mcf.org.uk)

Community Shares Booster – Power to Change

Delivered by the Community Shares Unit and funded by Power to Change, Community Shares Booster supports community businesses in the process of setting up and launching a community share offer that can demonstrate high levels of community impact, innovation and engagement. The programme provides:

• Development grantsaveraging £5,000 to prepare a community share offer; financial planning, governance support, marketing costs and being awarded the Community Shares Standard Mark
• Match equity investment– typically matching pound for pound up to £25,000 providing that the minimum share offer target is achieved
• Ongoing support and adviceas an active investor in community businesses

Community Shares Booster - Power to Change

Forestry England Woodland Partnership

The Forestry England Woodland Partnership offers long-term leases with guaranteed income for public and private landowners to create new woodlands. The partnership scheme supports government plans for woodland creation, nature recovery and progress towards net zero targets.

Forestry England are looking for sites of at least 50 hectares suitable for woodland creation for leases of between 60 and 120 years, and landowners will receive a guaranteed annual rent throughout the lease period. Forestry England will design, plant and manage every woodland created, ensuring each is resilient to a changing climate, supports wildlife, and provides wider ecosystem services.

All woodlands created through the partnership scheme will be open to the public, providing valuable health and wellbeing opportunities for communities.

Part of the Nature for Climate Fund to support the government’s tree planting commitment, the Forestry England Woodland Partnership aims to create at least 2,000 hectares of predominantly broadleaf woodland over the next five years.

Applications are open all year round. Full details and brochures for public and private landowners are available on the Forestry England website.

https://www.forestryengland.uk/woodland-creation

Grants for Heritage – National Lottery Heritage Fund

The National Lottery Heritage Fund provide different levels of funding to heritage of all shapes and sizes. Their grants range from £3,000 up to millions of pounds.

Current programmes include

• National Lottery Grants for Heritage - £3,000 to £10,000; £10,000 to £250,000; £250,000 to £5 million. The impact of the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic means the Fund will prioritise heritage projects that:
  • promote inclusion and involve a wider range of people (a mandatory outcome)
  • boost the local economy
  • encourage skills development and job creation
  • support wellbeing
  • create better places to live, work and visit
  • improve the resilience of organisations working in heritage

Full information on all National Lottery Heritage Fund programmes is available on their website.

Welcome | The National Lottery Heritage Fund

Small, Medium and Large Grants – National Churches Trust

The National Churches Trust is making changes to its grants programme.

They will continue to offer three types of grant. These will be:

• Small grants - these were formerly called Foundation grants for maintenance. This programme offers grants of between £500 and £5,000 towards urgent maintenance works and small repairs identified as high priority within a recent Quinquennial Inspection or Survey Report. Also, small investigative works and surveys. Project costs should be up to £20,000 incl. VAT and awards will never exceed 50% of the costs. Dates for the next round of applications are to be confirmed.
• Medium grants - these were formerly called Gateway grants. This programme offers grants of between £3,000 and £10,000 towards urgent and essential maintenance and repair projects costing between £20,000 and £80,000. Also project development and investigative work up to RIBA planning stage 1, to support churches preparing for a major project, and in developing their project to the point at which they can approach a major grant funder. Grants will never exceed 50% of the net project costs (for this phase). Dates for the next round of applications are to be confirmed.
• Large grants – these were formerly called Cornerstone grants. This programme offers grants of between £10,000 and £50,000 towards the cost of major urgent structural repair projects costed at more than £80,000 including VAT. Grants of £40,000 to £50,000 are extremely limited and reserved for cases which demonstrate a very high case for investment. They will also consider projects that introduce kitchens and accessible toilets to enable increased community use, costed at more than £30,000 including VAT. Grants will never exceed 50% of the project cost. Dates for the next round of applications are to be confirmed.

http://www.nationalchurchestrust.org/our-grants

Farming in Protected Landscapes Programme – Department for Environment, Food & Rural Affairs

The Farming in Protected Landscapes programme is a part of Defra’s Agricultural Transition Plan.

It will offer funding to farmers and land managers in Areas of Outstanding Natural Beauty (AONB), National Parks and the Broads. It is not an agri-environment scheme.

The programme will fund projects that:

• support nature recovery
• mitigate the impacts of climate change
• provide opportunities for people to discover, enjoy and understand the landscape and its cultural heritage
• support nature-friendly, sustainable farm businesses

The Farming in Protected Landscapes programme has been developed by Defra with the support of Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty (AONB) and National Park staff from across England.

