Funding Opportunities for Community Groups in Berkshire in June

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Advancing Life Changes
Applications close on Friday 23rd June.
Through our grants programme we will support charitable organisations that help communities in various locations across the UK. This localised approach has been selected to maximise the impact of the programme, allowing grants to improve outcomes for communities in multiple and intersecting ways and amplifying the impact in each area. Find out more.

Armed Forces Communities
Applications close on Monday 3rd July.
Grants are available to not-for-profit groups across the UK for projects which address the hidden and complex needs of specific beneficiaries within Armed Forces communities
in a meaningful way. We want to hear from those who know the most about what is needed and that’s why this year we are running such a broad programme. If you apply for a grant, you need to show how this would help to address hidden, compelling and complex needs, particularly those of vulnerable Armed Forces communities who are most impacted by cost-of-living challenges, and where evidence has highlighted gaps in support and provision. Find out more.

Veolia Sustainability Fund
Applications close on Friday 29th September. Grants are available for not-for-profit organisations and community groups in the UK who can raise their initial funding through
a crowdfunding campaign to support projects that create a better environment or a more sustainable local community. Find out more.

Big Bike Revival Grants

About Us: The Big Bike Revival is all about helping everyone and anyone to begin or return to cycling through a programme of FREE activities and services., delivered by local community organisations.
Criteria: For voluntary and community cycle groups and other not-for-profit organisations across England to deliver projects and activities delivered between 15 May 2023 and 30 September 2023 that achieve the following objectives:
• Encourage people who don’t cycle to cycle.
• Encourage people to cycle more often.
• Increase short cycling trips.
• Improve the perception of cycling safety.
• Improve people’s confidence to cycle.
The Big Bike Revival Grants Programme will support events and activities that use the ‘fix-learn-ride’ model to provide sessions for people groups that are underrepresented in cycling, such as:
• People on low incomes.
• People who suffer from poor mental health.
• People who are not meeting physical activity guidelines.
• People who are homeless.
• People lacking confidence.
• People who are unemployed.
• Military veterans.
• People who are experiencing substance abuse.
• People who are ethnically diverse.
• Refugees and asylum seekers.
• People experiencing transport poverty.
• People with perceived barriers to cycling.
Grant Size: up to £2,000
Deadline for applications: 31 July 2023. Find out more.

The National Lottery Climate Action Fund
This funding aims to inspire and support communities across the UK to address the energy and climate crisis. We’re looking for projects that show how communities can address climate change while tackling the energy challenges through community-led climate action.
We want to fund projects that:
• encourage communities to use energy in an environmentally friendly way
• bring communities together so that they can explore ways to promote energy efficiency
• enable communities to understand and engage with opportunities for clean energy generation, which do not use fossil fuels.
All projects should consider how everyone in the community can get involved with climate action. They must also address any reasons why some people might be left out.
We’re looking for projects that will bring a range of benefits to communities, including:
• improving health and well-being
• creating local ’green’ jobs, such as jobs providing low-carbon heat for homes, community energy champions and energy advisors
• reducing carbon emissions
• supporting communities to be more resilient.
We want to fund projects that aim for long term change. And projects that have the potential to have a positive impact beyond the communities they’re directly working with.
We’ll accept applications from either:
• Local partnerships
• UK-wide partnerships
• single voluntary or community organisations

Projects can apply for up to £1.5 million over 2 to 5 years, with most projects over £500,000. Minimum grant £500,000. We aim to fund around 8-12 projects.

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

Delamere Dairy Foundation
Delamere Dairy Ltd has been instrumental in the concept and thinking behind the Delamere Dairy Foundation and is proud of the association and the support it can provide. Delamere Dairy’s sustainable approach to business, its ethics, values and vision inspired the concept of the Corporate Foundation, driven by a desire to ‘do the right thing’, now and in the long term, by giving back to the communities in which it operates.

Though financially supported by Delamere Dairy Ltd and affiliated by name, the Delamere Dairy Foundation, established in October 2020, is a self-governing, independent registered charity with a clear purpose of giving back to local and wider communities through the provision of discretionary grants and other financial assistance.

The Foundation is run by independent trustees and grant panel members who consider applications for funding in line with the Foundation’s objects as set out in its Constitution and with the charitable support of Delamere Dairy. Applications are welcome from charities and organisations whose purpose fits with the objects of the Delamere Dairy Foundation for the benefit of the public, namely
• The advancement of agriculture and of environmental protection
• The advancement in life of young people by developing their capabilities so that they may mature as contributory members of society
• The relief of financial hardship
• The advancement of education
• The relief of sickness
A minimum of £250 up to £5000. Charities and organisations may apply once per calendar year.

