From EPNAVCO’s Funding OfficerSept/Oct 2008/1

For further information please contact

Healthy Heart Grants (UK)

Community groups, voluntary organisations and researchers involved in preventing heart disease can apply for ‘Healthy Heart’ grants of up to £10,000 through Heart Research UK. Over the last 40 years, Heart Research UK has funded many of the ground breaking medical breakthroughs, including the first ever successful UK heart transplants and the development of heart valves. The types of projects funded through this scheme have included:

  • The Foresight Project in Grimsby which encourages visually impaired people to take regular exercise using tandem bicycles;
  • A project in Bradford to encourage local residents to participate in fun physical activities such as belly dancing, line dancing and exercise classes;
  • The Ross-shire Bravehearts project in Inverness educates adults with learning difficulties about heart health so they can take part in physical activities.

The next applications for grants will be accepted from the 1st January until the 28th February 2009.

ECOMINDs Programme Opens for Applications (England)
Mind, the leading mental health charity in England and Wales has announced that the Ecominds programme is now open for applications. Through the Ecominds programme, Mind will fund a range of groups who want to encourage people with experience of mental distress to get involved in environmental projects, such as improving open spaces and wildlife habitats, designing public art and recycling. Funded through the Big Lottery Fund's Changing Spaces programme, Ecominds will have £7.5 million to distribute to around 125 new and existing projects around England over the next five years. To be eligible for funding projects must have both a mental health and environmental perspective; involve people with direct experience of mental distress; encourage community access, collaboration, and improve the environment and environmental sustainability; and have a budget of under £250,000. The type of projects expected to be funded could include; community horticultural and agricultural project s; wildlife habitat or other site creation or renovation; clearing open spaces for community use; graffiti removal projects; and recycling projects, such as furniture, glass, and white goods (for example, reclaiming discarded furniture and doing it up to sell), etc....

Help the Hospices - Professional Development Grants (UK)

Help the Hospices, the national charity for the hospice movement, has announced that it is seeking applications through its Professional Development Grants scheme to help support the cost of individuals' continuing professional development. The Professional Development Grants help to support the cost of individuals' continuing professional development in independent voluntary hospices and are available towards attending accredited courses (at certificate, diploma and degree level), conferences, and study days across a wide range of disciplines. Funding for staff in NHS units, other hospices or in nursing homes is also available but exclusively for training in palliative care. A maximum of 50% of the fees (up to £750 pa) may be awarded to individuals whose applications must be endorsed by their employer. Applications can be submitted at any time but must arrive at Help the Hospices at least one month before the start of the course.

Free Swimming Programme (England)

Local Authorities have the opportunity to apply for funding under a new £140 Million Free Swimming Capital Modernisation Programme. The programme which aims to make swimming free for the over-sixties and under-sixteen’s makes grants available for improvements to publicly accessible swimming pools in local authority or maintained school ownership. The funding available is for the building of new swimming pools, modernisation works and major fixed equipment. Local authorities are also eligible to apply for capital projects at maintained schools of any category where pools which are, or will be as a result of this funding, open to use by the wider community outside normal school.

There is a two stage application process. Local Authorities should first identify their top strategic priority, and then complete the Stage 1 application form and return by no later than the 15th October 2008. Those bids successful at stage one will be encouraged to develop a full proposal.

Well-Being Small Grants Scheme – Ellesmere Port & Neston

The Well-Being Small Grants Scheme offers grants of up to £500.00 to small voluntary, community & faith sector groups in Ellesmere Port & Neston and aims to fund projects that

  • Contribute towards the health & well-being of participants
  • Help to tackle levels of disadvantage in the locality
  • Respond to local needs & priorities
  • Help people to improve the local community or community of interest
  • Tackle barriers to social inclusion

There will be two funding rounds for this grant, the next deadline is 28th November 2008.

For more information contact Gemma @ EPNAVCO on 0151 348 8502 or

Active European Citizenship Programme – Call for Proposals (UK)

The European Commission has launched a new call for proposals under its Active European Citizenship Programme 2007 - 13. The Active European Citizenship Programme support measures to encourage citizens to become actively involved in the process of European integration, empowering them to develop a sense of European identity, and enhancing mutual understanding between Europeans. The specific aims of this call are to support European public policy research organisations and civil society organisations to work together at the European level in such a way as to foster action, debate and reflection related to European citizenship and democracy, shared values, common history and culture. The total budget available for this call is EUR 600,000 and the maximum grant available per project is EUR 60,000. The closing date for applications is the 17th November 2008.

