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The Worshipful Company of Information Technologists (WCIT) - Next Deadline August 8th

The WCIT Charity works with a wide range of non-profit organisations and aims to help them get the best from IT.  It is committed to strengthening communities and using the power of technology for good.

Applications for funding and/or the provision of pro bono IT advice may be submitted throughout the year and are considered by the Charitable Operations Committee at its four meetings each year.

The remaining 2022 deadline is August 8.

For further information, and to submit an online application, visit WCIT Charity Website

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Barchester's Charitable Foundation

Grants of up to £5,000 are available for small local groups & small local charities to improve the quality of life and combat loneliness in adults & older people with a mental or physical disability.

The foundation aims to make a difference to the lives of older people and other adults with a physical, learning or mental disability; supporting practical solutions that lead to increased personal independence, self-sufficiency and dignity.

Funding is intended to help small community groups and local charities with the following:

• Activity projects
• Equipment and materials for use by members
• Member transport
• Day trips, outings and group holidays in the UK

Priority will be given to innovative projects that help older people and those with a disability to get active, meet people, and reduce isolation.

Funding is also available to individuals: this is for people over 65 or adults with a disability or mental health problem. All applications for an individual must have a third-party sponsor such as a healthcare professional, social worker, charity, or support group representative.

Grants of up to £5,000 are available for small local groups & small local charities to improve the quality of life and combat loneliness in adults & older people with a mental or physical disability.

Applications may be submitted at any time.

 

https://www.bhcfoundation.org.uk/

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Oakland Foundation

Grants can support projects and activities focused on:

• Education: to ensure children get the best education, no matter what their background.
• Health and nutrition: to ensure children have access to healthy food.
• Sport: to ensure children have access to sport and activities irrespective of social background or physical ability.

Preference will be given to applications with a clearly defined and measurable outcome.

Applications are accepted from not-for-profit organisations and community groups in England and Wales. Preference will be given to applicants who have a demonstrable track record of delivering outcomes. The Foundation particularly likes to support projects in areas where their main sponsor Oakland International is an integral part of the local community.

Grants are available to not-for-profit organisations that support children and their families in England and Wales that address themes such as education, health, nutrition and sport.

Applications may be submitted at any time

https://www.oakland-foundation.com/

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Alpkit Foundation

Grants are available to community groups, schools and other not-for-profit organisations for projects that champion education, participation, environment, diversity and health in the UK.

The funding is intended for:

• Diversity and inclusion projects that engage individual and groups from a diverse range of backgrounds.
• Environmental projects that seek to support, conserve, or generate understanding of our environment and wild places
• Health projects enabling people to gain physical and mental wellbeing from the Great Outdoors.
• Education projects such as First Aid, D of E, Forest Schools and Mountain Leader.
• Participation projects that get more people experiencing the Great Outdoors.

There is particular interest in projects that:

• Encourage responsible outdoor activity.
• Have long lasting benefits.
• Introduce new people to get outdoors.
• Demonstrate value for money.

The Alpkit Foundation makes grants of £50 to £500 to people, groups and schools that work to remove the barriers in getting outdoors and experiencing wild places.

Applications may be submitted at any time

https://alpkit.com/pages/foundation

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The Forestry Commission; The Woodland Creation Planning Grant 

The Forestry Commission is inviting applications from landowners, land managers and public bodies in England who are interested in planting new woodland.  The Woodland Creation Planning Grant offers funding of up to £30,000 to cover the costs of producing a woodland creation design plan for the application.

There are two application stages:

Stage 1 - identifying constraints and opportunities which may affect the proposed planting.  Funding of up to £1,000 is available to cover this stage;

Stage 2 - if there is potential for woodland creation to take place on the site, further support can be given for completion of the application form at £150/ha.  If specialist survey work is required at stage 2, such as archaeological survey, then supplementary payments may be available to cover these additional costs.

Applications can be made at anytime.

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North Devon Voluntary Service (NDVS) - Velocity Project

The Velocity Project is an exciting new opportunity for all voluntary, community and social enterprise organisations in Devon, offering a fully funded training, support and investment until summer 2022.

This is a chance to digitally transform your organisation with skills training, digital strategy guidance and potential for direct investment into new hardware software and processes.

The aim is to enable your organisation to increase its capacity, build resilience, to be better connected, more sustainable and ready to take on future challenges.

Colleagues from The Torridge Volunteer Service (TTVS) and West Devon Community Volunteer Service (WDCVS) as well as NDVS are working in partnership with Cosmic - leading digital specialists - to deliver this project using funds from the Government's Community Renewal Fund.

