Looking for funding for your group or organization?

Below are some funding opportunities that may be of interest to your group:

Volant Charitable Trust (UK)Registered charities whose purpose is to alleviate poverty and social deprivation with particular emphasis on children and women’s issues have the opportunity to apply for funding through the Volant Charitable Trust. The Trust which was set up by the author J K Rowling also supports research into the causes, treatment and possible cures of Multiple Sclerosis. However this funding stream is currently fully committed and is currently not considering further applications for funding in this area. Applications for projects in Scotland are dealt with by the Scottish Community Foundation. The next application deadline is the 10th January 2014.

Tesco Charity Community Awards (UK)

The Tesco Charity Trust has announced that its Community Awards for grants for children’s welfare and/or children’s educations (including special needs schools) will re-open for applications on the 1st December 2013. Through the Awards, one-off donations of between £500 and £4,000 are available to local projects that support children and their education and welfare. The Tesco Charity Trust Trustees also consider grant applications at their tri-annual meetings. These grants range between £4,000 and £25,000 and are to support local, national or international projects in areas where Tesco operate. The closing date for applications will be the 30th January 2014.

People's Postcode Trust Small Grants Programme

The People's Postcode Trust has announced that its small grants programme is due to re-open for applications on the 7th January 2014 and close on the 22nd February 2014. Through its small grants programme, the People's Postcode Trust offers grants of between £500 and £10,000 to small organisations and community groups for projects lasting up to 6 months in the areas of Poverty Prevention; Advancement of Health; Community Development; Public Sports; Human Rights; and Environmental Protection. Previous projects supported include Birkenhead YMCA which received a grant of £6,271 to set up a community garden project for homeless people; and the Moray Art Centre which received a grant of £2,000 to run a play therapy group for children with autism. Eligible regions for this funding round will be Scotland, Wales and the North of England.

Volunteering Development Grant (Scotland)

Community based organisations that want to start new projects that involve volunteers can apply for grants through the Volunteering Development Fund. Grants are available for projects that increase the diversity of their volunteers (especially those experiencing disadvantage); and improve opportunities, skills and personal development through volunteering. The grants, which are being administered through the Voluntary Action Fund, provide two funding schemes. The Volunteering Support Scheme which provides grants of up to £10,000 to individual organisations and the Volunteering Support Cluster which provides grants of up to 30,000 to clusters of four to five organisations. The closing date for applications is the 28th February 2014 for the Volunteering Support grant and the 31st January 2014 for the Volunteering Support Cluster grant.

£15m Online Skills Programme Opens for Applications (UK)

The Big Lottery Fund has launched a new £15 million funding programme to improve the basic online skills of people who rarely or never use the internet. The Big Lottery Fund is looking for applications from national organisations or partnerships that can show how they could use between £5 million and £15 million to deliver face-to-face training and support to tackle the digital divide. It is estimated that there are 11 million people in the UK who currently lack the online skills to confidently make full use of digital tools available to them and 7.1 million people who have never been online. In addition, a third of young people not in education, employment or training rarely or never look for jobs online and 17 per cent would not apply for jobs that require basic computer skills. The closing date for application is the 24th January 2014.

Scotch Whisky Action Fund: Tackling Alcohol Related Harm

The fund, established by the Scotch Whisky Association, aims to invest in groups and organisations that wish to reduce the impact of alcohol-related harm in Scotland’s communities. They are looking to support and develop a range of projects/initiatives which deliver targeted interventions designed to tackle alcohol-related harms across three themes: Young people (aged under 18), Families, and Communities. The fund  recognises that the misuse of alcohol through excessive or inappropriate consumption can have implications for health and a range of social problems, including anti-social behaviour, accidents, violence, family break-down, problems with money and work, which can impact on individuals, families and communities. The Fund would particularly welcome applications from new/innovative or pilot initiatives which aim to test new approaches within these themes and which will offer learning that others can use. Applications from existing projects which can demonstrate success in reducing harm are also welcome.The deadline for the first round of applications is 31 March 2014 with decisions expected in June 2014.