Funding News

The Naturesave Trust

The Naturesave Trust was established in 1995 as the charitable arm of Naturesave Insurance.

As part of Naturesave's environmental commitment, 10% (of specific insurance policies) is paid directly into a trust fund, which is then used to benefit specific environmental and conservationist projects and charities throughout the UK. The Trust prefers to provide start-up capital to small projects to get them going, rather than to contribute to the general administration costs of a larger charity or company.
http://www.naturesave.co.uk/trust_naturesave_about.html

 

OCVA Guides to Funding Opportunities 2011

OCVA have gathered together on their website a list of sources of funding. The list provides a valuable summary of County and District Council funding sources as well as details of local trusts and other resources.

 

Oxfordshire County Council Big Society Fund

The county council has set aside £600,000 to create a fund to which communities can make bids for start-up funding for service provision they may wish to undertake in their local area. The Active Communities Grant is available until April 2012. Local community groups can bid for funds from this pot to help them take responsibility for providing services in their communities.The fund will give preference to the localities which the County Council has designated Priority Localities

The fund will provide one-off funding to help communities get their ideas going where it can be shown that

The County Council wants communities to think creatively and to use their local knowledge to come up with solutions that are right for them.

The fund is not designed to pay for, for ongoing running costs e.g Utility bills, rent; staff costs; or existing activities provided by communities

Where the County Councilare planning to close a building it will consider proposals for the transfer of the asset to the community subject to the suitability and sustainability of the proposal. The County Council want councillors to play active role in this process, it will be asking that bidders ensure that the local councillor is involved and supports bid.

More information can be obtained on the county council's website at:www.oxfordshire.gov.uk/bigsocietyfund.

 

Armed Forces Community Covenant

armed forces covenant logo


AIMS OF THE COMMUNITY COVENANT GRANT SCHEME

The aim of the Community Covenant Grant Scheme is to deliver financial support to projects at the local level, which strengthen the ties or the mutual understanding between members of the Armed Forces Community and the wider community in which they live. It is administered by the Ministry of Defence and they currently have funding for this financial year and the next three financial years to support bids. Bids may only be submitted from areas which have already established a Community Covenant in their area, and applications are invited for sums from £100 to £250,000 (although bids for amounts greater than this may also be considered in exceptional circumstances).

WHAT MIGHT BE ACHIEVED THROUGH THE SCHEME

An application for funding can be submitted by any part of the community; this might include volunteer groups, charities, public bodies such as schools, and so on. Bids will be considered in the first instance by the Oxfordshire Military Civilian Partnership. Bids that the Partnership is happy to endorse will be submitted to the MOD to be considered by the Community Covenant Grant Panel.

Examples of projects could include (but are in no way restricted to):

SUCCESSFUL PROJECTS TO DATE:

Round 1

Carterton Town Council – providing enhanced facilities at the Carterton Job Club which is aimed particularly at servicemen and women to help them search and make applications for employment. It will also be able to assist those wishing to start up their own business.

Oxfordshire Play Association – running activity days for the families of military personnel at six armed forces bases within Oxfordshire: RAF Benson, RAF Brize Norton, Vauxhall Barracks Didcot, Dalton Barrack Abindgon, Shrivenham and Bicester Garrison.

Carterton Community College – developing the range, number and frequency of courses available in the area which are tailored to the needs of RAF personnel, focusing on literacy and numeracy.

Round 2

Abingdon and Witney College – Women Aloud Project - the primary aim of the project is to empower women dependants in the Armed Forces Community in South and West Oxfordshire of active engagement in civic responsibilities in their local communities through volunteering, social action and local enterprise. A programme mix including a ‘Women in Public Life’ course and engagement of the civilian community with the support of community champions as mentors will be run.

Carswell School, Abingdon - this funding will be used to build a reflective sensory garden for Key Stage 1 children in Carswell School, Abingdon. The construction will be organised as a community project, using local people to undertake the work involved and donate plants.

