Healthwatch East Berkshire covers Ascot, Bracknell Forest, Maidenhead, Slough and Windsor. We exist to listen to residents’ voices when it comes to their health and social care experiences and views.
To better understand the community’s health and social care needs across East Berkshire, we have created our ‘What Matters Most’ survey. The survey will help us understand residents’ views and experiences as well as their health priorities for 2021-2022. The survey will provide us with a foundation of information to use for future work, as well as a chance to capture residents feedback (good or not so good). We take this feedback to decision makers who have the power to make positive changes happen.
Our work relies on people telling us what they like about health and social care services, and what they think could be improved. We need your help to do this by completing the survey linked below. If you, or someone you know, need support when completing the survey please call our Healthwatch Hub on 0300 0120184 (Weekdays between 10am-4pm). The survey is available in English, Polish, Punjabi and Urdu.
Return to Football Fund Return to Football fund is an exciting new grant the Football Foundation are delivering on behalf of the FA and Sport England. The fund is to support clubs and organisations across the country where the need is greatest with the purpose of helping you return to football activity. Not-for-profit community groups delivering football activity in an area within Decile 1-3 of the Indices of Multiple Deprivation (IMD) are eligible for funding and will be able to apply for grants of up to £500. More information can be found here. If you have any questions, please don’t hesitate to contact the Football Foundation at communications.team@footballfoundation.org.uk.
Berkshire Community Foundation – new funds opening soon The next Grants round opening is 1 April 2021 and will close 10 May 2021. The grants will relate to Coronavirus, Sport and Older People. More information
The Good Exchange Community Any registered charity or other group that operates for public benefit in the UK can use The Good Exchange to apply for fundinq and fundraise for a recognised charitable purpose, attract donations and raise funds. To get started simply register your Applicant Organisation on The Good Exchange platform and complete the single online application form. Applicant Organisations will need to include details of the project for which funding is required (including a description of the project, the goals, expected impact and benefits, costs and the amount of funding needed). Once submitted and approved, the project is published on the platform and matching begins. Live projects will be automatically matched and short-listed for Funders on the platform according to their specific grant-giving criteria. Click here to find out more.
Support for New Music Projects The PRS Foundation has announced that grants of up to £10,000 are available to support new music projects led by promoters, talent development organisations, venues, festivals, curators and large performance groups. Supported projects will involve the creation, performance and promotion of new music and enable Music Creators to develop creatively and professionally. Applications close 14th June. Click here for more information.
Gerald Palmer Eling Trust Charities with activities in West Berkshire or neighbouring counties can apply for project grants (no amount specified) to support community/education facilities, social/welfare support/therapy, medical research and/or the advancement of the Christian religion. Applications must be made in writing. Click here for more details.
Ocado Foundation for Good The programme will support ‘the many rather than the few’ by providing grants up to £1,000 to charities, community groups, CICs, academic institutions, and local authorities for community projects which focus their efforts on skills for the future, natural resources and responsible sourcing. Due to COVID-19 restrictions, only applications for digital volunteering will be accepted. Click here to apply.
Funding for Organisations Connecting Local Communities The focus of the Barchester’s Charitable Foundation is about connecting or re-connecting people with others in their local community. Applications are supported that combat loneliness and enable people to be active and engaged. In particular they support older people over the age of 65, and adults with a physical or learning disability and/or mental health problems. Applications are favoured that help improve people’s mobility, independence and quality of life. Grants range from £100 up to £5,000, with the recent average grant being approximately £775. They are particularly keen to provide grants which enable groups and individuals to mix, join in social activities and reduce their danger of isolation and loneliness. Click here to find out more.
Cameron Grants for Innovation in Mental Health The objectives of the Cameron Grant Memorial Trust (CGMT) are to raise awareness of suicide, to urge all who are suffering in silence to speak up and ask for help, and to support people, especially young people, who are fighting to overcome poor mental health. This is a new scheme, funded by CGMT, to encourage innovative ways to support individuals suffering with poor mental health. Through this scheme, CGMT will offer ‘seed-funding’ of between £100 and £2,500, to individuals or organisations who need money to trial new ways to support those in need. CGMT will award grants to fund these innovations. Applications for a grant of between £100 and £2,500 will be considered. The grant can be used to trial a new service, create an asset, a technology, a performance, fund research, or otherwise experiment in any way that supports the treatment of mental health. Click here to learn more.
