New Funding Opportunities

Carnegie Challenge (UK)

The Carnegie UK Trust has announced that it is offering up to ten not-for-profit organisations from the UK and Ireland the opportunity to win grants worth £3,000 to hold inspiring debates on how to improve people’s wellbeing.

The Carnegie UK Trust has been arguing that focusing on delivering economic growth as the sole indicator of social prosperity is flawed. Instead, the Trust believes the time is right for the UK and Ireland to shift its emphasis from economic production to improving people’s lives more broadly.

  • The Carnegie Challenge aims to support events around the UK and Ireland that:
  • Will deepen understanding of what influences individual and societal wellbeing
  • Explore how best to measure wellbeing and how this can be used to shape policy and practice
  • Or examine what practical steps can be taken by third sector organisations and governments to improve wellbeing.

Previous debates funded by the challenge include:

Friends of the Earth Scotland (Just Banking) a conference that challenged the current banking system, and asked how it can be made to better serve the interests of society.

The Rural Media Company (Same But Different Conference) which challenged the simplistic notion of the rural as ‘homogenous’ and ‘a good place to live’.

There will be three funding rounds in 2014 and the next closing date for applications is the 13th January 2014.

Marie Curie Cancer Care Research Programme (UK)

The Marie Curie Cancer Care Research Programme has announced a new call for proposals.

The aim of the Research Programme is to provide evidence to inform better quality of care for those with advanced progressive life-limiting conditions which are likely to shorten their lives within the foreseeable future. Under this call for proposals the programme will be considering applications in the following research themes:

  • Pain control at home for patients in palliative care
  • Symptom control at the end of life
  • Addressing the needs of potentially excluded groups at the end of life.

Applications will be accepted from scientists, clinicians or healthcare workers in UK universities, medical schools, hospitals and some research institutions. The annual budget available under the research programme is £1 million. There is no upper limit to the funding that can be requested. Costs for phase III clinical trials will be expected to be in the region of up to £450,000 though higher requests will be considered where clear justification is given.

The deadline for outline applications is the 17th January 2014.

Ordnance Survey Announces GeoVations Challenge (UK)

Entrepreneurs, developers, community groups, innovators, etc have the opportunity to apply for a share of £100,000 though the Ordnance Survey latest Geovation Challenge.

The challenge encourages individuals and groups to submit great geography, technology and design-based ideas, which will help remove the barriers to people engaging in active lifestyles, particularly focusing on activities which take part in open spaces. The £100,000 development fund will be offered to four entries for best use of its data including OS OpenData and OS OpenSpace; together with other open data sources.

The deadline for applications is the 8th January 2014.

Fundamental Rights and Citizenship (UK)

The European Commission has launched a new call for proposals under the Fundamental Rights and Citizenship programme.

Under this call for proposals grants are available for transnational projects involving at least two organisations from two different EU countries to:

  • Promote the development of a European society based on respect for Fundamental Rights and rights derived from citizenship of the Union
  • Strengthen civil society and to encourage an open, transparent and regular dialogue with it in respect of fundamental rights
  • Fight against racism, xenophobia and anti-Semitism
  • And improve the contacts, exchange of information and networking between legal, judicial and administrative authorities and the legal professions.

The budget available under this call for proposals is € 10.9 million and the Commission’s contribution towards a single project cannot be less than € 75, 000 or more than 80% of total project costs.

Previous projects supported through the programme include:

The World Association of Girl Guides and Girl Scouts which received a grant of € 129,282 for a project to fight discrimination through the raising of awareness amongst young people of Fundamental Rights and European Citizenship.

The closing date for applications is 12 noon on the 12th March 2014.

Woodroffe Benton Foundation (UK)

The Woodroffe Benton Foundation has announced that the next closing date for applications to its grant making programme is the 24th December 2013.

Through its grants programme, charities and any educational institutions (schools, universities, etc.) can apply for grants of £250 to £2,000 for projects under the following categories:

  • Relief of persons in need, hardship or distress by reason of disaster or as a consequence of social or economic circumstance
  • Provision/Maintenance of care and accommodation for the sick and elderly
  • Promotion of education - in particular within the Derbyshire region
  • Environmental Conservation/Preservation/Protection/Improvement - in particular where this would encourage the provision of access by members of the general public.

Strategic Legal Fund for Vulnerable Young Migrants (EnglandWales)

The Trust for London and the Esmée Fairbairn Foundation, in partnership with Migration Work CIC, are providing £400,000 as part of the Strategic Legal Fund (SLF) for Vulnerable Young Migrants. Grants of up to £30,000 are available to NGOs and private law firms to undertake strategic legal work to benefit children and young people who are significantly disadvantaged by migration status.

The fund will accept applications in any area of law that affects vulnerable young migrants including :

  • Asylum
  • Immigration
  • Human rights
  • Family law
  • Community care
  • Housing
  • Education
  • Mental health; etc.

