‘YOUNG CARERS CAN…’
APPLICATION GUIDELINES
At Carers Trust, we believe that young carers can do anything, yet they may sometimes experience additional barriers to achievement. In 2010, 70% of young carers surveyed agreed with the statement that “being a young carer has made their life more difficult”. More than two out of three (68%) young carers reported that they are bullied at school, suffer from social isolation and struggle to cope at school. These factors alongside the stress and worry that a caring role can bring, can leave young carers feeling like they can’t do anything and have no options.
Using funding from Comic Relief, Carers Trust has developed a small grants programme to directly address this need and to show what young carers can do! We’re seeking applications from third sector organisations to develop activities and services that will improve the well-being and aspiration of young carers, through tackling social exclusion and improving the self-esteem of participants. Organisations can apply for funding to run activities and events to support young carers between the ages of 5 and 18. The programme will also consider applications to support transitional age focused activities for groups of young adult carers up to the age of 24.
Organisations can apply for a grant of up to £2,500 to provide fun, social and structured activities for young carers who live within their local area.
The programme is open to ALL third sector organisations from across the UK. Organisations can apply for funding to pay for costs associated with running activities for young carers.
Carers Trust anticipates awarding around 20 grants in this round and will be aiming to achieve a spread of activities taking place across the UK. A second round of funding will be made available in late 2012.
What types of activities can the programme cover?
Trying out new ideas is an important aspect of young carers’ services work and we welcome applications for both innovative, pilot projects as well as tried and tested methods of engaging with groups of young carers.
Below are some examples of the types of costs Carers Trust would consider funding. This is not an exhaustive list, but rather a starting point for your project development…
· Transport and ticket costs for a group of young carers to attend a local theatre group performance
· Costs associated with 25 young carers attending an adventure activity centre
· Weekend respite trip for 10 young carers of parents affected by substance misuse
· Costs of running a disco for young carers aged 14-17 year olds including hall hire, costs of a DJ and refreshments
· Hiring the services of a music therapist for 15 sessions
· Attendance for 15 young carers at a week long creative writing course
All successful applicants will be asked to submit quotes and/or justifying examples of the costs listed in their application.
What kinds of items will the programme NOT fund?
It is helpful to be clear about activities the programme will not support from the outset. Please read through this section before proceeding with the application.
We will not fund:
· retrospective applications – activities which have taken place before 1 September 2012
· core activities that the organisation is already delivering
Are there any other restrictions?
Grants for this programme will be awarded in late August 2012, and activities must take place before the end of December 2012. A further funding round will take place in late 2012 for activities taking place between January and April 2013.
Carers Trust expects all applicants to have relevant mechanisms in place for providing appropriate services to young carers (e.g. appropriate child protection procedures, insurance etc.) and if awarded will be expected to provide evidence of this information within 10 working days of the award confirmation
Where do I find the application form?
We are trialling a new online submission model for this programme. The entire application form can be accessed at:
http://www.surveymonkey.com/s/youngcarerscan
Once you have completed the application online you will need to send the following documents to us:
· completed budget for this project
· signed audited accounts (or income/expenditure statement if you do not produce accounts)
· declaration by person responsible for the organisation on behalf of the organisation
Please send to:
The Grants Team, Carers Trust, 14 Bourne Court
Southend Road, Woodford Green, Essex, IG8 8HD
Or by email (with ‘Young Carers Can…’ in the title):
Applications for this round must be received by 12pm on 3 August 2012.
You’ve submitted your application – what happens next?
A decision making panel will assess all applications that have been received by the published closing date against the criteria of the programme.
An e-mail will be sent to the person responsible for the organisation informing them of the decision w/c 20 August 2012. If there are outstanding queries on any applications, contacts will be given one week to clarify the query. If outstanding information is not received back to Carers Trust within this timeframe, the application will be withdrawn.
If successful…
Organisations will receive payment via BACS payment within four weeks of all paperwork being returned to Carers Trust. Organisations will be expected to submit an end of grant monitoring report within four weeks of the event taking place (no later than 31st January 2013). Failure to submit this report by the date provided in the award letter could result in future applications from the organisation being rejected.
If unsuccessful…
The main signatory will receive information explaining the reasons why the application has been assessed as unsuccessful.
Do you want to talk to someone before submitting these applications?
Please do not hesitate to contact a member of the Grants Team at Carers Trust. Please email if you have queries. All queries will be answered within one working day.
We look forward to receiving your applications soon!
Best wishes,
The Grants Team
Carers Trust