HM Revenue and Customs (HMRC) has launched a £4.5 million grant programme which is available to voluntary, community and social enterprise (VCSE) organisations in the UK to provide advice and support to HMRC customers who need extra help understanding and complying with their tax obligations. Grants will range from £10,000 to £450,000 with a maximum threshold set at 50% of the organisation’s turnover (last audited accounts). Registered charities, voluntary and community sector organisations, social enterprises, mutual and co-operatives based in the UK with an income exceeding £40,000 a year can apply. Organisations must be able to help HMRC customers that are hard to reach and who cannot or will not interact directly with HMRC either due to culture, language, trust, or geography, and who display one or more of the following characteristics: Experience difficulties accessing HMRC services, due to illness, disability or digital exclusion. Lack confidence, and are overly worried about making mistakes or are new to HMRC services. Lack the ability to deal with tasks, for example, due to learning difficulties, memory problems, lack of language skills to be able to understand the tax system, complex working situations or several income strands. Have mental health issues or are suffering extreme distress through life events, such as bereavement or the breakdown of a relationship. Proposals will need to show how the applying organisation can support customers in these groups or any combination of these groups. The deadline for applications is 8 November 2015. For more information go to the website.
First Steps Enterprise Fund is a £300,000 pilot fund offering loan-grant packages to charities and social enterprises working in communities in England. From 19 October 2015, small community-led organisations can apply for up to £30,000 from to help them grow their services and become more sustainable. The investments are the first steps towards accessing the wider social investment market and more financing options. It is a pilot partnership between Asda Foundation and the Social Investment Business Foundation. The fund intends to catalyse other UK corporate foundations to use their money innovatively to create social impact in communities across the country. It will complement Asda Foundation’s other programmes and will meet their aim of creating stronger and more sustainable communities. Deadline for applications to be considered for the next investment panel is noon 11 December 2015. Read the guidance and then register to download the application pack on the website.
Tesco Local Community Grants – We will award six grants per year in each of the 428 Tesco regions to make sure the funding is spread evenly across England, Wales and Scotland*. In total the community grant scheme will support around 2,500 projects each year. Because we’re expecting there to be a major demand for grants, Groundwork will assess all of the applications received and then provide a shortlist of the applications received for a Tesco regional panel to agree three successful projects to forward to a vote in Tesco stores. Tesco customers will vote over two weekends in their store for their favourite shortlisted local project. Grants will then be awarded as follows: 1st place in Tesco customer vote: £12,000 grant, 2nd place in Tesco customer vote: £10,000 grant, 3rd place in Tesco customer vote: £8,000 grant. Funding round 1: 19 October 2015 – 27 November 2015. It will fund capital projects that provide community benefit and have free and open access to all members of the community for a minimum of six days a week, during daylight hours. The grants programme will be open to organisations such as: voluntary/community organisations, registered charities, health bodies, Parish/Town councils, social enterprises, Community Interest Companies, community councils, local authorities and housing organisations. Other not-for-profit organisations might also be eligible. Projects that would typically receive funding include: Parks, pocket parks and urban green spaces, Green corridors – river and canals, cycle ways, Formal and informal play areas, Open access sports facilities within public parks and recreation grounds – eg football pitches, tennis courts and cricket pitches, Informal outdoor recreation facilities; eg gym equipment, trim trails and woodland walks, Nature reserves, community woodland, ponds and village greens. Churchyards, Seafront improvements, Community allotments, community gardens, orchards and city farms. There’s no match funding requirement to access this grant, but the grant should be the majority of the funding required for your project, which could be a stand-alone project or a discrete, self-contained part of a larger project or part of a phased project and will need to be delivered within six months of receipt of the grant. Landowner’s permission is essential and you might also need planning permission. To apply for a grant please start by taking the eligibility quiz on the website.
Other items of Interest …
Small Grants Masterclass – Peter Riley has once again given us some of his valuable time, and will be running two masterclasses, one on the 27th November 2015 and one on the 22nd January 2016. For more information visit the website. Click here for the 27th November 2015 course and here for 22nd January 2016 course.
How to add the donate button on your facebook page. This a quick article on how you can add the call to action button on your facebook page which can let people know that you’d like a donation. See the article here.
The Prime Minister has announced a £5m fund for charities and community organisations willing to form part of a counter-extremism drive, but the Muslim Council of Britain has expressed concern about the new strategy. The fund forms part of the government’s Counter-Extremism Strategy that was published today. It will provide money to support practical measures to support community groups which are working to combat extremism. Read more.
For more information on funding or to be added to the circulation list please contact Zel Rodgers – Funding Development Officer. Email [email protected] or call 0151 353 9700 ext 205