Velocity will deliver across three streams and the team are looking for expressions of interest to take part.

Stream 1: Training programmes and workshops, including themes such as:

• Developing your Digital strategy
• Understanding what Digital can do for you
• Boosting the skills of your staff and volunteers
• Monthly workshops starting on 1 February 2022

Stream 2: The Velocity Champions Network - developing a peer network for a stronger future:

• An exclusive network of 15 individuals from the Devon VCSE community
• Take part in a 12-week (1 day per week) Champions training programme
• Full cost recovery is available to cover employee release and expenses
• Works as a peer group to tackle sector-wide challenges and issues
• Focusing on sustainability, collaboration, transformation and community enhancement
• Weekly programme starting mid-March 2022

Stream 3: Technical solutions direct to your organisation

• Cosmic's consultants will work with you to identify your immediate needs and challenges
• Funded solutions and training can then be provided, direct to you and your team
• Cloud software, website development, digital tools and solutions to help you be greener, more productive and efficient.

You will need to fill out an Expression of Interest form to take part and you will be contacted soon.

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Trees Call to Action Fund - Deadline End 2022

A new fund with grants of between £250, 000 and £500,000 for projects that create woodlands, develop forestry skills and improve people's access to nature.  The Fund is being administered by the National Lottery Heritage Fund in partnership with the Forestry Commission, on behalf of the Department for the Environment, farming and rural affairs (Defra).

Projects should aim to deliver the objectives of the England Trees Action Plan:

• Expanding and connecting out trees and woodlands
• Trees and woodlands as part of the green economy
• Protecting and improving our trees and woodlands
• Connecting people with trees and woodlands

This Fund is available to:

• Partnerships or consortia of local authorities
• Environmental charities
• Not-for-profit organisations of all sizes, including:
• Areas of Outstanding Natural Beauty (AONBs)
• National Park Authorities
• Local Nature Partnerships
• Local Enterprise Partnerships

The total available funding is £6 million to be awarded in 2021 to 2022.  It is anticipated that in the regions of 15 to 20 grants will be awarded.

Grants of £250,000 to £500,000 are available for projects to deliver by March 2025.

More information including how to apply can be found on the National Lottery Heritage Fund website

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The Rhododendron Trust

The Rhododendron Trust supports charities working with those disadvantaged by disability or mental illness; prisoners and ex-offenders; drug addiction; homelessness; carers; the elderly; disadvantaged children. However proposals for small theatre and music projects, projects for the protection of cultural and natural heritage or environmental sustainability are accepted.

Grants should be applied for in writing (see Contacting the Trust). They are made once a year, generally in February or March, after a Trustees' meeting in January. Unsuccessful applicants are informed by email.

Grants are often repeated if a report is received indicating that the money has been well used. There is no need to communicate reports monthly; once or twice a year is ample. Reports should be sent to the Richmond address and not be duplicated to the Accountant's address in Manchester. The Grants Officer or Trustees like being invited to Open Days of charities supported, and try to attend.

Visit The Rhododendron Trust website for further information.

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The Ellie Souter Foundation

Following the tragic death of Team GB athlete Ellie Souter on her 18^th birthday, her family has committed to continue fundraising in Ellie's memory.

The purpose of the foundation is to identify and provide support for young people who have a demonstrable talent for winter sports and would otherwise be unable to maximise their potential due to lack of financial resources.

This would be achieved by providing grants for equipment, training, travel, competing and accommodation.

The grants will be restricted to those individuals who can demonstrate that their own family circumstances dictate that the opportunity to develop their talent would be denied to them, without this financial support.

Traditionally, winter sports are regarded as elitist pursuits, reserved for the wealthy. Therefore the pressures on young talented athletes from less privileged backgrounds are immense.

Coming from a family without the significant wealth required to reach her full potential, Ellie battled with the pressures of funding and performance. Ultimately they became too much for her and she took her own life in July 2018. The Ellie Soutter Foundation hopes to provide a safety net for inspiring talent, just like Ellie.

As much as possible, they seek to alleviate these pressures so athletes can focus on their performance without constant financial worry; hoping to promote social mobility by making winter sports more accessible to those athletes from less wealthy backgrounds.

The foundation seeks to assist young people in developing the skills they need to deal with pressure and stress and provide assistance to those for whom the challenges of performance may have caused or be causing mental health issues.

To apply for funding, or to perhaps make a donation, please visit The Ellie Soutter Foundation website.

