Funding opportunities March

Grants are a vital source of income for charities large and small, but trawling through databases for relevant opportunities is a time-consuming task.

Enter Bamboo. Each month, we scour the internet and highlight a range of funding opportunities from trusts, corporates, and the public sector.

Let’s get into it.

The Woodroffe Benton Foundation

Amount: £500 to £2,500
Deadline: March 31

The Foundation’s current funding programme focuses on projects which improve the quality of life and social engagement for older people in England, Wales, Scotland, and Northern Ireland.

They will consider applications under the following categories:

• Relief of people in need, hardship, or distress because of social or economic circumstances.

• Provision/Maintenance of care and accommodation for the sick and elderly.

• Promotion of education (within the Derbyshire region)

• Environmental Conservation/Preservation/Protection/Improvement (particularly where it would encourage the provision of access by members of the public)

They prefer to contribute to core operating costs rather than specific projects. So organisations with an annual income of £750,000 or more will not qualify for funding.

Find out more and apply here.

Impetus Connect Fund

Amount: £100k for two years
Deadline: April 7

The Impetus Connect Fund partners with charities that support young people from ethnic minorities and socio-economically disadvantaged backgrounds into employment.

They’re particularly interested in working with organisations that serve young people from Bangladeshi, Pakistani and Black communities, as these groups face the most significant barriers to employment.

To qualify, your charity must:

• deliver a programme/intervention that targets employment or employment-related outcomes for the young people i.e., supporting young people to develop employment-related or sector-specific skills (e.g. interview practice or skills boot camps), connecting young people with work experience or apprenticeship opportunities, or provide mentoring for young people

• have achieved at least break-even in two of the past three years, OR you must hold at least two months of operating costs in your reserves

• have at least five members of staff

If successful, you’ll receive:

• £100k in unrestricted grant funding per year, for two years (with the potential to continue thereafter)

• Expertise, coaching, and capacity-building support from their investment team

• Access to their peer learning forums, a chance to network with and learn from other portfolio charities

• Access to sector-based coalitions to influence policy and the national conversation on the issues faced by the young people you serve

• Access to their pro-bono network of specialist advisers including PwC and Bain

• Access to further grants through co-investment with their network of donors
  
  Click here to find out more and apply

B&Q Foundation

Amount: £10,000 for indoor projects and £5,000 for garden projects
Deadline: The next funding opens on 26th Apr and closes on 17th May

The B&Q Foundation funds charities that support people in need in the UK – whether they’re homeless, in financial hardship, or impacted by health, disability, or other disadvantage.

The funding should be used to improve or develop spaces that benefit these groups and the local community. Projects can be indoor or outdoor.
You can see previous projects they’ve funded here.

If successful, your project must be delivered within 6 months of receiving the grant.

Find out more and apply here.

John Ellerman Foundation

Amount: £10,000 - £50,000 per year, for up to three years
Deadline: Rolling

The John Ellerman Foundation aims to advance the well-being of people, society, and the natural world by focusing on the arts, environment, and social action. They prefer to support smaller charities, so organisations with an annual income in excess of £750,000 aren’t eligible to apply.

They provide core funding, which can be used for:

• staff salaries, training, and expenses

• day-to-day running costs and operations

• monitoring and evaluation

• communications and digital innovation.

They have three funding programmes.

1.   Arts

They fund organisations which collaborate with, commission or support artists to create new or reimagined work and prioritise applicants from outside the capital.

Applications can be made under two programmes: Creators in the performing arts, and Curators in museums and galleries.

2.   Environment

They’re interested in organisations that understand the interdependence of people and nature and apply this in their thinking and practice.

Applications can be made under two programmes: The Ocean and Land and fresh waters.

3.   Social Action

They are interested in organisations with a track record of tackling divisions and inequity, and who bring together individuals, community organisations, and others, including national bodies, to influence government and the agencies that shape our lives.

To qualify, your organisation must:

• Actively involve those with personal experience of the issue tackled

• Improve systems through policy, advocacy, and campaigning

• have been operating for more than 24 months

Find out more here.

Looking for a trust fundraiser to join your team? We can help. Give us a call on 020 3750 3111 or email us at info@bamboofundraising.co.uk to get started.

Local authority funding cuts are putting charities at risk

Local government is in crisis. Since 2018, eight English councils have declared themselves bankrupt, including four in the past 12 months. And, according to the Guardian, nearly one in five council leaders in England say they’re likely to declare bankruptcy in the next 15 months. 

While local authorities have faced financial difficulties for the last decade, the issues have been exacerbated by the same inflationary pressures that are pushing the cost of living up for everyone.