Funding to Support Children & Young People Schools, colleges and community groups can apply for funding for projects which will help team working skills and future employability of children and young people. BlueSpark values academic, vocational, artistic and sporting endeavour but only provides funding for relatively small-scale projects which might not happen at all or would only happen on a lesser scale without the support of BlueSpark. Click here to findout more. Applications reviewed every 8 weeks.
Localgiving Magic Little Grants – deadline 31 October 2021
The Magic Little Grants 2021 programme promises to be even bigger and better than ever. This gives grants of £500 to small charities and community groups thanks to the players of the People’s Postcode Lottery. Funding can go towards any of the below projects:
Improving mental wellbeing
Enabling community participation in the arts
Preventing or reducing the impact of poverty
Supporting marginalised groups and promoting equality
Improving biodiversity and green spaces
Enabling participation in physical activity
Responding to the climate emergency and promoting sustainability
National Lottery Grants for Heritage – focusing on inclusion – rolling deadline
The National Lottery Heritage Fund is accepting applications for grants from £3,000 to £10,000 and £10,000 to £100,000 for projects that are focused on inclusion, led by and/or engaging diverse groups typically under-represented in heritage (for example, young people, minority ethnic and LGBT+ communities, disabled people and people from lower socio-economic backgrounds). This work could include:
exploring different generations, communities and their history
Grants of £1,000 are available for UK registered charities and local community groups who need financial assistance due to the coronavirus/COVID-19 pandemic.
During the months of March 2021, April, 2021, and May 2021, 500 grants of up to £1,000 will be awarded through a draw. Applications that are unsuccessful one month will be kept in the draw for the following month.
The 2021 Stop Loan Sharks Community Fund is now open for applications.
Community organisations, charities, private companies and social enterprises are encouraged to apply for grants of up to £5,000 from the England Illegal Money Lending Team (IMLT) for projects to help tackle loan sharks. Collaborative bids between multiple agencies are also welcome.
The funding comes from money seized from convicted loan sharks under the Proceeds of Crime Act (POCA).
For information on expenditure we will and will not fund and to see a list of previous successful applicants, please visit www.stoploansharks.co.uk/poca-funding/
The deadline for POCA applications is Wednesday, 30th June 2021.
Please note we are not accepting paper applications this year. You will need to download and complete an application form from the Stop Loan Sharks website.
New Funding Stream: Restart YouthRestart Youth will support youth organisations through the Covid-19 crisis to give decision making power to young people, currently overlooked by mainstream services. Designed by 6 Young Advisers – the scheme welcomes applications from youth organisations in the South East of England (Berkshire, Hampshire, Surrey, Kent, Oxfordshire, the Isle of Wight and Sussex) for specific pieces of work to give young people power and control in decisions they are making about services in response to Covid, as well as provide essential services to them. They particularly want to fund work that will invest directly in young people whose needs are not currently being met, i.e. are new to, or on the margins of, services. Find the application form and all other details on the website. Deadline for applications is May 7th 2021. We look forward to hearing from you!