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Local Action Fund - National Emergencies Trust

Crowdfunder and the National Emergencies Trust have teamed up to make more than £1.2m match funding available.

This match fund of up to £10,000 per project has been launched by the National Emergencies Trust as part of its Coronavirus Appeal. It offers support to voluntary and community organisations in the UK by helping them to counter financial challenges created by the pandemic, including the inability to fundraise in the usual ways, reductions in staff and volunteers, and increased demand on their services.

You need a crowdfunding project to apply for funding. Visit Crowdfunder UK

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Lloyds Bank Foundation Welcomes Applications for Unrestricted Funding

Funding for small local charities tackling complex social issues across England and Wales.

Charities with an annual income of between £25,000 and £1 million can still apply for unrestricted grants of up to £50,000 and accompanying development support from the Lloyds Bank Foundation for England and Wales.

Eligible charities must demonstrate a track record of undertaking work related to the following Complex Social Issues:

• Addiction and dependency.
• Asylum seekers and refugees.
• Care leavers.
• Domestic and sexual abuse.
• Homelessness and vulnerable housing situations.
• Learning disabilities.
• Mental health.
• Offending, prison or community service.
• Sexual exploitation.
• Trafficking and modern slavery.
• Young parents.

Two-year funding is available for core organisational costs which are related to the day-to-day running of the charity. Consideration will only be given to requests for core costs where over 50% of the charity's work and expenditure meets the Foundation's criteria. Funding is also available for costs associated with the direct delivery of the charity's work.

The Foundation has introduced regional priorities to ensure that its portfolio of grants is equitably distributed across the 11 complex social issues and the regions in England and Wales. This means the size of grant a charity can apply for, or whether they can apply at all at the moment, depends on Local Authority and the complex social issue the charity's work is addressing.

Applications can be submitted at any time.

How To Apply

The first step in the application process is to read the eligibility criteria and then complete the short eligibility checker, both of which are available on the Foundation's website.

Applications can be submitted at any time as there are no closing dates.

Charities should apply whenever they feel they are ready and can expect a decision within four months of starting the application process.

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Sport England - Queen's Platinum Jubilee Activity Fund

A £5 million fund has been launched to mark the Queen's Platinum Jubilee that aims to use sport and physical activity to bring communities together and tackle inequalities.

Using money from the National Lottery, the fund will make awards of between £300 and £10,000 to community organisations in support of new projects providing opportunities to become more physically active.

The funds could be used for things such as facility hire and coaching costs, or even small capital improvements.

In particular, Sport England want to hear from projects working with people living in areas of disadvantage, as defined by the Indices of Multiple Deprivation areas 1-3.

It is also recognised that the pandemic may still be affecting the delivery of projects, either by how they are delivered or by how much they cost to deliver.  Applicants should consider any such additional cost or delivery changes to ensure their aims will still be achieved. 

You can find out who or what will be funded along with how to apply and submit your application online.

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Adamson Trust

The Adamson Trust give financial help towards the cost of holidays, or respite breaks, to families with disabled children aged between 3 and 17 with physical, mental or emotional impairments.

Individual families can apply and, in addition, they accept applications on behalf of groups of children, organisations and other registered charities.

The application form asks for some detailed information about the child, and also about the planned holiday. It is essential that this is provided.

In mid-2020 the Trustees reduced the number of meetings from four to three a year, reflecting the impact of the pandemic. However, many charities were able to resume running their clubs and outings in 2021 for the first time in 18 months, and the Trust has reverted to holding four meetings annually.

These are at the beginning of February, May, August and November.

Applications must be received by December 31 for the February meeting, by March 31 for the May meeting, by June 30 for the August meeting, and by September 30 for the November meeting.

The application forms are available to download from the website:  The Adamson Trust - Disabled Childrens' Holiday Charity

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Steel Charitable Trust

The Trust makes discretionary grants where they believe that their contribution will make a real difference. Applications are welcome from eligible applicants from all areas of Great Britain and Northern Ireland.

The five funding categories are Arts & Heritage, Education, Environment, Health, and Social or Economic Disadvantage.

Applications will only be considered from Charities, including CIOs, registered in any part of the United Kingdom, Exempt Charities as defined in schedule 3 of the Charities Act 2011 and their equivalent in Scotland and Northern Ireland, and municipally-funded museums not included in schedule 3 of the Charities Act 2011

In all cases above, the applicant must have an annual turnover of over £50,000 (defined as 100% of charitable income plus proceeds from any trading income).

