Health Connections Grants and Bursaries

Health Connections Grants and Bursaries

Guidelines for Applicants January 2015 round

A)Introduction

The Health Connections fund programme consists of two linked schemes; Grants and Bursaries

B)Health Connections Grants and Bursaries Fund

This programme is managed by the Community Foundation for Calderdale on behalf of NHS Calderdaleas part of the Health Connections programme. We are specifically interested in projects that will improve and make a real and sustained difference to people’shealth locally. The programme aims to give you the opportunity to be a part of the national drive to improve people’s health.

The Grant and Bursaries Fund is part of the Health Connections programme managed by Voluntary Action Calderdale. All grant and bursary applicants are expected to engage with other elements of the programme and must register their interest with VAC as part of the application process.

Your project must contribute to the Calderdale Clinical Commissioning Group NHSPriorities and Outcomes

The Calderdale Clinical Commission Group has refreshed it priorities and its outcomes. As their documentation states “there is a new focus on the role of our local people, and in our clear focus on urgent and unplanned care”. See this link for the full CCGC 5 year plan:

The CCG Priority Areas of Focus and Programme Themes are:

Cardiovascular
Diabetes
Respiratory
Alcohol Conditions
Musculoskeletal
Cancer & Tumours
Mental Health

Counselling projects within the category of the Mental Health; and Diabetes themes are lower priority for the January 2015 round.

The refreshed CCG Outcomes are:

Empowered Citizens & resilient communities
Reduced Preventable deaths
Reduced health inequalities
Improved Quality of life of patients with a long-term condition or illness
Improved patient experience and perception
People are helped to recover for illness and injury
Ensure the services we commission are safe
Reduce reliance on unplanned hospital based care – by shifting to planned community services

Clearly projects have to be able to show an impact in the clinical themes and be able to contribute to the outcomes.

You will have to show how your proposed project aligns with these in the on-line application form and supplementary application form.

Evidence of need

It is also vital that you establish that there is evidence of need which backs up what you want to do, why you want to do it, and why you think it will work.

The Joint Strategic Needs Assessment is the basis of NHS commissioning and you should familiarise yourself with it, especially the parts of it that are relevant to your project. See this link for the JSNA:

If you need further advice about these themes please contact the Grants Team on 01422 438738 and the VAC Health Connections team on 01422 438725

Use the Foundation’s standard application form to apply and complete the supplementary information sheet provided that will be sent to you after we receive your application.

C)Grants

Grants from £5,000 to £25,000 are available for innovative projects that meet the priorities and contribute to the outcomes of the Calderdale Clinical Commissioning Group.
Partnership Projects are encouraged and these will be able to apply for more funds up to a maximum of £25k across the partnership.
Partnership projects will be expected to have in place or be working on a formal partnership agreement. Support for this is available from Voluntary Action Calderdale.
Projects that involve only one organisation can only apply for £5k
Applications are welcomed from all social enterprises, community and voluntary groups operating in Calderdale. Higher priority will be given to those applications that can demonstrate projects which are around the following:
Support the themes and objectives listed above
Are based on a partnership between two or more organisations
Meeting need where there are no similar opportunities locally.
People living in communities identified as being particularly disadvantaged because of particular characteristics (Age, Disability, Gender reassignment, Marriage and civil partnership, Pregnancy and maternity, Race, Religion and belief, Sex, or Sexual orientation).
Innovative ways of working with the public which lead to demonstrable health improvement and lead to less reliance on NHS resources.
Building on and developing an existing service.
Projects that can be scaled up.

D)Bursaries

Bursaries of up to £3,500 are available to help VCS organisations become more business ready and improve their organisational development., which have a funding and/or contracting relationship with Calderdale CCG or are looking to develop one over the next 12 months.
Bursaries can support costs associated with
Achievingnationally recognised Quality Assurance Marks, and this could include the costs of external verification, the actual costs of the award and facilitation and workshop with your Board and members etc as part of the process of gaining an award.
Consultancy Fees to support your organisation achieve Organisational development objectives; forward and business planning; and the development of partnerships, collaboration and mergers.