Vital for Berkshire The Covid Vital for Berkshire fund opens on 1st April and supports Berkshire community and voluntary groups with grants of up to £5000. To help organisations respond to people with immediate needs. To help stabilise organisations supporting those in need, To help organisations adapt to the crisis, i.e. through service enhancement and development, or the purchase of equipment, Apply on-line before 10am Monday 10th May 2021. See https://www.berkshirecf.org/available-funding/coronavirus-fund/
GBA COVID-19 Tackling Inequalities Fund
Get Berkshire Active (GBA) have extra emergency funding to support and distribute to community organisations (charities, community groups, CIC’s or similar) working with: • Individuals with a disability • Individuals with a long term health condition • Ethnically and culturally diverse communities • Low Socio-economic groups There must be a line of sight to physical activity in any project, work or costs funded – however, you don’t need to be a physical activity/sport related organisation to apply. Any support covered by the funding is intended to meet immediate need up until October 2021. See https://getberkshireactive.org/gba-covid-19-tackling-inequaliti
Core costs for small charities The Yapp Charitable Trust invites small charities to apply for grants of up to £3,000. Registered charities in England and Wales, with annual expenditure less than £40,000, can apply for funding for core costs and staffing. Grant fund open – for details on how to apply please visitThe Yapp Charitable Trust
Hall and Woodhouse Community Chest Grants are available for voluntary and community organisations based, or working in, the south of England for projects that improve their local area such as youth work, health and social care, arts and culture, conservation and the environment. For mroe details: https://www.hall-woodhouse.co.uk/about-us/community-chest/
Chair Based exercise classes are designed to help improve strength and balance from the comfort of your own chair while focusing on aiding muscles used in everyday activity – all performed at a pace that is suitable for the participant. Chair Based Exercise can be done at home and is easy to fit in to your daily routine. Get Berkshire Active have 5 free chair based exercise sessions. Click on the classes below for the Eventbrite booking links.
Please consider the following safety and top tips before taking part
Ensure you use an area where you have enough space to take part. All of the sessions can be completed whilst seated but you will still need to be able to move your arms and legs.
Ensure you use a sturdy chair.
Keep water and a mobile phone or telephone close by.
Consult with your GP or healthcare professional beforehand if you have any health related concerns about taking part.
For many years, we have been championing community-led housing. We are currently working in partnership with colleagues in Oxfordshire and Buckinghamshire to connect people interested in exploring options for community-led housing with experts that can help. The Collaborative Housing Hub, based in Oxfordshire and covering the Thames Valley, is available to support communities in Berkshire.
Many people across the Thames Valley do not have access to good quality, secure and affordable housing. While lots of housing development is underway, owning a new home will remain largely out of reach for many. This is particularly the case for younger people, single-person households and households earning an average income. Rental prices are also going up and up.
At Collaborative Housing we think communities themselves are best placed to identify their local housing needs. We want to encourage and support communities to find solutions to their housing needs themselves. From co-housing and community land trusts to co-operative and self-help housing, we support all kinds of community-led approaches.
The benefits are many, from genuinely affordable homes to more cohesive communities, improved well-being and tackling the climate emergency. Collaborative Housing provides hands-on advice, from exploring the possibilities through to the practicalities of funding, design and planning.
Thinking about a Housing Needs Survey?
By helping your community or community-led housing group understand the specific housing requirements of residents, an up-to-date Housing Needs Survey can help ensure that your new development best meets local needs. It can be the first step on a journey to new affordable homes.
Housing Needs Surveys are undertaken on behalf of Collaborative Housing by Community First Oxfordshire. CFO has undertaken numerous surveys and their in-house experts can simply and professionally take you through the process and manage the entire survey process. CFO’s rigorous approach and methodology will ensure your Housing Needs Survey can be used as robust evidence by a Local Authority when determining a planning application.
Our role as a community development charity is to support people who are interested in bringing about a better quality of life for their friends and neighbours. We help to build people’s skills and confidence, enabling them to play a bigger part in community life. If you are engaging with us, you’re likely to be one of these people.
We want to connect like-minded people who are interested in learning from each-other and willing to share their stories, in the hope that others may be inspired to take positive action themselves. Community Organisers Berkshire will become a source of inspiration and support for anyone interested in improving the social, economic and environmental conditions of the area they live in.
CCB is working in partnership with Community Organisers Ltd, a national charity which is the membership body and training organisation for community organising in England. Since 2018, CCB and Community Organisers Ltd have delivered training to 73 people in Berkshire, helping them to take action on causes that matter to them.
If you are interested in learning more about Community Organisers Berkshire, please contact Tim at tim.parry@ccberks.org.uk.
New Funding Stream: Restart Youth 
Vital for Berkshire The Covid Vital for Berkshire fund opens on 1st April and supports Berkshire community and voluntary groups with grants of up to £5000. To help organisations respond to people with immediate needs. To help stabilise organisations supporting those in need, To help organisations adapt to the crisis, i.e. through service enhancement and development, or the purchase of equipment, Apply on-line before 10am Monday 10th May 2021. See 
Connecting Communities in Berkshire 