Applications made from 21 October 2021 until 20 October 2023, for the Health category, should have a focus on one of the following:

• programmes and activities that aim to support, maintain and improve mental health across all ages
• health care for older people

Applications made from 21 October 2021 until 20 October 2023, for the Social or Economic Disadvantage category, should have a focus on one of the following:

• disadvantaged children
• housing and homeless people

The minimum grant size is £10,000. Awards of more than £25,000 are rare. A follow-up report, the scale of which is commensurate with the size of the grant, is expected within 10 months of payment. Details will be provided to successful applicants.

There are no restrictions on the type of funding for which applicants may apply, and Trustees will consider contributions towards core costs and capital works as well as specific projects.

For further information, and to apply, visit The Steel Charitable Trust

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Wallace and Gromit's Childrens Charity

This Bristol-based charity provides small grants of between £100 and £5000,for UK registered charities, hospices and hospitals that are working to improve and enrich the quality of life of sick children in hospitals and hospices across the UK

Grants are intended to help provide a wide range of support to patients, families and staff, including the provision of medical and sensory equipment, free family accommodation, arts and play activities, music therapy sessions, and respite care.

Preference will be given to children's hospitals and hospices in regional centres across the UK that: meet the following criteria:

1. They do not discriminate on the grounds of wealth, race, sexuality, religion, or disability.
2. They provide a geographically regional healthcare service to a wide range of children in a hospital or hospice.

Further information, guidance and an online application form is available on their website: Wallace and Gromit's Children's Charity

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Devonian Grants

The purpose of the Devonian grant scheme is to support community organisations or individuals located in Devon to alleviate mobility in relation to disability or ill-health.

Individuals may apply for funding of up to £1,000 towards the cost of equipment that significantly improves quality of life by alleviating or removing physical mobility limitations.

Organisations may apply for funding of up to £5,000 to help people overcome or relieve physical mobility limitations.  This may include equipment or specialised transport, such as accessible coaches or taxis.

Devonian grants are available throughout our grant-making year.

You can find out more about the Devonian Grants guidelines and how to apply online

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Waterloo Foundation

Through their environment fund, the Waterloo Foundation wants to support projects which can help mitigate the damaging effects that humans are having on the environment and contribute to a positive change both now and in the future.

The fund has two main programmes:

Marine - support for projects working to halt declining fish stocks

Tropical Rainforests - support for projects protecting tropical rain forest, principally through avoided deforestation

If you would like to apply for funding, please read through all sections for the relevant programme on their website and make sure you are eligible to apply. Then read through the application guidelines before applying.

All details can be found at: The Waterloo Foundation - Environment

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Lady Kingsmans

The Lady Kingsmans, a fundraising group in Plymouth, is looking for charities to support in Plymouth and Devon - especially those focused on helping women and girls. Potentially there will be pots of around £500 available.

Anyone interested should get in touch with them by emailing This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.

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Co-op Foundation Carbon Innovation Fund

The Co-op Foundation launched a new fund on Monday 22 November 2021 to support food and farming projects that are tackling the climate crisis by reducing greenhouse gas emissions.

Funding between £75,000 and £100,000 is available to support work in the food and farming sector which reduces the emissions of greenhouse gases into our atmosphere.

The funding covers work in the following areas:

• Farming and food production practices
• Initiatives around regenerative agriculture/agro-ecology
• Community supported agriculture initiatives
• Supporting diversity, resilience and learning amongst key players in the food and farming sector
• Behaviour change (amongst consumers or producers)

Registered charities, social enterprises, voluntary and community organisations are eligible to apply.

More information and links to the Co-op Foundation's charitable purposes, funding timeline and online application form can be found via the Innovation fund Guidance page Innovation_Fund_Guidance.pdf (mcusercontent.com)

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Community Business Crowd-match - Power to Change

Power to Change has teamed up with Crowd-funder to launch Community Business Crowd-match to back new or existing community businesses to deliver brilliant community-led projects.

Whether it's launching new ideas to help your neighbourhood, help meet increased demand, save a community space or help bridge a funding gap, Power to Change will match fund up to 50% of your target, to a maximum of £10,000, as long as you can raise the rest through crowdfunding.

Through this fund Power to Change are particularly keen to support new and existing projects in more deprived areas of the country, and to work with communities experiencing racial inequity across England.

For more information visit Crowdmatch - Power to Change

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Hospital Saturday Fund

The Hospital Saturday Fund is a grant-making charity which donates to medically associated charities for care and research, and to some individuals with health problems throughout the UK and Republic of Ireland, the Channel Islands, the Isle of Man and historically Malta.