THE TYPES OF PROJECT THAT WILL NOT BE FUNDED:

As a Government Department, there are some activities that it would not be appropriate for MOD to fund, this may include (but is not restricted to) the following:

THE PROCESS

Bidders will be asked to complete a business case on the template provided by the MOD. This is then sent to Claire Moore at Oxfordshire County Council where the Oxfordshire Civilian Military Partnership will assess the bid. If agreed then the bid will then be considered by a panel led by MOD officials.

Further information is available at www.oxfordshire.gov.uk/armedforces

Full grant scheme criteria and guidance can be found at:

http://www.mod.uk/DefenceInternet/AboutDefence/WhatWeDo/Personnel/Welfare/ArmedForcesCovenant/ArmedForcesCommunityCovenant.htm

Claire Moore, Senior Policy and Performance Officer tel 01865 32396

Claire.moore@oxfordshire.gov.uk

 

 

South Oxfordshire District Council’s Community Investment Fund

South Oxfordshire District Council’s Community Investment Fund considers applications at different times of the year for grants over £15,000 (up to a maximum of £100,000) and those under £15,000.

The Community Investment Fund seeks to support community initiatives that support the council’s Corporate Priorities. The fund will only support capital expenditure, such as spending on building, extensions or equipment and will not fund revenue expenditure. Any community-based organisation, including Parish and Town Councils may apply.

Applicants should apply using the online application form which can be found on the council’s website at www.southoxon.gov.uk/grants

Please note: There are two opportunities per year to apply for a grant, 1st March- 8th April 2011 for grants over £15,000, 1st August - 30th September for grants under £15,000.

 

Funds Available for Projects in the Cotswolds Cotswolds Conservation Board

The Cotswolds Conservation Board’s Sustainable Development Fund (SDF) awards grants of upto £13,000 to projects which will have social, environmental and economic benefit for the AONB. Grant will be for upto 50% of project costs (75% for not for profit organisations) and need to show that they are contributing towards the aims of the AONB. The fund is now closed to new applications until April 2012.

For further details of SDF go to: www.cotswoldsaonb.org.uk/?page=sdf or call David Molloy on 01451 862002.

Reaching Communities Fund

The Reaching Communities Fund, worth a total of £80m distributed by the Big Lottery Fund provides financial support for local needs identified by communities, for example improving access to training or providing opportunities to improve life skills. The fund also aims to create stronger communities by helping to make citizens more active and healthier. An additional objective is the improvement of rural or urban environments.

The Reaching Communities fund will now accept applications for projects that were previously only eligible for other Big Lottery Fund programmes, such as advice schemes and projects targeting young people. The fund is open to voluntary or community groups, statutory bodies (including schools) and not-for-profit companies.

If you have questions about how to apply or plan your project, contact the Big Advice line on 0845 410 2030 or email: enquiries@biglotteryfund.org.uk.. Or go to the website.

Rural Community Shops

The Plunkett Foundation supports rural communities wanting to set up and run a community-owned shop.They provide practical assistance through their website below, a network of community retail advisers, a national office and various publications.

The Plunkett Foundation manages the Village CORE Programme through which financial start-up packages of up to £60,000 per shop are available. Unfortunately, the fund is closed to new applications but the Plunkett Foundation keeps a list of other funding sources as well as useful advice, legal templates, newsletters and a support network.

Further details from: Plunkett Foundation, The Quadrangle, Woodstock, Oxfordshire OX20 1LH

Tel: 01993 810 730 Email: info@plunkett.co.uk Website: http://www.plunkett.co.uk/whatwedo/core/Core.cfm

LEADER Funding for Rural Communities, Food, Agriculture

 The LEADER Programme is a major new source of funding for farmers, foresters, rural businesses and community organisations. The funding is part of the Rural Development Programme for England (RDPE). Monies are to be allocated until 2013.

