The Bringing People Together Fund
The Bringing People Together Fund from The National Lottery Community Fund support projects that will build stronger connections across communities, and improve the infrastructure and conditions that are needed to strengthen these connections.
We’re interested in projects that:
• deliver across at least two UK countries (England, Northern Ireland, Scotland and Wales) – you can work in a network or partnership
• are bold and experimental responses to bringing people together using new approaches, or a new combination of approaches
• can demonstrate clear positive impacts for communities, including those communities most in need of support
• have a clear focus on equality, diversity and inclusion
• can demonstrate they can learn and adapt as they go.
Up to a maximum of £1 million for up to five years. We expect most of the funding will go to projects that request between £200,000 and £500,000. There will be a smaller number of awards for projects above £500,000. Read more

PRS Foundation’s Open Fund for Music Organisations
Grants up to £10,000 available for not-for-profit organisations based in the UK to support new music projects led by promoters, large performance groups, talent development organisations, venues, festivals and curators.
Priority will be given to projects that fit with all three of the Foundation’s funding priorities:
• To support the creation and performance of outstanding new music in any genre.
• To enable the UK’s most talented music creators to realise their potential.
• To inspire audiences at a local, regional, national and international level.
Deadline for applications is 6pm on 14 September 2022
Read more

HOME Slough Commission

Home Slough Commissioning £15k Of Art Projects for local Slough communities

HOME Slough is looking to commission individuals, groups and organisations in Slough to create new arts and cultural activities. It’s new On You Doorstep programme supports the delivery of arts and cultural events in local neighbourhoods, bringing communities together to enjoy new arts and cultural experiences. Those applying can get between £500 and £1,000 to fund an arts event or activity. The overall pot is £15,000, and On Your Doorstep will continue until all the money is distributed.

HOME Slough is keen to commission work for local communities in local settings that is memorable and high quality. The type of event is up to those applying – it can be anything arts or culture based – but it must be free and allow as many people to take part as possible.

A successful commission will be provided with guidance and support to develop the initial idea. Submissions are reviewed and agreed on a monthly basis by HOME Slough’s Community Programming Board, a group of local Slough residents.

“On Your Doorstep is an opportunity for people to bring new arts and cultural activities to their local communities. We want to commission anything – knitting, dance, film, puppetry or craft – that is arts-based, high-quality and will attract new audiences to get involved. We are looking for great ideas and for people to have some fun!” Jake Orr, Creative Producer, HOME Slough

Those interested in applying for an On Your Doorstep Commission should visit the HOME Slough website. The first commissioned work is expected in late September 2022 and activities will continue into 2023. Want to find out how you can get work commissioned for your community? Attend the briefing session

Veolia’s Sustainability Fund (with Crowdfunding)
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. More information is available here.
Application deadline: 4 November 2022

Hollyhock Charitable Foundation
Grants are available to local not-for-profit groups for projects which bring general benefit to residents and communities across Great Britain, with a focus on health, poverty, education and Christianity. Please click here for more details.

Matthew Good Foundation – Grants for Good Fund
Grants are available for local community groups, charities, voluntary groups and social enterprises in the UK for projects that have a positive impact on communities, people, or the environment. For further details please click here.

Ashley Family Foundation
Grants are available for projects in England and Wales that fit with the Foundation’s ethos of protecting rural communities and encouraging participation in the arts. For more information click here.

Moto in the Community Trust
Grants are available for community organisations and schools operating within a 15-mile radius of a Moto site for projects and activities that deliver benefits to local communities.  

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.

Funding for Community Research Partnerships
The National Institute for Health and Care Research are excited to introduce a new funding call, giving research teams, community and charity organisations and groups the opportunity to explore and develop partnerships together. This is intended to provide a springboard for developing enduring health and social care research collaborations,
and relationships that benefit all parties. In the longer term, we anticipate these partnerships will help ensure that research finds better solutions for the health and care problems that communities face (especially those who are least well served by health and care), as shaped by those communities. Applications close on 21st September. Click here to read more.

Newly Reopened: Youth Music – Trailblazer Fund
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.
Target organisations:
• Small organisations who support children and young people to make, learn or earn in music.
• Those who work with children and young people facing barriers who want to trial a new music offer.
• Established organisations that want to test a new way of working or disrupt the status quo.

Deadline:
Trailblazer Fund Round 2
Deadline: 29 July 2022
Notification: 04 November 2022
For projects starting between: December 2022 and February 2023
Trailblazer Round 3
Deadline: 25 November 2022
Notification: 03 March 2023
For projects starting between: April and June 2023

Nineveh Charitable Trust
The NINEVEH Charitable Trust (RCN 256025, registered 1968) supports a broad range of UK-based projects and activities of benefit to the General Public, with an emphasis on promoting a better understanding of the countryside:

1. The health, welfare and education of the general public
2. The study and appreciation of agriculture, silviculture, ecology and land management
3. The study and appreciation of land and estate management that encourages conservation of the countryside.
   Whilst the Trust does not specify a minimum or maximum grant amount that can be applied for, an analysis of previous grants would suggest a maximum of £5,000 per year for up to three years.

