UPDATE 9th June 2023
We’ve had 24 expressions of interest from VCS representatives who would like to be part of the first stage of decision-making for our Neighbourhood Grants opportunity. We used an online random name picker to select the 5 VCS representatives who will sit on the decision-making panel on Tuesday 4th July. The individuals selected are from the following organisations:
Generations4Change
Peckham High Street Islamic Centre
Southern African Children and Families Welfare Association [sacfwa]
Southwark Travellers Action Group
New Leaf educational gardens CIC
Thank you to all those who expressed their interest.
Partnership Southwark have £100,000 of grant funding to distribute to VCS groups in Southwark in 2023/24.
Working with United St Saviour’s Charity and VCS groups, we have developed a grants pilot that seeks to break down barriers to funding that VCS organisations experience in Southwark, as highlighted in Community Southwark’s recent State of the Sector research.
We are now making an open call-out to VCS groups in Southwark to be part of the first stage of decision making where those on the panel will select the final 20 applications that will be then be reviewed in the 2nd stage of decision-making.
- The decision-making meeting will take place on Tuesday 4th July at Community Southwark’s offices in Bermondsey. We’d like all panel members to attend in person if possible.
- The panel will consist of 5 representatives from the VCS in Southwark.
- Community Southwark will facilitate the process but not make decisions about individual grants.
- You will receive the grant applications and scoring criteria a week in advance. We’d expect you to keep the equivalent of half a day free to review applications before the decision-making meeting so that you can come to the meeting with your draft scores and feedback.
- This is a paid opportunity recognising that VCS time is valuable and the skills and experience of VCS representatives should not be undervalued. A payment of £400 will be made to the organisation that each VCS representative is involved with.
To be part of the decision-making panel, you should be:
- Involved as a volunteer/employee or trustee of a VCS organisation based in Southwark.
- Not a trustee/volunteer or employee of any of the VCS groups who have made applications.
- Available to take part in the decision-making meeting on Tuesday 4th July 2023.
- Available to spend half a day reviewing applications in the week of the 26th June 2023.
More information:
Please visit here to find out more about the grant opportunity: https://communitysouthwark.org/exciting-grant-opportunity-funding-differently-inclusive-unrestricted-and-light-touch/
To register an expression of interest to be part of the decision-making panel, please submit your details here: Expression of interest form
Panel selection will be selected randomly from those who express an interest and meet the criteria as above so everyone has an equal chance of taking part. This is a change from the advertised application process as detailed in the application introduction document to ensure the process is as fair as possible. The grant pilot is a learning process and panel selection will be one of the areas that we will seek to get further feedback from and share the learning from.