Union Learning Fund (England)

The Union Learning Fund (ULF) has launched the latest prospectus for Trade Unions that wish to bid for projects to start in April 2009. Under the Learning Union Fund, Trade Unions or any national organisation representing trade are able to apply for financial assistance to open up a wide range of learning opportunities for their members. The type of activities that can be funded include amongst others:

  • The training and development of Union Learning Representatives;
  • Projects that address low skills within the workplace;
  • Promoting e-learning opportunities;
  • Developing sectoral approaches to union led learning.

An expression of interest must be submitted by 31 October 2008. The expression of interest should include the aims and objectives of your proposed projects and the associated costs. Once the Expressions of Interest have been reviewed, applicants will be contacted by the ULF team who will provide feedback and where successful ask applicants to complete a full application form. Full application forms should be submitted by 5 December 2008.

Grants of up to £150k Available for Environmental Improvements (UK)

Grants of up to £150,000 are available towards environmentally focused projects through the Veolia Environmental Trust. The Trust, which was established in 1997 and has given more than £30 million in grants to over 600 community and environmental initiatives. Projects supported through the Trust can include reclaiming land that has been disused or used as a landfill site or coal mining site, installing and refurbishing play facilities, improving the natural habitat and encouraging biodiversity through the creation of nature reserves and preserving or restoring buildings of historical or religious importance. To qualify projects must be located within 5 miles of a Veolia Environmental Services facility. Due to a recent upsurge in demand for funding, the Trust has been reviewing its criteria for making grants and organisations interested in applying for funding should in the first instance submit an outline proposal. The next closing date is the 27th October 2008 for the Northern and Midlands regions and the 20th October 2008 for the London and Southern regions.

Customer Donation Fund (UK)

Organisations that bank with the Co-operative Bank using their Community Directplus Bank Account, have the opportunity to apply for funding through the Bank’s Customer Donation Fund. The Customer Donation Fund grows directly in relation to customers' deposits. For every £100 increase in collective balance held in Community Directplus accounts, the Co-operative Bank will add 20p to the fund. Then, twice a year, in April and October, the Bank will judge customers' applications for project funding and distribute a minimum of £5,000 amongst those customers that are successful. Every Community Directplus customer is entitled to make an application for funding. Previously successful projects include Whiston Parish Council, which received a grant of £1,000 to purchase specialist equipment to make the village recreation ground more accessible to children with disabilities. Bradford's Buttershaw Millennium Green Trust, which is a not-for-profit organisation made up of people from the local community received a grant of £500 to launch a new community website, with the aim of promoting local events and encouraging a deeper sense of community. Applications can be made at any time and will be judged twice a year in April and October.

Business Invited to Support Community Causes through Grassroots Grants Programme (England)

With the launch of the £130 million Grassroots Grants Programme, the Government has called on local, regional and national businesses to help make a crucial and lasting difference by supporting community activities across the country. The programme, funded by the Office of The Third Sector in the Cabinet Office and administered by the Community Development Foundation, offers grants of between £250 and £5,000 to support activities that lie right at the heart of our local communities. Businesses are invited to get involved through investing in the scheme's innovative endowment match challenge - the first of its kind in England. Within the £130million programme, the Government has set aside a £50million pot from which it will match endowment investments from businesses. This offers businesses the chance to make a lasting contribution directly to supporting and sustaining the communities in which they work. The endowment element - which is also open to individual donors and investors - aims to ensure that that grassroots grants remain available for many years to come. It is estimated that with match funding and sound investment this £50million will be worth £150million when it starts paying out in 2011. In addition, as Gift Aid can be claimed on donations to a charitable cause, a £1,000 match-funded contribution from a business would be worth £2,560 to the fund.

The Ibrahim Foundation (UK)

The Ibrahim Foundation was established in 2007 by Azeem Ibrahim in memory of his father Muhammad Ibrahim. The Foundation is a private grant making body and is not a registered charity or a limited liability company. The Foundation offers grants to organisations which aim to improve the quality of life for people and communities in the UK. The Ibrahim Foundation like to consider work which others may find hard to fund. They offer grants of between £500 and £10,000 and in some cases up to £50,000. They do not have areas of focus in grant making, but they are particularly interested in the following areas:

  • Community building;
  • The environment;
  • Strengthening not for profit organisations;
  • Supporting families.

Applications can be made at any time and grants are awarded twice a year.

Funding for Small Scale Regeneration Projects (UK)

Local community groups, community enterprises and registered charities that address social and economic deprivation within specific geographic areas such as a housing estate, neighbourhood or village may be eligible to apply for grants of up to £5,000 through Comic Relief’s Disadvantaged Communities programme. The focus of the programme is on small scale local projects which were started by local residents who came together to try to make their community better. This programme does not support work over a larger area, for example, city-wide initiatives or across a whole town. To be eligible applicants need to have a turnover of less than £150,000. Applications can be made at any time.