For medically related charities, hospitals, hospices and medical clinics The Hospital Saturday Fund will consider giving grants towards medical capital projects, medical care or research and in support of medical training.  The Hospital Saturday Fund will also consider grants for running costs.

Individuals may apply and their website lists what will and won't be considered.

You can apply to the fund as well as read application guidelines on the Hospital Saturday Fund website

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Maisie and Raphael Lewis Charitable Foundation

Funds are available to UK registered charities. The Foundation's objective is to advance resources exclusively for charitable purposes, mainly to support Old Age Home and Medical Charities. Other interests of the Foundation, as detailed in its Charity Commission entry, suggest the Foundation may also favour Jewish causes.

No application deadline is published, and interested parties are invited to contact the Foundation about the availability of grant support in the first instance.

Registered charities interested in applying to the Foundation are advised to write to enquire about the availability of grants to the following address: Barry Slavin and Jeffrey Zamet - Trustees, The Masie and Raphael Lewis Foundation, Arram Berlyn Gardner LLP, 30 City Road, London, EC1Y 2AB.

For further information please phone 020 7330 0000 or Email: This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. (the Foundation does not maintain a website).

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Tudor Trust

The Tudor Trust capital, project and core funding grants generally over £10,000 for up to 3 years for smaller UK community-led groups that support people at the margins of society in the UK, encouraging independence, inclusion and integration.

Applications may be made at any time and should be made online following the Trust's 2-stage application process:

• Stage 1: Applicants should create an account on the Trust's website, then complete a brief online form and upload their cover letter, answers to the 5 application questions and a copy of their latest annual accounts
• Stage 2: The Trust will invite successful Stage 1 applicants to proceed to a second stage.  This involves an in-depth conversation, via phone or Zoom with one of the Trust's grant managers.

UK charitable organisations with a constitution and a bank account, including registered charities, unincorporated associations, community interest companies, and community benefit societies can apply.  Organisations should be working directly with people in the UK who are on the edges of mainstream society and have limited access to resources and opportunities.  Applying organisations must have an annual income of less than £1 million.

Funding guidelines as well as how to apply can be found online

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Comic Relief Community Fund

Groundwork are pleased to be managing this new fund on behalf of Comic Relief in England. It will provide grants of up to £10,000, supporting project delivery and organisational capacity building, helping organisations flourish. It is supporting community-led organisations with an income of less than £250,000 to deliver projects.

The funding is split as follows: Up to £1,000 for capacity building and Up to £9,000 for project delivery.

They will fund applications from grass roots, community led organisations that can demonstrate how people with lived experience of the issues being tackled are involved in the organisation and the project.

Applications must sit within one of the four key themes:

• A Safe Place To Be: Supporting people to rebuild their lives because of homelessness or forced migration.
• Children Survive & Thrive:  Supporting children up to the age of 11 to grow, play and learn
• Fighting for Gender Justice: Championing women and girls, including initiatives tackling domestic violence, abuse or exploitation
• Mental Health Matters: Supporting good mental health in communities and tackling stigma and discrimination.

For more information and to apply visit: Groundwork - Community Fund

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Elmgrant Trust

The Elmgrant Trust is a charity which makes grants for charitable purposes to individuals living in the south west of England (Cornwall, Devon, Somerset and Dorset) and to organisations and groups with projects in the south west. By so doing it aims to improve the quality of local life and welfare through education, the arts and social sciences.

While the Elmgrant Trust assesses each application on its individual merits, they choose to prioritise geographically and certain types of work.

They consider applications:

• from the South West area of England, especially Devon and Cornwall
• projects which help to improve the quality of local life and welfare
• art projects which help to improve the quality of local life
• from individuals who are further educating themselves to improve their job prospects with a clear compassionate need.

They are happy to receive applications for core running costs or project costs of small established organisations who have a proven record of making a significant difference.

Average grants are in the region of £450, or around £150 for individuals.

The board of trustees meet three times a year, usually on the last Saturday of February, June and October. Applications need to be submitted one clear month prior to the meeting date. Please make sure that your application fits with the meeting timings as they do not give retrospective grants. Please email the secretary for the date of the next application deadline if in any doubt.

Applications must be made by letter. For full details of what is required in the application and the Trust's postal address visit the website www.elmgrant.org.uk. 

For further information, including confirmation of the closing dates, you may email This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. or call 01803 863160.