Home – Delamere Dairy Foundation

Deadline: 31st August 2023

The Ford Britain Trust

Working with our local communities to sow the seeds of change.

We are committed to supporting the communities that we work and live in. That is why we created the Ford Britain Trust. Since April 1975 we have been able to help fund the education and advancement of our neighbours.

We pay special attention to projects focusing on education, environment, children, the disabled, youth activities and projects that provide clear benefits to the local communities close to our UK locations. The Ford Britain Trust particularly encourages applications supported by Ford employees, but is open to all, provided that the qualifying organisations meet our selection criteria.

There are two types of grants to apply for:

  • Small grants for amounts up to £250
  • Large grants for amounts over £250 and up to a maximum of £3000

Grant applications from the following organisations will be considered:

  • Registered charities
  • Schools/PTAs (Non-fee paying, state sector schools only. Independent/private; fee paying schools will not be considered)
  • Non-profit organisations (including small clubs and societies)

Grant applications are considered for the following purposes:

  • Contributions to capital projects (e.g. refurbishments)
  • Capital expenditure items (e.g. furniture/equipment/computers)
  • Contribution towards the purchase of new vehicle (maximum grant £3,000*)

Grant applications supporting the following activities will be considered:

  • Work that has clear benefits to the local community/environment
  • Work with young people/children
  • Education/schools (mainstream)
  • Special education needs
  • People with disabilities

The Ford Britain Trust | Ford UK

Deadline: 
We will be accepting applications for small grants from 1st April to 30th June for review in July 2023.
We will be accepting applications for large grants from 1st March to 31st July for consideration in September/October 2023.

The Henry Smith Charity

The Henry Smith Charity is a UK-based grant-making foundation that aims to reduce social and economic disadvantage.

The Henry Smith Charity funds a wide range of projects that aim to improve the lives of people who are facing disadvantage, particularly those living in areas of high deprivation. They support projects that focus on a number of areas, including:
• Improving social cohesion and community involvement.
• Providing support for vulnerable or isolated individuals.
• Tackling financial hardship and promoting financial inclusion.
• Supporting people with disabilities.
• Providing access to education and training.
The Henry Smith Charity offers a number of different funding programmes to support a range of organisations and projects. The amounts of funding available vary depending on the programme, and generally range from a few thousand pounds up to around £100,000.
Some of their funding programmes include:
• Main Grants Programme: This programme provides grants of between £10,000 and £100,000 to support organisations that are working to reduce social and economic disadvantage.
• Strengthening Communities Programme: This programme provides grants of between £20,000 and £60,000 to support organisations that are working to bring about positive change in their local communities.
• Holiday Grants for Children Programme: This programme provides grants to enable children from disadvantaged backgrounds to have a holiday in the UK.
https://www.henrysmithcharity.org.uk/
Deadline: Rolling

Sport England – Small Grants Programme

Grants are available to help not-for-profit sports clubs, local authorities and schools in England to carry out local community sports projects and encourage more people to be involved in sport. Application deadline: 30 June 2023. For further information click here.

Landscape Recovery Scheme (Part of the Environmental Land Management Scheme)

Funding is available to farmers and land managers to support projects to create new habitats for wildlife, help protected sites and boost efforts to reach net zero in England.
Application deadline: 21 September 2023. Further details click here.

Community Ownership Fund
Grants are available to voluntary, community and charitable organisations in the UK to support them in taking ownership of local assets such as sporting and cultural venues, meeting spaces, community centres, pubs and shops.
Application deadline: N/A. Further details click here.

National Lottery Awards for All – England
Grants are available for charities, voluntary groups, schools and local authorities in England to carry out projects that will improve their local community.
Further info here.

The Rank FoundationPebbles is our small funding stream for UK registered charities and recognised churches which are raising money for projects where the total cost is less than £150,000. This money can be spent on short breaks (such as an annual respite break or holiday for disadvantaged young people), equipment (such as white goods), or capital costs (refurbishment or minor building work). 

Pebble grant applications are processed on a quarterly basis. It can take up to 4 months for a decision and payment to be made. Grants are awarded on a discretionary basis; the Rank Foundation’s contribution ranges from £250 up to and including £4,000, depending on the total cost of the project.

If you are applying for charitable status, please wait until you have your charity number before submitting an application. Organisations that apply are expected to have evidence of good governance.

Pebble Grants – The Rank Foundation

Deadline: Pebble grants are awarded on a quarterly basis. Applicants should be aware that it will take approximately 4 months for a decision and payment to be made. 