To stay afloat, they’ve been forced to make drastic spending cuts, including vital funding to local charities.

Considering council funding makes up 13% of the sector’s income, it’s a huge blow.

Financial pressure

Charity think tank Pro Bono Economics says that local authority funding for charities has fallen by 23% since 2010, equating to £13.2bn. And further cuts can be expected in the coming months.

Cause for concern

The financial challenges in local government pose a threat to the future of many local charities.

For instance:

• The Early Help Service in Birmingham has warned that thousands of children are at risk as a result of proposals by the bankrupt city council to cut an £8m early help contract, providing safety net services to thousands of families struggling with poverty, mental illness, and addiction.

• Community First bus services linking communities in rural Hampshire are under threat after Hampshire County Council, which faces a £132m deficit over the next two years, cut funding by £500,000. It’s also scrapped a £500,000 grant that funds volunteer and legal support for 650 local charities.

• Citizens Advice Woking faces closure after bankrupt Woking borough council cancelled its £180,000 grant.

Speaking out

In an interview with the Guardian, Dame Clare Moriarty, chief executive of Citizens Advice said of the financial crisis, “local government has been a crucial funder for charities like Citizens Advice, so the current crisis is deeply troubling. We’ll continue working to make sure we can be there for as many people as possible. But it’s vital the government considers the devastating knock-on impacts of local authority funding cuts on community services.”

Government response

In January, the government announced a £600m boost for English councils, most of which has been earmarked for social care services, but the Levelling Up, Housing and Communities Committee has warned the extra cash won’t tackle the underlying financial problems.

Comprising of a cross-party group of MPs, the Committee has called on ministers to urgently inject £4bn into English town hall budgets to head off an “out of control” financial crisis that threatens to drag well-run councils into bankruptcy and put more local services at risk.

Clive Betts, chair of the Committee, said “the government must use the local government financial settlement to help bridge the £4bn funding gap for 2024-25 or risk already strained council services becoming stretched to breaking point. If the government fails to plug this gap, well-run councils could face the very real prospect of effectively going bust.”

Looking for a fundraiser to help you diversify your income? We can help. Give us a call on 0203 750 3111 or email info@bamboofundraising.co.uk.

Funding opportunities for February

Grants are a vital source of income for charities large and small, but trawling through databases for relevant opportunities is a time-consuming task.

Enter Bamboo.

Each month, we scour the internet and highlight a range of funding opportunities from trusts, corporates, and the public sector.

Let’s get into it.

Trust for London

Amount: £1,000 - £180,000
Deadline: March 4, 2024

Trust for London wants to fund organisations fighting for the rights of disabled people. This includes work that strengthens the ability of deaf and disabled people organisations (DDPOs) to engage in campaigning, policy, and advocacy. They're also keen to fund work that contributes to growing, broadening, and diversifying the disability movement.

There are two types of grants available:

• development grants of up to £20,000 for new and small organisations

• larger grants for up to £180,000 over 2-3 years

To be eligible, you must provide services for, or work on behalf of, deaf and disabled people who live in London. And at least 75% of your trustees and 50% of your paid staff must be disabled.

Find out more and apply here.

The Haberdashers Company

Amount: Up to £5,000
Deadline: March 8, 2024

The Haberdashers Company aims to ‘empower young people from every background to fulfil their potential’.

It awards grants to charities that serve the following groups:

• Early Years (0–5-year-olds)

• Young people who experience disadvantage

• Young people with experience of the custody system

• Young people who experience homelessness

Projects must provide inclusive solutions to the challenges faced by these communities in one of the following boroughs/geographical areas.

• The London Boroughs of Bexley, Hackney, Lewisham, or Southwark

• Telford and Wrekin, Shropshire

• The Forest of Dean

• Chertsey, Surrey

• Albrighton, Shropshire (and surrounding areas)

• Wigston, Leicestershire (and surrounding areas)

• Bunbury, Cheshire (and surrounding areas)

Applications from charities with an income of less than £250,000 are actively encouraged to apply. 

Request an application form from grants@haberdashers.co.uk (putting Small Grants Programme in the subject heading).

Be sure to include:

• A link to your entry on the Charities Commission website

• The focus area your charity addresses

• The geographical area your work covers

Gatwick Airport Community Trust

Amount: between £1,000 - £5,000
Deadline: March 31, 2024

The Gatwick Airport Community Trust funds projects targeted towards the development of young people, the arts, sporting facilities, environmental improvement and conservation, improvements to community facilities, volunteering, the elderly and the disabled.