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Pebbles Grants

The Rank Foundation's 'Pebbles' grant fund, which has reopened again following a break during COVID, is directed at smaller UK charities and churches that may not be covered by the Rank Foundation's larger programmes.

Grants of between £250 and £4,000 are available for either:

• Capital costs - funding for fixed, one-time expenses incurred for building work, refurbishment and equipment, or
• Short breaks - funding for respite breaks or holidays for disadvantaged young people.

The total cost of the project should not exceed £150,000 and applicants must have an annual turnover of under £500,000. Applicants will be required to demonstrate that 33% of the total project cost has been sought and secured from other sources.

To apply, applicants should initially complete the online Eligibility Form. Eligible applicants can then complete the online application form.

Further information and guidance can be found on the Rank Foundation website.

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Wooden Spoon - The Childrens' Charity of Rugby

If your project is in the UK or Ireland and shares our aim of making a positive impact on the lives of children and young people, it may be eligible for a Wooden Spoon grant.

While there is neither a minimum nor maximum grant level, it is unlikely projects of a physical nature under £5,000 in value will have sufficient substance and scale to qualify under the 'projected life span' criteria.

With the current situation, much of Wooden Spoon's fundraising has been put on hold and therefore the available funding for projects has been reduced. It is suggest as a first step you complete their expression of interest form on their website for an initial assessment.

If you have discussed your grant with the team and are eligible please visit their website to apply: woodenspoon.org.uk

Once an application has been received it will be checked to ensure it meets the criteria. It will then be sent to the regional committee for approval. If the region agrees to support the project an inspector will undertake a site visit and report back to the Project Committee which meets monthly. Successful applications will go forward to the next quarterly Council meeting. The applicant will receive a formal grant letter, if the project is approved by Council.

If you have any queries please contact This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.">This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.

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Funding for Allotment and Garden Projects

The National Allotment Gardens Trust (NAGT) offers funding to registered allotments and Committees for the improvement and development of facilities on registered and permanent sites (non-statutory sites may also be granted funding if a long term lease is in place).

The NAGT's objectives are to .......

• Advance and improve the allotments/gardens movement by education, training, workshops and support.
• To provide training for allotment committee members and for people who wish to become involved in the management of allotments.
• For committees who wish to take a lease of their site from either Local Authority or Private landlord.
• To improve facilities for those who have need for such facilities by their youth, infirmity or disablements.
• The trust can provide funding and experience in allotment gardening.
• Local training courses can be arranged.

Groups who meet the requirements for funding should apply in the first instance using the NAGT Funding application form. This is available by visiting the grant application page on the National Allotment Gardens Trust website or emailing This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.

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Lloyds Bank Racial Equity Fund

The fund is aimed at small and local charities that are led by and that support Black, Asian, and ethnic minority communities. Charities can apply for two-year unrestricted grants of £50,000 alongside development support.  

The funding will be open year-round and will not be restricted by deadlines. The Foundation is looking to support charities where more than half of their Trustee Board self-identify as Black, Asian or minority ethnic, with an annual income of between £25,000 and £1m, and with a strong track record of helping people from minority communities across 11 complex social issues.

For the eligibility check, and the online application form visit Lloyd's Bank Foundation

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Tarka Country Trust - Community Wildlife Fund

The Community Wildlife fund is currently open for applications from community groups in North Devon and Torridge Districts wanting to carry out small scale projects that both benefit wildlife and involve the community.  The maximum grant is £500.

The Tarka Country Trust's Community Wildlife Trust has previously supported:

North Devon Moving Image CIC for "Wild Shorts" - a wildlife and environmental short film competition.

North Devon Barn Owl Box Project for supply of free barn owl boxes for farmers with suitable buildings and habitat.

Gaia Trust for creation and management of bird scrapes as Home Farm Marsh, Fremington.

The Greater Horseshoe Bat Viewing Platform, which was built to help people view these rare mammals near Braunton.

Meddon Green Local Nature Reserve to help carry out pond clearance, access improvements and interpretation.

It's advised to read their guidance notes before applying to the Trust - click on this document for the guidance notes Community Wildlife Fund - Guidance Notes (PDF) [114KB]

Submit your completed application to This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. or send a paper copy to Tarka Country Trust, Taw View, North Walk, Barnstaple, EX31 1EE

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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 £1,500 for homes and £3,500 for businesses help to cover the costs of installing gigabit broadband to people's doorsteps.

The new UK Gigabit Voucher launched on Thursday 8th April 2021 and is only available through a supplier who is registered with the scheme. 

