Fast Track to Funding
The countless grant sources available often means that even determining which one to apply for can be a complex and confusing business, particularly for organisations to whom this is new territory, this is where WPL can immediately save you time and energy. 

For organisations without the in-house services of a Funding Officer or an employee tasked with fulfilling that requirement, we have recently introduced a new subscription service, the Virtual External Funding Officer (VEFO).  This unique concept is a three-tiered system tailored to meet individual and budgetary requirements.  As a company with vast experience in the types of projects that attract grant funding both from within the UK and Europe, WPL will monitor all available sources and provide appropriate and relevant funding alerts ensuring you never miss an opportunity through inexperience or lack of expertise.
For more information about this service and to subscribe please contact Robert Bentley on 023 9244 9456

Erasmus for Young Entrepreneurs
The new pilot project 'Erasmus for young entrepreneurs' will facilitate training, networking and exchange of experiences among nascent young entrepreneurs by means of traineeships in SMEs in another EU Member State.

Networks among young entrepreneurs beyond borders will be created. This will encourage the creation if partnerships and thus lead to the sharing of knowledge in key sectors and enhance innovation, competitiveness and internationalisation of companies.

This current call is open to both public and private organisations competent in the field of business support. Total budget allocation is €2,850,000, maximum funding per project will be up to €140,000. Deadline for submission of project proposals is 20 August 2008.  

For more information click here to access the Europa website.

Need help with funding applications - contact a member of the WPL team NOW!

£1million Tender Fund Programme from Futurebuilders
Futurebuilders £1million Tender Fund programme has been launched offering interest-free three year loans of between £3,000 and £50,000 to third sector organisations who need relatively small sums of money to help them tender successfully for specific public service delivery contracts.

Organisations are eligible for funding if they can prove they could not secure funds from a commercial lender and that they have a realistic chance of winning the contract they want to bid for.

There are no application forms or closing date - to apply contact futurebuilders
click here

Refugee and Asylum Seekers Initiative 
The Diana, Princess of Wales Memorial Fund has opened a grants round aimed at supporting community organisations providing direct services or advocacy for young refugees and people seeking asylum in the UK.

Community organisations working with these groups are invited to tender for funds through a two stage application process.

The deadline for first stage applications is 12 September 2008.
Additional information can be accessed here click here

Social Enterprise Support Funds
Social Enterprises are set to benefit from the following newly launched funding Opportunities.
Capacitybuilders £6million Social Enterprise Fund
Third Sector Minister Phil Hope has recently unveiled a £6m investment in social enterprise through the ChangeUp infrastructure programme. The money will help to improve business services for social enterprises and will fund improvements such as new mentoring schemes, more accredited advisors and work to develop emerging markets.
This is not an open programme, instead, Social Enterprise Networks will work with key third sector stakeholders to identify priority actions to tackle weaknesses in support provision in their area. To find out more click here

£3million Venture Capital Fund
The Triodos Bank has launched a £3m venture capital fund to support the development of UK social enterprises.
The Triodos Opportunities Fund will invest between £200,000 and £750,000 in established social enterprises that have a proven business model and require funding to grow and scale up their operations.
Triodos will work closely with the companies to help build on their success and focus on their long-term development rather than short-term profits. Triodos will provide much more than just money and use its extensive network of social economy partners to open doors, make connections and help investees succeed.

In the first instance interested parties are requested to contact the Triodos Bank on 020 7138 3209
 

Help with Market Research and Data Analysis
Do you need help to identify market trends, extracting information or interpreting statistical/demographic information?
We have introduced a new training course, which is tailored to your specific needs. We provide one-to-one support in researching and evaluating the relevant statistics and policies for targeted market research and data analysis, suitable for your organisation's needs.
In particular our sessions include:

●  Data Collection - Developing a methodical way of sourcing and collecting data;

●   Data Analysis – Extracting information, develop conclusions, presenting and interpreting data;

●   Understanding quantitative and qualitative data, especially  local area demographics;

●   How to resource useful sources of data and identify key national, regional and local strategies;

●   Adding Value through building a knowledge bank of demographics strategies and key organisations/clients to link with.