To be considered, your project should benefit people in the areas directly affected by operations at Gatwick Airport i.e. East and West Sussex, Surrey, and Kent.

They occasionally award larger grants for projects that will benefit a significant number of people and make a valuable difference over the long term. 

Check out their featured projects for inspiration.

If you tick all the boxes, apply here.

Regional Capacity Building

Amount: Up to £100,000
Deadline: March 31, 2024

This Government funding is for activities and projects that promote the understanding, management, and conservation of the historic environment.

Eligible projects must help to reduce or avoid risk to the historic environment through one of the following:

• build up the capacity and commitment of local communities to champion the conservation and enhancement of their local historic environments.

• promote best-practice standards for the conservation, documentation, interpretation, and sustainable management of the resources of England's historic environment.

• meet regional-based information needs.

Eligible activities and projects for which there is a lack of alternative sources of funding are the highest priorities for support.

To apply, contact your local Historic England office

The Clothworkers Foundation

Amount: £5,000 - £20,000
Deadline: Ongoing

The Clothworkers Foundation’s Open Grants Programme awards funding for capital projects, which they define as:

• Buildings: purchase, construction, renovation, or refurbishment.

• Fittings, Fixtures, and Equipment: this includes office equipment/furniture, sports/gym equipment, digital/audiovisual equipment, software and websites, garden equipment, and specialist therapeutic (excluding medical) equipment. It does not include equipment for one-off use, or which will be given to service users for personal use on a permanent basis.

• Vehicles: This includes minibuses, cars, caravans, people carriers, 4x4 and boats. They do not provide grants towards vehicle leasing or award funding to organisations whose core activity is community transport.

You must be able to demonstrate that your organisation fits within one or more of their programme areas, and at least 50% of service users benefiting from your project must be from one or more of these groups. 

• Communities experiencing racial inequalities

• Domestic and sexual abuse

• Economic disadvantage

• Homelessness

• LGBT & communities

• Older people facing disadvantage

• Prison & rehabilitation

• Substance misuse & addiction

• Young people facing disadvantage

Want to apply? Take the eligibility quiz and fill out the application form here.

Looking for a trust fundraiser to join your team? We can help. Give us a call on 020 3750 3111 or email us at info@bamboofundraising.co.uk to get started.

RNIB launches new audio identity

The classic roar of the MGM lion before a film begins. The unmistakable “ba-da-ba-ba-baaa” at the end of a McDonalds ad. The iconic ‘ta-dum’, as you launch Netflix.

When we hear these short, memorable ditties, we immediately think of the brands behind them.

Therein lies the power of audio branding; ‘the intentional use of sounds, melodies, and jingles to represent and reinforce a brand's identity’.

However, sonic branding isn’t just for corporates.

Leading sight loss charity, RNIB is one of the UK’s first major charities to dabble in audio branding.

In November 2023, the charity launched a new sonic identity, comprising of a sonic logo, a brand track using the same key notes, and a set of 18 radio jingles.

Over the coming months, the assets will be incorporated into their marketing campaigns, social media ads, the RNIB Helpline, and RNIB Connect Radio, the UK's only radio station dedicated to people with sight loss.

Boost engagement

The assets were designed to help the charity ‘better engage with the sight loss community.’ As Martin Wingfield, director of brand at RNIB, explains; “As the UK’s leading sight loss charity, RNIB is ‘of and for’ blind and partially sighted people. We wanted to make sure our brand was completely accessible to people with sight loss, which is why we felt so passionately about creating a sonic identity. Whether someone is listening to RNIB Connect Radio, watching a video, or using one of our audiobooks – we want them to immediately know that it’s coming from RNIB”.

Created with the blind and partially sighted community

To ensure the assets resonate with their audience, the RNIB involved blind and partially sighted community in the audio creation, from the musician, and the people that provided their voices to the spoken elements of the logo, to the Grammy award winning sound engineer.

The charity also ran focus groups with service users to get their reaction to the tracks before creating a final draft.

The result? To quote RNIB, a “modern, contemporary sound featuring a strong, instantly recognisable melody”.

Brand building

The charity hopes its foray into audio branding will encourage other charities to think about how they make their audio communications clear and accessible.

As RNIB Policy Officer Erik Matthies, says, “good audio design is vital for so many aspects of daily life for partially sighted people like me.

I love the fact RNIB now has its own sonic identity as we continue to innovate the way we communicate with our customers and supporters.

Sound plays a key role for many in making sense of a world designed for people with sight.”