The Adint Charitable TrustThe Adint Charitable Trust makes grants of between £250 and £15,000 to registered charities for general charitable purposes, but has a preference for charities working in the fields of education, training, disability, sport and/or recreation.

Applications should be in writing to the email address below and include full details of the charity for which funding is requested.

Email: adintct@btinternet.com
 

The Trust does not operate a website, but more information can be found on the Charity Commission’s register of charities.

Charity overview, THE ADINT CHARITABLE TRUST – 265290, Register of Charities – The Charity Commission

Deadline: Rolling

Bupa Foundation Green Community Grants
Bupa Foundation Green Community Grants support practical projects which help both people and planet health through funding amounts between £250 and £2,500. The scheme, which is part of Bupa’s Healthy Cities campaign, is open to all to schools, registered charities, not-for-profit organisations, local authorities and social housing providers across the UK.
Priority will be given to the regeneration of green spaces for community use, however other examples include:
• Improving green spaces for community activities to improve wellbeing
• Tree planting to improve air quality and biodiversity
• A school wanting to create an outdoor classroom or forest school
• A community group who’d like to create an allotment
• A voluntary organisation wanting to install sustainable equipment, such as a heat pump
This is not an exhaustive list and other project ideas are welcomed. Link to further information here.

Deadline Friday 30th June.

International Tree Foundation – UK Community Tree Planting Programme 

Funding is available to protect, promote and plant trees in local communities in the UK. Application deadline: 15 December 2023. Click here for more details.

Power to Change’s Discovery Fund

About Us: The Discovery Fund is a new fund offered by Power to Change.

Running over six months, the fund is looking to work collaboratively with 20 community businesses who have an idea they want to explore about how they could use community tech to solve a challenge either the business or their community are facing. The programme is for feasibility and speculative work, where a community business wants time and space to scope out what they might want to do in relation to community tech. Further info here.

Thank you to Berkshire’s wonderful CVS’s for providing content for this blog – West Berkshire Volunteer Centre, Wokingham & Bracknell InVOLve, Reading Voluntary Action and Slough CVS.

Community Learning – delivering training to adults that strengthen our Berkshire communities.

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Since April 2022 we received funding via West Berkshire Council and Wokingham Borough Council Adult Community Learning teams to provide training that supports community groups and volunteer village hall trustees.

In West Berkshire, our alliance with Volunteer Centre West Berkshire saw a plethora of training opportunities provided throughout West Berks to those that are part of the voluntary sector.

In 2022-23 we provided training to 243 adult learners.

We provided over 40 hours of unique training opportunities.

We partnered with other organisations including Age UK Berkshire, Low Carbon Workspaces and British Red Cross to design and deliver bespoke training courses.

We delivered targeted training to village hall trustees and management committees.

  • Level 1 & 2 Hallmark Quality Standards – training on how to protect trustees, volunteers and those hiring the hall, health & safety; maintenance & security; entertainment and licensing.

Hallmark Level 2 for Wokingham Borough buildings – “I wanted to find out what was necessary for our hall to put in place good practices and find out the important aspects for doing this. The workbook will allow me to do this in conjunction with other committee members prior to asking Kate to hopefully visit to evaluate.”

  • In May 22 we delivered a face-to-face ‘Digital Savvy’ training and developed new skills in developing their hall’s online presence.
  • We delivered training on low-carbon halls with learners developing their knowledge of energy efficiency measures and fossil-free heating systems.
  • Environmental Audit Training was delivered with learners going away with a better understanding of how their practices and procedures impact the environment.

Digital Savvy Village Halls Learner’s – “I liked this course because it provided simple, straightforward information which was encouraging. I also really enjoyed networking with real people.” “Another great session and very valuable to help us progress with our on-line presence.”

  • In the Autumn of twenty-two we also delivered a comprehensive training workshop to help halls reduce their energy consumption through behavioral changes and improvement to their halls.
  • To coincide with Village Halls Week, we ran an online seminar looking at a variety of funding opportunities for community buildings.  Learners were provided with advice and guidance on raising funds for hall developments from a range of funders including the Platinum Jubilee Village Halls fund.
  • In February 23 we met with learners in Chieveley to learn from Age UK Berkshire about small changes we can make to village halls to make them more welcoming and safer places for those with dementia.
  • Social Media for Your Community Building webinar was delivered in March 23 where we walked learners through a variety of social media platforms and free-to-use tools to help them engage with their communities and promote facilities and events.