The SLF only funds two kinds of strategic legal action. These are pre-litigation research and "third party intervention" in an existing case. For information on previously funded projects please click here.

The next closing date for applications is the 20th January 2014.

Further Education Activation Fund (England)

Sport England has announced that its Further Education Activation Fund is now open for applications.

During this funding round, the Further Education Activation Fund has a total budget of £5.8 million and will award grants of between £30,000 and £180,000 to projects that will allow more college and FE students to take part in sport. Sport England encourages FE colleges to consider linking with community partners to develop the breadth and quality of the sporting offer for students. Schools can also apply for funding through the Further Education Activation Fund. However, any activities taking place on a school site must be delivered out of school curriculum hours, should not be open to just school students, and must be delivered by a community partner. The schools involvement in the project must be clearly linked to the overall aim of the project.

The closing date for applications is the 20th January 2014.

Youth Music Launches New Funding Programme (England)

Youth Music, the charity that sees to promote music making amongst children has announced that they are seeking to fund 10 projects across England comprising partnerships between schools and specialist music education providers. These partnerships (Exchanging Notes ) will be funded to:

  • Develop their music and education practice and activities to support young people at risk of low attainment, disengagement or exclusion from mainstream education to achieve the best musical, educational and wider outcomes
  • To promote a collective understanding of high quality music education, stimulating fresh thinking in music and education practice.

Up to £30,000 per year (for up to four years) is available to projects that can demonstrate ambition and innovation in their approach. Each project must be a partnership between a school (or partnership of schools) and an external music organisation/provider. The lead applicant can be a school or another organisation.

The deadline for applications is 5pm on the 10th February 2014.

Arts Council - Strategic Touring Programme (England)

The Arts Council, England has announced that its Strategic Touring Programme has re-opened for applications.

The £45 million Strategic touring programme aims to encourage collaboration between organisations, so more people across England experience and are inspired by the arts, particularly in places which rely on touring for much of their arts provision. The funding is available to both organisations and individuals. Partnerships, networks and consortia can also apply. These can include:

  • Promoters
  • Producers
  • Artists
  • Agencies
  • Companies
  • Marketing or audience development specialists
  • Or / and local authority representatives or any other kind of organisation or individual.

Grants need to be more than £15,000 per project.

The closing date for applications is the 31st January 2014.

Funding Reminders

Wellcome Trust – Arts Awards (UK)

The Wellcome Trust is inviting organisations and individuals to apply for funding through its Arts Awards.

The Arts Awards support projects that engage the public with biomedical science through the arts including dance, drama, performance arts, visual arts, music, film, craft, photography, creative writing or digital media. Applications are invited for projects of up to £30,000 through their small grants programme, and for projects above £30,000 through their large grant programme. The aim of the awards is to support arts projects that reach new audiences which may not traditionally be interested in science and provide new ways of thinking about the social, cultural and ethical issues around contemporary science. The scheme is open to a wide range of people including, among others, artists, scientists, curators, filmmakers, writers, producers, directors, academics, science communicators, teachers, arts workers and education officers.

The next application deadline for small projects is the 28th February 2014, and the 24th January 2014 for large projects.

Wellcome Trust - Peoples Awards (UK)

Awards of up to £30,000 are available under the Wellcome Trust's “Peoples” Awards for projects that encourage public debate and understanding of biomedical science.

Projects can include:

  • Workshops and seminars; arts projects for a variety of different audiences and age groups
  • Teaching materials or techniques to encourage wider discussions
  • Projects that utilise the collections of the Wellcome Library and the Wellcome Collection at the ScienceMuseum.

Funding can be for up to three years. Applications can be made by a wide variety of individuals, organisations and partnerships. The next applications deadline is the 31st January 2014.

The Trust also makes “Society” Awards. These are grants in excess of £30,000. The next preliminary application deadline for “Society” Awards is 5pm on the 28 March 2014.

Foyle Foundation Schools Library Programme (UK)

State funded secondary and primary schools as well as dedicated schools catering for those with Special Educational Needs (SEN) that do not have or want to improve their libraries can apply for funding through the Foyles Foundation Schools Library Programme. This programme recognises that there is no statutory requirement for schools to have a library and that many school libraries are in a desperate situation through underfunding and underdevelopment. Encouraging children to read widely from an early age will provide a major boost to improving literacy levels, which is a current key educational objective. Priority will be given to funding library books. The Foundation will also consider contributions towards library software, necessary IT equipment and specialist seating/desks. Preference will be given to schools which can clearly demonstrate that their library can be maintained and renewed in the future. The average grant made under this programme is between £3,000 and £10,000.

Past projects funded by the Foundation includes:

  • MiltonSchool, Mexborough received £20,000 towards improving and extending the learning facilities.
  • SouthAvenueJuniorSchool, Sittingbourne received £10,000 towards equipping the newly built school library.

Applications can be submitted at any time.

Henry Smith's Charity - Holiday Grants for Children (UK)

The Henry Smith’s Charity has announced that it will start accepting applications through its Holiday Grant for Children Programme from the 1st November 2013 onwards.

