West Northamptonshire launch a new phase of Community Grants

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The grant scheme is open to local registered charities, not-for-profit and VCSE organisations that operate, or are prepared to operate, within the geographical area of West Northamptonshire.

Eligible applicants must address an identified local need, and support, enable or facilitate the achievement of one or more of the Council’s strategic aims, objectives, or priorities.

Applications for this round of funding should be submitted no later than 5pm on Wednesday, 26 June 2024.

For more information on how to apply click here:  Fresh grant funding available for West Northants Voluntary and Community Sector | West Northamptonshire Council

 

Grant Funding for Volunteering – Round 3

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West Northamptonshire Council (WNC) has launched a third round of grant funding which aims to create additional volunteering opportunities in West Northants.

Local charities, voluntary or community groups, clubs, community interest companies, and not for profit organisations are invited to apply for a grant up to £1,500 to recruit new volunteers for use for projects which address a local community need.

For more information click here: Third round of grant funding launched to help recruit volunteers in West Northants | West Northamptonshire Council

Further information and the full criteria for applications can be found on the WNC website and in the Council’s Community Funding Grants Framework.

If you would like an application form or wish to speak to the Community Funding Grants Team about your project or your eligibility to apply for this grant simply E Mail: communitygrants@westnorthants.gov.uk including your contact telephone number. 

More information about the UK Shared Prosperity Fund (UKSPF) and Rural England Prosperity Fund (REPF) can be on the Gov website.

Second Round Launch on Volunteering Opportunities.

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West Northamptonshire Council is launching its second round of Grants to create volunteering opportunities.

The link to this fund can be found here: Council launch second round of grant funding to create volunteering opportunities in West Northants | West Northamptonshire Council

Successes from round one includes:

Free 2 Talk CIC who were recently awarded funding to support new supervised volunteers work which aims to improve outcomes across academic, behavioural, emotional, and social areas of young people’s lives in Northampton.

Northamptonshire Mind received a grant to deliver their Rural Outreach Project which will recruit supported volunteers to provide community outreach in areas identified as being at the highest risk of social exclusion.

Renew169 Wellbeing Café in Towcester received funding to enable the recruitment of volunteers to support safe space sessions, which aim to reduce loneliness and isolation in people with emotional or mental health difficulties.

If you would like to speak to the Community Funding Grants Team about your project or your eligibility to apply for this grant, email: communitygrants@westnorthants.gov.uk  and include your contact telephone number.

£950K grants scheme launched to support community transport initiatives in West Northants

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West Northamptonshire Council (WNC) has launched a new £950k grants scheme to create new and support existing community transport initiatives in West Northants, as well as support the expansion of current grant funded transport projects and services.

This grant funding will be available over the financial years 2024/25 and 2025/26 for eligible community transport projects from 1 April 2024, following £547,181 funding from Central Government via the Rural England Prosperity Fund (REPF) and £60,337 from the UK Shared Prosperity Fund (UKSPF), in addition to £342,000 of Council funding.

The grant funding will be allocated to community transport projects and services that meet identified needs and assist the Council in achieving one or more of its corporate priorities, including improving accessibility to employment, healthcare, leisure and education services; addressing unmet needs where there are gaps in the commercial bus network provision; and connecting rural communities to the locations they need to access. 

Find out more on the website.

Warm this Winter

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Northamptonshire Community Foundation have launched their annual Warm this Winter Appeal to tackle fuel poverty and to keep the older and vulnerable residents who are experiencing financial hardship across our county fed, warm and well as the cold weather hits.

This appeal has been running every winter since 2010 and has raised over £255,000 to protect some of the most vulnerable members of our local communities.

please visit: https://www.justgiving.com/campaign/warmerthiswinter23

Their Winter Wellbeing Funding Programme is now also open with grants of up to £2,000 available to Northamptonshire-based groups focusing on supporting vulnerable older people this winter.

Projects must meet two out of five aims:

Keeping the home warm.

Dressed for warmth.

Staying warm at night.

Eating well OR

Keeping active.

For more information, please see here https://www.ncf.uk.com/warm-this-winter

Grants scheme launched to mitigate youth violence and knife crime in West Northants

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West Northamptonshire Council (WNC), in partnership with the Northamptonshire Office of the Police, Fire and Crime Commissioner (OPFCC) has launched a new grants scheme to mitigate youth violence and knife crime in West Northants.

Grants of up to £10,000 are available for Voluntary and Community Sector organisations who have identified projects, either new or existing, that aim to alleviate youth violence and knife crime in local communities.

These projects can be prevention or intervention projects, including projects that promote community safety, deter potential offenders, or provide support and resources to at-risk individuals or groups to prevent their involvement in violence and crime.