Final Word

Considering there are two million people living with sight loss in the UK, it could be argued that audio branding is a must-have, rather than a nice-to-have.

And research shows that audio trumps visuals when it comes to shaping donor perceptions and behaviour. According to a study by PHMG, 60% of people believe music is more memorable than visuals when used in marketing.

Is 2024 the year to build your brand through sound?

Looking for an audio-savvy fundraiser? We can help. Give us a call on 020 3750 3111 or email us at info@bamboofundraising.co.uk to get the conversation started.

Funding Opportunities: November

Grants are a vital source of income for charities large and small, but trawling through databases for relevant opportunities is a time-consuming task.

Enter Bamboo.

Each month, we’re going to scour the internet and highlight a range of funding opportunities from trusts, corporates, and the public sector.

Let’s get into it.

Peter Sowerby Foundation

Amount: Up to £500,000
Deadline: An expression of interest form must be submitted by 14th December 2023, 5pm.

The Peter Sowerby Foundation has announced a £2.5million open call for charities that tackle the ‘UK’s most pressing health issues through scale and innovation.’

Five charities will be awarded up to £500,000 to launch or expand existing initiatives that:

• demonstrate innovation in process, patient care or structural and systemic changes in primary healthcare.

• are high-impact and transformative in improving the quality of healthcare at scale (national) on three levels: individual, community and the sector.

• are potentially high-risk, complex, or technical.

• are backed up by clinical evidence and run by high-calibre professionals with compelling track records

Note: The scheme is focused on active delivery, not research i.e., it’s for initiatives which are ready to launch or scale.  

Click here to find out more and apply.

BA Better World Community Fund

Amount: Up to £15,000
Deadline: Ongoing

British Airways’ Community Fund provides match funding for crowdfunded projects that align with the priorities of BA Better World.

To qualify, projects must either:

• deliver support in areas experiencing social and economic deprivation, including rural communities.

• work with one or more of the following groups as a main focus:

- lower socio-economic groups
- culturally diverse communities.
- disadvantaged females.
- individuals struggling with mental health and wellbeing.
- groups that explore/provide solutions for climate change.

Priority will be given to projects that:

• provide training for disadvantaged groups to help them access employment and education.

• create opportunities for people in underrepresented groups, focused on improving gender and ethnic diversity and accessibility for people with disabilities.

• tackle environmental and climate challenges.

Additional information

• the fund will match each individual donation, up to £250.

• the maximum amount of funding per project is £15,000.

• projects must receive donations from at least 25 supporters to qualify.

Click here to find out more and apply.

Lloyds Bank Foundation’s Programme for Specialist Small Charities

Amount: £75,000
Deadline: Thursday, 25 January 2024, 5pm

The programme offers three-year unrestricted grants of £75,000 for small, local, specialist charities that provide in-depth services in one of the following areas:

• addiction

• asylum seekers and refugees

• care leavers

• domestic abuse

• homelessness

• offending

• sexual abuse and exploitation

• trafficking and modern slavery

The programme prioritises charities that:

• can demonstrate an understanding of trauma and strengths-based approaches. 

• involve people with lived experience in the leadership of the organisation and the design and delivery of services. 

• demonstrate an understanding of their own organisational challenges, have the interest and are willing to invest time and effort in owning and addressing them.

• can demonstrate a solid commitment to D, E, &I

To qualify, charities must have:

• an annual income of between £25,000 to £500,000.

• a board of at least three trustees.

Find out more and apply here.

Motability Community Transport Grant Programme

Amount: Up to £4m
Deadline: Ongoing

Through its Community Transport Grant programme, Motability is awarding charities in the community transport sector grants of between £100,000 and £4 million until March 2025.

The programme aims to help charities develop, expand, and improve community transport options for disabled people.

To qualify, charities must:

• be registered in the UK and have been active for at least three years.

• have generated an annual income of at least £150,000 per annum over the last three years.

• hold free reserves equivalent to at least three months of operating costs.

The scheme will fund:

• local, regional, or national initiatives that increase awareness of community transport and influence its inclusion in transport strategy and policy.

• existing schemes, programmes and initiatives that provide best practice solutions, but require further investment to remain operational or scale up.

• staff or volunteer training and costs.

• additional vehicles to support more disabled people in the community.

Additional information

 You can apply for one-, two- or three years ’ worth of funding. For example, you could apply for £102,000 in total over three years, which would be £34,000 per annum.

Find out more and apply here.

Looking for a trust fundraiser to join your team? We can help. Give us a call on 020 3750 3111 or email us at info@bamboofundraising.co.uk to get started.