From 8th April you will be able to check whether your premises is eligible for a voucher, find a list of registered suppliers, and see those who are active in your area, using the website: gigabitvoucher.culture.gov.uk

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Barratt Foundation

To mark the completion of their 500,000^th home, Barratt Homes has launched the Barratt Foundation, bringing together their charitable giving and long-term support for good causes and leading charities under one roof.

As the UK's largest house builder, Barratt want to lead the industry in the scope, scale, and impact of their charitable work. Last year they raised and donated more than £4m - but now want to go further.

In addition to the achieving their 500,000^th home milestone, with the pandemic both reducing funding for charities and making the work they do more important than ever, they feel this is the right moment to launch the Barratt Foundation.

It has a general purpose, but they will look to focus efforts on some key areas, including:

• Promoting social inclusion, particularly young people, the armed forces and the most disadvantaged and excluded in society.
• Helping the environment and nature, alongside our commitment to being the country's leading national sustainable housebuilder
• Promoting physical and mental health
• Education and opportunity

To mark the launch of the Barratt Foundation, they are donating £500,000 across 10 charities chosen by their employees. These charities are Macmillan Cancer Support, Dementia UK, CALM, The Wildlife Trust, Marie Curie, Re-engage, The Samaritans, Refuge, The Matt Hampson Foundation and The Care Workers' Charity.

If there is a local charity working in your area that you feel could benefit from their support, please direct them to the Foundation for more information and details on how to get in touch, or to make an application to the Barratt Foundation.

https://barrattfoundation.org.uk/ 

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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 £1000 and £10,000.

Small Grants Scheme - (foylefoundation.org.uk)

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Devon County Council's Locality Budgets

Devon County Councillors each have a locality budget of £10,000 per year to enable them to respond to local needs in their divisions, supporting projects or activities that benefit the communities they represent.

Councillors can, if they wish, make grants to support projects or activities that benefit the communities they represent.

Locality budget funding adds value to projects that are beneficial to local communities, and help meet the Council's strategic objectives. Projects are diverse and reflect the needs of local communities. All projects should include some other financial contribution(s) and/or local support.

Any properly constituted not-for-private-profit voluntary or community group (including town and parish councils) can apply to their local county councillor for a grant from the locality budget fund.

Each councillor will normally make their own decision on which applications they wish to support, the only exception would be where the councillor may have a conflict of interest and the decision will have to be approved by an officer provided that the locality budget fund grant will be normally used within the financial period (April to March) of each year and is not used to benefit individuals or private businesses.

To discuss a locality budget fund application, you should contact your local County Councillor in the first instance. You can view a Map of Devon County wards of each of the Council's electoral divisions to help you to identify your local councillor.

If your county councillor wishes to support your application, you must complete Part A of the locality budget application form, and ensure that the reverse side of the form is completed (terms and conditions) and then send it to the councillor so that they can complete Part B.

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Hargreaves Foundation

The Hargreaves Foundation is a grant-making charitable foundation set up in 2020 by Peter Hargreaves and his family.  Applications are open for organisations seeking funding to support those under the age of 18, and living with a mental health problem, physical disability or growing up in poverty through the mediums of sport and education.

The Foundation can fund clearly defined projects, initiatives or the purchase of specific items that support one or more of the following:

• Enables individuals to experience the mental and physical health benefits of participatory sport
• Ensures participatory sport is accessible
• Provides sporting or educational activities that foster life skills
• Aims to improve academic engagement and attainment
• Encourages the development of skills and personal attributes to aid future employability.

It is the intention of the Trustees to consider a targeted approach to funding and seek out opportunities which provide scope to 'materially change the life of an individual'.

To apply online visit: The Hargreaves Foundation

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Loans for charities

The Charity Bank provides loans to small and large organisations where the loan is being used for a social purpose. Loans are provided to social enterprises and other community organisations that benefit people and communities for a variety of needs including property purchase or refurbishments, capital investments, asset purchases, working capital loans and underwriting facilities for fund-raising programmes.

Loans may be offered to not-for-profit organisations, parish councils, charities, community groups, voluntary groups, community buildings and social enterprises.

Visit their website Charity Loans For UK Charities or email them: This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.">This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. 

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Ulverscroft Foundation - supporting visually impaired people

The Ulverscroft Foundation is a UK based charity supporting visually impaired people. The Foundation supplies grants to organisations looking for help with projects relating to improving the quality of life of visually impaired people.

Funding is mainly given to organisations directly helping the visually impaired, such as libraries, schools, colleges and hospitals.