Registered charities, voluntary or community groups, constitutionalised clubs that engage with young people, and not-for-profit organisations can submit an expression of interest form to WNC outlining their project to be considered for the funding.

Cllr David Smith, WNC’s Cabinet Member for Community Safety and Engagement, and Regulatory Services, said:

We want to make West Northamptonshire a safer place for everyone and working in partnership with other organisations and community groups is crucial to achieving this.

This funding will enable these organisations to continue their valuable work with young people while enabling local people to become actively involved in developing solutions to protect and improve our communities.

Northamptonshire Police, Fire and Crime Commissioner, Stephen Mold, said:

Tackling youth violence and knife crime at the earliest stage is something that can only be achieved by all the agencies working together, and local community groups.

Communities are often best placed to make a difference and understand how best to prevent crime and support young people in their area, and I am certain that investing in these groups will be a powerful tool in tackling violence.

Find more information and view the full criteria for applications on the WNC website and in the Council’s Community Funding Grants Framework.

If you would like to speak to the Community Funding Grants Team about your project or your eligibility to apply for this grant, email: communitygrants@westnorthants.gov.uk including your contact telephone number, as a telephone conversation can sometimes clarify a question more efficiently.

Funding – Local Enterprise Partnerships (LEPS)

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Funding for Local Enterprise Partnerships (LEPs) is set to end in April 2024.

The money earmarked for LEPs since their inception in 2010 will now be allocated to mayoral combined and some local authorities.

Moving the funding over to the authorities will boost the scope for “greater join-up, efficiencies, and clarity for the private sector” involved in the LEP programme, according to a Central Government letter sent to all authority leaders and LEP chairs today.

LEPs were originally set up to determine local skills priorities and are made up of local authorities and private sector businesses. Nearly £12 billion was pumped into LEPs by 2020 and there are currently 36 LEPs.

But government has now moved forward with a decision to cut that funding.

A consultation launched in March 2023 showed that there was an “overlap between some of the functions being discharged by LEPs, local authorities and combined authorities”, the letter said, which was signed by Dehenna Davison, the Minister for Levelling up, and Kevin Hollinrake, the Minister for Enterprise, Small markets, and Business.

The consultation also found that “there is already a high level of integration of LEP functions in mayoral Combined Authority areas”.

Combined authorities will take on the funding to deliver the LEP’s function, while County councils will get that funding where a combined authority has not yet been established.

Funding earmarked for the work LEPs currently do will go to the local and mayoral authorities until 2024/2025, but government has not committed to funding after that.

“The government remains committed to our goal that by 2030, every area in England that wants a devolution deal will have one,” the letter added.

The £76M Community Organisations Cost of Living Fund has been launched today (24 July 2023).

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The fund will support organisations across England to deliver critical frontline services. Organisations will be able to apply for funding to maintain or expand critical cost of living services from now until the end of March 2024.

Applications will be for amounts between £10,000 and £75,000. The funding is ONLY open to frontline organisations running critical services in communities, in at least one of the follow areas:

  • food and emergency supplies – food and other ‘banks’
  • emergency shelter – homelessness services
  • safe spaces – domestic abuse services and youth services
  • warmth – warm spaces / hubs
  • financial and housing advice.

Applicants MUST be able to demonstrate both increased costs and increased demand.

The fund is part of the £100M for charities announced in the Spring Budget. It will be administered by the National Lottery Community Fund. More information here.

The application window is now open and will close at 12 noon on Monday 16 October 2023.

Tesco Stronger Starts Community Grant funding

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With a focus on Schools and Children & Young people’s projects, Tesco community grants are rebranded as Stronger Starts! Applying now for the September to December voting period!

Follow the link to find the application process! Lots of guidance and help or contact sean.silver:groundwork.org.uk for support!

Tesco Stronger Starts (tescocommunitygrants.org.uk)Tesco Stronger Starts (tescocommunitygrants.org.uk)

Lloyds TSB Foundation Local Collaborations programme

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The Local Collaborations programme provides grants of £100,000 over two years and development support for collaborations led by small charities to influence and achieve change locally around three themes:

  1. social security
  2. accommodation
  3. refugee and asylum seeker support.

The Foundation is now open for applications until Friday 22nd September.  The Panel decisions will be in late February 2024.

You can find out more about the grants programme and how to apply at:

https://www.lloydsbankfoundation.org.uk/funding/local-collaborations

Please sign up to their webinar on Thursday 13th July time for more information (this will be recorded and made available on their website).

You can also email the Foundation at: collaborations@lloydsbankfoundation.org.uk or book a call with their team.