E)Who can apply? for both grant and bursary applications:

Constituted; voluntary, community and faith groups run for and by local people.
Registered charitiesworking in Calderdale
Charitable Incorporated Organisations and Community Interest Companies with an appropriate asset lock and only if limited by guarantee

F)General requirements - All groups applying for grants and/or bursaries must:

Be doing work that directly benefits people living in Calderdale
Engage with the Health Connections project, which will include completing an organizational health check and committing to training and capacity building if appropriate
Partnership projects will be required to complete a partnership organizational health check with Health Connections and commit to the development of the partnership during the lifetime of the project’
Partnership projects from Calderdale based organisations will be prioritized. Partnerships involving regional/national bodies will be considered only if there is a gap in local provision and if there are at least two Calderdale based organizations, one of which must be the lead applicant.
Have a constitution (please contact Voluntary Action Calderdale on 01422 438725 for help if required)
Have their own bank account and provide annual accounts
Have a written policy for safeguarding, children, young people or vulnerable adults,where they work with any of these groups
Have undertaken, or be planning to undertake, a risk assessment of the health and safety and other aspects of their project.
Provide evidence to support all the costs indicated in their application. Where a single item costs more than ₤1000 two quotations are required
Ensure that their services and activities are open and accessible to everyone in the community that they serve

If you have problems with any of the above requirements please contact the Foundation or Voluntary Action Calderdale

G)Who cannot apply

If you are currently in receipt of funding from Calderdale CCG then you cannot apply for a grant but you can apply for a bursary.
Individuals and organisations whose purposes are not charitable
Companies limited by shares

H)What can we not fund?

General appeals
Retrospective funding – this includes activities that have already taken place or repayment of money that you have already spent.
Projects which would normally be funded from statutory sources, i.e., Calderdale MBC, the Local Education Authority, Social Services, NHS Calderdale or Central Government
Religious activities or projects that promote religion – we will fund activities carried out by faith groups but these activities must not have a religious element.
Political activities
Projects where the main beneficiaries are animals
Projects which are not evidenced based.
Projects which do not show a measurable outcome.
In relation to Quality Assurance Marks the costs of gathering information.

I)Application Process

All applications to be submitted online via the Foundations website
On receipt of applications you will be sent a Supplementary Information form. This must be completed prior to the application being considered by the panel.

Applications are considered within aneight to twelve week cycle. This means that you will not have to wait for longer than eightto twelve weeks for a decision about your application.
Applicationswill be subject to a reference from an independent referee.
A member of the Grants Team may contact you contact to arrange a telephone assessment.
All applications are considered by the Foundation’s Grants Committee.

The Foundation may in certain circumstances award a grant dependent on certain conditions. This is the promise of a grant that will be paid when specified conditions have been met.

J)If you are successful

Successful applicants must ensure that the Foundation,CalderdaleCCG and Voluntary Action Calderdale are included in any publicity they arrange.
Successful applicants are required to be involved in the wider activities of the Health Connections programme. For partnership projects this includes attendance on training courses around the theme of partnership and collaboration.
Successful applicants must abide by the signed Conditions of Grant Aid.
Successful applicants must send their annual accounts or annual financial report showing the income and expenditure of the award.
Successful projects will receive an end of project evaluation form with their grant, which must be returned to the Foundation, along with all receipts, as soon as the project is complete. Non completion of this form will result in ineligibility of further grant aid from the Foundation.

Voluntary Action Calderdale Health Connections team will help and support you with your application, contact the team on 01422 438728

Please complete your application on line at

Further information available from:

The Grants Team: 01422 438738

Community Foundation for CalderdaleE-mail:

First Floor, 1855 Building

Discovery Road

Halifax HX1 2NG