Selco Community Giveaway
Are you a member of a group, charity or organisation which is at the heart of your local community? Selco’s big community giveaway is back for another year and, with the cost of living crisis hitting the economy, we want to play our part in helping community groups and charities keep up their outstanding work. Until November, we are offering any organisation which benefits the community the chance to win £500 of building materials to use on a project or on a building – and potentially £5,000 cash on top. It could be a charity, a local scout group, a sports club or a community centre which hosts classes throughout the week. Each month for six months, two good causes will be selected by our judges to receive £500 worth of building materials to improve their facility or assist with a project. The finalists then go before a public vote for the chance to win £5,000 cash – what a way to start the new year for our winners! The group which finishes in second spot in the public vote will win £1,000. Entry is simple, just fill in the form on our website and judges will review all the entries before deciding on the winners.

Bruce Wake Charitable Trust
The trust was established to encourage and assist the provision of leisure activities for the physically disabled. The trustees will consider grant applications related to the provision of leisure activities for the disabled but favour particularly applications whereby; the potential beneficiaries are physically disabled wheelchair users and unable to raise the required funds; improved access for wheelchair users is being proposed; and/or; a sporting or leisure activity involving disabled wheelchair users is proposed. For further details please click here.

Comic Relief Community Fund – Round 2 opens in August 2022

Funding is intended to support community-led organisations to deliver change by drawing on the ‘lived experiences’ of people who have experienced the issues being tackled. These issues should align with one of Comic Relief’s four strategic themes:

Children Survive and Thrive – ensuring every child has the best start in life.
Fighting for Gender Justice – tackling gender-based violence, inequality and exploitation.
A Safe Place to Be – supporting those who have been displaced to access secure housing and feel settled in their new homes.
Mental Health Matters – helping people with poor mental health to access appropriate support
Grants of up to a maximum of £10,000 are available with:

Capacity Building grants of up to £1,000 to be spent on activities to strengthen operations and governance. (All applications must include this grant).
Project Delivery grants of up to £9,000 to deliver projects that fit with the programme’s strategic themes.
Who can apply
Community-led local organisations based in England may apply. For further details please click here.

With thanks to Berkshire’s brilliant CVS’s for the information contained in this article – Bracknell & Wokingham InVOLve, West Berkshire Volunteer Centre, Reading Voluntary Action & Slough CVS.

A survey is being conducted to better understand the needs of England’s 10,000+ rural community buildings as energy prices continue to soar

National charity and our national body, Action with Communities in Rural England (ACRE) and Utility Aid are calling on volunteer management committees to share their experiences, concerns and views on what can be done to make sure village halls do not run into financial difficulties and save energy.

The move comes amid fears that village halls are not covered by Ofgem’s price cap and may be particularly vulnerable to volatility in the cost of commercially supplied energy which has increased by 166% for electricity and 189% for gas in the past year. According to Utility Aid, prices continue to rise with gas supplied to commercial premises now costing one third more than last week.

The volunteers who manage Hunsdon Village Hall in Hertfordshire are one of many rural community groups voicing concern about the spiralling cost of energy. John Felstead, a trustee of the hall explained, “Like everyone, we have seen our energy bills rise exponentially over the last few years. However, as a charity we do not qualify as a domestic user and are therefore put on a business tariff. This means there is no energy cap. Here in Hunsdon we have a Grade II listed building which was built in 15th century and leaks heat. We would dearly love to improve the insulation, but the Listed Building status make that very expensive. And as a ’not for profit’ organisation, funds are scarce, and we rely on income from hiring out our hall or organising fundraising events to make improvements or repairs.”

Richard Quallington, ACRE’s Executive Director said, “It’s important we understand how village halls are weathering the fuel crisis and what can be done to make sure the services they offer to rural communities are not jeopardised. Many halls were built during the inter-war period and do not always have efficient heating and insulation, so bills are likely to be going – quite literally – through the roof! Ultimately, we want to be in a position where we can help management committees to future-proof their buildings and encourage them to take a leading role in achieving net zero locally. Of course, that will require funding, so this is our first attempt at appraising this need.”

Utility Aid are corporate partners of ACRE. As the largest energy broker for the not-for-profit sector, they want to be able to use information from the survey to offer more targeted support for village halls. Giles Hankinson, Utility Aid’s Chief Executive Officer explained, “The halls we are speaking to day-in, day-out are telling us they are very concerned about increasing energy bills. We are doing everything we can to help them find the best deal, however, more can be done to help these community buildings in the long run. This survey will help to tailor our services according to their needs. At the same time, we are also keen to work with ACRE to find ways of levering in more funding for halls to make sure they can save energy as well as money in the long run.”

The survey is being made available here and responses can be submitted until midnight Friday 19 August.