Any organisation applying is only able to submit one application every 18 months regardless of the outcome of the application.

The Foundation is keen to support specific projects and associated costs, with capital costs, core salaries and general running costs not supported.

Applications can be made in writing by downloading, completing and posting an application form or, alternatively, by using their online application form. They also accept email applications. Details of the information required, as well as contact details and where to send the application, can be found on their website: Ulverscroft Foundation

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Nationwide Building Society - Community Grants

Charities, Community Land Trusts and housing co-operatives who are making positive changes in their local areas can apply for grants of between £10,000 and £50,000.

Projects will be favoured that:

• help charities get back on their feet after the impact of Covid-19
• illustrate a clear link to Nationwide's ambition for everyone to have a place fit to call home and can demonstrate the impact their project will have on the local community
• are supporting people in housing need, in original or creative ways. This includes both projects already delivering local impact and those carrying out research to find new ways to challenge the housing crisis
• have the potential to inspire and be used by others across the country
• have robust plans to measure and report on the difference the grant will make
• can demonstrate sustainability beyond the life of the grant, by building the skills of staff and volunteers, diversifying funding streams and providing long-term solutions for the people they are helping
• can evidence knowledge of local issues and have a network of local connections.

In 2021 they are capping the amount of Community Grant applications that will be accepted.

For more information visit Nationwide Grants (nationwidecommunitygrants.co.uk)

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Flexible Plastic Fund

Businesses, retailers and recyclers are invited to access funding and support through the new Flexible Plastic Fund initiative. The scheme has been set up to incentivise the recycling of flexible plastics such as bags and wrappers.

The Flexible Plastic Fund is a cross-industry collaboration established in May 2021 by five founding partners: Mars, Mondelēz International, Nestlé, PepsiCo and Unilever.

The aim is to create a circular system that incentivises the recycling of flexible plastics:

1. Businesses that own brands that use flexible plastic packaging invest in the fund to become partners of the Flexible Plastic Fund.
2. Participating retailers hold collection points within their stores where individuals can drop off their flexi-plastics for recycling.
3. The plastics are transported to approved recyclers to create new products.
4. These new products generate Packaging Recovery Notes which certify that the products have been recycled.
5. If the new products meet the requirements of the Flexible Plastics Fund then a payment is made to the partners in the fund.

The Fund has a pricing hierarchy where food-grade plastic film benefits from a higher price than non-packaging material. The aim is to recycle at least 80% of the plastics collected in the UK - rising to 100% by 2023.

https://flexibleplasticfund.org.uk/

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E B M Charitable Trust

The aims of the E B M Charitable Trust are to support a wide variety of beneficiaries including charities involved in animal welfare and research, the relief of poverty and youth development.

A letter of introduction is recommended as unsolicited applications are not encouraged. Moreover, the Trust has stated that all its funds are committed. The Trust prefers to make donations to charities whose work they have researched and which is in accordance with its areas of interest. It tends not to support research projects as research is not a core priority but there are exceptions to this. Please note that the Trust receives a very high number of grant applications which are mostly unsuccessful.

However, if you have a charitable cause you believe the Trust will support, it may be worth submitting a letter or application as the Trust's grants can be substantial and provided over a number of years.

A letter of introduction may be submitted at any time, addressed to:

Lynne Webster, the E B M Charitable Trust, Moore Family Office Ltd, 42 Berkeley Square

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Community News!

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Morrisons help to reduce period poverty

Please pass this information on to as many people as you can....

If you are in need, or struggling for sanitary products, go to a kiosk in any branch of Morrisons, and ask for a package that SANDY has left for you.

You will be given a FREE discreet bag with what you need, no questions asked.

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Pens For Kids

In many countries, kids can only dream of an education, as parents cannot afford to send them to school. The main obstacles are often school fees, school uniforms, or that the children need to work to help support the family. In many countries education is free, but missing income, uniforms and cost of school utensils like pens are still big hurdles to overcome. In some countries the average income per family is a dollar or two a day, pens are big investments and quickly dry out under the relentless Equatorial sun.  Many kids just wish they could be allowed to go to school.

By sending your new and used pens, this makes the dream a reality for many.

They welcome donations of pens, pencils and most other forms of stationery, old and new, as long as they're in working order.  Feel free to post anything you can spare to:

Pens for Kids UK, PO Box 864, Orpington, BR6 1JQ

If you would like to donate money instead, or find out more about their project, please visit their website: Pens for Kids or their Facebook page:  Pens for Kids UK - Facebook