Are you fed up with complicated application forms, struggling to find core funding and not getting enough helpful feedback?
Our grant opportunity seeks to address these challenges and more!
In 2023/24, £105,000 was distributed to VCS groups in Southwark in a grants pilot that aimed to break down barriers that groups face with funding as highlighted in Community Southwark’s State of the Sector research. You can read the learning and impact report here.
This year, Partnership Southwark have committed £200,000 to the grants pot – this will be distributed as follows:
£5,000 will be awarded to 20 VCS groups (for organisations with an annual income of less than £50,000).
£10,000 will be awarded to 10 VCS groups (for organisations with an annual income of between £40,000 and £100,000).
Groups can apply to one grant amount only – £5,000 or £10,000.
This grant opportunity seeks to reduce health inequalities at a targeted neighbourhood level through strengthening small, local VCS groups.
The grants process was developed with VCS groups in two pilot rounds in 2023/24. Groups also made decisions about how funds are distributed. It was a learning opportunity for all involved, and following both rounds of funding, we have adopted a process for this year, based on feedback and learning from 2023-24.
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Important dates:
The grant opportunity is open between the Monday 13th of May and Monday 24th of June. Decisions will by shared with groups by Monday 16th of September 2024 and we aim to distribute funds within 4 weeks.
Eligibility criteria:
- A not-for-profit organisation (including unincorporated groups, CICs, CIOs and more) operating in Southwark
- Supporting people in at least 1 of the following wards: Camberwell Green, Faraday, Old Kent Road, Nunhead and Queen’s Road, Peckham, plus the Kingswood Estate (SE21) and Downtown Estate (SE16). You can find ward names and areas on our website.
- An annual income of £50,000 or less for £5,000 grants and between £40,000 and £100,000 for the £10,000 grants.
- A group that supports people with disabilities and/or mental health needs. This can be preventative work and doesn’t have to be the main focus of an organisation’s work.
- Your organisation will need to confirm they have the following: A safeguarding policy, a governing document such as a constitution, and a bank account in your organisation’s name.
- Groups who received funding in 2023/24 CAN apply for funding in 2024/25.
What the funding can be used for:
- Funds granted will be on an unrestricted basis to fund whatever the organisation needs, including core/overhead costs. Grant applicants do not need to detail how they intend to use the funds when they apply.
- There is no timescale for funds to be used but we’d like to be able to report on its impact by February 2025. This does not mean grantees should spend all the funds by then but it would be helpful if grantees had an idea of how they might use the funds and/or what impact they think they might have.
Important:
Please note that VCS groups in Southwark will decide how grants are distributed via 2 decision-making stages. If you are short-listed for the 2nd stage you will be required to review 10 applications and submit your scores and feedback electronically. You will need to do this between the 29th of July – 8th of September 2024 and the organisation you represent will receive a goodwill gesture of £100 in recognition of your time. For more information on this, please refer to the grant pack – link below.
To find out more please download our application information here: Funding Differently – Grant Pack.
The Grant Portal is open from the 13th of May 2024 and closes at 5pm on Monday 24th June.
To apply for a £5,000 grant, please apply here: Apply for a £5,000 grant
To apply for a £10,000 grant, please apply here: Apply for a £10,000 grant
The links abve will take you to the United St Saviour’s Charity online grants portal. You will need to log on (if you have applied for a grant from United St Saviour’s Charity before) or create a new account to start the application process.
Please remember when applying – if you have saved an application and would like to go back and make changes then please click “my applications” which can be found on the left-hand side of the page.
Community Southwark can provide support and advice to groups wishing to apply.
You can see the recording of the Funding Differently workshop that took place on the 21st May here: Funding Differently workshop.
If you would like help with your application or have any questions or feedback please get in touch with Gosia at gosia@communitysouthwark.org or on 07599653482.
