Beatrice Partnership Fund is open for final time
CVG UPDATE: Local voluntary sector news by Yvonne Hendry of Caithness Voluntary Group
The Beatrice Partnership Fund has reopened for the final time. The fund supports projects that are based in the east coast of Caithness and Sutherland as well as the community council areas of Edderton, Tain, Inver and Tarbat in Ross-shire.
The fund is for projects that:
- Create or enhance opportunities for education and employment through activities focused on improving people's chances of entering the workplace or further professional development
- Empower fragile communities to become more resilient and to protect their vulnerable residents through measures demonstrating long-term social, environmental or economic improvements
- Stimulate meaningful regeneration through actions that improve or enhance local infrastructure, landscape, biodiversity or heritage to make a lasting difference to the places we live, work and visit
For full guidance go to www.sserenewables.com/communities/community-fund-locations/great-britain/beatricepartnershipfund
The closing date for the fund is April 28. Groups can apply for funding from £10,000 to £50,000.
The Enabling Neighbourhoods and Communities Fund is a Scottish Government programme worth £500,000, administered by Corra Foundation. The purpose of the fund is to provide small grants to community and voluntary groups across Scotland that are connecting and supporting people within their communities.
It aims specifically to reach groups that have strong local relationships and help to increase wellbeing and social connections.
The fund is available only to groups that are rooted in their communities, require a small amount of money, and have received little or no emergency funding during the pandemic.
Grants of between £1000 and £2000 (maximum of up to £5,000) will usually be available. Funds will be unrestricted to help groups cover running costs or deliver support or activities in their local area over the next 12 months.
Examples of what funding could cover include:
- Providing ongoing support to local people impacted by Covid-19 (such as social connections or shopping)
- Helping to pay for volunteer expenses
- Covering rental for accessing community space (when restrictions are lifted and access to space is allowed)
- Planning future activities during school holiday periods
- Helping volunteers and community members stay safe (for example PPE or training)
Go to www.corra.scot/grants/enabling-neighbourhoods
There are many funders in the UK, and to ensure that you optimise your chances of securing funding it is important to identify those most likely to fund your project. Spending some time to research this is important This may involve looking at well-known large funders, smaller local and regional funders, and issue-specific grants. There are a number of local community benefit wind farms in Caithness.
Always read the eligibility criteria of the grant and check for any exclusions. Contact the funder if you have any questions.
Take time to prepare and write your application, and do not use unexplained jargon. Try to make your application compelling so that it stands out to funders.
Write in short, persuasive, hard-hitting or emotive sentences. Use a storytelling approach, backed up with statistics if available and relevant, or case studies if possible. Highlight previous project successes and good practices to show the organisation is credible and capable of delivering the project.
Mention any partnerships and include any referees or quotes if required.
When describing your project remember to be clear about its aims, its reach, the outputs and outcomes you are trying to achieve, why the project is needed, how much funding is being requested, and who will benefit. Match the priorities of the funder to what you want to do.
Ask for feedback if your application was unsuccessful and see if you can learn from this. Sometimes funds are simply oversubscribed and that’s why applications are unsuccessful.
Caithness Voluntary Group is here to help you through this process. We are funded by the Scottish Government to support the third sector in Caithness. Contact yvonne@cvg.org.uk or allan@cvg.org.uk
You can join and become a member by contacting office@cvg.org.uk