 

There are three LEADER programmes allocating money in Oxfordshire. Please check the websites below to identify which areas of Oxfordshire they cover and their funding themes/priorities:

 

Contact Kate Forrest, Project Manager, at SODC on 01491 823176.

www.southernoxfordshireleader.org.uk 

Contact Nick Phillips, Project Manager, at Ngage on 01844 210430.

www.chilternsleader.org.uk

Contact Corinna Woodhall on 01488 685440

www.northwessexleader.org.uk

Funds Available for Projects in Chilterns

A small amount of funding is still available from the Sustainable Development Fund, managed by the Chilterns Conservation Board, for projects which will be completed this financial yea within the Chilterns. Find out more about the Fund’s criteria and application process here or contact Kath Daly at the Board:

Kath Daly, Countryside Officer
Tel 01844 355524
Email kdaly@chilternsaonb.org

Parishes can apply to the Chilterns AONB Parishes Fund for grants of up to £500 for local projects which benefit the AONB. Contact Claire Forrest, Information & Interpretation Officer, at the Board for more information:

01844 355521 Email cforrest@chilternsaonb.org

Awards for All

  Visit the Awards for All website to get details about the new programme and to get an application form, or call 0845 4 10 20 30 . The new scheme will be the Fund’s biggest ever commitment to a small grant scheme supporting community projects, offering a more easily accessible programme with even quicker decision times. Grants between £300 and £10,000 are available to grassroots groups in the community and voluntary sector, health bodies, schools and parish or town councils. Grants are available to ensure that:

 

Funding Opportunities for Voluntary and Community Organisations

Funding newsletters containing the latest information about funding opportunities for voluntary and community organisations in your area are available on the OCVA website. You can access it by using this link. 

Trust for Oxfordshire's Environment (TOE)

TOE has been distributing landfill tax credits in Oxfordshire since 1998; during that time the Trust has committed over £5 million to almost 500 community and environmental projects across the county.  Time moves on and things change, and for a variety of reasons TOE will no longer be distributing funds through the Landfill Communities Fund.

Landfill tax credits will continue to be available in Oxfordshire through the following organisations:

WREN is a `not for profit` environmental body set up in 1997 to distribute the Landfill Tax Credits of the Waste Recycling Group (WRG) – one of the largest waste management and landfill site operators in the UK today. If your project is located within a 10 mile radius of the WRG Landfill sites at Dix Pit, near Witney or Sutton Courtenay near Didcot then they may be able to support you with a grant towards your project. Grants from £2,000 to £50,000 can normally be awarded.

If your project is located less than 10 miles from Ardley, then the Viridor Credits Oxfordshire Fund may be able to help you. Their aim is to give the maximum benefit to communities within five to ten miles of Viridor Waste Management’s landfills through the careful selection of great schemes and the distribution of as much money as possible.

The SITA Trust can fund projects within a radius of three miles of their landfill site at Alkerton in the north of the County.

For further information about the future of TOE and the Landfill Communities Fund please contact Fiona Danks at toe@oxonrcc.org.uk or phone 01865 883488 (Wednesdays and Thursdays).

A further £50,000 has been committed to the Places for People scheme run in partnership with Oxfordshire County Council.  If you have a local project to improve access to the countryside in your area, more details are shown the leaflet which can be downloaded here. Further background information can be downloaded here.   We can fund a wide range of improvements including installation of gates, upgrading path surfaces or installation of signs.

TOE2 can provide grants of around £2,000 for projects taking place anywhere in Oxfordshire.  Funds are provided by Grundon Waste Management through the Landfill Communities Fund.

TOE2 is delighted to announce the availability of a dedicated Access Fund supported by Oxfordshire County Council.  Funds are available for local communities wishing to improve the accessibility and quality of the rights of way network in their area. 

For further information about any of the above funding schemes or to discuss if your project is eligible, please contact:

Email: fionadanks@oxonrcc.org.uk or toe@oconrcc.org.uk

Phone: 01865 883488

Website: www.trustforoxfordshire.org.uk

 

Page last  updated: February 6, 2012