The programme runs until March 2024.

Get funding for farming in protected landscapes - GOV.UK (www.gov.uk)

England Woodland Creation Offer – Forestry Commission

Landowners, land managers and public bodies can apply to the England Woodland Creation Offer (EWCO) for support to create new woodland, including through natural colonisation, on areas as small as 1 hectare. EWCO opened for applications on 9 June 2021 and replaces the Woodland Carbon Fund, which closed for applications in March 2021.

The grant is administered by the Forestry Commission and is funded through the Nature for Climate Fund. EWCO is one of a suite of Forestry Commission initiatives to support woodland creation and tree planting across England.

EWCO is open to owner occupiers, tenants, landlords and licensors who have full management control of the land in the application (if you don’t have full management control you will need consent from those who do). Joint applications, multiple land managers and applications on common land and areas of shared grazing are eligible.

England Woodland Creation Offer - GOV.UK (www.gov.uk)

Energy Redress Scheme – Energy Saving Trust

Energy Saving Trust has been appointed by Ofgem to distribute payments from energy companies who may have breached rules. The funds can pay for anything from making a home more energy efficient, to providing advice that helps consumers keep on top of their bills.

Energy Saving Trust has developed an open application process for charities seeking funding from the Energy Redress Scheme. Successful projects will be selected with input from an independent panel of experts and could cover a range of locations across England, Scotland and Wales.

The amount of funding available through the scheme varies throughout the year and will be reviewed on a quarterly basis in October, January, April and July. Eligible charities that have registered interest in the scheme will be notified when funds become available.

The minimum grant that can be requested is £20,000 and the maximum amount is the lesser of £2 million or the total value of the current fund.

The scheme can fund projects lasting up to two years, can fund 100 per cent of the project cost and can cover revenue and capital measures.

Round 13 of the Energy Redress Scheme is expected to open shortly. The previous round included the following elements:

• The Main Fund aimed at projects seeking grants between £50,000 and £750,000 that will support energy consumers in vulnerable situations.
• The Small Project Fund aimed at projects seeking grants of between £20,000 and £49,999 that will support energy consumers in vulnerable situations.
• Innovation Fund aimed at projects that will develop innovative products or services to benefit energy consumers. Applicants can apply for grants between £50,000 and £500,000.
• Carbon Emissions Reduction Fund is targeted at projects that can help domestic energy consumers participate in the just transition to Net Zero CO2 emissions. The fund awards grants between £50,000 and £500,000.

https://energyredress.org.uk/apply-funding

Garfield Weston Foundation

The Foundation support a wide range of charities that make a positive difference, working in different sectors in the UK. These include welfare, youth, community, environment, education, health, arts, heritage and faith.

They fund small local organisations and large national institutions. Grants range from £1,000 to several million pounds, depending on each charity’s size and scope of work. The grants can be for your organisation’s running costs, for a specific activity or for capital projects. The Foundation are flexible and fund what charities need the most.

Normally, capital grants are no more than 10% of a total project cost. However, for local community projects (e.g. village halls, community centres, places of worship, etc.), grants are unlikely to be over £30,000 regardless of the project size. If your organisation wants to apply for £100,000 or over, they expect your annual income or project to be over £1 million.

What we fund - Garfield Weston Foundation

FCC Community Action Fund

The FCC Community Action Fund provides grants of between £2,000 and £100,000 to not-for-profit organisations for amenity projects eligible under Object D of the Landfill Communities Fund (LCF).

The following types or organisation can apply:

• Registered Charity which operates a community facility
• A Church or Parochial Church Council
• A Parish or Town Council or a Management Committee or User Association acting on behalf of a Parish or Town Council
• A Local Authority
• A CASC Registered Sports Club

Only applications for projects sited within 10 miles of an eligible FCC Environment waste facility can be accepted, you can check if you are located near an eligible site on their website.

The current round of applications closes on 8 March 2023.

FCC Community Action Fund / FCC (fcccommunitiesfoundation.org.uk)

Morrisons Foundation

The Morrisons Foundation awards grant funding for charity projects which make a positive difference in local communities. From support groups to children’s hospitals and homeless shelters to hospices, the grants aim to provide vital funding for good causes across England, Scotland and Wales.

In the main grants are available to fully fund projects up to £25,000.

