The National Lottery Community Fund has announced a new Community Power Fund aimed at empowering local communities across England. Prior to launching the programme, the NLCF will work with partners during a one-year development phase. Supported by up to £1.2 million in funding, this phase will shape how the fund runs in the future. Between 10 and 15 community, voluntary, and public sector organisations will be supported in running new or existing initiatives to strengthen community power, particularly amongst excluded, marginalised, and underrepresented groups. Organisations will receive grants ranging from £50,000 to £80,000 each to work together on evaluating effective strategies, identifying barriers, and determining the resources needed for sustainable community power-building efforts. Expressions of interest open on the 8th January 2025. Funding to Support Community Empowerment Initiatives (England)
Individuals and families with domestic gas or energy debts ranging from £50 to £1,700 on credit or pre-payment meter accounts can apply for support through the Individual and Families grants programme. Administered by the British Gas Energy Trust, this programme provides grants to British Gas and non-British Gas customers with pre-payment or credit accounts to clear outstanding arrears with their energy supplier. Any British Gas and non-British Gas customer in England, Wales and Scotland who has sought money or debt advice and not received a grant from the Trust in the past 2 years is eligible to apply for the support. However, customers of Eon, Eon Next, EDF, Scottish Power, and Octopus should apply to their respective funds. The Fund will close when all funding has been awarded. Grants to Help People Clear Domestic Gas & Electricity Debts (England, Scotland & Wales)
Grants of up to £2,500 are available to charitable organisations for projects that tackle loneliness amongst older people and adults with a disability. The funding which is being made available through the Barchester’s Charitable Foundation offers these grants to support projects that connect or re-connect people with others in their local community. This could include activity projects, equipment and materials, member transport, and day trips.The foundation also offers grants of up to £1,000 to help individuals with mobility issues. Grants can be used to purchase wheelchairs, scooters, bikes, or car adaptations. There are no deadlines and applications can be submitted at any time. Grants of up to £2,000 for Projects Tackling Loneliness Amongst Older People and Adults with a Disability (England, Scotland and Wales)
The British Gas Trust has reopened its Energy Support Fund to help British Gas customers in England, Scotland and Wales who are struggling to pay their energy bills. The fund, which was set up in response to the rising cost of living and inflation, will provide eligible customers with grants of up to £2,000 to help clear outstanding arrears. British Gas customers with credit or pre-payment meter accounts who have sought money or debt advice, and not received a grant from the Trust in the past twelve months, are eligible to apply for support. Applications take up to four weeks to be assessed. The fund will remain open until all available funds have been awarded. British Gas Energy Trust Re-opens its Energy Support Fund (England, Scotland & Wales)
Grants of up to £1,500 are available to charitable organisations supporting challenged and vulnerable young people under 16 in the UK. The 7stars Foundation’s Social Impact Grants Programme will provide funding for projects which support young people living in areas of deprivation and socioeconomic disadvantage who are challenged by abuse or addiction, who are young carers, or who are homeless. The programme will fund projects aligned to selected awareness days, such as Human Rights Day, Race Equality Week, PRIDE Month, or Children’s Mental Health Week. A maximum of three charities will be shortlisted for each award. The next opportunity to apply for funding will be from the 1st December 2024 until the 5th February 2025. Funding to Support Challenged & Vulnerable Young People (UK)
Grants of up to £75,000 are available to small local charities in England and Wales that provide specialist services. The grants are designed to support the development and growth of charities that understand the issues people face and are best placed to make a real difference in people’s lives. The funding is available through the Lloyds Bank Foundation for England and Wales’s Specialist Grants Programme. Eligible charities must address one of the Foundation’s open themes: addiction, asylum seekers and refugees, care leavers, domestic abuse, homelessness, offending, sexual abuse and exploitation, and trafficking and modern slavery. The deadline for applications is 5pm on the 25th January 2025. Grants of up to £75,000 Available to Charities Delivering Specialist Services (England and Wales)
The second Arts for Impact campaign has a target of raising £3mn for participants, and is open to charities, with arts and culture as their core mission, that are looking for funds to support transformational impact for the people engaging with them. Read more here.
The European Youth Foundation (EYF) has launched a special call to support young people from Ukraine affected by the war. Non-governmental youth organisations in the UK and other Council of Europe member states can apply for grants of up to €15,000 to cover the costs of pilot activities. These must be designed for, support and involve young people, and could include peer to peer learning and support, training, workshops, information and counselling, youth workers and youth leaders, and meetings of young people from Ukraine. Additionally, grants of up to €25,000 are available to support international activity projects such as training courses, seminars, camps, conferences, networking and partnership building meetings. Applications for EYF Pilot Activity Grants and International Activity Grants are accepted until the 1st December 2024. Special Call for Activities to Support Young People from Ukraine (UK / Europe)
Not-for-profit organisations led by and for under-represented groups within the LGBT+ community in England can apply for a share of £500,000 in funding to help them stay well-resourced, sustainable and resilient. The LGBT+ Futures: Equity Fund will award grants of up to £25,000 to intersectional organisations working with D/deaf, Disabled, Neurodivergent LGBT+ people; LGBTQIA+ Women; People from Black, Asian and Minoritised Ethnicities and LGBT+ People of Colour; Older LGBT+ People; and Trans and Non-Binary People. The funding is made available by the Consortium of Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual and Transgender Voluntary and Community Organisations in partnership with the National Lottery Community Fund. It is intended to be as flexible as possible. Applications will be considered on a rolling basis until the 21st of November, 2024. Funding to Support Not-for-Profit LGBT+ Organisations (England)
Registered charities and exempt bodies in London planning building refurbishment projects of less than £200,000 can apply for grants of between £5,000 and £10,000. The building work can include general refurbishments or a specific scheme; repairs; creating disabled access; or fulfilling of Health and Safety requirements or fire protection. The funding is being provided through the Rose Foundation and applications can be submitted until the 31st March 2025. Funding for Charity Building Projects (London)
sobus
20 Dawes Road, London, SW6 7EN
Telephone 020 7952 1230
Email info@sobus.org.uk
Registered Charity No.1071089
and Company Limited by Guarantee. Registered in England No.03471416
Sobus is a new Community Development Agency for Hammersmith & Fulham. It has been created through the merger of the Community and Voluntary Sector Association Hammersmith & Fulham (CaVSA) and the Fulham Community Partnership Trust (FCPT). Building on the strengths of both organisations, sobus aims to provide a wider range of support services for local charities, community groups, social enterprises and start up businesses.