Our client base includes private business, public funded agencies, local authorities, schools, training providers, colleges, industry sector groups and voluntary and community organisations.

Please contact Tara Lovejoy for an informal discussion about your requirements and to find out more about this and any other training offers WPL has.   Tel: 023 9244 9577
 

Find your Talent Scheme Success for Hampshire
It has been announced that Hampshire County Council and the PUSH (Partnership for Urban South Hampshire) group have been successful in its bid to trail the Government's £25 million 'Find Your Talent' programme.
Hampshire along with another 9 areas around the country were chosen from 141 applicants that applied and will become the first 'Find Your Talent' areas and build on existing investment and experience taking place around the country.
The programme will give young people across the PUSH areas the change to encounter a range of high-quality cultural experiences for five hours a week, both in and outside school.
Areas identified within Hampshire that will benefit include:
- Southampton (Thornhill, Weston, Outer Shirley, Bevois Town and Bargate)
- Portsmouth (Portsea, Somerstown, Wymering, Paulsgrove, and the eastern seaboard)
- Hampshire (Havant, Waterlooville, Gosport, Fareham and rural south Winchester)   
Further information about the 'Find Your Talent' programme are available on the
Creative Partnerships website. Look out for up to date news specific to Hampshire's programme on Hampshire County Councils website and the PUSH website

Esmée Fairbairn Introduces New Funding Strands
One of the largest independent grant making foundations in the UK has launched 3 new funding strands for charitable organisations in the UK.
- Food: aims to promote an understanding of the role of food in enhancing quality of life and that which enables people to access, prepare and eat nutritious, sustainable food.
- Northern Ireland Pilot: A £1million budget aims to support a pilot programme of the development of the voluntary sector, in particular to encourage new thinking and new leaders.
- Finance Fund: Up to £15million funding is available in the form of loans, guarantees or equity for projects or organisations that demonstrate the need for investment and have the capacity to manage non-grant funding. To find out more click here

Development Awareness Fund
The Development Awareness Fund supports activities aimed at promoting public knowledge and understanding of development issues.  Objectives are to improve:
- Challenges and prospects for development and poverty reduction;
- Interdependence and the global consequences of poverty;
- International efforts to reduce poverty and promote development;
- The role of individuals in working towards poverty reduction;
Funding available ranges from £10,000 to £100,000 per annum towards the total project costs. Guidelines and application forms are available on the Department for International Development website click here

BIG Lottery Programmes Update

ACCESS TO NATURE
Funded by the BIG lottery fund's Changing Spaces programme and Natural England the 'Access to Nature' funds aims to support both capital and revenue projects of £50,000 and over, that encourages more people to enjoy the outdoors, particularly those who face social exclusion or those that currently have little or no contact with the natural environment. Applicants are invited to submit application forms at anytime until June 2010. Click here for more information.

YOUNG PEOPLE'S FUND 2
The 'Young People's Fund' is focussed on changing the lives of young people aged 10-18 yrs. The programme aims to:
- ensure all organisations that provide services to young people, involve them in developing, running and reviewing policies and services
- help achieve the five Every Child Matters outcomes
Grants of between £10,000 and £500,000 are available to voluntary and community sector organisations.
Visit the BIG Lottery website for more information www.biglotteryfund.org.uk

MY PLACE
Being delivered on behalf of the Department for Children, Schools and Families (DCSF). My place aims to deliver world class youth facilities driven by active participation of young people and their views and needs. Myplace is designed to kick start the 'aiming high for young people' ten year strategy by delivering £190million of Government capital investment over the next 3 years through grants of between £1milion and £5m. For application guidelines and further information click here      

BIG Lottery's BASIS Programme Round 2
The BIG Lottery’s BASIS programme aims to ensure that voluntary and community organisations throughout England have access to high quality support that will help them be more effective.     

In their first round the BIG lottery awarded £101 million to 206 voluntary and community sector infrastructure organisations. Round two is more focused and following consultation in 2007 regional wide priorities have been developed.