Morrison Foundation Making a difference to people's lives (morrisonsfoundation.com)

Gigabit Broadband Voucher Scheme – Department for Digital, Culture, Media & Sport

The Government is providing up to £210m worth of voucher funding as immediate help for people suffering from slow broadband speeds in rural areas.

Vouchers worth up to £4,500 for homes and businesses help to cover the costs of installing gigabit broadband to people’s doorsteps.

You can check whether your premises is eligible for a voucher, find a list of registered suppliers, and see those who are active in your area on the website below.

https://gigabitvoucher.culture.gov.uk/

Awards for All, Reaching Communities and Partnerships – The National Lottery Community Fund

The National Lottery Community Fund is open to all applications that meet their criteria, including support during COVID-19. With the COVID-19 pandemic still with us, they'll continue to support people and communities most adversely impacted by COVID-19. They can support you to:

• continue to deliver activity, whether you're supporting your existing users, responding to the immediate crisis or undertaking recovery activity
• change and adapt, becoming more resilient in order to respond to new and future challenges.

The Awards for All programme can provide between £300 and £10,000 for up to one year. The Reaching Communities programme offers larger amounts of funding (over £10,000) for up to 5 years. The Partnerships programme also offers a larger amount of funding (over £10,000) for organisations that work together with a shared set of goals to help their community thrive – whether that’s a community living in the same area, or people with similar interests or life experiences.

https://www.tnlcommunityfund.org.uk/funding/covid-19/learn-about-applying-for-emergency-funding-in-england

Small Grants Scheme – Foyle Foundation

This Small Grants Scheme is designed to support charities registered and operating in the United Kingdom, especially those working at grass roots and local community level, in any field, across a wide range of activities.

Online applications can be accepted from charities that have an annual turnover of less than £150,000 per annum. Larger or national charities will normally not be considered under this scheme. 

The focus will be to make one-year grants only to cover core costs or essential equipment, to enable ongoing service provision, homeworking, or delivery of online digital services to charities that can show financial stability.

The priority will be to support local charities still active in their communities which are currently delivering services to the young, vulnerable, elderly, disadvantaged or the general community either directly or through online support if possible.

Grants are available between £2000 and £10,000.

Small Grants Scheme - (foylefoundation.org.uk)

Active Together – Sport England

This is a crowdfunding initiative that can match fund, up to £10,000, successful Crowdfunder campaigns from a pot of £1.5m. The partnership with Crowdfunder also includes advice, guidance and training to help create a successful campaign.

Active Together | Sport England

National Lottery Project Grants – Arts Council England

National Lottery Project Grants is an open access programme for arts, libraries and museums projects. The fund supports thousands of individual artists, community and cultural organisations.

Individual artists and practitioners, community and cultural organisations, museums and libraries can all apply. National Lottery Project Grants is open all the time, there are no deadlines.

Grants of between £1000 and £100,000 are available.

https://www.artscouncil.org.uk/projectgrants

Financial support for businesses during coronavirus – Department for Business, Energy & Industrial Strategy and Public Health England

You can find out more details about the government’s support for businesses through this website:

https://www.gov.uk/government/collections/financial-support-for-businesses-during-coronavirus-covid-19

Veterans’ Foundation grants

If you represent a charity or an organisation that provide assistance to serving and former members of the British Armed Forces who are in need, you can apply for a grant from the Veterans' Foundation. Grants are also available to operationally qualified seafarers and their dependants.

Apply for a grant | Veterans' Foundation (veteransfoundation.org.uk)

Church Conservation Grants – Morris Fund

Grants between £500 and £5000 are awarded to churches, chapels and other places of worship in the United Kingdom for the conservation of decorative features and monuments, but not for structural repairs.

Grants will be awarded to support smaller programmes of work concerned with the conservation of decorative or non-structural features such as:

• stained glass windows
• sculpture
• furniture
• internal monuments and tombs
• wall paintings

The decorative feature, monument, etc must date from no later than 1896 (the year of William Morris’s death). The next deadline for applications is 31 March 2023.

https://www.sal.org.uk/grants/morris-fund-conservation-grants/

HS2 Community and Business Funds – Groundwork UK

Groundwork is working with High Speed Two (HS2) to deliver HS2 Community and Business Funds to help with the disruption that will be caused by the construction

In October 2014 the government announced two funding programmes to help offset the disruption of Phase One on local communities and businesses – the Community and Environment Fund (CEF) and the Business and Local Economy Fund (BLEF).