Applications can be made by schools, youth groups, not for profit organisations and charities for grants towards holidays or outings within the UK for children aged 13 and under who are from areas of high deprivation, are experiencing disadvantage, or those who have a disability. Applications can be considered for holidays or outings that have the objective of providing children with a break they would not otherwise have the opportunity to experience. The maximum grant available is £2,500 for any one trip. Grants are normally limited to a maximum of two-thirds of the total cost of a trip as we would expect some local partnership funding to be in place.

The closing date for applications will be the 31st March 2014.

Society for the Promotion of Roman Studies (UK)

The Society’s Schools Committee makes grants to schools to help promote the teaching of Latin and Roman studies.

Most of the grants are awarded for the purchase of textbooks and other books on Roman topics, but the Committee also makes awards to groups and schools organising lectures or study days on Roman themes, and has recently made money available for archaeology fieldwork bursaries.

Schools that have recently been awarded funding include:

Piddle Valley C of E FirstSchool, Dorchester; GilberdSchool, Colchester; andGladysAylwardSchool, London.

HerefordCathedralSchool that received funding to run weekly Latin masterclasses.

Applications from schools planning to start courses in Latin are particularly welcome. Grants usually range from £50 to £500.

The next closing date for applications is the 1st February 2014.

Innovative Geography Teaching Grants (UK)

The Royal Geographical Society is a learned society with the aim of advancing geographical science and supporting its practitioners. One of the Society’s key aims is to enhance the teaching and learning of geography in schools. The Society works on behalf of schools providing activities, training, advice and resources. Their main focus is on 12 to 19-year-olds in schools and colleges. Teachers that have an innovative idea for promoting the teaching of Geography in stimulating way are able to apply for an Innovative Geography Teaching grant from the Royal Society. The grant is open to all geography teachers working in secondary schools and aims to enhance pupils’ geography education in a stimulating way. The Society provides two grants of £1,000 each year.

The next application deadline is the 15th February 2014.

Towergate Small Grants Programme (UK)

Help the Hospices has announced that the Towergate Small Grants Programme is open for applications.

"The programme aims to improve the treatment or care of patients in hospices through the use of communication and information technology. Any IT/communication capital project that is designed around improving patient care and patient or family experience would be eligible. For example this could include:

  • Equipment to support Real Time Reporting projects
  • Communication equipment for use by patients with communication difficulties, Tele-health and Tele-care (remote/virtual ward) projects; etc.

Applications are being accepted from hospices that are full members of Help the Hospices and that are based in England, Northern Ireland, Scotland, Wales, Isle of Man or the Channel Islands. Total available funding in this round is approximately £250,000 and Help the Hospices are looking to make grants of up to £20,000 each.

The deadline for applications is the 6th January 2014.

McDonald’s KickStart Grants (UK)

McDonalds has announced that the next deadline for applications to its Kick Start Grants Programme is the 31st December 2013.

The aim of the programme is to support community football throughout the UK. A total of £75,000 is available this year through the McDonalds Kick Start scheme and local community football teams can apply for grants of between £500 and £2,500 for activities such as:

  • Improving club facilities
  • Grounds-keeping tools; training courses
  • Pitch hire
  • Van hire
  • Washing machines for kit; etc.

Individuals can apply for a grant on behalf of their club, as long as they are recognised by their national FA, and have at least one team at or below junior (U18) level. Applicants must be over 18 and involved with the club at some level, such as a coach, volunteer or parent. For example, Coplestonians FC received a helping hand to carry out vital clubhouse development - the roof and floor were repaired and they introduced running water and electricity to the facility. The club can now offer refreshments to all teams and parents, as well as provide lighting for the changing areas during evening training sessions.

Free Trees for School, Community and Youth Groups (UK)

The Woodland Trust has 4000 free tree packs to give away to schools, community and youth groups this autumn. The free tree packs are available for planting on one publicly accessible site. Each pack is worth £30, £105 or £420. All applicants need to do is find a suitable site and supply the volunteer planters and tree protection. Pre-school, school, college and university groups interested in a small pack of 30 trees should head straight over to theschool pack page.

Applications can be made up to the 9thJanuary 2014.

Help The Homeless (UK)

Help the Homeless, a national Charity which aims to help homeless people throughout the United Kingdom to resume a normal life, is currently accepting applications from small and medium sized charities and voluntary organisations. Grants of up to £3,000 are available towards capital costs to support projects that assist disadvantaged individuals in their return to mainstream society, through residential or training facilities. Grants to larger charities may be considered if the project is suitable innovative and only possible for a larger organisation to develop it.

Previous projects supported include:

A grant of £3,000 to the Amber Foundation to enable the Foundation to buy new bedroom furniture for their residential centre in Devon, where every year over 60 unemployed, homeless young people are able to rebuild their lives and gain the motivation, confidence, self-esteem and skills for independent living.