Minimum grant award is £10,001 and maximum is £500,000 (within one region) there is a total of £50 million available for round two. Application closing date is 27 August 2008 for more information click here

Sports and Arts Funding to Cease in 2009
The Foundation for Sports and Arts has decided to cease the activities of the Foundation at the end of March 2012. No new applications for funding will be considered after the end of March 2009.
Since its Establishment in 1991 The Foundation for Sports and Arts has awarded grants worth over £350 million to sports and arts activities nationally with monies donated by Littlewoods and other football pools companies to a wide range of sporting and artistic causes.
The decision to cease activities was made following a recent review of the current level of reserves and in light of the fact that that their only source of income is now the interest generated by those reserves. For the FSA website click here

Bereaved military families are among those set to benefit, as charity Cruse Bereavement Care was awarded a £200,000 grant over three years to develop services for ex-military personnel and their families.

The Department of Health 'section 64' awards will fund a total of 150 new grants and 220 continuing grants - more than £17 million for projects that support high quality health and social care in England.

In addition, the Department's "Opportunities for Volunteering" scheme will award a total of £7 million for local projects that involve and encourage volunteers in health and social care.

To find out more visit the Department of Health Website click here

£100 Million For Social Business
Social Enterprises have from the end of March until June to apply for grants from the next pay-out round of the Department of Health’s £100 million investment fund.

The Social Enterprise Investment Fund kitty has received an extra £27 million in February, on top of the £73 million already secured in 2007. The application round for the financial year 2008/09 opens in  April and organisations will have until July to submit applications for support and funding. 

The additional cash in the fund is the result of revenue funding being made available following the outcome of the Comprehensive Spending Review 2007.

Social enterprises dedicated to health and care can apply for a slice of the fund, with start-up funding or ventures in early development being prioritised, with no cap to the number of social enterprises that can receive funding.

Funds will be available for organisations who can demonstrate how they plan to take account of the needs of people and local communities, particularly the most vulnerable and excluded also those organisations that can become financially sustainable over time. For more information click here  

Futurebuilders Fund - 2008 - 2011
It has been announced that the 2008 - 2011 Futurebuilders fund will be managed by Adventure Capital Fund (ACF).  The £150m funding will increase to £215m with the investment of £65m from ACF and will be used to develop third sector delivery of public services.  For more information click here.

Risk Capital Investment Fund for Social Enterprises
The Office of the Third Sector has confirmed that the Risk Investment Fund for Social Enterprises will go ahead.  The Government is providing £10m to help Social Enterprises to start and develop their business, and the funding will be matched by the private sector.

Applications are expected to be invited in the Autumn once an independent fund manager has been appointed.  For further details click here.

Government Funding Portal
Governmentfunding.org.uk, the Government Funding Portal has announced a change in their subscription service with effect from 1st April 2008.  Organisations with a turnover of less than £500,000 will still be able to access the site for free, and the charge for organisations with a turnover above £500,000 will be £75 + VAT.

The Funding Portal, developed by the Directory of Social Change and funded by the Office of the Third Sector, aims to provide access to Government grants for the Voluntary and Community Sector.  For further details click here.
 

Play Investment Programme
The Department for Children, Schools and Families has announced a £225m programme aimed at improving and building playgrounds with indoor and outdoor areas for 8-13 year olds.

In the first instance 65 Local Authorities have been invited to bid to become play pathfinders.  The 15 successful Local Authorities will be awarded approx £2m capital funding plus revenue funding.  Unsuccessful applicants will be receive approx £1m to improve existing play areas.
Another bidding round will be held in the Autumn of 2008 which will be open to all Local Authorities, and another 15 will be awarded play pathfinders funding.  For further details click here.

Rural Development Programme for England
The new Rural Development Programme for England (RDPE) opened on 18th January 2008 and is jointly funded by the EU and the UK Government.  A variety of support is available for farmers, growers and foresters to invest for the future.  There are 3 core objectives:

• Improving the competitiveness of farmers and foresters (managed by SEEDA)

• Enhancing the environment and landscapes (managed by Natural England and the Forestry Commission

• Rural quality of life and diversification of the rural economy (managed by SEEDA)

SEEDA will be running workshops to explain eligibility, support available and the application process.  For more information visit the SEEDA website

Esmée Fairbairn Foundation
The Esmée Fairbairn Foundation has released details of their new funding guidelines for 2008.  Two funds are available to charitable organisations to improve quality of life in the UK. 