In January 2018, the then HS2 Minister announced an additional £5 million is to be added to the CEF and BLEF funding pot for those disrupted during construction of the Phase 2a scheme from Birmingham to Crewe. This brings the overall total of CEF and BLEF combined for Phase One and Phase 2a to £45m.

£40 million is for communities experiencing disruption from the construction of Phase One and £5 million is for communities experiencing disruption from the construction of Phase 2a. The Funds will be available during the construction period and for the first year of operational HS2 services. The Funds will support good quality bids that meet CEF and BLEF criteria, and funding will be available throughout this time period.

Both funds (CEF and BLEF) will award money from the same funding pot and so the amounts allocated for each Fund will depend on the number and quality of applications.

HS2 Funds - Groundwork

BlueSpark Foundation grants

Schools, colleges and community groups in England can apply for grants to Blue Spark Foundation for a wide range of projects. The Foundation value academic, vocational, artistic and sporting endeavour in equal measure but are particularly keen to support projects which will help enhance the self-confidence, team working skills and future employability of children and young people.

Many grants will be under £2,000 and none are more than £5,000.

Projects which could be supported include drama, music, sport, art and design, debating, public speaking, academic education, vocational training, community projects, enterprise projects and educational excursions. This list is illustrative and not exclusive as to the types of projects that the Foundation support.

http://bluesparkfoundation.org.uk/

Family Fund – The Family Fund Trust for families with severely disabled children

Family Fund provides families raising a disabled, or seriously ill, child on low incomes with wide-ranging grants for essential items. Whether you need a kitchen appliance, like a fridge, cooker or washing machine, clothing and bedding, sensory or play equipment or technology for your child or a much-needed family break, we are here to help.

You can apply for any items that will help meet your child’s additional support needs. If you live in England, Scotland or Northern Ireland, grants you can apply for include: family breaks, clothing, computers and tablets, days out, recreational and household items, kitchen appliances, sensory toys and equipment, games, books and music, games consoles, outdoor play and leisure facilities, specialist bikes or tricycles, garden improvements or driving ambitions.

See the website for more details.

https://www.familyfund.org.uk/

Landfill Communities Fund – SUEZ Communities Trust

SUEZ Communities Trust (formerly SITA) provides funding awards of up to £50,000 to not-for-profit organisations to undertake work that is eligible under the Landfill Communities Fund (LCF). Applications are considered for three areas of work which qualify for funding through the LCF. These include:

• Public Amenities
• Historic Buildings, Structures or Sites
• Biodiversity

Projects can be supported that make physical improvements at sites located in any of 100 funding zones around qualifying sites owned by SUEZ Recycling and Recovery UK.

http://www.suezcommunitiestrust.org.uk/

Help the Homeless grants

Help the Homeless makes grants to charitable organisations with the aim of helping homeless people return to the community and enabling them to resume a normal life. Grants are available to small and medium-sized charitable organisations to fund the capital costs of projects with grants of up to £5,000. The quarterly deadlines for grant applications each year are: 15 March, 15 June, 15 September and 15 December.

http://www.help-the-homeless.org.uk/

Grants to support repair and conservation of war memorials – War Memorials Trust

War Memorials Trust grants support repair and conservation works undertaken following best conservation practice. Almost all war memorials are eligible for support and custodians/owners can find information about eligibility and processes on the website.

Grants are normally awarded at 50% of eligible costs depending on the priority level of your project and are likely to be considered up to a maximum grant of £5,000 for non-freestanding war memorials while freestanding, non-beneficiary war memorials may be considered up to a maximum grant of £20,000. The minimum award is normally £125 but there is some discretion on minimum and maximum grant levels.

War Memorials Trust seeks to help all war memorial custodians, whatever the nature and size of their war memorial by facilitating repair and conservation projects. Details on current eligibility and deadline dates as well as how to apply can be found at the web address below.

http://www.warmemorials.org/grants/

Football Foundation grants

The Football Foundation provides grants for building or refurbishing grassroots facilities, such as changing rooms, 3G pitches, fencing, portable floodlights, pitch improvements and clubhouse refurbishment. The Fund is available to football clubs, schools, councils and local sports associations and gives grants for projects that:

• Improve facilities for football and other sport in local communities.
• Sustain or increase participation amongst children and adults, regardless of background age, or ability.
• Help children and adults to develop their physical, mental, social and moral capacities through regular participation in sport.

Grants are available for between £10,000 and £500,000.

Looking for funding | Football Foundation