Environmental Audit & Policy Webinar Learner – “This session gave us a focus point to ensure the efficient running of the facilities, it can be linked to hiring agreements therefore raising awareness with users of the building.  Provides a building block to making positive changes.”

Other training workshops we delivered included;

Two online Reducing Energy & Water Bills workshops that supported volunteers and practitioners working with people at risk of or in fuel poverty. Through this delivery, 79 learners developed new skills and a great understanding of how to advise and support the clients they work with to save money on their bills in a variety of ways.

“The content was very informative and very professionally presented. I will request that we include some leaflets in our food parcels offering advice on energy and water payments. Also will find out more about the electric blankets from OVO.”

“All 8 of my team that attended were inspired and feel a lot more confident to support our clients – thank you.”

“The advice I can pass on to my families as well as friends. I will be getting my children to spend at least a minute less in the shower!”

“Interaction was encouraged through the use of polls, breakout rooms, and opportunities to ask questions.”


We were able to deliver an online First Aid course that focused on what to do in emergency situations and being brave enough not just to be a spectator and step up and help. This course was targeted at those living in more rural communities where emergency services may take longer to reach.

Learners attending our webinar with Collaborative Housing developed a new appreciation for the breadth of community-led housing models in existence. One learner commented: “It really exposed all of the different options for low-cost housing and the challenges. I need to reflect on what I’ve heard and then engage wider within the parish (parish council and NDP steering group). I was surprised that it wasn’t better attended as it must be a key subject for most villages in West Berkshire.”

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Family Fuel & Water Poverty Project April 22-March 23

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Last winter (2022-23) saw the highest energy prices in living memory, fuel poverty in the UK affected an estimated 6.3 million households. The issues with soaring household energy prices, due to a variety of global and national pressures, saw the government step in and support all households with a domestic electricity connection with £400 support.

Connecting Communities in Berkshire (CCB) has been running a dedicated project to help people in need of extra energy advice and support for over 10 years now. In its current format, this project delivers advice and guidance on reducing home energy costs to low-income families in Berkshire, and the front-line workers who support them.

From April 2022- March 23 this project attracted funding from The National Lottery Community Funds Awards for All programme, Berkshire Community Foundation, St James’s Place Charitable Foundation, The Arnold Clark Community Fund, and support funding from DEFRA.

Over Covid lockdowns the project expanded from purely face-to-face support targeted delivery to offering a telephone advice service and, unsurprisingly, referrals and demand for this support continued to grow last winter as more and more families struggled with the cost-of-living crisis.

The complexity of the issues that Helen Dean, our Project Manager on this project, faced expanded. Helen explains; “This year saw both the telephone advice and bespoke advice to families take longer as there were many more issues to discuss. Switching suppliers and saving money that way was not an option, so I assisted families instead by offering tailored advice on reducing their energy and water usage at home, and ensuring they were claiming maximum water discounts. I also gave them calm, focused support to help them gain confidence in their abilities to tackle and resolve issues with their supplier around utility debt.

Issues around water, energy and other bills can seriously impact someone’s mental and physical wellbeing as families often had cold homes, and worried about how they could pay the bills which are so high. After receiving advice the families I spoke to found that they were better equipped to tackle their financial issues, their stress reduced, and they understood that small savings can all add up to bigger wins.”

Families such as Chelsea, from West Berkshire; “I was extremely anxious and worried about my situation until I spoke to Helen, the worry around this had been heightened by my depression. After the conversations with Helen, I feel much more comfortable in contacting people, I have a list of ‘to dos’ which makes me feel that I am doing something and it will make a difference. Thanks to Helen’s knowledge I am feeling positive going forward and she has helped me form an ongoing plan for the future.”

Georgia from East Berkshire also received bespoke telephone advice she said “Before I spoke to Helen I was drained, worried and stressed about my bills. Helen provided a lot of helpful information and support with our bills, I can now take action on some of the things Helen suggested and feel more settled knowing there is help out there for us.”

Helen works closely with practitioners across Berkshire to ensure that those that need her support have access to it. In the last year she ran 17 drop-in sessions at the groups listed below, reaching 96 families of which 89% defined themselves as being in fuel poverty;

Homestart Greenham Homestart Riverside Penn Road Open morning Monksfield Way Open afternoon Thatcham Supported families   Bracknell Homestart Supported Families
Alana House drop-in session (Reading)
Theale Stay and Play Session
Victoria Park Family Hub Newbury Stay and Play
Thatcham Family Hub
Newbury Warm Hub + Food Bank
Hungerford Targeted Families Childrens Centre
Greenham Homestart Group
Speen Community Café
Riverside Homestart
Corn Exchange Becoming Us
Woolhampton Homestart Group

Feedback from families attending the sessions was really positive too;

“Absolutely brilliant: articulate, friendly, digestible, and also interactive. Very informative too. Thank you Helen!” Corn Exchange attendee

Another key part of Helen’s project is to deliver training to practitioners and frontline workers who could then share their knowledge with the families they support directly, two of these sessions were also partially funded by West Berkshire Council Adult Community Learning.