The Main Fund which funds two-thirds of the Foundation's projects is for involvement in cultural life, education, the natural environment and helping disadvantaged people to participate in society. 
The Strands comprise of three themes - 'Biodiversity', 'Museums & Heritage Collections', and 'New Approaches to Learning.'

Last year the Foundation provided £30m for projects.  For further details visit the Esmée Fairbairn Foundation website.

Big Lottery - Research Programme
The Big Lottery has announced its £25m Research Programme for social and medical research in the UK aimed at voluntary and community sector organisations who are encouraged to work with Universities and the wider research community.  Grants of between £10,000 and £500,000 are available, with £1m being awarded for 'exceptional' projects.

There are five main outcomes for this programme:

• Improved understanding of issues relating to the Big Lottery Fund's UK themes and country outcomes

• Improved Third Sector participation and knowledge in developing, doing and using research

• Improved dissemination of Third Sector led research

• Increased participation of beneficiaries and users in a range of research roles

• Improved partnerships between the Third Sector and the research community

For more details visit the Big Lottery website

UnLtd Sport Relief Awards
The Sports Relief Awards is a £1m programme being delivered by UnLtd - the Foundation for Social Entrepreneurs.  It is aimed at young people aged between 11 and 21 who have innovative, sports-related ideas for tackling problems in their communities.  The programme is open throughout the UK, and awards in the form of cash and practical support will be between £250 and £5,000 to enable young people to set up projects.  For further details about the programme click here to visit the UnLtd website.

Age Concern England, Bright Ideas Programme
The Bright Ideas grants programme is offering Small Service Development Grants of up to £2,000 towards new or expanding services or activities which directly benefit older people.  Voluntary organisations who have an annual income or turnover of less than £200,000 are able to apply.
Examples of initiatives that may be eligible are day centres and luncheon clubs, visiting and befriending, information and advice services, health and safety initiatives, arts, cultural and reminiscence activities, footcare, bathing and hairdressing, respite for carers, gardening and domestic services, and activities enabling older people to make their voices heard in society.

Click here for further details and schedule of application deadlines from the Age Concern England website.

GreenPrints -Green Space Improvement Projects
GreenPrints is a two year England-wide volunteering programme which offers funding and practical support for green space improvement projects carried out by young people aged 16-25.  The programme has been formed by a partnership of five organisations: SITA Trust, V, BTCV, The Wildlife Trusts and the BBC's Breathing Spaces campaign. 
Projects can be up to 6 months in length and should focus on improving green spaces for the local community and wildlife.
For further information click here to visit the SITA Trust website.

The European Commission's Life+ Programme
The European commission has launched its Life+ Programme with the first annual call for proposals to be issued on 15 September 2007; another 6 further calls for proposals are expected as the programme runs to December 2013.  The programme has a budget of  €2.143 billion and comprises of three components:

• Life+ Nature & Biodiversity

• Life+ Environment Policy & Governance

• Life+ Information & Communication

For full details about the Life+ Programme visit the website.

Family Learning
In September 2006, the Big Lottery Fund launched its £40million Family Learning Programme over three years. The Family Learning Programme aims to bring generations of families together through learning. The Programme will fund practical and enjoyable activities for adults and children to do together and to help parents to understand more about how their children learn. In particular to support those families who face barriers to learning or who are not confident helping their children to learn and projects whose learning is not necessarily qualification based. Imaginative projects that meet local needs and remove the practical barriers to learning can apply for grants between £10,000 and £500,000.
Outline proposal forms can be submitted any time up to 29 August 2008, for additional information, click here

Charities Set to Benefit from Internet Shopping
Give or Take is a new innovative way for charities to benefit from the increase in online shopping. www.giveortake.com is a massive online market place established to help charities to raise money. Shoppers can choose from a large variety of leading stores and are rewarded with cash back for their purchases, which they can keep or donate to their chosen charity.  For more information visit the 'Give or Take' website     

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