Sportsmatch (England)

Through the scheme, Sportsmatch offers pound for pound matched funding to investments made by businesses, trusts and individuals into projects that encourage sports participation at grass roots level. The minimum award made by Sport England is £1,000 and the maximum is £50,000. If you are a school the minimum award is £500 (the maximum is still £50,000). The funding available is primarily for running costs although capital awards of up to £10,000 can be made through the scheme. Applicants will apply online with telephone support available from Sport England on 08458 508 508. The scheme is open to community based sports projects, in particular those that benefit young people, disability groups, black and minority ethnic groups and/or women and girls. All projects applying in 2008/09 will need to ensure that they are able to deliver their project in its entirety by 31 March 2009. This will ensure that the benefits of the scheme are received at the earliest opportunity. Since its original launch in November 1992, Sportsmatch, together with commercial sponsorship, has invested more than £102 million into 5784 community sports projects across England. Applications to the scheme can be made at any time

Development Awareness Fund: Mini Grants Scheme

The Development Awareness Fund is open for grants from a minimum of £1000 and a maximum of £10,000 per year. The overall aim of the fund is to support activities that promote the following:

  • Knowledge & understanding of the major challenges and prospects for development, in particular the poverty reduction agenda, but also of developing countries themselves
  • Understanding of our global interdependence and in particular that failure to reduce global poverty levels will have serious consequences for us all.
  • Understanding of, and support for, international efforts to reduce poverty and promote development including the Millennium Development Goals (previously known as the International Development Targets.) Recognition of progress made, and that further is both affordable and achievable.
  • Understanding of the role that individuals can play, enabling them to make informed choices.

Any organisation with an interest in development education work is eligible to apply. The deadline for applications under the 2009/10 funding round is 5pm, 31 October 2008. For your application to be successful , you must demonstrate how your project will raise awareness in the UK of international development issues.

For further information please visit:

Young People’s Fund 2 (England)

The Big Lottery Fund (BIG), the largest distributor of Lottery grants has announced that it is now accepting applications under its Young People’s Fund – Local Grants Programme. Through the Local Grants Programme funding of between £10,000 and £500,000 is available to voluntary and community sector organisations for up to 5 years for projects that involve young people in developing, running and reviewing policies and services within their local area. BIG particularly wants to fund projects that meet the needs of a wide range of young people, particularly those who are considered vulnerable or whose needs are not currently met, and those projects that bring together young people from a range of backgrounds. The programme defines a local area as a village, parish council area or collection of villages, a district or local authority area, a town, a city or sub-region. A project in a larger area such as a sub-region or group of locations should still be able to demonstrate its local identity. The closing date for making an application is the 16th October 2008.

Clore Duffield Performing Arts Awards (UK)

Organisations such as registered charities youth groups, limited companies and schools that wish to undertake activities that enable young people aged 0-18 to experience the performing arts are eligible to apply for funding under the Clore Duffield Performing Arts Awards (formally known as the Clore Duffield Small Grants for Performing Arts Education programme). This is a £1 million programme that will operate between 2005 and 2010. Eligible organisations can apply for funding of between £1,000 and £10,000 for educational projects with under 18s that cover every aspect of the performing arts including opera, dance, music, musical theatre, the spoken word and theatre. Previously funded projects have included, All Saints Roman Catholic School, Warrington which received a grant of £1,231 to replace a 30 year old collection of pitched instruments and the Arab Cultural Community in South London which received a grant of £7,000 to fund a series of 40 Arab music and visual arts workshops and classes for young people under the age of 18, living in Southwark. The next deadline for applications is the 15th April 2009.

Entries Invited for the Schools Etc Awards (UK)

The national learning charity ContinYou, is inviting schools and children's centres, youth groups and community groups, as well as clusters of schools and/or children's centres to enter the Schools ETC Awards. This year schools, etc, can enter the awards and win a first prize of £2,000 and a runner’s up prize of £1,000. Each year the award has a different theme. This year the theme is “Enjoy and Achieve”: putting the smile back into learning. Schools and other eligible organisations, are invited to submit entries that show:

  • How their activities and programmes have inspired children and young people to learn;
  • How their activity has encouraged families and communities to get involved, to learn together.

Previous examples of activities that have caught the imagination of the Schools ETC team include: The dads and lads group at Kelleholm Primary, Dumfries, who, after a visit to a local castle constructed their own model trebuchets. They held a competition to see which of their mini siege engines could launch a brussels sprout the furthest. This activity was one element of an ongoing programme aimed at getting fathers involved in their children’s education, and linked in with support for the fathers through training, volunteering and employability opportunities. Entries to the Award may be for a one-off event (for example: a family literacy day), a programme that takes place over a limited period of time (for example: a summer play scheme) or an ongoing activity (for example: an after-school club). The closing date for entries is the 21st October 2008.