Eight training sessions in total were delivered to social workers, family support workers, social prescribers, support workers for families with complex needs, foodbank volunteers and Berkshire Homestart staff & volunteers. In total 120 practitioners were trained who stated that they could cascade the information to an estimated 3843 families across the county in the 6 months following the training. This is the greatest impact through training we have achieved in a project year!

“Invaluable information that I can impart immediately. I couldn’t be happier, an excellent course. All 8 of my team that attended were inspired and feel a lot more confident to support our clients – thank you.” Fran Cummings West Berks Foodbank Manager.

“Very useful training, thank you so much, will use with all the families I help in future” Anne, Family Support Worker Windsor and Maidenhead Family Friends.

Rural Health & Wellbeing; Activating Village Halls

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In 2021-22 as we emerged from lockdowns and the Covid pandemic village halls were in desperate need of new bookings to generate income. Also, older people, fearful of socialising but desperate for company, needed safe activities taking place in their communities to attend. A partnership opportunity with Get Berkshire Active presented itself that had the potential to address these two issues simultaneously.

By the end of March 2022 and the end of a project funded by Get Berkshire Active using Sport England funding, 7 of the 10 seated exercise classes for older people established by CCB in rural communities were continuing beyond the end of the project. In one case the parish council agreed to fund the classes. In other areas, learner fees were sufficient to enable the class to continue. This demonstrated the sustainability of the activities established by this project and we decided to seek funding to further test the replicability of this success.

This year we successfully obtained funding from the McCarthy Stone Foundation to support the delivery of seated exercise classes to older people in the village of Hermitage. It is our ambition to find further sources of funding to replicate our learning from these projects and see more classes that our free or low cost so that people in our rural communities can be active no matter their age or physical abilities.

Quote from a Seated Exerciser; “Always nervous to go along to exercise classes for fear of feeling silly, but these classes are so easygoing, welcoming. Everyone becomes friends and you don’t feel silly as there’s no pressure. I do feel a little stronger in my limbs but it’s the friendships that are most important.”

What were we able to deliver in the first 6 months of the 21st Century Community Halls project?

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In the Autumn of 2022 we launched an exciting new project thanks to funding from The National Lottery’s Community Fund Reaching Communities Programme (5 years) and The Prince’s Countryside Fund (year 1).

This project is an ambitious 5-year project that we are undertaking to research community halls in Berkshire to better understand the condition of these important community facilities and the needs and priorities of the volunteers or management committees who run them.

We are already working alongside committees to help improve and develop the facilities so that they are more energy efficient, environmentally friendly, financially sustainable and better connected with the communities they serve.


Our vision for a 21st-century community hall is outlined below;

In the first 6 months of this project (Oct 22 – March 23) we were pleased to welcome and recruit a new member to our team. Maria Kelly joined us from a strong community-focused background as our Project Development Officer. Maria is working alongside our Community Buildings Advisor Kate Meads to complete audits of the current state of the halls and uses outcomes to develop further needs and and projects.

So far (March 23) 27 halls have completed audits in Berkshire and have already identified huge variations in the level of energy and thermal efficiency in rural halls.

Maria explains; “Most of the committees we have spoken to are desperate to make improvements to reduce their carbon footprint and energy bills. Common themes that are already emerging and that Kate and I will be working on over the next year includes supporting them to get good access to broadband, roof insultation, improvements to draughty fire exit doors and improve disability access.”

This project will ensure that local Halls in Berkshire will become more attractive, comfortable, and sustainable venues for the community to use and enjoy for the next 100 years.

Together we will ensure halls are able to offer more activities; reach more people in the community; reduce loneliness and isolation and become the vibrant heart of their community.

“I thought you might be interested to know that after your visit and 21st Century audit, we have made significant progress and after preparing a project plan of options and priorities, we currently have a bid in with West Berkshire Council to support improvements. We are waiting to hear if we are successful and if so, we should be able to install a new boiler, LED lights and insulate the hall roof and replace the old patio doors.  A big ‘Thank You’ for your help!” 

Mary, Shaw Cum Donnington Village Hall Trustee