Funding Opportunity

Welcome Guest

Home
> Community
> Funding
> Finding Funding
> Funding Opportunity

New Funding Opportunity

Full scheme details

Start date:

10/04/2006

End date:

31/03/2009

Outline:

Connecting Communities Plus is a grants programme designed to support practical action to help achieve the goals set out in Improving Opportunity, Strengthening Society, the government's strategy to increase race equality and improve community cohesion. The programme facilitates tailored initiatives to meet the specific needs of disadvantaged communities, rather than treating all BME communities in the same way. Connecting Communities Plus Community Grants are aimed at locally run and managed voluntary and community organisations with an income of less than £50,000 per year, run by volunteers or with one full time or two part time paid staff. The the third and final round of the fund is also supporting local projects that will focus on the legacy of the slave trade following the 200th anniversary of the passage of the 1807 Abolition of the Slave Trade Act in 2007.

Total Fund Value:

£ 3,000,000

Grant Value - minimum:

£ 6,000

Grant Value - maximum:

£ 12,000

Grant Value - notes:

Most grants will fall in the range shown above. The total fund value is the amount that has been allocated to the Community Grants between April 2006 and March 2009. The total funding amount for Round 3 has not yet been confirmed. All funding from the third and final round must be spent by 31st March 2009.

Applicants should be aware that this is a very popular and therefore competitive grant. Approximately 9%of applicants were funded in Round 2.

Extended Description:

Connecting Communities Plus Community Grants complement the Strategic and Project grants which have already been awarded. All three types of grant support the Government's 'Improving Opportunity and Strengthening Society' strategy to increase race equality and community cohesion. Community Grants will help locally managed organisations run local projects that will make a difference in local communities. The fund will focus on projects based around four key themes derived from Improving Opportunity, Strengthening Society:

Improving access and outcomes for Black and Minority Ethnic (BME) communities in education, employment, health, housing and the Criminal Justice System.
Increasing BME communities' confidence in public services.
Tackling racism and extremism.
Bringing together communities from different races and faiths, and promoting a shared sense of belonging (community cohesion).

The second and third priorities shown above were undersubscribed in the first and second round. Therefore, projects that contribute to these priorities will be of particular interest.

Please note: If your application covers aspects of more than one of the priorities, please select the one priority which best describes your project. A detailed description of the types of activities or projects that will be funded under these priorites are available in the Guidance Notes which can be downloaded at the bottom of this page.

Those interested in seeking funding are advised to familiarise themselves with Improving Opportunity, Strengthening Society before applying. This document can be downloaded by clicking underneath the Appendix heading at the bottom of this page.

An important part of the programme will be to share good practice and lessons learnt with the wider voluntary and community sector and successful organisations will be expected to work closely with the grants administrator through monitoring visits and reports.

Further Information:

2007 saw the 200th anniversary of the passage of the 1807 Abolition of the Slave Trade Act. The Race Equality Unit of the Department for Communities and Local Government (CLG) are therefore looking to support projects that will focus on the legacy of the slave trade and how it affects us today. For this reason, there is a specific question on the application form where applicants are asked to show if their activities help to commemorate the aboition of the slave trade and/or explore the legacy of the slave trade. Further information about the bicentenary and links to related websites can be found at www.setallfree.net (opens new window) and www.direct.gov.uk//slavery (opens new window).

Please note: the legacy of the slave trade is not a separate funding priority, applicants still need to select one of the four funding proirites in the Extended Description above to be eligible.

Restrictions:

The following groups are not eligible to apply:

individuals;
private businesses;
public sector bodies;
organisations that are in a poor financial position or whose financial management systems are not in good order;
organisations which are not based and working in England;
larger organisations with an income of more than £50,000 per year;
local organisations that are local branches/organisations of a larger regional or national organisation;
organisations who have already been awarded strategic or project grants from the first or second round of this programme;
organisations set up solely to receive this grant will not be considered.

The following activities cannot be funded:

services or events where the key purpose is to promote a religious doctrine; mission or proselytism;
promotion of the beliefs of a particular faith (beyond basic religious/cultural awareness raising);
acquisition of religious artefacts or publications for the use of followers in worship;
provision of services to asylum seekers when those services are inconsistent with immigration laws or Home Office policy;
the cost of supporting religious personnel in their normal duties in their place of worship;
building work or refurbishment costs of premises;
activities outside England.

Please note: Organisations who were awarded a grant from Connecting Communities Plus, Community Grants in round one or round two or those who are currently receiving funding from the Race Equality Unit or Cohesion and Faiths Unit of the Department for Communities and Local Government will not be funded. In addition, multiple applications from an organisation or organisations will not be accepted.

Key Criteria:

Community grants are aimed at locally run and managed voluntary and community organisations with an income of less than £50,000 per year, run by volunteers or with one full time or two part time paid staff. A range of different projects or activities can be funded that will make a difference to your local community and contribute to the four priority areas identified above.

Within these criteria, the organisation might be one of the following:

BME community organisation;
local voluntary organisation;
multicultural community centre.

Any voluntary and community organisation which meets the criteria below can apply. All organisations need to have the following:

A constitution or a set of rules. If your organisation does not have any, you will be expected to develop some if you gain funding.
Local management board or committee.
A bank or building society account in the organisation's name, with the signatures of at least two members of the group needed for each cheque or payment (please note it is good financial practise to make sure that these people are not related).
Up-to-date annual accounts (for groups over 12 months old), or a 12-month cash flow forecast for new organisations (less then 12 months old), with a note of income already received. Accounts would need to be audited or signed by the Chair or Treasurer of your organisation- the forecast must also be signed in this way.
Agree to meet the terms and conditions, and to submit regular project monitoring and evaluation reports and financial statements when required.
Appropriate policies and procedures in place for the work you will be undertaking, for example equal opportunities, child/vulnerable adults protection, Criminal Records Bureau checks for staff and volunteers, and financial procedures.

Eligible Expenditure:

Community Grants will fund start-up costs, staff costs, running costs and training costs. Applications for capital expenditure can only be funded if they are linked directly to project activities and equal 50% or less than 50% of the grant you are requesting. Capital expenditure includes the assets you buy over £1,000 (exclusive of recoverable VAT) and with an expected life of more than one year, e.g. computer equipment.

Organisations can also use matched funding for an activity, but not for work which is already being funded (whether from the organisation’s own resources or from grant income). However, applications will be considered to expand or scale-up existing work which meets the criteria.

Previously awarded funds:

The first round (2006) of Connecting Communities Plus- Community Grants received over 940 applications. 140 organisations were offered funding, which totalled £1,338,000. The second round of the fund (2007) received over 1,150 applications and 109 organisations were offered funding totalling £1 million. A detailed list of the successful groups awarded funding in round one can be downloaded at the bottom of this page.

Application Procedure:

Application Forms and Guidance Notes can be downloaded from the bottom of this page or directly from the Community Development Foundation website at http://www.cdf.org.uk (opens new window). Instructions on completing each section of the application form are detailed in the Guidance Notes. It is strongly recommended that you read the Guidance Notes before making an application.

The deadline for a completed paper copy of the application form, with original signatures on it, is 5pm on 8th January 2008 to the Cambrige Office of the Community Development Foundation (see Contact Information below). Any applications that do not meet this deadline will not be considered.

CDF can comment on a draft of your application form (preferably via email to ccplus@cdf.org.uk (opens new window)) between 4th September 2007 and 11th December 2007. In addition, if you require help completing the application form there is a ‘community languages’ service to assist applicants and alternative formatting available for application forms (see Contact Information below). Briefing events about the programme are also being scheduled by CDF and are likely to start in October.